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Who would've guessed a secular outpost would have bolstered such a strong
sense of Judaism?
MIRIAM LEWIS, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
n
Miriam Lewis with a camp friend.
of too long ago, at
the United Hebrew
School's Communi-
ty Jewish High
School, where I used to attend
Sunday Hebrew and Torah
classes, we were discussing the
purpose of the yarmulke. It
brought back memories of my
Jewish experience at summer
camp.
T A st summer I attended Blue
Lake Fine Arts Camp's eight-
week advanced musical theater
program. Blue Lake is not
known for its Jewish programs
— probably because they do not
exist. Christian campers were
fortunate enough to have a
church at camp and Sunday ser-
vices to attend at will.
Few Jews attend Blue Lake.
Because of this, I was consid-
ered, amongst my peers, "the
Jew." Anyone who had ques-
tions about Judaism came to
ask me. I was treated with re-
spect from the start. People
looked to me for explanations,
interesting conversations on the
topic of religion and, sometimes,
even advice. When my camp-
ji
served this religious accessory
only for Shabbat to remind my-
self of what a holy day it is.
Everyone noticed my head
covering, not only because of its
exquisite uniqueness and beau-
ty, but also because the camp
uniform code banned hats. I was
stopped several times by coun-
selors who asked me to please
remove my hat. There were no
arguments, though. All I need-
ed to do was briefly explain
Shabbat and my kippah's reli-
gious purpose.
In addition to my own way of
honoring the Sabbath and my
determination to keep kosher, I
retreated into the woods a few
times to pray. Whenever I had
some time to myself, I would re-
tire to a clearing in the heart of
the forest and recite the Amidah
or just sing z'mirot.
While doing the Amidah, I
would spin slowly around in cir-
cles, not knowing which way to
face since I had little idea of
which direction was east. With-
out a minyan, I could not recite
prayers in the usual manner. In-
stead, I did as much as I could,
as well as I could, not only to
complete the required prayers,
but to give myself the Jewish
feeling one gets while praying.
Honestly, the most difficult
part of remaining an observant
Jew was keeping kosher. Our
typical camp meals included
meat of some sort, soups made
with a meat base, or an un-
known substance fondly re-
ferred to as "glop" (which might
or might not have contained
meat. We weren't sure). For this
reason I was a frequent user of
the peanut butter and jelly
sandwich stand and an avid sal-
ad bar customer. I lived mostly
on "rabbit food" those two
months, and now I have an out-
standing appreciation for meat.
There were the rare occasions
on which I got to satisfy my car-
nivorous urge. When my par-
ents came to visit and see our
first show, they brought with
them a package of kosher hot
dogs. Oh, what excitement I felt
at the thought of my first fleishig
meal in more than three weeks!
I placed my dinner in the hands
of the camp cooks who kept my
hot dogs in the freezer. A few
days later, I went back to re-
trieve those succulent sausages,
but someone informed me that
the package had disappeared.
Someone had thrown them out!
Imagine my disappointment.
Finally, my family came to
visit again and brought up a
mates found out about my di-
etary laws they all wanted to
know what keeping kosher is
about. For many people, I had
the honor of being the first Jew
they had ever met.
I had gone to camp prepared
to receive some sort of anti-Se-
mitic opinions or comments
from people, but the whole eight
weeks spent at Blue Lake in-
cluded nothing except good re-
actions.
Not once was I insulted or
shamed by anyone there.
When my fellow campers and
I had a break from rehearsals,
which was always rare, we
would hang out at the picnic ta-
bles in front of the dining hall.
When the other campers asked
me why I did not join them in
buying ice cream or pop at the
snack stand on Saturdays, they
were fascinated with my an-
swer. My reply was merely that
on the Jewish Sabbath we do
not carry out any business. Also,
on Shabbat I wore my beauti-
fully handcrafted yarmulke,
which my best friend's family
brought for me from Israel. I re- DISCOVERY page 100
A Jewish Education:
It's Lasting Impact
SHARI KATZ, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
ine solid years ...
For almost a
decade, my class-
mates at Hillel Day
School and I contemplated our
Jewish faith, studied the Torah
and observed the laws of
kashrut. We absorbed knowl-
edge, learned Hebrew, im-
mersed ourselves in prayer and
obtained insight into the Holo-
caust.
I believe my classmates and
I made the most of our years at
Hillel. We will have a lifetime to
implement the values we
learned. The benefits of our ed-
ucation will never be squan-
dered.
But, it was not until last fall
— the beginning of my fresh-
man year in high school — that
I began to fully appreciate the
significance of a Jewish educa-
tion.
Prior to high school, I had
been exposed to learning in a
Jewish environment with 37
classmates sharing a similar
background and system of be-
liefs. Half of our day was devot-
ed to Hebraic subjects, and the
other half incorporated Jewish
thoughts and ideas into more
secular studies.
Presently, however, I attend
a school where Jewish students
comprise only about 10 percent
of the enrollment. During a typ-
ical day, there are rarely refer-
ences to Judaism. During
lessons, we generally do not ap-
peal to Jewish customs and val-
ues.
Although this is the secular
"real world," and I am aware
that previously I had been sub-
ject to a "sheltered environ-
ment," there is a strong need to
continue to convey that knowl-
edge of Judaism ensures the
survival of our religion.
Three different types of Jew-
ish students attend Harrison
High School in Farmington
Hills: those who express their
Judaism and never hesitate to
give others insight into their be-
liefs, those who practice Ju-
daism, yet conceal their faith
from others in school, and those
students who completely deny
their Jewishness.
Many Jewish youth, includ-
ing myself, fall within the first
category. I believe our attitudes
result from the knowledge and
ideals we gained through our
day-school education. Day
school instilled us with a strong
sense of identity and faith.
However, I am also aware of
Shari Katz
many other teen-agers who are
representative of the groups of
people who deny their Jewish-
ness. These students demon-
strate what occurs when a
meaningful Jewish education is
lacking.
After completing nine years
of study at Hillel Day School, I
feel fortunate that my Jewish
education continues at the
Shaarey Zedek Hebrew High
School program. I am grateful
that my day-school educators
emphasized that the high-school
years constitute the {continua-
tion) of one's role as a Jew — not
the end of it. In addition, I have
become actively involved in the
B'nai B'rith Youth Organization,
where I can expand my friend-
ships with Jewish teen-agers.
I also have kept, and shall
continue to maintain, strong re-
ligious ties to our community
through synagogue involve-
ment. Last year, I was one of
only four youth who participat-
ed in the incredible Michigan
Miracle Mission.
These activities only begin to
demonstrate the influence and
impact a Jewish education has
had on my daily life. The values
instilled in me by a day-school
education established a foun-
dation for my future as a stu-
dent, friend, adult and, most
important, as a Jew.
Many circumstances I en-
counter will, no doubt, test my
religious spirit and principles:
However, I am fully prepared to
respond to these situations in a
manner that reflects my up-
bringing, judgment and beliefs.
>- -J
Shari Katz is a 10th-grader at
Harrison High School.
99