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. Enrolling Now!