By popular demand… Jacobs Camp adding a new cabin

Though Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica has a territory that has the smallest number of potential campers among Reform movement camps, Camp Director Anna Herman says that demand has been so strong in recent years that the camp is adding a new cabin this year.

But that doesn’t mean that the camp will lose its focus, as she said they always want the camp to be a small, close-knit family, and aren’t looking “to expand exponentially.”

The camp draws from a wide range of smaller Jewish communities throughout the South, providing an immersive Jewish experience for campers who often are one of a handful of Jews at their schools, or the only one.

Herman said their goal is for Jacobs to be “an easy place for kids to make new friends.”

She is especially happy that the short-term programs for younger campers continue to expand. The Kochavim program gives current Kindergarteners a taste of camp life, with a day at camp and an overnight on June 24 and 25.

For current first and second graders, Olim offers a two-week experience, but for those who aren’t ready to be away from home for two weeks, a one-week option is available, “to get a taste of the magic and an easier introduction.”

There are numerous regional and local incentives for campers to attend Jacobs Camp. “Affordability is really important to Jacobs Camp, and we have really generous donors who want to ensure that money is never a reason not to go to camp,” she said.

Before the traditional lineup of cars along Morrison Road to drop off the first session campers, the gate at Jacobs will open to other groups.

The camp is hosting a NFTY-Southern regional event the weekend of March 31, for grades 8 to 12.

Herman is also looking forward to the return of Dream Street, a NFTY initiative that provides a five-day summer camp experience for children with physical disabilities. This year’s camp will start May 29. The camp was planning to return last year, but Covid cases among staff caused its cancellation, as Dream Street is held just before the regular Jacobs sessions.

“They have worked so hard to keep that community connected, but nothing can compare to being in person,” Herman said.

The same can be said of the camp’s regular sessions. “It is truly our campers who make camp so special,” she said.

Jewish summer camping is intertwined with the history of New Orleans’ Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, and one of the more popular sections has been the “Summer Camp Sweethearts” exhibit. The exhibit is currently being expanded, and the museum is looking for couples who met at summer camp and later married. Those couples should send two photos — one of them together as campers, and one at their wedding.

By Lee J. Green

Camp Ramah Darom is setting the stage for growth with a new musical theater program in the North Georgia mountains.

“We’ll be bringing in seasoned professionals to work with rising eighth through 10th graders who are interested in musical theater,” said Camp Ramah Darom Director and Head of Education Anna Serviansky. “Ramah Bamah, our new two-week specialty camp during second session, will allow us to expand our theater arts program and attract new campers from within and beyond our region.”

Every summer at camp, there are two Hebrew plays each session, one put on by seventh-grade campers, and the other offers an opportunity for campers and staff to join in the fun.

Serviansky said in 2022 they served about 750 children and started a new, five-day program for rising second-grade campers. The program was so successful that this summer, there will be two opportunities for young campers to get a taste of Ramah Darom.

Their oldest campers traveled to Washington and Philadelphia, and rising 10th graders traveled to Alabama for a Civil Rights learning trip. Last summer, Ramah Darom, the Conservative Jewish camp for the Southeast region, also launched a program to bring in rising 10th-grade campers from Israel, added a new water “blob,” trampoline and a horseback riding elective.

“Every summer we bring in staff from Israel,” said Serviansky “because having an immersive Israel learning experience at Ramah is very important.” This summer Ramah Darom will bring in 40 post-Army-service Israeli counselors to “share their life experience, camping and scouting in Israel with our campers.”

Soon Ramah will break ground on a new program center that will include a new gym, music and dance room, staff lounge, indoor programming space and more. It is expected to be completed in early 2024.

For Summer 2023, Serviansky said the first session of camp is almost full and they are actively filling the second session. As part of the recruiting effort, they visited cities across the Southeast, including New Orleans, back in mid-January.

“We’re heading into our 27th summer, and it is really remarkable to see the children of some of the original campers coming to Ramah Darom,” she said. “It’s truly a multi-generational experience.”

While Ramah Darom has been offering Jewish retreats for years, their newest retreat, which will take place over President’s Day Weekend, February 17 to 20, will be unlike anything offered before.

B’teavon will be their debut into the world of Jewish food exploration and education, featuring an array of prominent chefs who will be hosting panels, demonstrations and classes.

