I CAMPS

Unforgettable

White water rafting for high school students is part of the Fresh Air expe-
rience.

Linking Judaism
And The Outdoors

CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ

Section Editor

F

What is a Tamarack summer? It's a
Jewish environment where kids care
about each other, and feel a part of an
extended family. It's a fun experience
which fosters growth through a variety

of outdoor and skill building activities
that increase self confidence and self
esteem. It's a spirit of camaraderie and
adventure that promotes friendships
that last a lifetime.

resh Air Society re-
cently held an infor-
mal discussion with
The Jewish News. The par-
ticipants included Sam
Fisher, executive director;
Lew Hamburger, associate
executive director; and
Susan Zaks, director of
Camp Tamarack. Here are
some highlights.

Call the Tamarack Camps Hotline Today: 313-661-CAMP

Send Your Kids To Camp
With A

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 1991

932-0550

What's unique about
Fresh Air Society?
This camp is an arm of the
Jewish Welfare Federation.
It is the only one in the coun-
try. The key to our camping
program is that our camps
are geared to specific age
groups. We take 10 days to
train our staff. We have a
very intensive pre-camp
training. Each specialized
camp trains its own
counselors.

Where are the camps
located?
The youngest children go
to a centralized camp, Camp
Tamarack in Brighton,
Michigan. The next age
group, children in 5th
through 9th grades, attend
Camp Maas in Ortonville,
Michigan. Camp Kennedy,
in Michigan's upper penin-
sula in Shingleton, is for
high school students enter-
ing 10th and 11th grades.
The campers use the site as a
base; they go on canoe
trips and hiking expeditions.
Teens entering 10th and
11th grades attend Agree
outpost camp in WaWa, On-
tario, in Canada. There's not
much more rustic and
remote a setting. The post of-
fice address is 30 miles from
camp. High school students
also have the opportunity to
travel out west, to Israel or
to Alaska.

What is the Fresh Air
experience?
We start with the premise
that the kids should have a
good time and they are safe.
That is our beginning
premise, not our end. Hav-
ing fun means growing. It's
not enough to entertain. We
navigate an environment
that's different from the
schools, malls, computers
and cars. We come to grips
with our ethnic background,
which in our case is Jewish.
We want the children to
have a positive attitude
about being Jewish.
The vehicles we use to in-
corporate Judaism are the
counselors and the outdoors.

"We want the
children to have a
positive attitude
about being
Jewish."

We link the outdoors to a
Judaic experience. We use a
physical and emotional ap-
proach. We sing, dance and
hold hands. It may come
from the sunset in a Hav-
dalah service.
We also have Israeli staff
members. The kids develop a
relationship with the Israeli
staff and have even visited
them on family vacations.
We create links between the
kids in Detroit and the state
of Israel.
We want our campers to
take home values and expe-
riences. There is so much in-
troduced in the four weeks.
It stays with you forever.
The combination of the out-
doors, great living and
positive role models leads to
excelled growth.
One motto in Brighton is
"Camp is for kids and
campers come first." ❑