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P*te Poor
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Friday, February 28, 1958
Friday, February 28, 1958
Page Five
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
MOUNTAINVIEW
CAMP
For Slow Learning and
Retarded Children
NACOOCHEE, GEORGIA.
168 acres in the Blue Ridge
Mountains is dedicated to
provide a summer of guid
ed camping and education
in the activities for the
slow learning and retarded
child. For further informa
tion and.brochure write to:
HENRY LUBIN, Camp Dir.,
B. S. Cert. So. Wk.
1526 Ancona Ave.,
Miami 46. Fla.
FOR REFERENCE IN
ATLANTA AREA
PLEASE CALL:
MRS. STANLEY FRIEDMAN,
TEL. TR. 5-3993
Challenge of Jewish Summer Camps
By DAVID MACAROV
From CONGRESS WEEKLY
Tanned and b u r s ti n g with
health, the youngsters have re
turned from camp. The ten-year-
old with a butterfly collection,
the twelve-year-old with a Red
Cross swimmer’s certificate, and
the older adolescent with a pic
ture of a certain girl (or boy),
poured out of trains and buses
across the country in time to get
ready for school. To parents’ ques
tions about camp, the answers
largely ranged from the non-com
mittal “Okay” to the enthusiastic
"A ball!" for the fact is that young
people like camping, as the grow
ing proportion who attend each
year demonstrates.
Not only have the spread of
the camping idea and the con
tinuing prosperity made it possible
for larger numbers of American
youth to be campers each year,
hut the population growth now
taking place in this country prom
ises to push the expansion to pre
viously undreamed-of heights. It
is estimated that the teenager pop
ulation will increase by 21 per
cent during the next ten years
an increase which will not only
necessitate 21 per cent more
This fine article was prepared by a former Atlantan who is now a
resident of Israel. He prepared the material after several years’ re
cent observation in this country and many more before he decided
to make his home in Israel, lie, his wife and children departed in
January for another stay in the Jewish state. While his article is
keyed specifically to the Jewish camp, it must not be assumed that
all Jewish parents wish their children to attend a Jewish oriented
camp. There are many fine Jewish camps in the South which offer
the advantages author Macarov presents. There are others too which
afford splendid opportunities for rewarding camping experience.
Parents can take their pick.
school, center and organizational
facilities, but greatly expanded
facilities at existing camps and
many new ones. Evidence of this
boom is the fact that many camps
already close their rolls in Feb
ruary, January, or even earlier,
all available places being taken
by that time.
Persons and institutions con
cerned about the creative survival
of the American Jewish communi
ty have long recognized the po
tentialities of camps for this pur
pose. Many years ago Emanuel
Gamoran pointed out that one sea
son of Hebrew teaching at a camp
utilized for this purpose would
contain more hours of such in
struction than the average Jewish
child gets in his entire lifetime.
This intensity, inherent in the
Camping experience should not
be underestimated. It. was my ex
perience to be on a visit to several
IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
CAMP OSCEOLA
HORSESHOE, NORTH CAROLINA
(Near Hendersonville)
For Hoys and Girls 4 to 15 Years of Age
Special Teen-Age Camp
REGISTRATION LIMITED TO 250 CAMPERS
35th S K AS ON
JUNK 22nd TO AUGUST 15th
Creative Programming — All Camp Facilities —
Horseback Riding — Dietary Laws Observed
For Details Write: Charles Parmet, Director
Box 2778, Asheville, North Carolina
—THE EDITOR
camps during the period of the
great floods of 1955, when the
Connecticut, New York, and Penn
sylvania camping areas were hard
hit. In the camp of one youth
movement which places great em
phasis on avodah (physical labor)
the campers put on their rainhats
and slickers, and with shovels over
their shoulders went singing down
to the road which had been wash
ed out and went to work. The
camp of another movement, which
stresses community service, offer
ed the local relief authorities 75
able-bodied teenagers to help give
out blankets, etc. Still another
movement, which stresses tzeda-
kah, took up a collection from
among their campers. One of the
religiously oriented camps held a
special service to bensch Gomel
(say the prayer on deliverance
from peril). And in the camp of
an essentially social organization
the campers were called together,
assured there was no danger, and
urged to continue planning the
dance which was scheduled for
that night, while the kitchen help
worked to repair the road.
