jews d

in
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SIMPLY THE

BEST

DROP-INS
WELCOME!

AGEs 2 aNd up

no potty-training
required!

sUMMER

FOR THE FULL

SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE AND TO REGISTER, VISIT

FRANKLINCLUB.COM/CAMPS

248.352.8000 ext. 314

28

August 10 • 2017

29350 Northwestern Hwy

jn

Southfield, Mi 48034

“You never
look at a trail
in the same
way if you ever
work on one.”

JOHN HARDWICK

— Amit Weitzer

jumped at the opportunity. I spent
three weeks last summer shadowing
the director; 2017 will be my first full
season at the camp.
Q: In a nutshell, who, what and
where is Camp Tavor?
AW: Coming from Jewish Detroit,
Camp Tavor is a well-kept secret.
We are located 30 minutes south of
Kalamazoo on a 68-acre campsite,
one of six camps in the U.S. and
Canada working in a long-standing
partnership with the worldwide
Habonim Dror Youth Movement
based in Israel. This year marks our
61st season.
We run two sessions a summer,
each for about 100 campers in grades
3-10. In each session, we maintain
the intimacy of a kibbutz-style camp-
ing experience where kids of all ages
take some ownership of their day
while taking care of certain aspects
of the camp community as a whole.
Camp Tavor has a loyal follow-
ing of alumni and families, drawing
campers from Michigan and beyond.
But now that our home office has
moved to Detroit, we’re building our
presence here to let families know
Camp Tavor is an option, especially
for young people who are likely to
thrive in a smaller, communal camp
setting.
Q: In what ways is Camp Tabor
unique?
AW: One of the greatest aspects
of Camp Tavor — and, in retrospect,
the aspect I most appreciated in my
experience at Camp Agree — is the
goal to create opportunities through
which young people can cultivate
the confidence, curiosity, compas-
sion and skills needed to make a
positive impact on their communi-
ties and our world.
Consciously modeled on the ide-
als of kibbutz, our activities are pur-
poseful, designed to foster creativity,
leadership and communal respon-
sibility.

For example, campers begin every
morning with “Avodah” — a special
job assigned to each camper to per-
form such as weeding in the garden,
chopping vegetables to support the
folks who work in the kitchen or
cleaning up and organizing some
communal space. Camp Tavor also
provides employment and leader-
ship development opportunities for
teens and young adults interested
in mentoring and nurturing Jewish
children.
In our camp culture, everyone
has a say: While most camps have a
canteen, Tavor has a “Kupah” — our
“collective wallet” — where every-
one makes a small contribution
at the beginning of each session.
Campers of all ages then democrati-
cally decide how to use that money
— toward purchases like snacks
and activities — and, in the process,
have the opportunity to practice the
life skills of consensus building and
decision making. The counselors do
the same thing with their camp sala-
ries to make decisions about what
they want the staff activities and pri-
orities to be over the summer.
And, of course, everyone does
more than their share of singing,
dancing, finding friendship, fun and
adventure everywhere.
Q: In what ways is Camp Tabor
universal?
AW: Camp Tavor is a place that
speaks to a lot of families and their
children about the universal values
of inclusivity, respect, responsibility
to our community and stewardship
of our Earth.
We integrate Judaism and justice
in the curriculum from an early age.
We believe that our obligation to
pursue justice should play a key role
in all immersive and experiential
Jewish experiences.
From my first observations last
summer, I believe that the intimacy
of the camp allows young people to

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