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February 14, 2003/Adar 12 5763, Vol. 55, No. 25
Camping mattersEditorialCamping is in the Jewish soul.We read in the Torah of the ancient Israelites setting up camp at the foot of Mount Sinai: "Israel encamped there in front of the mountain. ... On the third day ... there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain ... and all the people who were in the camp trembled." (Exodus 19: 2, 16-17) Following their formative experience at Mount Sinai, the children of Israel camped in the wilderness for a generation. Divorced from the comforts of civilization, bound by shared experience, they gradually fostered a unique connection. The camping experience is as vital today for the Jewish people as it was thousands of years ago. Jewish camps "provide total immersion into a vibrant Jewish community for young people who increasingly come from places where they are a minority," observed Leonard Silberman, consultant on camping services for the Jewish Community Centers Association, in a 1996 Moment Magazine article. In the course of a few precious weeks in a safe environment, our children and teens build solid Jewish memories, foster lasting friendships, and become comfortable being Jewish. At day camp and sleep-away camp, they experience prayer and Shabbat, learn Hebrew, sing Jewish songs and create Jewish art. Locally, 20 percent of Jewish residents are under 18 years old - prime camp age - according to the 2002 Greater Phoenix Jewish Community Study. Yet, many of them don't go to camp. Financial constraints are a formidable hurdle. The study revealed that application costs and membership fees stop 28 percent of Valley Jewish families from sending their children to Jewish summer sleep-away camp and 16 percent of families from joining a JCC and taking advantage of day camp programs. Yet as Beth Olson reports in "Camp cost counts," this week's front-page story, several local organizations offer camp scholarships, among them the Bureau of Jewish Education, Camp Charles Pearlstein, Young Judaea, Tri-City Jewish Community Center, Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center and Phoenix Jewish Free Loan Association. As a community, we would do well to bolster these efforts, especially in light of the impact of the current economic downturn on the resources of many families. Our challenge - and our opportunity - is to continue the millennia-old tradition of Jewish camping, for the sake of passing Jewish values to the next generation. |
