AUGUST 18 • 2022 | 9

SEEING THROUGH ANOTHER’S
EYES from page 6

their own.) And we all get to
define our own version of fun,
including many conversations,
glasses of wine on a porch,
Boggle and Cribbage games on
the beach.
And on the last night of
camp, there was an always
funny, sometimes poignant
variety show to laugh and sing
and kvell about each year’s
week at Michigania and how it
was “the best ever” (because of
or in spite of the weather).
For our family, camp
became much more than a
one-week-a-year thing. We
talked about preparing for
camp from January to July,
and then we processed camp
from July through December.
Through spending time
at camp together, our kids
became much closer to our
friends’ kids. We also visited
during the year with a few
camp friends who lived nearby.
When our kids began seri-
ously dating, one of the key
criteria for a potential mate
was whether he or she liked

Michigania. Their first week
at camp with our family was
definitely a test. Luckily, each
of my three kids have spouses
who seem to love camp. And
for the past 15 years, we have
been able to experience camp
with our grandchildren.
We recalled our early
years at Michigania, when
we watched larger extended
families enjoy camp together,
taking up multiple cabins. And
now, we have seen and become
them. We are the grandmas
and grandpas trying to keep
up with the rest of our family.
We get to see our grandkids
spending special time with
their cousins. And, more often,
we are happy to just sit on the
porch and watch our kids and
grandkids put down their cell
phones and just run and play
together. Now that’s a kvellable
moment!
This is not a travelogue or
an ad for Camp Michigania.
I have talked with many
friends about their wonderful
yearly vacations on “This or

That” Lake. And many of our
other friends prefer to make
memories with their family
by exploring the beauty of
Michigan, often extending
into Canada and neighbor-
ing states, depending on the
price of gas. Every lake, city
or small town has its own
special charm. Your family’s
Brigadoon might be the excite-
ment of a yearly road trip to
who knows where.
As someone who talked
with children and parents
for a living, I can assure you
that what kids consistently
remember are the times your
family spends together. In a
world where we continue to
experience so much angst and
anxiety, we all need our own
version of Brigadoon to help
us remember what is truly pre-
cious and important about our
lives here in Michigan.
HINT: It’s not on a cell
phone; instead, it may be on a
front or back porch, a million
miles from home but actually
not that far away.

enough to be counted.
Their request is, basically,
that inheritance law be
changed to allow daughters
to inherit if there are no
sons.
Moses, unable or
unwilling to make such a
drastic change on his own
authority, asks God, who
replies that these women
speak the truth and God
changes the law. “If a man
dies and has no son, his
inheritance shall pass
directly to his daughter.”
God changed the law due
to the validity and justice
of a conflicting view.
In his article, Rabbi
Moskowitz points out that
Rashi offers a wonderful
insight. In referring to the
daughters of Zelophehad,
he says, “Their eyes saw
what the eyes of Moses did
not.” Their perspective was
one he hadn’t considered.
It’s so easy in these very
divisive times to close
our minds to different
perspectives. We often
surround ourselves with
like-minded people, which
is natural and not bad,
in and of itself. But we
need to remind ourselves
that different perspectives
can lead to different and
sometimes deeper insights
and understanding.
Hadassah itself is a big
tent with many strong
women, with strong and
sometimes differing
opinions. Let’s try to
always approach each
other with open minds and
really hear what each of us
is saying.

Mandy Garver is president of

Hadassah Greater Detroit.

Jeff London has found a “happy place” at Camp Michigania, which he has been able to share with his
children and grandchildren.