camper. A nurse at
Providence Hospital,
,,e spends her sum-
mers as staff nurse at -
Tamarack. This sum-
mer her three chil-
dren, Danny, 9, Jeff,
13, and Emily, 15,
will again join her as
campers there.
Danny, returning
\c-i. his third summer,
'Says he likes being in
a camp with Jewish
kids and enjoys the
Shabbat singing.
Although he says his
family does not "do
Shabbat" at home, he
knows about it from
\ Temple Israel's reli-
b , ious school. What
he likes best about
Tamarack is "the
sports and activities.
The Beitners of
West Bloomfield are
"a Camp Ramah
family" Parents Ruth and Norman
met at Ramah, and Ruth's sister and
`-'-*rother met their spouses there.
Ramah, the official camp of Judaism's
Conservative Movement, is kosher and
Sabbath observant. Most of Ramah's
campers are day school students.
This summer, all four Beitner chil-
dren, who attend public school and
Shaarey Zedek Hebrew school, will be
at Ramah.
Aaron, 17, was a Ramah camper
/ for four years. Last year, he joined
Ramah's seminar to Eastern Europe
and Israel. This summer, he will work
as a counselor. He says the camp "pro-
vides an environment where it is nat-
ural to do and enjoy Judaism."
Alana and Daniel Kuhn are Hillel
Day School students who attend
Camp Young Judea, a kosher, shomer
Shabbat camp sponsored by Hadassah
1-
in Wapaca, Wis. Alana, an eight h
grader, will attend CYJ next
summer for her
seventh
time;

3 )

Above: Rainy day smiles at
Agudah Midwest.

Right: Young Judaea's 1998
talent show.

Below: Taking the plunge with
Tamarack.

Daniel, 11; Will go for his third
time. Their family belongs to
Shaarey Zedek B'nai Israel in
West Bloomfield. Going to a
Jewish camp is important,
says Daniel, because they
were "brought up with it."
Like Ramah, Young Judea incorpo-
rates Judaism into camp activities.
There are special events like "Israel
Day" and "Maccabia Day." Israeli
singing and dancing is as much a part
of camp life as rope courses and water-
front activities. Hebrew terms are used
— campers eat aruchat tzahoriim
(lunch) in the chadar ochel (dining
room). "Shabbat," confirms
Daniel, is the best meal
of the week."
Camp Arowhon,
in Algonquin
Park, Ont., is a
" personalized"
program.
Campers choose
their activities,
which include
horseback riding,
windsurfing and drama.
Amy Schefman of

environment — very
friendly and a lot of
fun," she says.
Shiurim (Torah
study sessions) are
scheduled daily, and
activities embody
Jewish learning. For
example, the camp's
color war revolves
around Jewish
themes, with cheers
and banners citing
biblical references.
Chaya Leah Rothbart
of Oak Park, an
eighth grader at Beth
Jacob, last year
attended Camp
B'nos, an Agudath
Israel camp in
upstate New York.
She plans to return
this summer for "the
fun and the friends."
Some Orthodox
boys choose "learning
camps such as
Camp Kol Torah, held on
the campus of the Telshe
Yeshiva in Cleveland. While
allowing ample time for
activities like softball and
swimming, these camps
emphasize Torah study. One
highlight of learning camps is
the opportunity for campers
to meet with and learn from
Visiting Torah scholars. Since
many,yeshiya : boysgo out,of
town for high. school, on$:local
mother felt Kel Torah waSi.a
good experience fo'r her s&O,
giving him a taste of whatyeshi-
va life would-be like.
At high-end adventure trip camps,
Jewishness is not a major considera-
tion. These camps, such as American
Trails West and WestCoast
Connection, mix camping with
tourism. They are part five-star hotels,
part sleeping bags.
Nichole Igol, a 10th grader
Walled Lake_ Western High SchoOl,
attended Tamarack for five yeArs: .
before her American Trails Western
trip last summer. During the trip's
roughing it" segment, the backpack-
ers were "followed by huge U-Haul
trucks with gourmet chefs," Igol says.
Although these camps and have no
Jewish component to their activities
and are not kosher, Jay Feingold of
American Trails West estimates that
"80-90 percent [of his campers] are
Jewish." TI

.

Bloomfield Hills, a member of Temple
Beth El, sends her three childen there.
She describes the camp as heimish.
"Arowhon used to be a Jewish
camp, but is now non-denomination -
al," says Director Joanne Kates. Still,
there is "a high ratio of Jewish kids. "
For Orthodox campers, the
"Jewishness" of camp is paramount.
They wouldn't consider going to a
camp that didn't observe the laws of
kashrut and Shabbat. Orthodox
camps are not co-ed; there are separate
sessions for boys and girls.
Miral Simcha of Oak Park has been
program director at Camp Agudah
Midwest for 12 years. Located in
South Haven, the camp is one of sev-
eral across-North America run by
Agudath Israel.
Simcha describes her camp as "a
loose tight ship. It's a good, frum,

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Detroit Jewish News

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