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!

