"I wish Dad
had something to
occupy his time."

As one Jerusalem mother says,
"There is a camp in every building in
our neighborhood."
Mothers may be first tipped off to
the existence of these keitanot by the
signs plastered all over bus stops,
street light poles and grocery win-
dows toward the end of the school
year. Failing the home-produced
advertising, they are alerted to the
camps' existence by persistent
knocks on the door — every day a
different person — as prospective
camp counselors make the rounds of
the neighborhood in an attempt to
sign up youngsters for their respec-
tive keitanot. A working mother of
1 1 says she actually prefers the "cot-
tage" keitanot, as she thinks they are
more original than the official variety,
though they offer the usual arts and
crafts and plastic wading pools.
These keitanot also are much
cheaper (about a tenth of the cost of
an official summer camp) which can
be a major consideration, especially
as religious families are traditionally
large and several siblings might be
attending camp at the same time.
Another advantage is that, because
these camps are run by neighbor-
hood youngsters, parents are able to
check out the counselors and the
environment instead of handing their
children over to the unknown.

/-

/

When he was 3, Yehuda attended
a two-week keitanah run by an 1 1-
year-old down the street. The coun-
selor, Zahavah, who was earning
money toward a trip to visit her
grandparents in America, put her
whole heart into the camping experi-
ence. Mornings, Yehuda would be
dropped at the local "pickup point,"
next to the neighborhood grocery.
He wore shorts and a sun hat, and
carried a knapsack containing a
canteen and sandwich for the tradi-
tional 10 o'clock snack. He would
return home tanned, exhausted, full
of stories, and bearing examples of •
his arts and crafts in the form of stick-
ers or crayon drawings, or the mis-
shapen challah he baked on
Fridays.
He loved camp, and he loved
Zahavah.
"Zahavah's a good woman," he
exclaimed one day, when asked
how camp was.
Two years later, 18-month-old
Sara was allowed to enroll in a
keitanah for 2-year-olds run by
Devorah, the 13-year-old next
door, and her best friend,
Tzipporah, who lived next door to
Zahavah down the street. The
counselors were definitely a known
quantity, and let Sara in at an
early age only because of that

priceless Israeli commodity known
as protektzia.
THEY knew who SHE was, as
well.
It was an especially large camp,
with some 15 youngsters enrolled
and several others turned away at
registration, and the enrollees
seemed to be Who's Who Among
the Tiny English Speakers that sum-
mer. In addition to the small fortune
earned by the two counselors them-
selves, the camp spawned another
business for Devorah's younger sister
— pick up and delivery. Every morn-
ing at nine, 9-year-old Esther-Leah
would knock on our door to pick up
Sara, who would then be loaded
into the double stroller next to Yossi
from across the street.
Shortly after 1 p.m, Esther-Leah
would knock again. But this time she
would ask Sara's mother come
upstairs to retrieve her from the dou-
ble stroller, in which she usually fell
asleep.
Some days, Esther-Leah, feeling the
pressure of running a transportation
service at one shekel in either direc-
tion, would take the day off. But she
didn't leave the tiny campers and
their parents in the lurch. A substitute
delivery person was brought in each
time: 10-year-old Hadassah,
Zahavah's younger sister.

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aging parent, you'll understand
why ElderLink can be a valuable
phone number to keep close at
hand.

If you need advice or simply have
a question that needs an answer,
think ElderLink.

For day care, hot meals, home-
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older adults,get information and
referrals from

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Sponsored by the
Commission on Jewish Eldercare
Services of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit.

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Dance Parties

28651 N.W. Highway
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(248) 356-5678

<eitanot for Mothers

—

here else but in Israel
would summer camp
get-aways be planned
especially for mothers?
Several such keitanot are avail-
able to mothers from the religious
communities, where families often
boast seven to 10 children and
mothers during the summer vacation
months often desperately need a
break.
In Jerusalem, three camp sessions
— June, July and August — are

W

offered by the municipality through
the right-wing Orthodox branch of
the neighborhood councils. Each of
the camps runs four days and three
nights at a hotel near the sea or
other bathing facilities.
Activities include lectures by rabbis
and others, cultural activities, swim-
ming and demonstrations.
For instance, one such camp ses-
sion last summer included a demon-
stration on tying head coverings
and another by Rich's, makers of the

non-dairy creamer. At less than
$175 for each session, the camp is
a bargain. However, the city also
provides subsidies for qualifying
women, such as those with large
families.
Other "camps for mothers" are
sponsored by religious women's
organizations, such as those affili-
ated with Chabad and the Sha'as
and Degel HaTorah political par-
ties.

MATERNITY AND
WOMEN'S UPSCALE
RESALE BOUTIQUE

2141 Cass Lake Road
Keego Harbor

248.682.1866

Children's New and Resale
Clothing & Accessories

1/16
1998

75

