Home Away From Home:
Israeli campers share in a summer of adventure
and Jewish learning at Tamarack.
by Robin Schwartz • Special to the Jewish News
posted Thursday, August 23, 2007

Maas campers celebrate the summer: Clockwise from bottom left, Sapir Ben Haim, Jezreel Valley; Simona Librov, Nazareth Illit; Josh Turkin, Farmington Hills; Chad Chaiken, Farmington Hills; Dean Azulay, Migdal Ha’Emek; Ami Roitman, Nazareth Illit; Demarcalin Sylvestre, Highland Park, Mich.; Ortal Cohen, Jezreel Valley; Sapir Ayanot, Jezreel Valley; Noy Rodko, Jezreel Valley; Liza Perlov, Nazareth Illit; Yulia Shkolnikav, Nazareth Illit; Michael Lipsky, West Bloomfield Photography, Brett Mountain

The thrill of zipping across the water on skis, with wind on her face and waves at her feet, is something Hanna Ivri, 14, of Nazareth Illit recently experienced for the first time at Camp Maas in Ortonville.

Ivri, an Ethiopian Jew, is one of 80 Israeli campers who traveled to Michigan for a summer of fun, adventure and Jewish learning as part of the Israeli Camper Program sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. The multicultural camping opportunity for Israeli teens (ages 13-15) and their American counterparts began in 2002. The program just completed its sixth successful summer.

"To be here is so exciting," Ivri said looking across the wooded grounds of Camp Maas, Tamarack's residential camping facility. "This place is so beautiful; you have a lot of green space and everything's so big."

Two groups of 40 Israeli campers took part in separate sessions June 26-July 20 and July 24-Aug. 16. The Israelis are immersed in Tamarack's program, sharing bunks with local Jewish teens and participating in daily activities from swimming, horseback riding and kayaking, to Shabbat services, an archaeological dig for relics buried by staff members and other creative Jewish programs.

"The key to the program is that they're integrated into our camp, so you really can't tell the difference anymore between Israeli and American campers," explained Tamarack's executive director Jonah Geller of Farmington Hills. "The goal here is to build a real partnership. That's what truly makes the program special."

Unforgettable Experience

"It's a really big experience for me," said camper Yotam Jacoby, 12, of Timrat, who like many of the Israeli youngsters, traveled to the United States for the first time to be part of the program. More than 300 candidates were considered for the 80 spots at camp; selections are made based on community involvement, leadership skills and English speaking ability. The 3 1/2-week program is subsidized by Federation donors. Each camper's family pays 25 percent of the roughly $3,800 cost.

"This year, for the first time, all of our campers were from Detroit's Partnership 2000 Region in Israel's Central Galilee," said Naomi Rockowitz the Jerusalem-based director of missions and exchanges for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. "We place 2-3 Israeli campers in each bunk which works out well."

P2K is an educational, cultural, social and business exchange program.

The campers are quick to make observations about their new surroundings.

"The views in America are beautiful," said Jacoby, noting a few other things that struck him as strange. "They're using a lot of water in the bathroom. In Israel, we really conserve the water. Also, this is summer in America and there's rain. That really surprised me."

Another surprise may be the exuberant and diverse Jewish atmosphere at Tamarack, which many campers have never been exposed to.

"In Israel, it tends to be very secular or Orthodox," explained Rockowitz. "They're seeing a very beautiful way of practicing Judaism."

They're also sharing their food, culture and history; one day at camp is devoted to an Israel Day celebration.

"The informal Jewish education that's happening here, which permeates all of our activities, is definitely the jewel," said camp director Debbie Landau of West Bloomfield. "I get very excited about it."

Added Jacoby, "It's giving me another look about the world and Judaism."

Jewish Discovery

Eli Rockowitz, Tamarack's supervisor of Jewish programming (who is married to Naomi), lies awake at night pondering questions like, "Where should we build the Temple?' and "What can I use for a mountain?' He's constantly looking for unique, interactive ways to enhance Jewish identity, whether that involves putting on shows using oversized puppets of biblical characters or building a replica of the Second Temple in Jerusalem out of cereal boxes so campers can understand the significance of the Western Wall.

"The idea is to make it hands-on, for the kids to feel like they've experienced having a Jewish life that's exciting and dynamic," Rockowitz said. "We're not just about religion, we're about understanding Israel, Jewish history, Hebrew, holidays - it's a full-service Jewish program."

Under Rockowitz's supervision, the camp built a permanent wooden replica of the Western Wall where campers place notes which are eventually flown to Israel and inserted into the real Western Wall. He also put together a series of laminated Jewish superhero trading cards featuring pictures and information about 25 figures like Gal Friedman, the winner of Israel's first Olympic gold medal. Tamarack's kosher 500-square-foot tallit that can cover the whole camp for an aliyah is another project Rockowitz speaks about with pride.

"The bottom line is, it just becomes mega cool to be Jewish on every level," said Rockowitz.

"Kids want in."

Lasting Connection

After the whirlwind of camp is over, the campers make one final lasting connection, spending a weekend with local Jewish host families before returning to Israel. Laura and David Gorosh of Birmingham opened their home as hosts for the third year along with their children, Hannah, 9, and Andrew and Isabella, 6-year-old twins.

"It's amazing to see how wonderful these kids are," David Gorosh said. "They're so warm, and I think the experience they have here is invaluable."

The Gorosh family tries to give Israeli campers a taste of Michigan by taking them to Detroit's Comerica Park, concerts and to a mall. They've even kept in touch and visited with campers and their families in Israel. Many host families also maintain a correspondence via e-mail.

"It really builds the relationship on a whole different level," said Naomi Rockowitz. "They're bringing Israel into people's homes."

"The community here is amazing and the people are doing so much for us," added Kama Abercohen, 16, of Midgal Ha'Emek, a counselor in training who was also a camper three years ago.

"I appreciate that gratefully."

Shelly Hutton of West Bloomfield, first vice president of the Fresh Air Society, which oversees Tamarack is also overwhelmed by the success of the program. "I'm filled with naches (joy)," Hutton said. "We're doing wonderful things here. We're building a community."

›› Go Back