Camp jewish news march 20 2017

Getting ready for summer camp

Supplement to Jewish News March 20, 2017

Camp

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Norfolk Academy

ummer at the Academy starts with fun, but Norfolk Academy thinks summer is about a whole lot more. Summer is about making new friends, finding new interests, and developing passions. With more than 90 camps to choose from, for students in grades K-9, there is something for everyone.

This year an expanded selection of camps just for Middle School students is being offered, such as Global Inventors where students can learn computeraided design (CAD) and 3-D printing.

Extended care is available. Camp fees include free bus transportation and swim time in the indoor pool. There’s a reason Norfolk Academy has been doing camp for more than half a century. Join the adventure: www.norfolkacademy. org/summer.

Camp JCC filled with traditional day camp fun

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amp JCC provides children with a rich and unique day camp experience.

A dynamic program allows every child to explore their own interests and try new activities within a safe camp atmosphere.

For children ages 2–12, integrated camp sessions for each age group are designed around the theme, “Adventures in Time.” Campers will explore different decades with creative activities and field trips to match, plus swim every day in the Simon Family JCC’s outdoor waterpark or indoor pools.

Engaging and supportive staff encourages campers to have fun, develop skills, and form meaningful relationships.

Call 757-321-2338 or go to CampJCCvb.org.

14 | Jewish News | Camp | March 20, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Camp Security at residential summer camps: What to know

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Ben Harris

espite the wave of recent threats against Jewish institutions, coupled with a spike in anti-Semitic activity in recent months, no one has been seriously injured by a security breach at an American Jewish summer camp. The worst incident many camp leaders could remember was in 2012, when a group of intruders drove through a religious camp in Pennsylvania yelling anti-Semitic slurs and damaging property.

But many Jewish camp leaders aren’t taking any chances.

“The foundation of our success is all about the sacred trust that exists between our parents, our campers and our communities and our camps,” says Paul Reichenbach, director of camping and Israel programs for the Union for Reform Judaism, which operates 16 summer camps across the country. “Parents have to have confidence that the people and place to where they’re going to send their children, in whom they’re going to entrust their children, has as their highest priority their child’s welfare.”

As with many Jewish summer camps, the Reform movement’s security efforts were beefed up significantly following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The movement launched a security manual for their camps, created specific job requirements for camp safety personnel and established protocols for responding to a range of threats. It also retained the services of an Israeli security firm, which recommended security improvements from entrance gates to lighting and video surveillance. The camp’s security protocols are reviewed and updated annually.

Many involved in security at Jewish camps say that training and advance preparation are key—perhaps even more important than guards or barriers, both of which are increasingly common.

Among the preparedness steps camps are taking: the development of protocols that determine who does what in the event of an emergency. Preseason security training for camp staff has become

commonplace. Camp leaders are also strengthening their relationships with local law enforcement, and many law enforcement agencies conduct annual site visits to familiarize themselves with the camp environment and provide advice.

“In the end, it’s all about training,” says Jeremy Fingerman, CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp.

“Training itself builds awareness. You can never train enough. By continuing to train you’re building that sort of level of awareness.”

Security at summer camps presents a number of unique challenges not faced by urban Jewish institutions, which typically have a defined perimeter and controlled access points. Camps are open, their borders often marked by little more than a tree line, and everyone involved in their security acknowledges the need to strike a balance between safety and preserving the sense of freedom and openness emblematic of the camping experience.

They also have to contend with an evolving security climate. While radical Muslims presented the foremost security challenge in the wake of 9/11, that is no longer the case. Many camp leaders note the case of Anders Breivik, who gunned down 69 Norwegians at a summer camp on the island of Utoya in 2011, as well as the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012.

“My concern is not just from jihadists anymore,” says Paul Goldenberg, the director of the Secure Community Network, the organized American Jewish community’s security arm. “We’re starting to see a real uptick from the white supremacist side of the house right now.

Some of these people are calling for death to the Jews. It’s pretty serious.”

Goldenberg stresses that he knows of no specific threats against Jewish camps and would not hesitate to send his own grandchildren to one, a sentiment shared by many other Jewish camp directors. And while most directors contacted for this story were hard-pressed to name a single serious security breach at a Jewish summer camp, a handful of recent incidents have raised the alarm.