“There is so much diversity in the Jewish story in general, and food reflects that diversity,” said Eliana Leader, director of the Kaplan Mitchell Retreat Center at Ramah Darom.

Although B’teavon is sold out, there are still a few spots open for the second half of Ramah Darom’s popular annual Passover Retreat, April 9 to 14. And after the summer, experiential retreats continue with something for all ages and stages, including a new adults-only camp alumni retreat.

“If we are doing a good job, our retreat portfolio is varied enough to where not every retreat is for everyone, but everyone has a couple of retreats each year that speak deeply to their needs and interests,” said Leader.

Here are Purim events as of press time. Check our weekly e-news for updates.

Alabama

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will have a Purim Tot Shabbat, March 3 at 5 p.m. On March 4 there will be an adult Purim party at 7:30 p.m. at Avondale Brewery. On March 5, there will be a Purim Spiel and megillah reading at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Purim carnival at 10 a.m.

Birmingham’s Knesseth Israel will host a Purim celebration on March 6, starting at 5:45 p.m. The megillah reading will be at 6 p.m. There will be Jewish and Israeli music with Tarious Hill, games, a balloon artist and hamantaschen, and hot dogs, burgers and veggie burgers on the grill.

PJ Library and Torah Time at Chabad in Birmingham will have a Hamantaschen Bake on Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. The event is geared toward Kindergarten to 3rd grade, and parents are welcome to attend. The event is for all Torah Time students, with older students taking a leadership role.

Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham will have The Greatest Purim, March 7 with a megillah reading at 4:30 p.m. and party at 5 p.m., including circus cuisine, balloon twister, circus games and a juggler. Reservations are $18 per adult, $10 per child, $70 family maximum.

You Belong in Birmingham will have a Purim party with Chabad of Alabama, Temple Beth-El and Temple Emanu-El, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Avondale Brewing. There will be a costume contest. Tickets are $15 through Feb. 17, $20 after.

Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El will have a Purim party on March 6, starting at 5:30 p.m. with Tot Purim with Robin Berger in the KidZone, and megillah reading in the chapel. At 6 p.m. there will be a carnival in the cultural center, with a circus show at 6:45 p.m. There will be another megillah reading at the 7 a.m. minyan on March 7.

There will be a Purim pet parade at Caldwell Park in Birmingham, March 5 at 3 p.m. Bring pets in costume.

Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville will have a Purim Spiel with pizza, potluck, Pinot and punch, March 5 at 5:30 p.m.

Etz Chayim in Huntsville will have its Purim Shpiel on the evening of March 6, with a potluck supper and Purim play.

Chabad of Huntsville will have a Moroccan-themed Purim, March 7 at 5 p.m.

Chabad of Mobile will have a Purim party in Fairhope on March 6, and an International Purim Party on March 7 at the U.S.S. Alabama Aircraft Pavilion. Details to be announced, reservations will be required.

The annual Purim Around the World celebration at Emerald Coast Chabad in Destin will be on March 6 at 6 p.m., featuring Persia.

Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach will have its Purim celebration on March 10 at 6:30 p.m.

The Pensacola Jewish Federation will hold its Purim carnival on March 5 at noon, at Creative Learning Academy.

The new Sea Shul in Seaside will have a Purim celebration on March 3 at the Chapel at Seaside, with a megillah reading and potluck dinner. Time to be announced.

Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria will have a Very Beatles Purim, with details to be announced.

Chabad at LSU and Greater Baton Rouge will partner with PJ Library for the Great Hamantash Bake, Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. at the BREC Jefferson Highway Park Ballroom. There will be pre-Purim entertainment, each child receives an apron and baking gear. Reservations are $10 per child, $36 family maximum.

Chabad of Baton Rouge’s Purim in the Shtetl will be on March 7 at 5 p.m. at the BREC Highland Road Park’s indoor rec room. There will be a Tevye Purim feast, Hodel’s Hamantaschen, a live Klezmer band and multimedia megillah reading. Reservations are $18 for adults, $10 for children, $40 family maximum, and “if you are a rich man” sponsorships at $180.

The Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge will have a Purim celebration on March 5 at 10:30 a.m., with a hamantaschen contest, megillah reading and carnival.

