Opinion A MIX OF IDEAS Herzl In Hollywood A s I was reading Yediot Ahronot, the Israeli daily newspaper, my eye caught the most interest- ing as well as surprising item regard- ing the imminent naming of a street in Hollywood, a mere stone throw from fashionable Rodeo Drive, after Binyamin Zeev Herzl, the father of Zionism and visionary of the Jewish state as he is referred to. Admittedly, there is a Herzl Street in Tel Aviv, the street on which I was born and raised, and in Jerusalem and per- haps in many another Israeli city, but in Hollywood? Well, as the article states, the local Israeli consul managed to convince the city council to name one of the city streets after Herzl although it is highly unusual to do so. The consul managed to convince the city council that Binyamin Zeev Herzl's importance is not restricted merely to the Jewish state to which he laid the foundation in Bazel in 1897, when he convened the first Zionist Congress, but also to the Jewish people everywhere, including the United States, where a hitherto homeless people regained their ancestral homeland and their lost pride. But why Hollywood and why now? We all know what an important part Jews played in Hollywood. As far as why now, it has to do with the 150th birthday of the man — he died in July 1860 at the much too early age of 44 of heart failure — and this historical event will be the focal point of the forthcoming Yom HaAtzmaut celebrations this April when the Jewish state will celebrate its 62nd birthday. Personally, I couldn't be hap- pier. As I mentioned before, it was on Herzl street in Tel Aviv, one of the first streets in the city, that my father Yosef Garber built a house in 1935, a house where both my sister Shula, born the same year, and I were born and raised. I often think of what would have been if Herzl wouldn't succumb to his death in such an early age; but, of course, we'll never know. For one thing, my father wouldn't have built his house on 97 Herzl Street and I wouldn't have gone to Gymnasia Herzlia, the first Hebrew high school in the world named for Herzl after his untimely death. There wouldn't be Mount Herzl, where the national ceme- tery is found and where his remains were reinterred in 1949. I distinctly remember that historic day when we all passed by his coffin near the Knesset, then located near the Tel Aviv beach. The 150th celebration of the birth of this great man will no doubt add a great measure of significance come Yom HaAtzmaut on the fifth of Iyar 5770 (sundown on April 19). ❑ Rachel Kapen is a West Bloomfield resident. Why A Jewish Camp? New York/JTA W ith winter's snow at an end, thousands of parents are now imagining their children swimming in a mountain lake after a long, hot run in the summer sun as they send off applications for their children to attend summer camp. But only some parents will choose a camp that can also help build their child's Jewish connections, identity and pride while they also enjoy a seemingly endless choice of camp activities. This powerful Jewish growth oppor- tunity should not be missed, especially since campers today don't have to forgo anything to enjoy the long-lasting benefits from the summer experience. Considering the shifting cultural pat- terns among Jews during the past century (remember bungalow colonies?), it may be surprising that overnight camps are still popular more than a century after the first one opened. But it can't be a secret, can it, if Jewish families last summer enrolled 70,000 children in a Jewish summer camp? After having visited dozens and dozens of camps across North America in my work for a national Jewish foundation, I have three reasons to choose a Jewish camp (based on various archetypes): • No sacrifices necessary. Skateboarding, anyone? Most Jewish camps today offer the same activities and experiences available at non-Jewish camps. It's not unusual to find field hockey, cooking, climbing walls, ropes courses, 42 Apri115 • 2010 mountain biking, tennis, Ask a Jewish adult where they waterskiing and, yes, even had the most intensive and skateboarding, in Jewish camps. enjoyable Jewish experiences Of course, these camps also as a child, and many will say at offer the traditional baseball, camp. basketball, swimming, arts and • Too Jewish? Zoe's parents crafts, theater plays and other were worried she would be activities. turned off by a Jewish camp Last summer, Alice attended since her family is not Jewishly a Jewish camp that offered a engaged and Zoe has few Jewish Joel E inleger basketball "intensive": three friends at her public school. Yet Spe cial weeks of instruction and prac- most Jewish camps are skilled Comm entary tice for 21/2 hours every day. in making the Jewish experience There were five other intensive a positive journey for campers programs from which to choose. Jewish using experiential education techniques. camps have taken strides to keep pace Campers learn the Jewish view about with the competition, regularly adding what they see or do, whether welcoming specialties and new programs to accom- new kids into their bunks, showing con- modate the interests of their campers. cern for the environment, exploring lead- • Judaism — David, a sixth-grader, goes ership, sportsmanship, outdoor activities to his temple school weekly in preparation or the arts. for his bar mitzvah. The image of Jewish Most important, Jewish connections are summer camp raised fears that he would made in ways that are fun. Kids sing Israeli feel as if he was attending Hebrew school all as well as traditional camp songs, develop summer. But camps that create intentional skits, perform creative "raps;' design art and thoughtful Jewish summer programs projects and compete in intensive sports make lasting positive impressions on chil- competitions almost without ever realizing dren, who learn that playing baseball and that these fun activities incorporate biblical being Jewish are not mutually exclusive. themes, Jewish values and even Olympic- After the summer, David came home style/Maccabiah forms of sporting games proud that many of the behaviors and val- and competition. ues he learns in school are rooted in Jewish Jewish camps train their staffs to look for ethics and found in our historic texts. opportunities to make Judaism come alive Even for day school children who ben- for children, regardless of the activity or efit from Jewish education daily, their time of day. classroom learning comes to life easily To the surprise and delight of her par- when shared with friends at camp. ents, the Shabbat experience became Zoe's Judaism is experienced in Jewish camps favorite part of the week. She loved the in a natural, comfortable and positive way. special Friday night service and Shabbat meal, the singing and dancing, and the relaxed schedule on Saturday that gives the campers an appreciation for the difference and meaning of the day — one that is less structured and hectic than the other days of the week. A moving, outdoor candlelight- ing Havdalah service ends Shabbat, as Zoe looked forward excitedly to the coming week's special activities and events. What makes for a happy camper? Friendships are the reason kids return year after year to the same camp, and the return rates at most camps, Jewish or not, are extremely high. The well-kept secret is that it has little to do with the size of the lake, the vintage of the bunks, the number of tennis courts or the quality of the food (which, happily, is much better than what I was fed as a camper). Campers are together virtually every minute of the summer and share nonstop growing and fun experiences. This is what they most remember on the bus ride home as they start counting the days until camp will begin again next summer. The Foundation for Jewish Camp's Web site includes a database of more than 150 not-for-profit camps sponsored or sup- ported by a Jewish organization. Starting with this resource, parents can identify camps that provide a good fit by exploring the Web sites as well as hearing from the director how the camp takes a special interest in the Jewish development of the camper while providing an array of sports and activities to enjoy. ❑ Joel Einleger is a program officer at the Avi Chai Foundation.