In the summer of 2012, several intruders drove through Camp Bonim, a religious boys camp in rural Pennsylvania, according to local police who later arrested five suspects. In 2015, it was Camp Agudah Midwest, a religious camp in Michigan, where two vandals spray-painted a swastika and damaged a building, according to The Associated Press. That incident came two weeks after an attack at upstate New York’s Camp Karlin Stolin, in which three teenagers threw bottles and coins at campers and staff.

Officials at all three camps declined JTA’s request for comment. But security experts say the incidents only serve to highlight the dangerous level of unpreparedness at some Jewish summer camps.

“If anything, the risk has continued to rise,” says Joshua Gleis, a security consultant who works extensively with Jewish institutions. “I do think that camps certainly need to continue to button up security as you see schools, houses of worship, community centers doing right now. Many camps are not taking the actions that I think they should. While many have been improving, I know many camps that have still not changed their security structure significantly.”

Camp Seneca Lake in Honesdale,

“I do think that camps certainly need to continue to button up security as you see schools, houses of worship, community centers doing right now.

Pennsylvania, isn’t one of them. On the advice of the State Police, camp owner Irv Bader now has guards check all trucks entering the camp for deliveries. The camp has also hired 24-hour armed security—“not rent-a-cops,” Bader says—and installed a network of security cameras that are monitored around the clock.

At night, the camp is illuminated with high-wattage lighting.

“It looks like daylight in the camp,” Bader says.

“I do it because it’s necessary,” he says of his security precautions. “The world is crazy today. And you’ve got too many crazies around. It’s a deterrent.”

Despite the heightened sensitivity, many camp directors say the most common threat to the well-being of campers comes not from violent attack, but from the weather.

Jamie Simon, the director of Camp Tawonga in Northern California, says she is far more concerned about an earthquake than an intruder. (In July 2013, her camp was hit by tragedy when a counselor died after a tree fell on her.) Still, the camp installed a video camera last year at its front gate so it can screen visitors remotely.

Camp Tamarack in Michigan is taking the camera tool even further. New technologies allow surveillance systems to learn about normal movement in an area and send an alert when it detects something anomalous.

For a camp like Tamarack, that sort of assistance is invaluable. The facility is among the largest Jewish residential camps in the country, covering over 1,000 acres and 400 structures.

“It’s a force multiplier,” says Gary Sikorski, the director of communitywide security for the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit. “You can monitor areas that would be almost impossible to monitor with an individual.” (JTA) This article was made possible with funding by the Foundation for Jewish Camp. The story was produced independently and at the sole discretion of JTA’s editorial team.

jewishnewsva.org | March 20, 2017 | Camp | Jewish News | 15

Camp

Gan Izzy 2017

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In this family, all four siblings found spouses at the same summer camp

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16 | Jewish News | Camp | March 20, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Gabe Friedman

mi Yunger is used to people sounding surprised when they hear that he and his three siblings all met their spouses at the same summer camp.

But he doesn’t think it’s that weird.

“Funny enough, I am so used to it that sometimes I think that it is strange when I hear about couples who did not meet their spouse at camp,” Yunger says.

The 24-year-old now studies economics at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, but he grew up in Montreal. He followed the path of his modern Orthodox siblings at age 10 when he began spending summers at Camp Moshava in Ennismore, Ontario—a small outpost of the Bnei Akiva religious Zionist youth movement. There he met a girl named Samara when he was 14 and she was 13. They didn’t start dating until moving to Israel after high school, just before Ami served in the Israeli army, and they married five years ago.

In doing so, Ami became the last of the four Yunger siblings to marry someone they met at Moshava.

No surprise, then, that he invited dozens of Moshava campers to his wedding, and not just those with whom he went to camp.

“Half the camp disappeared and they all went to my kid’s wedding,” says Joy Yunger, Ami’s mother. “It was like being at camp — the kids came and it was such a camp atmosphere, they sat around in a circle.”

Finding love at Jewish camp is not

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exactly a new or rare phenomenon.

Many Jewish camps, especially those that fall under a specific denomination’s umbrella, host campers with similar religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Conservative movement’s Ramah camp network has its own dating app for alumni.

But a group of four siblings meeting their spouses at the same camp?

Yunger’s brother Gadi, 33, and sister Naomi, 30, even married siblings from the same Toronto family.

“I don’t know whether it was in the water or it was in the juice they gave them,” Joy says.

All of the Yunger siblings started officially dating their basherts after their time in camp—although some were not too adept at hiding their developing feelings before then. Shlomie, 35, and his wife Dalia, 36, were “only friends” and fellow camp employees throughout their camp days (Shlomie as a counselor and Dalia on sports staff), but most of the camp sniffed out their budding romance.