The 52nd community Adloyadah celebration will be held at the Uptown Jewish Community Center in New Orleans on March 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There will be a giant slide, inflatables, a Gaga pit, Middle Eastern delicacies and deli items. Hamantaschen will be distributed from Bywater Bakery. Admission is free, a children’s all-day play pass is $12, or $10 with a donation of non-perishable items for the Broadmoor Food Pantry.

Beth Israel in Metairie will have a Breakfast for Dinner pre-Purim family event, March 5 at 5 p.m. There will be do-it-yourself graggers, mask making, hamantaschen decorating and a breakfast-themed dinner.

On March 6, Beth Israel in Metairie, JNOLA and the Oscar J. Tolmas Foundation will have a Back to the 90s Purim Party. The megillah reading will be at 6:45 p.m. with the party at 8 p.m. ‘90s costumes encouraged. The $20 admission (free for Beth Israel members) includes food, drinks, live music and an Uber to and from the party.

Gates of Prayer in Metairie will have Purim at the Circus on March 6 at 6 p.m.

Northshore Jewish Congregation in Mandeville will have a Purim party on March 5 at 11 a.m.

The North Louisiana Jewish Federation presents a Purim carnival on March 5 at 11 a.m. at B’nai Zion in Shreveport. Saul Kaye, “pioneer of Jewish blues,” will perform. Costumes are encouraged.

Beth Israel in Gulfport will have Purim in the Wild West, March 7 at 5 p.m., with a megillah reading at 4:30 p.m. There will be a “wanted” photo booth, country Western Purim feast, saloon for adults, activities and crafts for kids. Reservations are $18, $12 for members and children.

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life’s Education Conference will be back in person at a new venue near Jackson, June 25 to 27.

Registration is now open for the conference, with early bird hotel rates at the Sheraton Flowood through April 1.

The conference centers on the ISJL standardized religious school curriculum, which aims to give students a foundation of Jewish knowledge whether they are part of a religious school with 100 students and professional teachers, or three students and volunteer laypeople. The curriculum is currently used in 64 congregations in the 13-state region.

Last year, the Institute instituted “partnership levels,” where congregations could just get the curriculum, add access to the Program Bank and have remote consultations from the ISJL Program Associates, or add an in-person visit from a Program Associate.

The conference, which is for educators and congregational leadership, includes speakers and education specialists from across the country. There is no fee for the conference itself, the registration is for the hotel, meals and snacks.

At a brunch on Jan. 15, held at the home of past president Ilana Reisin, the New Orleans chapter of Hadassah paid tribute to Briann Shear, president for the past three years, and installed the 2023 board.

Joining the festivities at the installation was special guest Susan Smolinsky, Southern Region President of Hadassah.

“Thank you to Briann and the outgoing board for an incredible three years during the uncharted new times of a pandemic,” said Harriet Hillson, who was installed as president of the chapter. “There were many innovative programs as we navigated the new world of Zoom.”

“Hadassah has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” Hillson said. “My mother was very active in the Hadassah chapter in my hometown of Portland, Maine. I have been a life member since my 18th birthday. She would be so proud that I am continuing in her Hadassah footsteps. The cousin my father lived with when he came to this country after the Holocaust was very active in Boston’s Hadassah chapter.

“When I moved to New Orleans as a young newlywed, one of the first things I did was to search out the local Hadassah group.

While she “lost touch” with the chapter while raising their children, she became involved again after retirement. She thanked the members for their confidence in her, and over the next two years, she said, she and the board “want to plan exciting and varied programs, as well as increase yearly, life and associate memberships.”

For Shear, this was a rare in-person Hadassah event, as almost all of her presidency was done through virtual programming during the pandemic.

>> Editorial continued from page 4

>> Rear Pew learning that for thousands of years.

And the part she wrote about how all people are created in the image of God, well, the Christian world got that from our teachings. It isn’t a new concept to us.

That said, she still included antisemitic themes in her piece by stating Hollywood is controlled by Jews, erasing Jewish individualism by saying Ye is justified in attributing the sins of Jews who wronged him to “the Jews” as a group because Blacks face that all the time, and saying Jews and Nazis should be united through placement of the swastika inside the Star of David.

College is a time for learning before hitting the “real world,” such as it is. Mistakes are made and learned from. One would hope that eventually, Ma will look back on that article, cringe and wonder what she was thinking in writing it.

