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