The important point here is that
the youngsters who attended these
camps are essentially the same—
from the same stratum of society,
with equivalent educational and
Jewish backgrounds, from the
same kinds of communities. But
their experience at camp had
helped create differing sets of ex
pectations as to their roles in life,
which they attempted to live up
to.
Recognizing this fact, a number
of Jewish organizations have
founded noteworthy camps which
have now been in existence for
many years. Of the ten national
Zionist youth movements, seven
operate at least one camp and
one—Habonim—has as many as
five. The New England Zionist
Youth Commission was responsi
ble for the establishment of sev
eral camps in that area, and the
Minneapolis-St. Paul Zionist
Youth Commission founded Herzl
Camp in Wisconsin. The Hista-
druth Ivrith was responsible for
the two Camps Massad, and the
Conservative movement, through
its Camp Ramah Commision, now
operates five such camps. B’nai
B’rith, Young Israel, other nation
al youth movements and many
Jewish Community Centers oper
ate camps, while several well-
known Jewish educators and Zi-
SEND YOUR BOY OR
GIRL TO A TOP
JEWISH CAMP!
8 MILES EAST OF SPARTA
EIGHT-WEEK OR
FOUR-WEEK CAMP
PERIODS OPEN
• Three Hundred Acres of Beauti
ful Mountain Country with a
Ninety-Six Acre Spring-Fed Pri
vate Lake in the Center.
• Healthful, stimulating physical
and mental activity in a pleasant
Jewish atmosphere — DIETARY
LAWS OBSERVED.
• Rated No. 1 by the Standard
Committee of American Camping
Association.
ATOP THE CUMBERLAND
MOUNTAINS of TENNESSEE
WARM, SUNSHINY DAYS—COOL, PLEASANT
NIGHTS
Complete Camp Program for Children
From 6 to 17 Years of Age Including:
Canoeing Athletics Dramatics
Water Skiing Tennis Arts and Crafts
Sailing Archery Charm Program
Charm Class Riflery Dancing
(For Girls)
Fencing Creative .Art Fishing
Boxing Ceramics Horse Back Trips Out
MRS. BEA KOMISAR
Owner and Director
Over 27 years of camp-
i n g experience. For
Brochure and informa
tion — 2223 Woodmont
Blvd., Nashville, Tenn.
For Personal Information
Please contact
Atlanta Representative,
Mrs. Jack C. Fred,
1722 Wildwood Road.,
N. E. TR. 5-5089.
onists own camps whose emphasis
on transmitting Jewish values
leaves little to be desired.
Nevertheless, in view of the
number of Jewish youngsters who
go to camp each summer, the
growth of the Jewish camping
movement has not been commen
surate with the demands of the
situation. This is not to say that
there is not a considerable num
ber of camps which solicit Jew
ish patronage, have Jewish
names, and are operated by Jews.
Estimates vary, but converge on
400 as the probable number.
These camps advertise ‘American-
Jewish cuisine,” “Jewish cultural
influences,” “Friday night ser
vices,” or "Dietary Laws.” In
such ways they attempt to convey
the impression to Jewish parents
that their child will be with other
Jewish boys and girls — unfor
tunately the only criterion which
has meaning foe many parents.
Investigation indicates, however,
that most of these camps put little
emphasis upon the Jewish know
ledge or attitudes of the staff they
employ, and few have education
al goals as far as Jewish content
is concerned. The Kashruth does
not entail a mashgiach; the Fri
day night services consist of a
few paragraphs recited in English
at the lakeside; and the cultural
influences consist of a few Yid
dish or Hebrew songs among the
scores of others in the camp song
ster.
