Camp Solomon Schechter

Opportunity for exploration

Jewish summer camps, like Camp Solomon Schechter near Olympia, Wash., aim to give participants a lifelong sense of belonging, leadership, joy and identity. (photo from campschechter.org)

The California-based Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation, commonly known as the Jim Joseph Foundation, has prioritized investment in what it calls “powerful Jewish learning experiences,” in its effort to enable “all Jews, their families, and their friends to lead connected, meaningful, purpose-filled lives and to make positive contributions to their communities and the world.” This commitment is advanced by signature grantees that provide such experiences to young people: BBYO, Foundation for Jewish Camp, Hillel, Birthright Israel, and Moishe House.

Over the last few years, the foundation has partnered with Rosov Consulting to bring a consistent research lens to the experiences provided by these various organizations. The goal of this partnership has been: (1) to identify both the distinct and common contributions made by each organization to participants at different stages of their young lives, and (2) to identify the components of the experiences they provide that make them so powerful.

Rosov’s latest report, Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences, was released in September. Through a series of 10 virtual focus groups, researchers interviewed 48 people, most between the ages of 25 and 35, who had participated in some combination of Jewish camp, youth groups, campus life and post-grad community.

Program alumni remember powerful Jewish learning experiences as having deep personal significance. They learned something new and important about themselves, locating themselves in relation to a larger entity – typically, the Jewish people. They sensed their lives being propelled forward, often in new directions. These experiences didn’t speak to all the alumni in the same ways or with the same force, but all five experiences, without exception, were described in these terms by many. In their own words, alumni recollected:

Youth group: “[feeling] so fulfilled … I had a purpose in some sort of way in that time that wasn’t school or wasn’t what I had to do.”

Camp: “a big sense of independence … getting to do things I personally never had a chance to do.”

College: “[being] taught a lot for my future in terms of, for me personally, building a Jewish life and a Jewish home.”

Israel: “[Gaining a] whole [new] perspective of what it was to be Jewish and to feel accepted. [It was] the first place I felt truly at home.”

Moishe House: “finding my own way in … having a place to be and be Jewish … that completely changed my life.”

The settings in which these powerful Jewish learning experiences occur are not simply substitutes for one another. They take place at different moments in a young person’s life and are infused by the distinct social and educational priorities associated with that developmental moment. At overnight camp, for example, this involved experiencing a model of Jewish community that was either absent or just very different at home. The specialness of the camp community was emphasized by the physical distance of camp from home and the temporal boundedness of the camp experience during specific months of the year.

The experiences provided by the grantees are all highly experiential, involving learning through doing. This outcome was strongly associated with spending time at overnight camp, in large part because the rhythm of camp runs from morning to night, and from Shabbat to Shabbat; it includes mealtimes, prayer times and other opportunities for learning through the performance of ritual.

photo - man with a kappa in front of an audience of youth at camp — “I gained the value of joyous Judaism, social connections … having a community of people that you get to just be with, [is] just amazing.” *(photo from campschechter.org)*

Nearly two-thirds of study participants attended camp at some point. Camp is a place to stretch, to experiment and to explore new experiences, in Jewish and personal terms. This is the theme to which alumni consistently returned most often when talking about camp. They recollect experiencing joy and Jewish learning, and they celebrated the friendships formed, but it was the personal growth they experienced thanks to being given the space to explore that exceeded all other outcomes.

Participant perspectives included:

• “[I was] pushing boundaries in a very safe environment. That’s something that happened at my camp.”

• “I think for me a lot of [the takeaways from camp] were a big sense of independence.… [Camp] really got very different from school…. It gave us a time to just do all the fun things that you don’t always get to do that I personally never got a chance to do. It was a lot of new things that I saw that I’d never seen before or new experiences.”

Their reflections converged around the many lifelong benefits of the Jewish camp experience, such as:

Jewish learning: “I feel like there’s a lot of prayers that I know in my core because of camp and not necessarily because of Hebrew school and Sunday school.”

