oly Aleph, Betman" With the help of a cartoon character, students get a head start learning Hebrew. LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER Having fun at Camp Betman. a na na na na na na na na da na na na na na na na na BETMAN! o, it's not a print, but instead a character developed by Californian Joel Grishaver. Betman teaches Hebrew to youth in a series of books put out by Torah Aura Productions. With the approval of Mr. Grishaver and his partner in writing, Ira Wise of Temple Emanu-El, the B'nai Israel branch of Congregation Shaarey Zedek has turned the car- toon character into a camp. Camp Betman, complete with capes and a Betcave, is an eight-day, intensive learning camp run from Aug. 16 - 25 for youth enter- ing the first and second grades. The brainchild of Harlene Appelman, national consul- tant on family education and director of educational services for the Agency for Jewish Education, Camp Betman enrolled 60 stu- ,.. dents in its first year. According to Michael Wolf, director of education and youth for the Shaarey Zedek branch in West Bloomfield, Camp Betman is a "smart start to Hebrew learning." As the campers roll in between 9 and 9:30 a.m., clad in red-and-black Betman T-shirts, Mr. Wolf, along with assistant, Toby Bello; songleader, Jeff Levin; and about 15 high school and college coun- selors, starts the morning with prayers, singing and dancing (complete with "shoobie do wops"), and the blowing of the Shofar (the program is being run during the Hebrew month of Elul — the 30 days of learning prior to Rosh Hashanah.) Together, campers and counselors, form Hebrew letters with their bodies. And before the grades break into separate groups, the campers get an opportunity to try to make Mr. Wolf laugh. Sometimes, they're successful. From morning until 3:30 p.m., the campers are con- stantly involved in activities which reinforce their knowl- edge of the alephbet and various words. They design plastic bracelets and pins with Hebrew letters, aleph- bet books — personalized with glitter and paint-mar- bleized covers, picture frames with a Polaroid of themselves, and flags as centerpieces for the Shabbat family dinner. Within the various class- rooms, games like Twister and Don't Break the Ice have been modified to inte- grate Hebrew content. In Twister, the colored spots on the plastic-playing board and spinner have Hebrew letters added. It's no longer "right foot blue," but "yad smol (left hand) aleph." Baseball and other out- door activities are conduct- ed across the road at Green Elementary School. However, the real treat for most of the campers is a trip to the Betcave. A zip-up tent housing Mr. Levin in Bet glasses becomes the opportunity for campers to test their knowl- edge, identifying letters and words, and receiving Bet stamps on their black nylon capes. "I like Hebrew the best," said Jeremy Pappas, a 7Y- year-old from Farmington Hills. "I like to learn to read. And I'm one of the best. I've got two hard BETMAN page 14