|
October 4, 2002/Tishri 28 5763, Vol. 55, No. 6
Don't overlook Young Judea campsADINA HIRSCHI am 16 years old, and I was happy to see the article on summer programs in which Valley teens participated this past summer. ("Teens report on local youth at camp," Jewish News, Sept. 13) However, you neglected to cover one of the most amazing summer programs offered to Jewish teens in the country.I am referring to the Young Judea camps, specifically Camp Tel Yehudah's Hadracha program. This is a leadership program offered to teens entering their junior year in high school. Hadracha means leadership. During the summer of 2001, for the first month of this program based in upstate New York, I learned how to write peulot, "educational activities," for younger teens and children. I also learned how to lead a sikkum, or "discussion," about what is going on in the Middle East and about participating in pro-Israel activism. The highlight of my first month in the program was when I was selected to be part of a delegation of 30 teens from all over the country who went to Washington, D.C. I met with leaders of American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), representatives of the Israeli Embassy and staff from the Department of State. At the end of this two-day experience, the 30 delegates met with their respective congressional representatives to lobby for Israel and for some of the bills pending before Congress. The second part of the Hadracha course was to attend a Young Judea junior camp. When I was younger, I attended Camp Young Judea Texas, located outside of Austin, during the summers of 1997-1999. I decided to go back there to complete my Hadracha experience. I, along with 11 other Young Judaeans that participated in Hadracha at Tel Yehuda, helped out at the junior camp in Texas. We used the skills that we learned during the first month of the program to organize activities and daily events for the younger children. I had an amazing summer experience with Young Judea. I believe that all of the teens from the Valley should be aware that there are other wonderful Jewish experiences available for them than the ones mentioned in the Sept. 13 article. It is unfortunate that in the article about summer experiences for Valley teens you did not include anything about the Young Judea camps because they have so much to offer every Jewish child, teen and young adult who participates in their programs. Adina Hirsch is a junior at Phoenix Country Day School. |
