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.