Jewish Camps or Sports Camps and the Creation of a Jewish Adult

Not to bring all of you into our family arguments, but Chip and I often debate what is a more valuable experience for our children -- Jewish summer camps or sports camps. You see Chip grew up at sports camps and I grew up at Jewish summer camps. It is natural as parents to want to recreate for our kids the positive experiences we once had.

After having spent eleven summers of my childhood and adolescence as a camper at Jewish camps and six summers as an adult working as an educator, assistant director and program director, I have experienced myself and witnessed within others the strong Jewish identity that is formed there.

Studies have shown that Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a low predictor for future Jewish observance. While Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a meaningful step in the lifecycle of the Jew, it is not the only step. Standing on the bima at the age of thirteen, reading from Torah, and leading a service is unfortunately not enough to inspire our adolescents to be Jewish as adults. It is the students who go to Jewish summer camps, who attend Jewish youth groups, who take part in Jewish studies and activities at college campuses and who go to Israel, who are far more likely to create Jewish homes and to live Jewish lives.

In my mind, our regional Camp Coleman in Georgia has it all: it has sports, it has the arts drama, pottery, cooking, audio- visual programming, swimming, Israeli programming, and it has Judaism. Outside of Israel, Jewish summer camps are the best place for our kids to be immersed in Jewish culture. At our Reform movement camps, our kids know it is Shabbat because their whole schedule changes on that day they get to sleep late and have lots of freedom. It is there that the songs of Judaism become a part of their souls. And it is at Camp that they can enjoy the experience of being not a minority in the South, but part of a majority. They can be part of an entire community of kids and counselors who share their faith.

It is my goal to spend a week at Camp Coleman this summer so that I can connect with our Beth El campers who are there. I believe so strongly in Jewish camping that I hope not only to be at camp, but to raise additional funds so that many more of our congregants can be there too.

Judy Schindler
Rabbi 

Camp Coleman will be coming to Temple Beth El during Religious School on Sunday morning, December 12th. If you are a parent of third graders and beyond, think about attending one of our informational sessions or meeting with a member of Coleman's administration during the 10:30-11:00 break between sessions in Luski Hall. For more information, contact Rabbi Schindler.