One time, when Dalia was assigned to the rock climbing wall, Shlomie offered to climb as an example to a group of young campers. As Dalia helped belay him down, some of the boys entangled their ropes—so when Shlomie made it down he was tied up next to Dalia.

“Even the 10- and 11-year-old boys knew there was something,” Dalia says.

For one summer, Naomi slept in a bunk that her future sister-in-law Dalia helped oversee. It was during that time

Gan Izzy

an Izzy is the camp where Judaism and fun go hand in hand. Gan Izzy campers engage in a wide variety of activities such as swimming, crafts, trips, games, and more—all while connecting with the Jewish heritage.

The Gan Izzy program is for boys and girls ages 3–10. Its new program, Gan Izzy Plus! is for girls ages 11–13. Gan Izzy Plus! features enhanced trips, crafts and activities. Visit www.ganizzy.org to sign up today.

Camp that Joy Yunger first became acquainted with Dalia—through a letter Naomi wrote home calling her an amazing counselor.

Naomi’s only complaint was that Dalia made her and her fellow bunkmates do push-ups if they misbehaved.

“Since then, my daughter-in-law has run the New York Marathon four times,” Joy says.

Today, Shlomie and Dalia Yunger live in Toronto, where he is an accountant and she works in regulatory finance. Gadi and Atara live in Modiin, Israel, from where he runs a clothing company based in Toronto (he makes frequent business trips) and she works as a graphic designer at a company in Tel Aviv.

Naomi and Zvi also live in Toronto, where she is a kindergarten teacher and Zvi works in finance. While Ami goes to school in Ramat Gan, Israel, Samara works as a special education teacher in Beit Shemesh.

They all know of other couples who met at their camp, and they say it was easy to find love at Camp Moshava because most, if not all, of the campers developed a deep bond to Israel. Gadi said at times

he felt like he was on a kibbutz because of the communal themes, how much campers learned about Israel over the summers and the number of Israeli workers on campus.

“For Atara and I, one of our prerequisites was that the other would want to live in Israel one day,” Gadi says. “When you have like-minded people [at camp] that believe in something like Israel, I think it just works.”

Dalia added that the camp’s retro aesthetic and feel— embodied in things such as rustic bunks and the old, decaying couches in the small room where counselors hang out— brought the camp staff closer. Camp administrators even paired up counselors who they thought might have crushes on each other to do nightly bunk check-ins together.

“If there’s any chemistry between people there it’s going to come out,” she says. (JTA) This article was made possible with funding by the Foundation for Jewish Camp. The story was produced independently and at the sole discretion of JTA’s editorial team.

summer

Academics • Adventure • Sports • Drama, Music, Art • Engineering and Robotics • Crafts Adventures abound this summer for children and teens across Tidewater.

• Camps for every interest

• Bus transportation included

• Daily swim in our indoor pool

• Extended care available before and after camp

at the Academy • Skilled camp directors and caring counselors

www.norfolkacademy.org/summer 757-461-1787

Visit our website today for a complete camp catalog and registration!

Where students grades 1-12 grow into responsible and responsive citizen-scholars.

Drive I Norfolk, • Virginia 23502 Academics 1585 • Wesleyan Adventure Sports • Crafts Drama, Music, Art • Engineering and Robotics

Adventures abound this summer for children and teens across Tidewater.

• Camps for every interest, grades K–9 • Bus transportation included • Daily swim in our indoor pool • Extended care available • Skilled camp directors and caring counselors

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Eco-Tours for Kids

ubbed by The Virginian-Pilot a Traveling Road Show, Eco-Tours for Kids was recently featured on WAVY TV 10’s Reck On the Road.

For 20 years, Eco-Tours has provided exciting, educational, and fun outdoor adventures for kids including kayaking, fishing, crabbing, swimming, and more. With a professionally trained staff that closely supervises each activity, these weekly adventures continue all summer, every Monday through Friday, beginning the last week in June and continuing until the first week in September.

The kids arrive home tired and happy!

Visit www.discoverva.com for all the information, detailed itinerary, and registration. Call 757-721-9668.

Visit www.norfolkacademy.org/summer for a complete camp catalog and registration!

