Rick Goren, Fresh Air
Society/Tamarack Camps director of
development. "Because one-third of
our kids are not affiliated with any
synagogue or temple, we are the only
thing they have. They don't go to
temple, they don't get their bar or bat
mitzvah, so we are their Jewish
touch," Goren said.
Tamarack song leader Eric
Roberts' only Jewish friends were
those from camp. He had never
observed Shabbat in his Grand Blanc
home. "The weekend after I got
home from my Alaska trip with
Tamarack was the first weekend my
family had ever done Shabbat," he
said.
Adam Wallace, 14, of Huntington
Woods has been going to Tamarack
for seven years. Though his father
David went to Camp Tamakwa in
Canada, Adam followed big brother
Richie Wallace, 18, to Tamarack.
Although Adam observes Shabbat at
home, he said he really likes "learning
about the Torah portion at Saturday
morning services."
Ruth Grey of Farmington Hills
was a camper, counselor and assistant
director at Tamarack. In the past,
Grey explained, Shabbat and general
camp activities were not as extensive
and Judaic as they are now. Though
campers at Tamarack sang Shabbat
songs and lit the candles, the prayers
were not as religious and services
were a bit more creative.
Although Grey did not take away
many Judaic lessons from camp
because her family "was already reli-
gious," she said that being out in
nature singing Hebrew songs with a
sense of camaraderie and connected-
ness to Judaism felt special. This kind
of spirit was missing in her formal
education, but "we definitely got that
through camp."
She said, "I had a lot of Jewish
exposure in different ways that all
influenced me, but camp gives you a
spirituality nothing else can."

Lasting Relationships

The friendships made at camp have
the potential to last a lifetime.
Whether the campers eventually
become spouses, best friends or
bonded acquaintances, camp is a
place to meet special people in your
life.
The Huntington Woods newly-
weds, Matt and Sarah Roth, met at
Tamarack. Going to a Jewish camp
was a given for Sarah and her five
brothers and sisters, she said, because

their mother had gone to a Jewish
camp and felt "it was the right thing
to do."
From ages 7 to 16, Sarah spent her
summers at Tamarack as a camper
and counselor. After meeting Matt, "a
nice Jewish boy at a nice Jewish
camp," she knew they were destined
to be together.
"Going to a Jewish camp, you
meet people who have the same
Jewish and family values as you. It's
very comforting," Sarah said. Not
only did she gain a lifelong mate, but
also a unique sense of Judaism. She
enjoyed the blessings, songs and
camaraderie she felt with her friends
and co-counselors. At their wedding,
Matt's best men were all friends from
camp.
Fresh Air's Rick Goren has spent
25 years at Tamarack in all capacities.
Katie Kramer, his future wife, had
been a longtime camper there, too,
but they did not meet until last
August when Katie was interested in
working with children with special
needs and was directed by a friend to
talk to Goren.
"Tamarack is my whole life and
[gave me] my closest friends. It was
camp that got me involved with the
Jewish community; my whole Jewish
identity and self-esteem was built
there," said Goren. The couple were
married this August.
JESNA's Woocher also met his wife
at camp. "The Jewish camaraderie [at
Camp Ramah] was something that
helped to steer me towards a very
strong involvement in all sorts of
aspects in Jewish life," he said.
"Clearly, having a Jewish family
became something that was almost a
forgone conclusion because I felt very
strongly about being Jewish and that
overall feeling was strongly influenced
by my camp experience." Among his
circle of friends today are a number of
couples who also went to Ramah but
the Woochers did not know from
camp. He said he enjoys discussing the
similarities they all share because of
their Ramah experiences.
The purpose of Tobin's Jewish •
camping survey was to explore and
identify key issues to help better
understand the potential of Jewish
camps for strengthening Jewish life.
Evidently, camping does have a large
impact on almost everybody who has
the opportunity to experience it.
Said Eric Roberts, Tamarack's song
leader: "Being at camp has enhanced
my Jewish identity, with friends and
traditions."

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