The program generally consists
of the traditional scoutcraft, ath
letics and handicrafts, with a good
sprinkling of Indian lore. Not all
of these camps are as frank as
those who answered an offer from
a national Jewish institution to
send them without charge teams
of Israel song-and-dancc perform
ers and instructors, wall news
papers, news summaries, Israel
art-and-crafts materials and play-
scripts, by writing back, in es
sence, “Kids come to camp to get
away from all that stuff. We
don’t want to keep reminding
them of the problems of being
Jewish.” Less than ten per cent
of the 400 camps even responded
to the offer, repeated at intervals
during two camp seasons.
It should not be thought that
the desire to give Jewish children
a positive and meaningful Jewish
experience at camp means sub
stituting study sessions for ath
letics or religious service for
swimming. In those camps which
are concerned with providing a
Jewish experience, the Twelve
Tribes of Israel, with their ban
ners, symbols, meanings, and his
tory replace Indian Tribes as
team, bunk, and handicraft
themes: the overnight hike be
comes a hityashvut or a Yetziat
Mitzraim; if there must be a
“color war,” it becomes a Macca-
biah, although in some camps the
competitive aspect has given way
to cooperative endeavor, in the
form of a C h a g HaBikkurim;
stories, whether for dramatiza
tion or reading, are taken from
something like the Treasury of
Jewish Literature; square and so
cial d incing are counterbalanced
by l SI , e li line, circle, and couple
dance : the Saturday night camp
fire is preceded by Havdalah; the
motzi, (blessing over bread) and
a sh ( •! birkat hamazon (grace
after neals) replace the ordinary
begin, ing and ending ceremonies
at m, iltime, and so on.
Twi courses seem to be indi
cated. Just as the American Camp
ing A isociation establishes stand
ards nd accredits camps on the
basis )f physical facilities, camp-
er-cov nsellor ratio, etc., so an
evalui tive and rating service for
the Jewish parent in search of
a tru v Jewish camp should be
establ
shed by some Jewish in
stitution which would appraise
both i lethods and goals, both pro
fessional competency and Jew
ish v dues. Also called for is a
camp; ign to make such evalua
tions important and meaningful
to Jewish parents and, if success
ful, tie institution would prob-
also undertake a consulta-
H et the standards establish-
affirn
high
sary
youtl
ably
tive iple for those camps seeking
to m
ed.
The
the
Jewi
camp
youtl
ticul
second conclusion is that
Istitutions concerned with
life should recognize the
ng trend among American
and Jewish youth in par-
. and take advantage of this
upsui :e by establishing scores of
atively Jewish camps with
tandard. If the fund neces-
lust be diverted from other
build ng and activity, the ultimate
resub would make it worthwhile.
Unle; such steps are taken, the
89 p< r cent of American Jewish
whose entire Jewish edu
cation consists of Bar Mitzvah
prepiation or less will continue
to l«:n Indian lore, scoutcraft
and O' id-work each summer for
five Lears or more—with an
Amei ican-Jewish cuisine compris
ing he breadth and depth of
their Jewishness.
Mountainview Camp
CONTINUED FROM PACE 3
ing good habits including the
making on one’s bed, maintain
ing good habits of personal hy
giene and learning to share.
Mountainview Camp through
its staff (and advisory board)
provides a highly skilled and
trained staff including one adult
senior counsellor for every two
children. Personnel includes:
camp specialists, psychologists,
teachers in special education, so
cial workers, a registered resi
dent nurse and a doctor in tele-
phote communication. These
staff members in addition to
their specialties, have all had
experience in dealing with the
retarded child. Special precau
tion taken in connection with
the Health of the campers who
are examined before and during
camp; Attention is paid to spe
cial iiets, the development of
new nnd broader food habits and
the use of prescribed medications
when necessary.
