8 | FEBRUARY 23 • 2023
PURELY COMMENTARY
student’s corner
Finding My Jewish Community
B
eginning in the sum-
mer after second grade,
my parents sent me to
Camp Ramah in Canada for
two weeks. Both of my parents
had Camp Ramah in their lives
when they grew up, so they
wanted it to be a part of mine as
well. Throughout
my time there, I
met some of my
best friends from
all over North
America and
Israel. It always
fascinated me
how each of my
friends practiced Judaism in dif-
ferent ways and how geography
played a role in their Judaism.
In April of 2020, the thought
of not going to camp for the
first time in six years arose with
the sudden appearance of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Camp
had always been a time for me
to take my mind off school and
have a change of scenery for
the summer, which was much
needed after long school years.
COVID began to look like it was
not leaving any time soon, and
thus, the news came that camp
was not going to happen. Of
course, I was sad that I would
not go to camp, but I was still
able to FaceTime and play video
games with my camp friends.
I thought the summer of 2020
was just a one-year thing and
I would not return to see my
camp friends in person until
May 2021 came around, but
the border between the United
States and Canada was still
shut down because of COVID.
I began to worry that I would
not be allowed to have my break
from being stuck at home, and
finally get back to something
that I had done in the six years
prior. When I heard the news
that the border was not opening
before camp was going to start, I
felt defeated. It became apparent
that I was going to be stuck at
home for the second straight
summer.
My mom pitched the idea
of going to a different Ramah
camp, but I was not buying it;
the connection and community
that I built with Camp Ramah
in Canada was so strong that I
felt that it could not be replicat-
ed anywhere else. I was proven
wrong.
That summer of 2021, I went
to Camp Ramah in the Poconos,
not knowing anyone my age.
After just three hours of being
at this new place, I found myself
talking to everyone like I had
been friends with them for
multiple years. This place very
quickly became my third home.
For most people, COVID was
isolating and a time of lonely
feelings. Personally, it forced
me to appreciate the blessing
of going to a Jewish camp and
realize the importance of having
a Jewish community with which
to connect.
The biggest lesson I learned
throughout this journey is
the bond that can be shared
through Judaism. Although I go
to a Jewish school and surround
myself with Judaism in many
aspects of my home life, the
most impactful connection to
Judaism, for me, is the Ramah
community built through sum-
mer camp.
Without camp, I would never
have thought that some of my
closest friends would live a
plane-ride away.
Ryan Schmeltz is a junior at Frankel
Jewish Academy. If you are a Jewish
student in Metro Detroit, you can submit
an essay to jheadapohl@thejewish-
news.com.
A Consensus
Is Needed on
Judicial Reform
There is broad consensus
among those familiar with
the Israel judicial system that
it needs improvement. For
example, cases currently take far
too long to adjudicate (Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
own current trial is a great
example). In a recent interview,
Netanyahu himself mentioned
the problem of litigation taking
too long. But, as usual, he was
being disingenuous because
what his coalition is currently
proposing does not address that
issue at all.
Israel needs a careful,
thoughtful non-partisan
review of the many facets of
its current judicial system and
produce a package of true
reforms that can enjoy broad
public support. This might well
include some form of judicial
override clause, but one that
would require a strong super-
majority, not a simple party-
line vote of “yes men (and
women)” in the Knesset who
will obediently do whatever
the leaders of the coalition tell
them to do.
In his address to the nation
on Feb. 12, President Isaac
Herzog implored all sides to
“stop the madness,” call a time-
out on the “fast-track” strategy
and engage in a constructive
dialogue. Yair Lapid, Benny
Gantz and other opposition
party leaders immediately
embraced President Herzog’s
call for a halt to the headlong
rush to pass the coalition bills
and for a commitment by all
sides to participate in good-
faith negotiations to come up
with a package that could enjoy
broad support.
It remains to be seen how
Netanyahu will respond to the
president’s request. The prime
minister is, after all, the one
who appointed Yariv Levin to
be justice minister, knowing
that the man has been obsessed
for decades with the idea of
eliminating the High Court’s
power of judicial review.
I hope that the growing
pressure on Netanyahu from
the financial community, the
security establishment, local
mayors and other sectors of
Israeli society will succeed
in convincing him that he
must put the brakes on and
step back from the looming
abyss. Surely, he must be
aware of how isolated he is
now. Many of his most trusted
past associates (including
his longtime protege, former
Mossad head Yossi Cohen)
are among those opposing the
current breakneck speed with
which the coalition package is
being pushed.
— Nancy F. Kaplan
West Bloomfield
letters
Ryan
Schmeltz