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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAMP TAMARACK

There were two boys that were
going to go home within the first
couple of days. They told Weinstock
it wasn’t easy for them, and they
needed to go back to Israel. Plans
were being made for just that.
But then, Tamarack magic
happened.
“On the first Shabbat, you
saw something change in these
campers,” Weinstock said. “You
saw them accept our community,
trust us and say, ‘OK, this is a place
where I can be a kid and have fun.’”
The next night at Havdalah was
even more magical, Weinstock
recalls.
“I was sitting with a social
worker and she said to me, this has
been five days of healing, but it’s
equivalent to five years for these
kids. They’re not in therapy at
home. They’re not going through
anything to heal from this horrible
trauma they’ve gone through, and
camp did that for them, and you
saw a change in five days.”
The second session campers from
evacuated areas were from Kibbutz
Be’eri. They all know someone who
was or still is a hostage. They all
know people who were murdered.
At their request, Tamarack began

doing a prayer for people who are
not yet home, which includes those
who are still hostages and those
in the army, before dinner and at
Shabbat services.
Throughout the summer, Israeli
campers opened up about what
they’ve experienced and how they’re
feeling, which manifested itself in a
beautiful way.
At the end of the second session,
many girls from Kibbutz Be’eri did
an art show with the theme being
“Our Story,” with part of their
story being what happened to their
kibbutz on Oct. 7.
They created beautiful art pieces
— tributes for the hostages, for
every person murdered in the
kibbutz and for specific friends who
were murdered.
“Again, these kids have not done
any kind of therapy since Oct. 7,”
Weinstock said. “And this was a
huge therapy for them.”

A HEALING EXPERIENCE
Therapeutic experiences were
provided for Israeli staff as well.
One program took place where
Israeli staff shared with other
camp staff what they went through
on Oct. 7 and their experiences

since. Weinstock estimates 95% of
Tamarack’s staff were there to hear
their stories.
“It was emotional. I took it as
a compliment that we created a
magical space at camp that they
felt comfortable enough to share,”
Weinstock said, pointing out that
wasn’t necessarily the case when
they first arrived. “By the end, we
were family, and they felt that.”
At the end of each session,
Weinstock had a special meeting
with the evacuated kids.
“They felt the support and
love from camp, Federation and
everyone we put into place. They
were very appreciative of their
experience,” Weinstock said. “They
were able to just be kids, which is

really the magic of the program.”
Jewish Federation of Detroit
CEO Steven Ingber says bringing a
large group of young people from
Israel to Tamarack was uniquely
important this year.
“The Elaine and Michael Serling
Israeli Camper Program, and the
incredible partnership between the
Jewish Federation and Tamarack
Camps, underscores the critical role
we play in fostering connections,
resilience and the enduring strength
of our Jewish community.”
Jennifer Levine, senior director
of JFD’s Israel & Overseas
Department, added, “These kids
arrived with heavy hearts, burdened
by the precarious situation in Israel,
and left with new friendships,

Camper Ariel
Dubchak of Migdal
HaEmek performs a
beautiful rendition
of Eden Golan’s
“Hurricane” at
Tamarack Idol.

These art projects displayed at the Kaufman Specialty Art Show were creat-
ed by Israeli campers. The theme of this year’s show was “Our Story,” which
inspired beautiful, thoughtful, powerful and often therapeutic expressions in
the safe place of camp.

American and Israeli campers at Schuchman
Family Israel Day, an all-camp celebration of
Israeli culture and highlight of the summer