28 February 7 • 2019
jn
CIE Brings Israel’s
Context to Camp
T
he Atlanta-based Center for
Israel Education will convene
its second Israel seminar this
spring to deliver historical context and
state-of-the-art educational and expe-
riential methods to Jewish summer
camp staffers.
The program, with collaborative
direction from the Foundation for
Jewish Camp, is the core of an initiative
CIE launched in 2018 with a three-year
grant from the Legacy Heritage Fund
to enhance Israel learning at Jewish
summer overnight and day camps.
The CIE summer camp initia-
tive provides Jewish camp staffers a
stronger background on Israel’
s story,
the tools to create meaningful pro-
gramming, a connection to peers at
other camps and the opportunity for
follow-up work with CIE professionals,
including on-site summer visits.
The benefits go beyond summer
experiences. Staffers who are college
students bring their enhanced Israel
knowledge back to campus, where they
are able to engage in discussions about
Israel with context and nuance that
go beyond the conflict and the boy-
cott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)
movement. When campers go to col-
lege in the future, they also will have
the knowledge to feel comfortable in
discussions about contemporary Israel.
Owning Israel’
s story gives campers a
more complete sense of their Jewish
identity.
“We’
re doing training in what we do
best,
” said Steve Kerbel, an educational
consultant with a quarter-century of
experience who is leading CIE’
s camp
initiative. That means showing how
to learn about modern Israel with
background and context through
age-appropriate games, experiences
and other activities that are fun as well
as educational.
For example, CIE advocates using
food as a nonthreatening, uncontro-
versial way to delve into Israel. Kerbel
cited two lessons — one focused on
hummus, the other on Israeli couscous
— that bring Israel’
s history, culture,
diversity and innovation into the kitch-
en with campers.
A deeper connection to Israel can
come from something as simple as
announcing the weather in Tel Aviv
along with the camp forecast each
morning or sharing Israel’
s success in
European basketball competitions as
part of sports programs, Kerbel said.
“Those things don’
t make the news, so
our kids don’
t know about them.
”
The camp initiative is not meant
to replace the work Israeli shlichim
(emissaries) do in serving as the face
of Israel for summer campers. Instead,
the CIE program augments context
and provides background for their pro-
CIE
ABOVE: Educational consultant Steve Kerbel leads a discussion with some of the three dozen
attendees of the Center for Israel Education’
s inaugural three-day seminar for Jewish camp
staffers in May 2018 at Camp Ramah Darom in Clayton, Ga.
continued on page 30
Sunshine and laughter.
Music and art.
Sports and water play.
Exploration and discovery.
Like sunshine and laughter, come
experience why Summer Camp and
Hillel are better together. For campers
2-5 years old.
For more information, contact
Robin Pappas,
Director of Early Education, at
248-539-1489 or rpappas@hillelday.org.
Some things are simply
better together.
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