AUGUST 18 • 2022 | 33

school hours.
“Children have to come
away from their religious
learning with some kind of a
knowledge base, and that is
very difficult to accomplish
with the model of supplemen-
tary education that exists now
because of the busy schedule
of families that have reduced
the days and hours of religious
instruction,” said Berg.
“But families still need after-
school care. So, in communi-
ties that have high concentra-
tions of Jewish populations,
creating an after-school care
program centered on Jewish
learning in a safe, enriching
and nurturing environment
can be a potentially powerful
approach to Jewish education
in contemporary times.”

MAKING FAMILY CENTRAL
TO JEWISH EDUCATION
For Berg, the family rests at
the center of all educational
efforts. At Beth Shalom, with
her late husband, Richard,
and Harlene Appelman, she
pioneered Jewish family edu-
cation beginning in the 1980s.
Since then, hundreds of Jewish
families in Metro Detroit have

experienced family camp.
“Bringing the family into
an immersive experience like
a Shabbat away at Tamarack
Camps made a very big differ-
ence,” Berg said.
“At camp, educators can
introduce lots of Jewish con-
tent but do it in a fun, subtle
way. We would leave learning
materials and other activities
in different rooms, and next
thing you knew, families felt
comfortable having a mean-
ingful discussion at a Shabbat
dinner table. They felt capable
of participating in a discus-
sion; and experiences like this,
early in a child’s education,
with the family, made their
learning very successful.”
During her time at Temple
Kol Ami from 1988 to 1997,
Berg recalled a most meaning-
ful family education program
focused on ethical wills that
she did with Rabbi Norman
Roman. She remembers how
family members sat with
teenage students and ate food
from recipes that have passed
down through generations
and spent time discussing and
writing down what were the
most important elements of

Judaism to pass along to the
next generations. All was doc-
umented on video.
“Families really spent time
thinking and talking about
what they want to leave for
their children,” Berg said. “We
also asked the children what
they would like to learn from
their parents. This helped the
students think about the most
important things that Judaism
can teach them and guide
them throughout their life.”

TEACHING KINDNESS
In addition to her convic-
tions of the importance of
teaching Judaism on a family
level, above all, Berg said that
Jewish educators today should
focus on Jewish values such as
chesed, kindness. This includes
being kind and compassionate
with those in one’s family or
showing patience and respect
in public places from the class-
room to grocery stores and
restaurants. And cultivating
that kindness can be culled
from the stories found in
Jewish texts, Berg said.
Berg advised that to have
success in supplementary
Jewish education settings, chil-

dren must have formal Jewish
schooling through the high
school years. This includes
exposure to Hebrew, the hol-
iday cycle, Jewish literature,
ethics and Jewish history, and
synagogue involvement.
“It’s essential that they enjoy
Jewish experiences with fam-
ilies and friends, participate
in Jewish organizations and
youth groups and travel to
Israel,” Berg said. “And all of
this must be tailored to the
students and the families that
join with us. The more that we
can provide, the more vibrant
future Jewish communities
will be in the future.”
Congregation Beth Ahm will
honor the longtime service of
Elissa Berg and Nancy Kaplan
at Shabbat morning services
on Aug. 20. A celebratory lun-
cheon will follow. The commu-
nity is invited to attend. RSVPs
would be appreciated for the
luncheon by calling Beth Ahm
at (248) 851-6880.
Nancy Kaplan served many
years in many roles at Beth
Ahm as an assistant to Rabbi
Rubenstein. Look for a future
JN story about her career
accomplishments.

At Beth Ahm, Elissa
Berg works with Noa
and Elli BenEzra.

CAMP TAMARACK

Elissa Berg was a
pioneer of Family
Camp at Tamarack.
This is a photo from
a previous Bubbie
Zaydie Camp.