Regardless, one thing must be emphasized in this sorry episode — any death threats or other threats to her physical safety are reprehensible and unjustifiable. They should be investigated and, if credible, prosecuted.

Just as antisemitism should be beyond the pale, so too are death threats. They have become an all too frequent part of public life, and it is time action is taken to reinstate a deterrence against making them.

And from a practical standpoint, they enable the target to play the role of victim, a martyr for freedom.

Free speech is not an absolute. Were we to make up some ghastly story about Ma’s past, we would quickly have a lawyer knocking on our office door. One also cannot incite violence. This publication can refuse a submitted article and it isn’t a “freedom of speech” issue.

The flipside to free speech is the freedom to react to said speech, and often that is done with disapproval. State an unpopular position, expect negative responses.

It is imperative that as many people as possible from varied backgrounds push back and let it be known that Ye’s views are wrong and unacceptable — and that the pushback be done in a responsible manner.

(Our coverage of both incidents can be found online at sjlmag.com) continued from page 30

19: The tide rolled over the tigers, making the flame of their fading awe burn no more.

20: In defeat, Dye had had enough, and he looked toward the heavens again, and beseeched unto the Lord, “Lord, have I forsaken thee? Why did you say to run that play?”

21: And the Lord said to him, “I know not,” and then He looked to His side in the heavenly realm and called His colleague out, saying, “Bear, why did we say to run that play?”

Doug Brook thought about apologizing to A*burn fans but instead asks that, in lieu of flowers, all complaints be sent to Chris Davis. For nearly several more laughs, listen to the (STILL!) FIVE-star rated Rear Pew Mirror podcast at anchor.fm/rearpewmirror or on any major podcast platform. For past columns, visit http://rearpewmirror.com/

For many years, this column has been the lone source for wisdom from the long-lost, recently discovered Talmudic tractate Bava Gump. This tempestuous tome followed in the fine tradition of better-known tractates such as Bava Batra, Bava Kamma, and Bava Metziah.

Now, for the first time anywhere, this column presents an excerpt from another newly found folio: tractate Bama Metziah.

The tractate’s origin story is unclear thus far, but its collected commentaries and texts are so unexpected and game-changing, and are so eclectic that it could leave even the most pacifist rabbi apoplectic.

So, here is a heretofore unseen piece of biblical text. It captures one of the greatest victories ever witnessed throughout the millennia of time.

1: Here, in a bowl of iron, on the field of a legion, a pair of baker’s minyans battled to dominate the land on which they stood.

2: And it was on the first day of the twelfth month, in the year of nineand-ten-hundred and four-and-eighty, nearly two years after the passing of a great bear, known to the world as honorable and bryant.

3: The moon was not yet out, and the fourth quarter was near to its end.

4: A streak of tigers sought a streak of three against a mighty tide of crimson which resembled the river Nile when it was struck with the plague of blood.

5: The tigers had prevailed with awesome might over others nine times prior — while having fallen twice; yet here the tigers trailed, too, by two, for want of just one cubit to gain.

6: The tide was rolling less of late, having lost more than it won, as a once giant ray had cast a shadow that for a generation was seen by none.

7: And so it was that above all other tigers was one who carried the load for them all.

8: And they named him Bo, for he would come through with such frequency that he would become forever known as a man of highs, even to this day.

9: And it was near the end, and the tide had overtaken the tigers by just a score of two.

10: And for the tigers their last shot down came forth, and a single kick would ebb the tide enough, though the tide would end by the gain of just one cubit more.

11: And the mixed multitude knew that it would be a simple blow for Bo to take in stride, and the tens and thousands awaited.

12: And these tigers were led by a man called Dye, and he knew they all thought Bo was to come.

13: And it came to pass that he thought to run, and he looked toward the heavens.

14: And Dye called to the heavens and asked, “Lord, I know they know Bo comes, so the tide might wash him away. What play shall I call, so my tigers win the day?”

15: And the Lord replied, “sweep the tide away with a toss to the right.”

16: And so it was that, like a raven soaring through the sky, a fullbacked, full wood brent swept gliding to the right.

17: And as the brent took flight to the right, the man of highs called Bo instead went wrong unto the left, and he could not turn the tide away, so the tide would turn indeed.

18: And it was that a mighty, roary turner turned the brent away, indeed the dude was waxed much like an elephant’s prey.

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