L’dor v’dor: “All of the camp songs that you’d sing on Shabbat … you take with you for the rest of your life. And I have a son who goes to Jewish preschool now and he is singing these songs, and we sing them together in the car.…”

Independence, joy and friendship: “I gained the value of joyous Judaism, social connections … having a community of people that you get to just be with, [is] just amazing.”

Connecting to Jewish identity: “Camp really helped me understand the importance of Jewish community and continuing involvement with the Jewish community after my bat mitzvah. If it weren’t for camp, I would not have done Hillel in college. I would not have joined Moishe House.”

Belonging, leadership, joy and identity – four of the core building blocks highlighted in the study – were central themes at Foundation for Jewish Camp’s 2024 Leaders Assembly, which brought together more than 800 Jewish camp leaders and advocates from around the world on Dec. 9-11 in Chicago. At the gathering, Rosov Consulting shared more findings from this study, which can be found at jewishcamp.org.

– from Powerful Jewish Experiences,
compiled by Rosov Consulting (September 2024),
and Foundation for Jewish Camp

Camp celebrates a lifetime at 70

Lisa and Andrew Altow with their family on visitors day at Camp Solomon Schechter in 2013. (photo from the Altow family)

On May 5, Camp Solomon Schechter will honour four long-time relationships that were built at the camp. Part of its 70th-anniversary celebrations, there will be three separate events in three different cities – Portland, Seattle and Vancouver – on the same day. Those being honoured include Vancouverites Lisa and Andrew Altow, and Yvonne Rosenberg.

“One of the most special things about camp is the lifelong friendships that it creates and the geographic area that it spans,” Zach Duitch, executive director of Camp Solomon Schechter, told the Independent. “We say camp friends are forever friends and we know that having Jewish friendships throughout your life is one of the most significant and important relationships we have. This is what builds Jewish community.”

Of this year’s honourees, he said, “We have a friendship that has spanned three generations and two countries, from Portland to BC, Yvonne and Sharon [Stern] – they went to camp together, their children went to camp together, their grandchildren go to camp together. We have two relationships that are marriages from camp, the Korches [Melissa and Matt] and the Altows. And we have a beautiful friendship of four friends from four different communities who have stayed friends throughout their lifetime”: Eva Corets, Rochelle Huppin, Wendy Rosen and Karen Twain.

photo - Sharon Stern, left, and Yvonne Rosenberg met in the early 1960s at Camp Solomon Schechter and have been friends ever since — Sharon Stern, left, and Yvonne Rosenberg met in the early 1960s at Camp Solomon Schechter and have been friends ever since. *(photo from CSS)*

In previous years, Camp Solomon Schechter has awarded the Migdal Or Award to individuals who have provided a “spark of light that guides the way for others to follow.” The inspiration for the award and its first recipients, in 2020, were camp founders Rabbi Joshua and Goldie Stampfer (z”l). While an award won’t be given out this year, the 70th anniversary Schechter Spark will reflect the Stampfers’ “legacy, virtue and commitment to Jewish life and camping.”

Camp Solomon Schechter started in 1954, near Echo Lake, in Washington. The first year, 25 campers attended a one-week session; the next year, 40 campers attended a two-week session.

The camp moved to Whidbey Island in 1958 but outgrew that space within 10 years. With the help again of Seattle Rabbi Joseph Wagner, one of the camp’s founders, as well as Harry Sherman and Rabbi Zev Solomon from Vancouver, BC, a camp property in the Olympia area was found, and it was for sale.

“Rabbi Stampfer immediately called the number and spoke with the owner, Helen Shank,” reads the Our History page of the CSS website. “And, for $300,000, the 200-acre property could be owned by Camp Solomon Schechter. Each of the rabbis from the major cities (Portland, Seattle and Vancouver) committed to raising $100,000 from their communities, and they were able to accomplish the goal in time for summer 1969.”

CSS is still located at the site near Olympia, with some 600 campers and more than 100 staff attending annually, in addition to the Stampfer Retreat Centre and OSPREY Camp (an outdoor education program).

Seventy years is a special anniversary in Judaism.

