30 July 25 • 2019
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ORT Brings to Life Israeli Innovation
at Jewish Summer Camps
This summer, ORT once again is
introducing campers at six Jewish
summer camps in the U.S. to the
vibrancy of Israeli innovation.
More than 700 campers between
the ages of 9-13 will take part in
ORT’
s Start-up Challenge, which
includes interactive educational
activities focused on science,
technology, engineering, art and
math (STEAM) that embrace the
entrepreneurial spirit of Israel’
s
Start-up Nation.
Participating camps included
Tamarack Camps in Ortonville,
which took its Start-up Challenge
July 8, allowing campers to
delve into science, experience
cutting-edge technology and
discover Israeli culture in a fun
and interactive setting. Through
problem-solving, creative thinking,
teamwork and tournaments, ORT
taught critical 21st-century skills as
campers built robots, experienced
virtual reality, integrated coding
to help their robots overcome
obstacles and captured all of the
action through the creation of their
own digitally designed videos.
“Israel is a world leader
in the field of technological
entrepreneurship and innovation,
and as Israel’
s largest leading
provider of informal experiential
science and technological
education, ORT is shaping the
next generation of scientists and
entrepreneurs. We are delighted to
be able to bring this experience to
Jewish summer camps throughout
the U.S.,” said Howard Lanznar,
Chairman of ORT America.
Resources for New Parents & Teens
National Council of Jewish
Women, Michigan has created a
resource directory for expectant
and new parents in Detroit. It’
s
a small bright orange booklet
called 313 Baby (313baby.org)
and has contact information in
one handy source for everything
from breastfeeding, counseling,
homeless and adoption services to
information on organizations like
Metro Detroit Midwives of Color
and Metropolitan Detroit Diaper
Bank.
The booklet has been out for
around a year but has proved so
popular (it’
s free and available in
doctors’
offices, churches, social
services, etc.) that it is about to be
reprinted. New parents appreciate
having all the information they
could need (or might not have even
thought of) all together.
In addition, Teen Yellow Pages
(teenyellowpages.net) a resource
directory for teens in Oakland
County, which has been produced
by NCJW|MI for 20 years, is also
being reprinted. This directory
is distributed through Oakland
Schools as well as community
centers. This directory contains
information on where teens can
get help on anything from dating
abuse and eating disorders to STDs,
coping with loss and LGBTQ issues.
Camp Tamarack campers
took the Start-up Challenge
July 8.