Momtainview Camp is in op
eration only during the summer
months, from June 22 to Aug.
18. This is the only exclusive
camp program for the slow
learning and retarded child.
NA MES AM) ADDRESSES OF CAMPS
Cooperating With This Issue
They Will Be Glad To Mail Catalogues to Prospective
( ampers. Please Mention The Southern Israelite.
PRIVATE CAMPS
(Camps and locations in Black Face type—Contact Addresses
in Light Face Type.)
Camp Belle Aire—Sparta, Tenn.
Mrs. Reuben Komisar, 2223 Woodmdr.t Blvd Nashville Tenn
Mrs. Jack C. Fred, 1722 Wildwood Hd. N E Aidlnta Ga
Camp Blue Star—Hendersonville, N. C. ’ Atlanta ’ ° a '
Mr. H. Popkin, 2648 Margaret Mitch~il Dr., N.W Atlanta, Ga.
Cejvvin Camp—Port Jervis, N. Y.
Mr. A. P. Schoolman, Dir., 71 W. 47th St New Vnrk 36 N Y
Camp Lenni-Len-A-Pe—Salisbury Mills, * y’
Mr. and Mrs. M. Halsband, Director] Salisburv Mills N Y
Camp Osceola—Horse Shoe, N. C. y ’
Charles Parmet, Director, Box 2778, Usheville N r
Camp Skylake—Sautee, Ga.
Rabbi and Mrs. Richard E. Singer, *60 Sheridan Rd., Highland
Park, Ill. ’
Mrs. Nat F. Klausman, 1025 Dawn ViLv Lane NW Atlanta, Ga.
Mountainview Camp
Henry Lubin, 1526 Ancona Ave., MiaC 45 pj a
Skytop Camp—Rosman, N. C.
Mr. and Mrs. N. A. Miller, Directch, 6550 NW 38 Terrace,
Miami Springs, Fla.
Organization Sponsored Camps and Locations
Charleston Community Camp—Sherah St*u> p ar k, S. C.
Charleston Jewish Community Center Charleston S C
Camp Judaea—Hendersonville, N. C.
Camp Judaea, Suite 706, 41 Exchange Pi ace s E. Atlanta, Ga.
Camp Rutledge—Rutledge, Ga.
Atlanta Jewish Community Center, 11745 Peachtree Rd., N.W.,
Atlanta, Ga.
Camping Jewish ly
By IRVING BORSTEIN
Widely experienced in camping, Mr. Borstein, originally from At
lanta, will direct Camp Judaea this summer and later the Pioneer
Camp for Blue Star.
Summer camps provide a rare
opportunity for creating an at
mosphere of Jewish living. The
Jewish school, youth movement,
community center and other simi
lar groups have a comparatively
small number of hours at their
disposal, and many outside influ
ences and disturbances limit the
scope of their activities. The
camp, however, is a community
within itself. The camper lives in
the atmosphere of this self-con
tained community for a period of
two weeks to two months. This
intense period can be used to
create a strong Jewish conscious
ness—culturally, spiritually and
emotionally. Here is an oppor
tunity to instill in each camper a
deep love and understanding of
his Jewish heritage, to acquaint
him with the state of Israel—and
to strengthen the bonds between
him and his fellow-Jews, in Israel
and the Diaspora.
Most of our, so called, “Jew
ish” camps are not taking ad
vantage of the opportunity which
presents itself. The average camp
regards itself as primarily a camp
and secondly as a Jewish camp.
Its philosophy is that of any
similar camp, be it Jewish or
not, with a little “Jewish con
tent” “thrown in” to distinguish
it from other camps. It is falla
cious to think that an atmos
phere and an attitude can be
created in a hour’s discussion
group, or at a special evening
program alone. The whole spirit
of the camp and its entire plan
ning should be in accordance
with the above mentioned aim.
Only then will an atmosphere of
Jewishness be created in the
camp and each camper be per
sonally affected.