“The number 70 is considered a lifetime, so much so that 13 years into the second lifetime, at the age of 83, many Jews will have a second bar or bat mitzvah,” explained Duitch. “Where does that number come from? A midrashic tale tells us that there was an old man planting a carob tree by the side of the road when a traveler walked by. The traveler asked the man, ‘Why are you planting that tree? It will never bear fruit in your lifetime.’ The man responded, ‘I’m doing it for the next generation.’ And so, the legend goes, it takes a carob tree 70 years from seed to fruit and that’s where we get that idea of a lifetime. So, this year, at Schechter Spark, we are celebrating our first lifetime and raising funds for our next lifetime.”

“We are looking forward to being at the event with many of our good friends and all our kids,” Andrew Altow told the Independent. He and Lisa attended CSS in the mid-to-late-1970s. “I was a camper,” he said. “Lisa was a camper and, later, a counselor.”

After their first year at CSS, Andrew said there were a couple of reasons for wanting to return for another summer. “First, all our Jewish friends from all the cities – Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Spokane – that went every year. Second, the ruach [spirit], the amazing sense of Judaism and fun together.”

Looking back now some 50 years later, Andrew said, “CSS played a massive role for us. Because of our CSS lifelong camp friendships, we met in our 20s at a party in Bellevue [Washington] and fell in love and got married a few years later – Lisa was from Bellevue and I was from Vancouver. Because of CSS, we maintained a meaningful connection with camp and eventually each of our four kids attended CSS and have made their own lifelong friends.”

Andrew and Lisa have each, at one time or another, served on the CSS board or a board committee.

“CSS has been a Jewish string that has connected us to our Judaism and to Israel in a positive and meaningful way, for which we are extremely grateful,” said Andrew. “Mostly, it’s been the amazing people involved with CSS, whether they be staff or volunteers, each one amazing in their passion for CSS and their genuine love for this magical camp, its mission, its values.”

It was “incredibly important” that their kids also go to Camp Solomon Schechter, said Andrew. “Each child – Josh, Lynne, Joey and Ari – got something different out of camp but their experience reinforced their Judaism and their connection to Israel.

“One summer, it was very special to have all four kids and my nephew from Toronto to attend in the same summer session – five Altows at one session. We were so proud to see how close they all were and continue to be. We believe CSS was an incredible positive influence on all of them.”

Humbled to be one of the Schechter Spark 24 honourees, Andrew said, “In a world today full of hate, full of antisemitism, full of turmoil worldwide, CSS is an oasis of safety for Judaism to shine through our children and teach them the beautiful tenets of Judaism so our children, and future children, can continue to repair the world as our faith illustrates.”

To read about the other Schechter Spark 2024 honourees and to RSVP for the (free) local May 5 event at Tap & Barrel in Olympic Village, go to campschechter.org/spark-24. Vancouver co-chairs are Elana Bick and Sheldon Franken, and the special guest will be camp director Manda Graziel.

Thanks to CSS’s 2024 Matchmakers, any new donation to the camp will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $218,000. Visit campschechter.com to donate.

Campers share their thoughts

Making friends and challenging oneself are just two of the things kids love about summer camp. (photo from Camp Solomon Schechter)

Jewish camping can be an integral part of children’s lives and their development. Involving them in Jewish summer camps leads to brighter Jewish futures and a stronger Jewish community as a whole. Camp helps Jewish youth feel proud of their heritage and can lead to stronger friendships and relationships, campers finding their true passions, and discovering the joy in Jewish life. We spoke to several Camp Solomon Schechter campers about what camp means to them and how it’s made an impact on their lives.

Ruby Lipsky (1st year): “[Camp friends are special] because you can just do whatever you want with them and they make you feel like [you’re] home and, if you’re sad, they help you and it’s just nice to have somebody here to be with you. You’re living with some new people in your cabin that you’ve never met before and I made very good friends with them because I treated them nicely. If you treat them how you want to be treated, then it just makes camp so much more fun.”

