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.