1585 Wesleyan Drive | Norfolk, Virginia 23502 | 757-461-1787

Where students grades 1-12 grow into responsible and responsive citizen-scholars. jewishnewsva.org | March 20, 2017 | Camp | Jewish News | 17

Camp

summer

ENRICHMENT SUMMER CAMPS at

Act up with Hurrah Players

INTENSIVE READING PROGRAM Decoding and Comprehension Focus

SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAM

Reinforce Critical Skills & Avoid the Summer Slide

MAKE CBA

Entrepreneurship Camp & Makerspace

Learn more and register online today! cba-va.org/summer · 757.497.6200 ACT UP with Hurrah S u m m e r T h e a t r e C a m p

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urrah Theatre Camp is an opportunity for young people to learn all about theatre with hands-on activities and workshop style instruction. No previous experience required…just a desire to have fun!

In the mornings, campers participate in classes in musical theatre, acting, broadway dance, jazz, tap, and more. In the afternoons, campers rehearse a one-act show.

The final day of camp is performance day. Following a pizza party picnic, campers showcase all their hard work and talents for their families and friends.

Campers also receive a free ticket to attend Hurrah’s main-stage production of Grease. Call 627-5437 or go to hurrahplayers.com.

July 2017 CAMPERS RECEIVE A FREE TICKET

Ages 5 –12*

A high-energy, hands-on Choose a session: opportunity to learn all about J ULY 4-14 Musical Theatre. Campers act, JULY 17-28 sing, dance and perform in show! J ULY 31-A UGUST 11

*Ages 13+ should enroll in our Summer Class Intensive

757-627-5437

hurrahplayers.com

Tidewater Volleyball

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idewater Volleyball Association is a non-profit organization that works to educate and train local youth on the exciting game of volleyball.

With five indoor hard courts, four indoor sand courts, a training facility, and five blocks at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, TVA provides every player with what they need to further their athletic career all while staying active and making new friends. TVA has opportunities for boys and girls, all skill levels, ages 3-18.

With clinics every evening and camps beginning in June, check out what there is for each player. TVA is located at 2644 Dean Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Visit www.playtva.org, call (757) 498-5052, or email Youth Director Rachel at rachels@playtva.org.

18 | Jewish News | Camp | March 20, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Camp

DESIGN | ENHANCEMENTS | LIGHTING | OUTDOOR LIVING

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Sail Nauticus

hildren can spend an exciting week learning to sail on the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront! The fun, hands-on camps include water and shorebased activities led by certified instructors. Children will experience the water in a whole new way while learning the principles of sailing and water safety. The Harbor 20s are safe and ideal performance sailboats that are perfect for any type of sailor, and can hold up to 5 campers. Each boat will have a certified instructor on board to provide more personalized training for each student.

757-823-4242 or sailnauticus.org.

GroundsGuys.com/Virginia-Beach

757.301.2304

Independently Owned and Operated

Tonight...

Treat Your Family to Dinner AT a Movie!

What will your child get into this summer?

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or summer campers between the ages of 4 and 12, Norfolk Collegiate’s 2017 Summer Under the Oak programs offer all kinds of great things to get into.

From technology and academic themes to sports and the arts, the school’s weeklong summer programs include half-day and full-day formats. Choices are wide-ranging, but all offer experiential learning opportunities in a safe, fun, and enriching atmosphere. Before and after care is also available.

Sign up to stoke their interests and crank up the summer fun. These programs are open to everyone—your child does not have to be enrolled at Norfolk Collegiate to join in.

Learn more and register at norfolkcollegiate.org/summerprograms.

VIRGINIA BEACH • CHESAPEAKE • HAMPTON

MOVIES, TICKETS & LOCATIONS CinemaCafe.com 2017-March-Jewish-News.indd 1

2/27/17 2:23 PM

jewishnewsva.org | March 20, 2017 | Camp | Jewish News | 19

Camp

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Hunt Club Farm

unt Club’s Summer Farm Camp provides children the opportunity to learn about life on a farm. This program offers hands-on experience with petting farm animals, including horses, goats, sheep, llamas, rabbits, and chickens.

Campers learn the responsibility of daily feeding, cleaning, grooming, and animal care activities. In the garden, campers pick vegetables, herbs, and flowers, and they even pull a few weeds.

For more information, go to huntclubfarm.com or call 757-427-9520.

WHAT WILL YOUR CHILD GET INTO THIS SUMMER? Have children ages 4-12? Sign up now to stoke their interests and crank up the summer fun. From technology and academic themes to sports and the arts, our weeklong summer programs include half-day and full-day formats. Before and after care is also available.

Learn more and register at norfolkcollegiate.org/summerprograms.

20 | Jewish News | Camp | March 20, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org