Izzy Drazin (2nd year): “You’re just welcome to anything you want to do. I feel like I’ve been more excited whenever I come to camp. Instantly something clicks in my head to be happy, have fun, try new things. I want to bring back some of the energy that I have here, some of the ruach, happiness, and this new sense of self.”

Orli Kalman (7th year): “Out of camp I have learned so many new values of kindness and working with others. It’s a really great opportunity because you’re constantly surrounded by people and sometimes that’s a lot, but you deal with it and learn how to prioritize yourself and take time for yourself when you need it. Then, you can go back and make friendships and value the time that you get to spend with others.”

* * *

“My friendships at camp are the most important thing to me and that is one of the main reasons that I come back to camp. I get to see the same people every year that I love and that I get to grow with and learn more about every summer. We have so many similarities but at the same time so many differences, I’m constantly learning new things about my friends. It’s great that we are able to start right back where we left off and just keep growing these friendships and making them stronger.”

photo - kids having fun at Camp Solomon Schechter — *(photo from Camp Solomon Schechter)*

Bella Robinson (8th year): “At home, I have a few Jewish friends but going to camp, where everyone is Jewish, is such a magical thing. All the aspects of my life tie into me being Jewish and, at home, I find that I may not relate to my other non-Jewish friends because they don’t share some of the same aspects of their culture or religion or keeping Shabbat and they may not know about some of the traditions I keep close to my heart. When I’m at camp, constantly practising Judaism and I’m with all my Jewish friends, those friendships are just so much stronger than any other ones at home.”

Josh Kittay (15th year, counselor): “The biggest thing about camp that makes it so special is those memories for me. I love to tell stories and, when I go home, I get to tell all my family and friends those stories that happened, whether it’s your new friend you made or something really funny you did on the aqua park or an amazing shot you made on the basketball court. You get to really find out who you are here and you get to be that person you want to be, whether you’re extra goofy here or you wanna change a little bit who you see yourself as. You get to do that here ’cause no one’s gonna judge you.”

* * *

“It’s so important to be somewhere that is so inclusive. We are judged as a Jewish community, we are judged for just being Jewish, and being able to not only be Jewish here with tons of other Jews … you also get to be how you want to be and you better come up with your own story about who you wanna become. You don’t have to go along with the rules, go along with the set laws of what we call the ‘real world.’ You get to be who you wanna be, you get to choose who that person is. What we like to say is you get to try on new clothes. If you wanna become someone else, go for it. This is the place where no one is gonna judge you, everyone wants to do the same thing, so find out who you are.”

– Courtesy Camp Solomon Schechter

Encouraging independence

At Camp Solomon Schechter, campers are encouraged to take some risks, embrace imperfection, connect and make new friends, and grow as leaders and good citizens of the world. (photo from Camp Solomon Schechter)

The pandemic and its restrictions on socializing greatly affected kids in particular. Being together at school and at camp gives children the chance to practise being in community and build skills around dialogue, collaboration, connection and identity. Without face-to-face interactions, in-person education and events, physical touch and their relationships, they have struggled to stand up for themselves and build the confidence they need to make their own decisions and truly find out who they are. Especially with how much social media and celebrity culture influence kids to try the latest trends to be part of the in-crowd, many of them are losing their own self-worth and misinterpreting their identities.

As many camps and groups for young people do, Camp Solomon Schechter values each child as an individual, and strives to support their social, emotional, physical and spiritual growth. At Solomon Schechter, campers have the opportunity to practise independence by choosing their own chuggim (activities) and making their cabins their own through spirited chants or personal artwork. Campers can do all of this in a safe, nurturing environment and find their passion to do what makes them happy, whether it’s arts and crafts, sports, nature or musical theatre. Every camper is encouraged to risk a little (but not without guidance and protection from counselors), embrace imperfection, try something new, connect and make new friends, make choices that support their community, and grow as leaders and good citizens of the world.

For summer 2023, Camp Solomon Schechter is making an even greater and more intentional effort to praise perseverance and inspire confidence in our campers to help them discover themselves. All of the programming this summer will be infused with key curricula that will teach campers how to set goals, show love, explore their feelings and emotions, find new activities they can be passionate about, and develop skills they can bring back home and use in life outside of camp.

One of the newest programs, started last summer, was the middot (values) system, which includes values such as compassion, respect and teamwork. This was designed to show campers the 10 values that members of the Camp Solomon Schechter community uphold. Each value corresponds with a coloured bead, and a camper received a bead from a counselor when they displayed one of the 10 values. Each cabin of campers collected their beads in a jar and, once they reached 25 beads, they received an award.

“We’re immensely proud of this program and the campers who displayed these values all throughout the summer. We believe that this program and others are crucial in developing confidence,” said Zach Duitch, Camp Solomon Schechter executive director. “We know that they will treasure these values and take them with them as they grow and begin participating in the community at large. We can’t wait to bring our middot program back to camp this summer and see how our campers have used these values outside of camp.”

– Courtesy Camp Solomon Schechter

Back to camp, to being a kid

At summer camp, kids build community, take on challenges, become independent and develop leadership skills. (photo from Camp Solomon Schechter)

There’s a place where kids can simply be themselves. Where they build community, take on challenges, become independent and develop leadership skills. And, through it all, they think it’s just fun and friendships. That’s the magic of summer camp – a healthy dose of nature and nurture.

One year after sleepaway camps across the country were shuttered by the pandemic, many kids packed their shorts and hiking shoes once again, dug out their sleeping bags, and reunited with camp buddies to rekindle fond traditions.

We asked the directors of three Jewish summer camps in Washington state to share their perspective on the role camp plays in the social and emotional health of children, and how it was especially vital in the summer of 2021.

Welcome back to camp

“Welcoming the kids back this summer was extra special,” said Zach Duitch, director at Camp Solomon Schechter in Tumwater. “We could see it in their faces. After being online for a year-and-a-half, they were ready to be outside, with their friends, and having fun.”

Many parents were understandably concerned about sending their kids back to camp this past summer. Attendance numbers dipped somewhat, but families also recognized the value of getting their kids back to outdoor healthy summer fun, Duitch said. Away from everyday social pressures, camp staff works to create an environment that’s a safe place for kids to be their authentic selves.

“Parents trust us with their kids’ safety, security and health – and also with their spiritual and emotional needs. We take that trust incredibly seriously,” said Rabbi Ilana Mills, director at URJ Camp Kalsman in Arlington. “Camp is life-changing in so many ways. It’s an opportunity to grow as a whole person.”

Fun with lasting impact

When kids come home from one, two or three weeks at summer camp, the changes may not be immediately evident. In fact, many campers and counselors only realize as adults how much the experience has shaped them, instilling them early on with courage, compassion and independence. Kids can head off to camp as early as the summer after first grade. Many progress through the years to become counselors, taking on leadership roles as high school and college students, in what many describe as the “best job ever.”

Ask a kid and they’ll say camp is about boating, hiking, arts, sports, cookouts – and the thrill of a high-ropes course. Along with the fun, each camp has its own unique culture with familiar traditions passed down from summer to summer. Camp culture is what ties the community together with singing and celebrations, skits and games. Jewish summer camps also integrate religious observance and community into daily life.

“Camps are these bubbles – their own societies – where kids play a central role,” said Rabbi Kenny Pollack, camp director at Sephardic Adventure Camp in Cle Elum. “Our kids are immersed in the culture of camp, and it helps shape their identity.”

Healthy dose of silliness

When camp directors describe how their programs nurture kids, it can sound pretty serious. But one thing they take extremely seriously is fun.

“At Camp Solomon Schechter we do a lot of ‘shtick.’ Campers love seeing their counselors act silly,” said Duitch, as he explained a beloved trivia game that ends with participants messy and everybody laughing.

Mills described how “we really try to be as outside the box as possible. We push our counselors to teach their passion, be creative and try new things.”

She even got a chance to join the fun, playing a zombie during the culmination of their outdoor survival unit at URJ Camp Kalsman.

Leave real world behind

Kids leave their parents and their digital devices at home when they arrive at camp. There may be homesickness at first but soon their days are consumed by activities and friendships. And, since more and more camps are going device-free, campers get a break from their screens.

“Camp is a place where kids get to be their authentic selves,” said Pollack.

Each summer, as kids are reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, they’re also connecting across borders. Increasingly, camps are bringing counselors from international locations to supplement the programming with games and traditions from their home countries.

“As much as kids love their parents, camp is a great opportunity for them to learn from other role models,” said Duitch, explaining how the camp experience broadens kids’ viewpoints and connects them to lifelong friends.

Many parents, kids and camp staffers found it heartbreaking to cancel camp in 2020. That’s why camps throughout Washington banded together, lobbying the state government to make sure that camp happened in 2021 and that it would be a safe and extra-memorable summer. In the end, it may be difficult to measure the social and emotional impact of returning to camp after a trying year. But parents could no doubt see it in the hugs, the joy and the happy exhaustion as they picked their kids up at the end of camp this past year.

This article, courtesy Camp Solomon Schechter, comes from the Samis Foundation, which was established in 1994 by Samuel Israel, z”l, and is the largest Jewish philanthropy in Washington state. Grantmaking is focused on the foundation’s mission of supporting local Jewish education and initiatives in Israel. Samis is honoured to support the three Jewish overnight camps located in Washington state, working to keep Jewish children and teens engaged in their culture, religion and communities.

Anger over flag-raising

Kids4Peace at Camp Solomon Schechter. (photo from k4p.org)

Camp Solomon Schechter (CSS), located outside of Olympia, Wash., was mired in controversy earlier this summer, after it temporarily flew a small Palestinian flag alongside the large American, Canadian and Israeli flags that usually wave above the camp. The flag was hoisted to welcome a delegation from Kids4Peace, which included Palestinian Muslim and Christian children. The children had come to the Jewish summer camp to foster friendship and understanding.

According to a source at the camp, the decision to raise the Palestinian flag was not a political one, but was intended as an expression of the mitzvah of welcoming guests (hachnassat orchim).

The 13 children from Kids4Peace, whose visit inspired the incident, spent five days at the camp, where they attended Jewish prayers every day and learned about Zionism and Israel. Founded in Jerusalem in 2002, Kids4Peace is “a global movement of youth and families dedicated to ending conflict and inspiring hope in divided societies around the world,” according to its website. The organization works with more than 500 Palestinian, Israeli and North American youth.

“It provided an opportunity for many American Jewish campers to meet a Palestinian for the first time, and to recognize that there are Palestinian partners who want to work – together – for peace,” Kids4Peace Northwest regional director Jordan Goldwarg wrote on the Kids4Peace blog about the camp visit. “It provided an opportunity for Palestinian Kids4Peace participants to experience American Jewish life and to gain a deeper understanding of why a strong, stable Israel is so important for Jews the world over.”

The flag incident was first publicized on the Mike Report, an amateur news blog hosted out of Seattle by right-wing, pro-Israel activist Mike Behar, who was highly critical of the actions of CSS. The news of the raising of a Palestinian flag sparked intense criticism online and among some parents and alumni, including many British Columbians connected to the camp. The apology subsequently issued on the CSS Facebook page was met with so many hostile comments that the page itself was taken offline for a time.

The incident attracted attention in American Jewish papers, as well. Tablet’s Leil Leibowitz, who acknowledged that, on one level, the flag raising was a “sweet gesture,” nevertheless wrote a fiery op-ed accusing CSS of addressing “the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a mindless, morally preening way, treating it not as something concrete but as a collection of grand symbolic gestures,” and suggesting that training children on such empty theatrics would set them up to join “fringe anti-Israel groups” as adults.

In a letter sent to parents and supporters following the visit, the camp wrote: “For the sake of a teachable moment, we did raise the Palestinian flag as a sign of friendship and acceptance. It was met with uncertainty by some campers and staff, especially the Israeli’s [sic], but all understood that the message of hope for peace by flying the Israeli flag alongside helped develop empathy. Still we plan to take down all the flags for Shabbat since there is no peace and also to relieve the sadness and anger that some feel by the site [sic] of the flag.”

The letter also said the camp remains “unabashedly pro-Israel and we are celebrating Israel alongside our new friends.”

“Camp Solomon Schechter is a proud Zionist and pro-Israel camp,” a subsequent statement said. “We honour the Israeli army and Israeli people on a daily basis at CSS. Our goal was to create a safe space for all, and begin dialogue among the next generation.”

The camp’s executive director, Sam Perlin, and co-board president, Andy Kaplowitz, also issued a statement responding to the depth of the negative responses from some members of the community: “Camp Solomon Schechter regrets raising the Palestinian flag alongside U.S., Canadian and Israeli flags … we neglected to foresee in such actions the serious political implications and, for that lapse in judgment, we are deeply sorry.”

Kids4Peace released an official statement, saying that, “To some, the Palestinian flag evokes the failure of past negotiations, continued hostility toward Israel and a feeling that there is no partner for peace.

“At the same time, the Palestinian youth who came to camp are precisely those peace leaders who are reaching out to work with Israelis to counter incitement and build a new future on a foundation of mutual respect and understanding. These Muslim and Christian youth are also part of the Palestinian people, and they deserve only admiration and support.”

The statement also noted, “Unfortunately, most Americans and Israelis never encounter any pro-peace Palestinian voices. Instead, their perspectives are shaped by painful past experiences and media portrayals that reinforce negative views. But it is wrong to view all Palestinians as enemies of Israel or the Jewish people. That’s why Kids4Peace came to camp in the first place.”

Both the Israeli and American governments have flown Palestinian flags in gestures of welcome or goodwill. The White House flew the Palestinian flag when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year. Israel lifted its ban on flying the Palestinian flag in 1993 and there were Palestinian flags flown at the Knesset in 2013, when a Palestinian delegation visited. Likewise, at a ceremony thanking all those who helped douse the wildfires in Israel’s north in 2016, the Palestinian flag was flown at an Israeli air base, next to the flags of Turkey, Russia and Greece.

Matthew Gindin is a freelance journalist, writer and lecturer. He writes regularly for the Forward and All That Is Interesting, and has been published in Religion Dispatches, Situate Magazine, Tikkun and elsewhere. He can be found on Medium and Twitter. This article was originally published by CJN.

Camp groundbreaking

From left to right: Andy Kaplowitz, Camp Solomon Schechter vice-president/president elect; Sam Perlin, camp executive director; Sarah Kahn Glass, camp president; Jerry Cohen of the Samis Foundation; and Jay Holzman, leadership donor. (photo from CSS)

On July 10, Camp Solomon Schechter hosted a formal groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the start of major construction at their facility. From 60 to 120: The Campaign to Build Jewish Continuity is a $12 million multi-year project, beginning this fall, to refurbish the camp’s facilities over the coming years.

But this campaign is about so much more than buildings. “Camp is kids,” said CSS executive director Sam Perlin, but “Schechter is also about adults. That’s because it’s not just a summer experience or a school-years’ experience. As we have found, it’s a lifelong experience.”

The facilities currently host more than 500 campers and staff each summer and are used during the year by the Osprey Camp program, which primarily works with distressed school districts in southwest Washington to provide students with an application of science concepts as they live and learn in the outdoors. It also provides a rental venue for a range of organizations and individuals.

Speakers at the groundbreaking included Sarah Glass, CSS board president; Andy Kaplowitz, CSS board vice-president; representatives of major donors, including Jerry Cohen for the Samis Foundation and Jay Holzman for the Holzman family; Tumwater Mayor Pete Kmet; and two CSS campers. Several local officials were in attendance.

Outside of British Columbia

Jewish summer camp combines land and water activities with learning about Israel and Judaism. (photo from Camp BB Riback)

When summer comes to the Pacific Northwest, it’s the best time to head into the great outdoors and, of course, for kids, into the summer camp experience. For Jewish kids in British Columbia, there are not only great local camps – Camp Hatikvah and Camp Miriam – but a few out-of-province options worth considering.

