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

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