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July 2, 2004/Tamuz 13 5764, Vol. 56, No.41
Jewish camp provides instant community
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
My daughter anxiously anticipated the first day of summer day camp and the opportunity to spend time with friends she hadn't seen during the school year. But it's not fun only for her.
Since my youngest daughter finished preschool at the Tri-City Jewish Community Center, I have looked forward to the first day of camp, when we have the opportunity to walk into the JCC facility and to be greeted as if we'd never left. And I have no doubt that the experience is the same for many Jewish families across the Valley as they arrive at their synagogue or JCC day camps.
As the kids get older and we all get busier, I miss the days when I saw my daughter's classmates and their parents nearly every day. We dropped off and picked up at the same times and spent the weekends on the same birthday party circuit. Some of the friends we've been able to stay in touch with during the school year, but it's nice to run into them to chat for a few minutes on a daily basis again, rather than playing phone tag and receiving the occasional e-mail reading, "We have to get together soon!"
And for my daughter, it's a great opportunity to be in a Jewish environment all day long. Living in the Southeast Valley, it's not uncommon for my children to be the only Jewish students in their school classrooms (although my daughter's best friend in last year's kindergarten class did happen to be Jewish, too - a fact which didn't come to light until her birthday party when our mutual Jewish friends showed up).
I was recently in a dinner conversation with two friends who do not identify religiously. One began a diatribe denouncing organized religion and the other was nodding in agreement. And while some of their points were valid, I definitely felt as if they were missing the big picture. At the same dinner, I witnessed a conversation in which they related the struggles they have meeting people and making friends in today's world. Neither grew up with a religious affiliation and, despite my best efforts, I was unable to convey to them the importance of religious affiliation and a sense of community.
Living in a fast-paced big-city environment, it's essential that we create our own community, and belonging to a religious organization provides an environment of immediate acceptance, friendship and even, at times, an extended family.
When my family joined a new congregation a little less than a year ago, we were swept up and embraced by dozens of people we'd never met before. We've had playdates and Shabbat dinners, attended services and b'nai mitzvah together, and have planned numerous family outings.
Of course, we all form little communities throughout our lives. We've had public school communities, but those seem to immediately evaporate as the kids move to new schools. We have a little community at our dance studio, where it seems like we spend most of our waking hours. As adults, we have communities at work, but those, too, tend to disappear as people move on to new positions.
The difference with the Jewish community, however, is that it never leaves. It may grow and change, but wherever your life takes you, you can always seek out a Jewish organization for an instant community.
Contact the writer at beth_olson@jewishaz.com.
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