Think & Reflect:
At the J, we are busy with camp registration for Summer 2022, and we are excited!! Everyone who knows me has heard me say, “Camp is the most important experience in a child’s life!!” There are so many reasons why I feel this way – camp gives so much to children and the lessons learned (and experienced) last a lifetime. This goes double (or maybe even triple or more) for the Jewish camp experience. Let me share the messages from a wonderful book: How Goodly Are Thy Tents – Summer Camps as Jewish Socializing Experiences by Amy L. Sales and Leonard Saxe. You decide for yourself how important a summer camp is for your children and remember how important it was for you!! “Jewish socialization involves acquiring the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable one to be an active member of the Jewish community.”
- “A community’s unity, strength, and continuation depend on its capacity to socialize new members – to build commitment to the group and to transmit its knowledge and values to each succeeding generation. Socialization is thus critical to the Jewish enterprise, which is based in the community.”
- “…at camp, Judaism was ‘in the air.’ We found it in everyday ritual practices, in Shabbat, and in the symbolism that defines the physical environment of the camp as a Jewish space. When Judaism is in the air, as it is at camp, children take it in as effortlessly as breathing.”
- “Camp is a mass of contradictions. It is a simple enterprise that does extraordinarily complex work. Camps are rooted in tradition but also excel at creativity and experimentation. Camp is a quintessentially American invention that produces some of the most powerful Jewish experiences in a child’s life. An institution dedicated to fun, it is responsible for the most serious work of the community: building commitment to the Jewish people and transmitting Jewish knowledge and values to the young generation. Out of these contradictions arise camp’s potential as a socializing agent as well as its challenges for the future.”
- “Jewish tradition says that the study of Torah is equal to all of the other mitzvoth because it leads to them all. So, too, is fun equal to all of the other purposes of camp because it leads to them all.”
Questions to Ponder
The way of study in Judaism is to take a “text” and talk about it looking to discover the deeper messages in the words. Read the texts (quotes) above and talk with family and friends about what resonates with you.
Do & Share
Share a camp memory with us!! Send it to lseymour@jccdallas.org
A Challenge for a Week (or longer)
These past two years have been challenging for the camp community. Here we have been fortunate to have two summers that were unique and wonderful. We can’t wait for Summer 2022 for the J and the many sleep-away camps around the country. There are many choices for camps and, of course, I want children and families here. However, as a “real camp person” I want all children to experience the growth and connections that happen at camp. You are never too old for camp – join the spirit by coming by sending your child to camp and remembering your experiences!
Laura Seymour | Camp Director Emeritus | Jewish Experiential Learning Director
