and only at the end of the day when she was exhausted was a candid photo taken of her and posted to the camp's website. The parents immediately repost it to their Facebook account with the message, "Uh oh ... Our daughter looks exhausted and unhappy at camp! Concerned:' One sleep-away camp staff mem- ber who fielded calls from parents this summer recounted that most of the urgent inquiries from parents were prompted by the online photos. Neurotic parents wanted to know why their children were never in the photos ("my child's friend is in every photo"), why they were never in photos at the beach, why they were wearing some- one else's clothes and why they weren't wearing a hat when it was very sunny out. It seems these online photos, while posted with the best intentions, have caused more concern for parents. A recent column in Time magazine focused on this online camp photo gal- lery phenomenon theorizing that it is a "nod to helicopter parents' inability to cut the cord:' One parent quoted in the column exclaimed, "I totally am stalk- ing my kids." Camp was once a safe place where kids didn't have to worry about their parents watching them. They were free to just grow and enjoy themselves. The new technology, however, changes that. Demonstrating that camp direc- tors aren't thrilled about this new culture, the article in Time quotes Sam Perlin, the director of Camp Solomon Schechter in Olympia, Wash. He explained, "In the beginning, it was like, 'Wow, how cool: Now I spend much of my day answering phone calls from parents who say, 'I don't see a pic- ture of my kid' or 'they're not smiling — are they having a good time?"' For some parents, just recognizing the back of their child's head in a photo is reassuring that at least he's not in the clinic. However, parents survived for many generations not seeing current photos of their children at summer camp. Just because the technology is now available for camps to post these photos doesn't mean they should feel compelled to do so. After all, there are many other technologies that camps can utilize but have decided that it's not healthy. The online camp photo phenomenon is a wonderful example of what happens when new technology changes the equilibrium. Camps should wait until the end of a session to post the photos. Parents will get a lot more sleep that way. Why do I have more questions than answers? NEW MELTON CLASSES START IN OCTOBER the florence melton adult mini-school )0k Are you Wondering Jew? A Project of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Adult learning for the Wondering dew. • Tuesday Evenings Federation Building Bloomfield Hills Melton invites you to discover a world-class curriculum created by scholars at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Outstanding faculty help students gain a profound understanding of what it means to be Jewish, as we explore the texts of our tradition, ancient and contemporary. Our interactive, pluralistic classroom is designed for adults at all levels of knowledge and background. Can a 4,000 year old text speak to a 21st century world? Find your answers with other Wondering Jews at the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School. • Thursday Mornings JCC West Bloomfield • Thursday Evenings Temple Israel West Bloomfield "Taste of Melton" Sample the program everyone is talking about... Partial scholarships and payment plans are available. Thursday, September 6 9:30 a.m. — or Jewish Community Center 6600 W. Maple Road West Bloomfield 248-205-2557 jewishdetroit.org/melton Tuesday, September 11 6:45 p.m. Max M. Fisher Federation Building 6735 Telegraph Road Bloomfield Hills RSVP at 248-205-2557 or melton@jfmd.org THE CENTER n 17 swish Federation OF MOTROPOLITAN DlifiROIT 7 We Deliver Adult Jewish Education Small Shul $36 Membership' Big Future Bell= D Alliance for Jewish Education Contact David Goodman, Executive Director at 248-851-6880 to learn more about membership, religious school, and our far idly friendly spiritual home. `vim* restrictions may apply With a focus on youth and younger families, Congregation Beth Ahm is strengthening the identities of the next generation. Jewish experiences through family programming, the Mitzvah Kids, and our religious school enrich the lives of our younger members. They are today's active participants and will be the leaders of our future. We invite you to experience Beth Ahm by coming to an event, joining us on Shabbat, or meeting with Rabbi Steven Rubenstein. Our future is bright. Make Beth Ahm part of your future. ❑ Rabbi Jason Miller is a local entrepreneur, Some of Beth Ahm's Mitzvah Kids: Andrew Weiss, Noah Kahan, Nicole Kahan, and Davhi Lupovitch social media expert and blogger. He's president of Access Computer Technology in West Bloomfield. Follow him on Twitter at ®RabbiJason. Congregation Beth Ahm Big enough to enrich you. Small enough to know you. 5075 West Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322 • 248-851-6880 • www.cbahm.org • 1=k;A:.. - August 30 • 2012 21