When Camp Solomon Schechter (CSS) was established in 1954, on the shores of Whidbey Island, there was a vision born out of the camp’s now-common catch phrase, “Where Judaism and joy are one.” Sixty-one years later, now located on private, protected lakefront property on the outskirts of Olympia, Wash., the camp is looking to the future again, with the combination of Judaism and joy still central.

A Conservative movement-based summer camp, CSS launched a capital campaign in 2014 called From 60 to 120, with a focus on supporting the next 60 years of growth. In an informational social gathering hosted in Vancouver by the camp on Jan. 10, director Sam Perlin shared plans for the campaign and the new facilities that would be born from it.

photo - Jewish summer camp combines land and water activities with learning about Israel and Judaism — *(photo from Camp Solomon Schechter)*

Already halfway to reaching their $12 million goal, Perlin said that if they reach $8 million on time, construction would begin as soon as the summer. New dining and covered sports facilities with programming space are in the works, along with health and welcome centres, all built while preserving and enhancing the camp’s unique wetlands.

The new developments will be a welcome addition to the approximately 120 Canadian campers CSS gets in any given summer, a number Perlin says he hopes will continue to grow. “We have full Canadian buses coming from Canada,” he explained. “We even moved Aleph (First) session to accommodate the Canadian school schedule.”

With several matching grants approved, Perlin noted that Canadians can participate in the matching program to maximize their contributions. He also pointed out that a Canadian donation will be matched with the same number in U.S. dollars, regardless of the exchange rate.

For more information on CSS programming or the campaign, visit campschechter.org or from60to120.org.

* * *

Across the Rockies and into Alberta, Camp BB Riback (a B’nai B’rith camp) is celebrating its 60th anniversary on Pine Lake.

Camp director Jerrod Henoch said they’ve been building up their waterfront program to include learn-to-ski and wakeboard sessions. “Our professional-level ski boat and boom, combined with the expert attention of our waterfront staff, sees even many of our youngest campers get up on water skis for their first time at camp,” he explained.

Of course, with the Alberta-based location, Camp BB also features a horseback riding instruction program.

Camp BB will also be building new camper cabins this spring as part one of their facility enhancement plans.

Although the majority of Camp BB’s participants are from Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon, Henoch said they do get several B.C. families every summer as well.

“Camp BB is famous for its inclusive and open camp community and we are especially good at helping new campers from out of province or across the world feel included,” he said. “With one of the largest arrays of activity areas in Western Canada, we have something that every camper will excel at and something that will challenge each camper.”

Henoch said there are several staff and even senior management studying or living in British Columbia with whom a consultation for any interested local families could be set up.

More information on the camp can be found at campbb.com.

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One of the newer Jewish camps in the region is Camp Kalsman. Affiliated with the Reform movement, the facilities are located off the Interstate 5, between Mt. Vernon and Everett in Washington.

photo - learning Torah at Camp Kalsman — *(photo from Camp Kalsman)*

Entering their 10th summer, director David Berkman said this summer will be one big birthday celebration, highlighted by a community-wide party on July 31.

In its first decade, Berkman said the camp’s sense of community has stood out more than anything else.

“The two things that most distinguish Kalsman from other Jewish summer camps are our staff and the community we form with all our participants,” he said. “The Kalsman staff are extraordinary and their dedication to the campers and the camp is amazing. We all work hard to create a sense of family and home away from home. More often than not, campers refer to camp as their home.”

In addition to a heated pool, Camp Kalsman also features a 50-foot tower, a giant swing, a speaking garden and even a petting zoo. With sessions ranging in length from three days to three weeks, the camp serves participants from Grade 2 all the way through high school.

Berkman said Camp Kalsman usually sees three to four dozen campers from north of the border, but he is looking forward to seeing that number grow.

For more information on Camp Kalsman, visit campkalsman.org.

Kyle Berger is Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver sports coordinator, and a freelance writer living in Richmond.