How does a camp accomplish
this purpose? The answer is to
be found in the basic philosophy
which should pervade the Jew
ish camp. If one compares the
present day “Jewish camp” with
any other camp in the country,
he finds very litte difference.
There might be a few extras,
such as Jewish services instead
of a Christian ritual, a little
Israeli dancing along with the
other folk dances, a few Hebrew
songs—All of these worthwile
things are thrown into the pro
gram, with the basic philosophy
of the camp remaining non-Jew-
ish. It is the philosophy of camp
ing which the American Camp
ing Association would approve of
and not a unique Jewish philo
sophy of camping which would
give purpose to its existence.
The time has come when the
Jewish camp must develop
its own philosophy of a job to be
done and a purpose in the Ameri
can Jewish scene. Living in a
country whose philosophy
stresses the full development of
the individual as opposed to the
turning out of carbon copies of
the masses, makes it not only
possible to develop our own
philosophy—it makes it manda
tory. It must not simply be a
camp with “Jewish content,”
but must be a Jewish camp with
a Jewish philosophy of camping.
Just as the Jew expresses a
certain philosophy of life so
must he have his own specific
attitudes towards camping. We
have goals we wish to attain.
These goals imply certain meth
ods for their achievement. The
goals of the ordinary camp are
good and are important in their
own particular context. We must,
however, seek out those goals
which we as American Jews
want to achieve and arrange our
camp program in order to at
tain them.
For purposes of illustration
suppose we say that one of the
goals of the camp is to create a
strong Jewish consciousness —
culturally, spiritually and emo
tionally—to instill in each camper
a deep love and understanding
of his Jewish heritage. In order
to implement this goal the en
tire camp program would have
to be affected by this idea. The
campcraft or overnight camping
program would have to be re
evaluated. What is the Jewish
attitude toward nature? What are
the Jewish attitudes and values
which are associated with living
under the stars? One need only
examine our Torah and our great
past in order to see how this can
be achieved. What is the Jewish
attitude towards art? What does
Judaism say about human rela
tions, about living together?
What does our system of values
say about archery, hunting or
fishing? What does dance mean
to the Jew?—Finally—what does
camping mean to the Jew?
Only when we find the peo
ple with the courage and vision
to seek this philosophy and im
plement it will the Jewish camp
ing movement truly be a Jewish
camping experience. Only then
will an atmosphere of Jewishness
be created in the camp and each
camper be personally affected.
c^Cahe C cunps
Santee, Georgia - 90 Miles
Northeast of Atlanta
Member, American Camping
Association
HORSEBACK RIDING WATERSKIING
TRIP CAMPING
8 Weeks of Happy Adventuring in the
Blue Ridge Mountains
June 25 to August 19
Atlanta Representative: Mrs. Nat F. Klausman
1025 Dawn View Lane, N. W., Atlanta, Ga. CE. 7-2274
Directors: Rabbi and Mrs. Richard E. Singer
2360 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, Ill.
Along Horse
Back Riding
Trail at
Sky Lake
Camps
For Details Write:
Founders & Directors
Herman and Harry Popkin
2648 Margaret Mitchell Dr., N.W.
ATLANTA 5, GEORGIA
(Winter Address)
"A Summer Camping Adventure With a Purpose”
BLUE STAR CAMPS
for
Girls and Boys 7 to 17 Years of Age
HENDERSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
(27 Miles From Asheville)
In the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina
8,4 OR 2 WEEKS
A PROGRESSIVE, CO EDUCATIONAL CAMP
Private Lake — Horseback Riding — Dietary Laws
Observed — Positive Jewish Program — Outstanding
Staff of 150 — All Land and Water Sport — Resident Physician
BLUE STAR CAMPS CONSIST OF FOUR (4) SEPARATE
programs of about 65 boys and 65 girls (same age school
level) in each camp, remitting INDIVIDUAL attention in a
well-staffed and modern physical plant on our own 400-acre
private estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains.