24 | DECEMBER 5 • 2019
W
hat happens when
you are walking
down the street in
Tel Aviv and someone asks
you how you are feeling, and
you are feeling great? You
answer, “Sababa!”
Sababa — הבבס — Hebrew
slang for terrific, wonderful,
great, amazing, cool!
What happens when a col-
laboration of Jewish organiza-
tions put their heads together
to create a new innovative
Jewish education initiative?
The answer, “Camp Sababa, of
course!”
THE CAMP SABABA CONCEPT
Camp Sababa is an innovative
Jewish day camp experience
for first- through fourth-grad-
ers piloted last summer as
part of the JCC day camp
offerings and will be offered
again this summer.
The program was a collab-
orative effort by the Jewish
Community Center, Tamarack
Camps, Temple Beth El,
Temple Israel, Temple Kol Ami
and Temple Shir Shalom and
supported through a Berman
Family Jewish Education grant
from Jewish Federation. It was
a place where children and
their families came together
to learn, celebrate and enjoy
Jewish life.
Last year, camp started
on Sunday with a family
scavenger hunt at Hazon’
s
annual Michigan Jewish Food
Festival. Monday through
Friday, campers participated
in a Jewishly enriched day
camp experience from 9 a.m.-
3:30 p.m. In addition to tra-
ditional camp activities such
as swimming, sports, arts and
crafts, music, dance, nature
and games, campers also
participated in experiential
hands-on activities around the
theme of “Me and My Jewish
World.”
During the week, camp-
ers prepared for a special
Kabbalat Shabbat experience
and Shabbat dinner for camp-
ers and their families that
took place late Friday after-
noon/evening.
SHABBAT AT SABABA
Camp Sababa was staffed by
JCC camp staff along with
clergy and educators from
participating congregations.
According to Randy
Comensky, senior managing
director of JCC Day Camps,
including Camp Sababa
during the JCC Day Camps’
post-camp week was the
perfect way to end the camp
season.
“I loved that the congre-
gational staff participated
and offered their expertise
throughout the week. What a
great collaboration between
the JCC of Metro Detroit and
the synagogues in the area.”
EXPANDING TIME FOR
JEWISH LEARNING
Children who are enrolled in
a typical Sunday school pro-
gram participate in approx-
imately 24 two-hour class-
room sessions a year for a
total of 48 hours of classroom
instruction.
One week of typical
JCC day camp provides for
30 contact hours. Add in
a Sunday family Michigan
Jewish Food Festival scaven-
ger hunt and a Friday evening
Kabbalat Shabbat family
dinner and that’
s closer to 35
contact hours.
Through a collaboration
between forward-thinking
congregations and day camp,
we can create a new educa-
tional structure that annually
almost doubles the amount
of scheduled time for Jewish
learning.
In addition, Jewish learning
takes on a whole new dimen-
sion when campers:
• Explore the idea of Jewish
community with their fami-
lies through a scavenger hunt
at Hazon’
s annual Michigan
Jewish Food Festival
• Create their own family
heritage books
• Have a meaningful inter-
generational experience with
seniors at Jewish Senior Life
• Share prayer melodies and
traditions with campers from
other congregations
• Go to a bowling alley for
a camp field trip and receive
“bonus” points when they
can tell their counselors in
Hebrew how many pins they
knocked down
• While on a field trip to
the zoo, learn the names of
the animals in Hebrew and act
out and debate a story about
a “Horse that Could Pray”
CAMP PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIZZ CARDWELL
Where a thriving Jewish community comes to life.
JEFFREY LASDAY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Camp Sababa
continued on page 26
TI F