JUNE 10 • 2021 | 29

“Say it with a clear voice, a 
proud voice,
” he urges. “Stand 
up and say, ‘We support Israel.
’”
He finds the same problem 
on college campuses.
“The major, major challenge 
I find is that the pro-Israel side 
does not respond,
” he says of 
his experiences on campuses 
throughout the Midwest. “We 
do not promote our narrative 
enough.

“We need to zoom out to 
provide context and under-
standing. For example, they 
say we are not indigenous 
to the region, but the Jews 
are indigenous. We need to 
explain the essence of the 
Jewish people having a state. 
It’s not just military might; it is 
historical right. These things 
are not clear, understood or 
even known. 
“We have been working 
for the last few decades on 
an optimistic future for the 
Middle East,” Ezra says, cit-
ing the Abraham Accords 
that brought peace agree-
ments with the United Arab 

Emirates and Bahrain, and 
normalization with Morocco 
and Sudan. 
“Building bridges is doable,
” 
he says. “We’ve proven it. 
But while we are investing in 
peace, [Hamas] is investing in 
war. The Jewish community 
and like-minded countries and 
individuals should stand up 
and say it.
”
Ezra shares the Israeli con-

sensus that his country needs 
a stable government, but 
there is was no consensus at 
first on who will form it and 
comprise it and, as a result, 
Israelis faced the quandary of 
elections for the fifth time in 
two and a half years.
“It’s not fair to the blame 
Israel’s political leaders for 
the fact that Hamas is fir-
ing thousands of rockets 
at us, but we need a stable 
government sooner rather 
than later,” he says. “Without 
it, we have no policies, no 
direction, no priorities and 
no budget. We need it imme-
diately.” 

Israeli security forces clash with protesters during a protest against 
Israel’s plan to evict Palestinians from the eastern Jerusalem 
neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on May 10, 2021. 

“WE NEED TO BE MORE 
ACTIVE AND TAKE A STAND. 
INDIFFERENCE IS VERY 

DANGEROUS.” 

— AVIV EZRA

OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90 VIA JTA

Vaccinated kids at summer 
camps can skip wearing 
masks outdoors, with some 
exceptions, according to 
updated Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention 
guidelines announced in 
late May.
Staff and campers who 
are fully vaccinated do not 
need to wear masks at camp, 
except where required by 
law. 
Children who aren’t fully 
vaccinated should still wear 
masks outside when they’re 
in crowds or in sustained 
close contact with others — 
and when they are inside, 
the CDC guidelines said.
Camps likely will have 
mixed groups of vaccinated 
and unvaccinated kids and 
should be prepared to have 
mask and distancing guide-
lines in place, CDC officials 
said.
The new guidance also 
says social distancing — 

staying 3 to 6 feet from oth-
ers — is recommended for 
the unvaccinated, but not 
for the vaccinated.
As of late May, about 2.5 
million of the roughly 17 
million U.S. kids ages 12-16 
had gotten at least one shot. 
A second dose is required 
three weeks after the first, 
and then it takes two 
more weeks before the 
vaccine fully takes effect. 
That means that it will be 
mid-summer before kids 
in that age bracket are fully 
vaccinated. 
When that happens, “it’s 
going to be a camp expe-
rience that is much more 
like [before the pandemic],” 
said Erin Sauber-Schatz, 
who leads the CDC task 
force that prepares recom-
mendations designed to 
keep Americans safe from 
COVID-19. 

CDC Issues New Guidelines for Camps

The Jewish Women’s 
Foundation of Metro 
Detroit is accepting appli-
cations for its 2021 grants 
cycle. JWF supports pro-
grams, projects and initia-
tives that advance social 
change by expanding oppor-
tunities for Jewish women, 
their families and commu-
nity. It considers requests 
for single-year funding on 
a year-to-year basis, with a 
maximum grant amount of 
$20,000. 
Its 2021 Grants Cycle 
is designed to respond 
to needs that have been 
highlighted by the COVID-
19 pandemic. It will give 
special consideration to 

programs that increase 
women’s economic security 
through childcare, pay equi-
ty, leadership development 
or other systemic approach-
es; respond to or prevent 
domestic abuse; improve 
women’s mental well-being; 
and specifically address the 
needs of underserved or 
vulnerable communities.
In addition to discrete 
programs, it will offer infra-
structure and/or capacity 
building support when it is 
aligned with JWF’s mission 
and values. 
Applications are due 
July 1. More information is 
available at jwfdetroit.org/
apply-for-a-grant. 

JWF Applications Are Open

