feature

Avi Mendelson

summer experience

Akiva sophomores grow spiritually, physically and religiously during Machal.

means to be Jewish and why we have
the lifestyle we live as Jews.

cooperation

is key
Another purpose of Machal is to
demonstrate the power of working
together in a cooperative environ-
ment. Visitors to Machal would notice
that atmosphere immediately. We did
not start eating until we had counted
off to make sure everyone was pres-
4101
ent. Our leader would always tell us,
Left Campers listen to Mrs. Ziff of Oil City, Pa., talk
"Machal eats as one."
about the disappearance of her Jewish community.
Our motto was "What can we do?
Above: Zach Katz, 15, of Teaneck, N.J. Informs a
How can we help?" Even though we
passerby about human trafficking.
were exhausted after a 10-mile hike,
we all worked to unload the trailer,
eachers at Akiva Hebrew through Algonquin Park. But Machal missing that led to its decline. We vis- start the barbeque grills and set the
Day School in Southfield is much more than fun outdoor activi- ited one of the last Jews in Oil City table so we could eat there.
A.. will notice something dif- ties and an outlet for physical growth. who talked to us about his commu-
A camper leaves Machal with a new
ferent about a few of their 10th-
The program is meant to educate nity's decline.
work ethic and a vision of what the
grade students. These students will each individual on what it means to
Our trip culminated in Washing- world could be like if everyone else
be more mature than in June and be a Jew.
ton with a visit to the U.S. Holocaust had the same sense of responsibility for
more educationally refreshed. A
Each day, the group of about 50 Memorial Museum and with a day each other.
change of this type may seem odd kids from North America and Israel dedicated to raising awareness about
Some people may view summer as a
after summer, when kids are ex- is split up into 10 groups for shiurim human trafficking.
waste of time; however, with the right
pected to be fooling around and (classes). These 40-minute shiurim are
Our counselors probably played program, summer becomes an invalu-
having fun, forgetting about every- taught by the counselors. In my shiur, the most vital role on our way to be- able educational opportunity that can
thing they learned in the previous we talked about a diverse number of ing more comfortable Jews, acting as have an even greater impact on an in-
school year.
topics, such as what a modern Ortho- larger-than-life role models for us. dividual than sitting in a classroom. { )
Don't expect that carefree reaction dox Jew believes and the purpose of Most of them went to Camp Stone
from those of us who went on Mach- Judaism in the world.
when they were our age and after- Avi Mendelson, 15, is a sophomore at Akiva
al, a one-month summer program for
We also grew as Jews when, on the ward studied a year in Israel. One of Hebrew Day School in Southfield. Other
teens going into 10th grade in con- way to Washington, D.C., we visited my counselors was even in the Israeli sophomores, all 15, who participated are
junction with Camp Stone in Sugar Jewish communities in Pennsylvania Defense Forces. All of them are ma-
Yoni Nadel, Elana
Greenbaum and Joey
Grove, Pa.
that are close to nonexistent. This is ture adults who live completely Jew-
Jubas,
all of Southfield;
Machal is an intensive four weeks something Machal does each year.
ish lifestyles and feel that it makes
Eli
Sherizen
of Oak
of hiking, canoeing and pushing your-
We had discussions at the cemetery their lives meaningful.
Park;
and
Jamie
Rashty
self to the limits. We hiked in for- of Oil City about why the Jewish com-
After Machal ended, everyone re-
of West Bloomfield.
ests, climbed waterfalls and portaged munity there died out and what was turned with a better sense of what it

teen2teen staff •

hotline: (248) 351-5144 • kcohen@thejewishnews.com

Reporters I Chaviva Bluth, Molly Grossman, Avi Mendelson, Avielle Movsas, Stephanie Schulman (Akiva Hebrew Day School, South-

field); Yona Isaacs, Gabriella Ring, Claire Sinai (Berkley); Nechama Tawil (Beth Jacob, Oak Park); Madeleine Gonte (Birmingham Groves);

Rachel Gorosh, Emily Schottenfels, Mara Stein, Rachael Vettese, Rachel Wein (Bloomfield Hills Andover); Abby Hyman (Bloomfield Hills

Cranbrook-Kingswood); Mari Cohen (Community, Ann Arbor); Emily Zussman (Detroit Country Day, Beverly Hills); Adina Applebaum,

Polina Fradkin, Emily Goodman, Helene Glickman, Rachel Goutman, Jessica Kahn, Rachel Klein, Andrew Milgrom, Maddy Soltz, Sara

Weinfeld, Samantha Zwick (Frankel Jewish Academy, West Bloomfield); Rachel Hollander (Harrison, Farmington Hills); Daniel Chandross

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