The Campfire

Gather round for news, perspectives, and tales of Jewish summer camp.

Preparing Kids for Camp

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Posted in Parenting, Parents on June 18th, 2013 by alicia - No Comments »

Sending your child to sleepaway camp for the first time is exciting and a little bit scary (for both parents and kids!) but once you and your camper have decided that she is ready for camp and chosen the perfect fit, it’s time to get her ready and excited for the best experience of her life!

Whether your child is excited or nervous for camp (or both), all kids need some pre-camp prep, especially for his first experience.  If there’s time, we highly recommend visiting the camp and spending time there.  Seeing the camp during the summer so your child can see what it’s like in full swing – including feeling the camp’s vibes and seeing other children having fun – is always recommended.  Family camp is sometimes a good option so kids get the lay of the land with you nearby.  It’s also a good idea to check if your camp has a pen-pal program so your child feels like he knows someone and has someone to look for upon arrival.

Talk to your camper about anything she may be nervous about and reassure her that a little homesickness is perfectly normal.  Explain that you will miss her too but you’re so excited for the experience she is going to have.  Try not to show her that you are overly anxious or upset as these emotions will rub off on her.  Remind your child of how you will be in touch via mail, email, and phone calls and when they will occur as well as how long it will be until you will see him again in person.  If the homesickness starts before your camper leaves, reassure her that camp will be really fun and she will make new friends really quickly.  Resist the urge to give her an escape plan – don’t send your child to camp thinking that if she is a little homesick you will be there right away to pick her up.  Be sure to have your child exchange summer addresses with her friends from home so they can keep in touch during the summer and we suggest sending a letter or email in advance so your camper can hear from you at the first mail call.

Take some time to sit down with your child and discuss what to do if he doesn’t feel well and who to talk to if he has a problem at camp.  Reassure him that anything he would come to you with at home, he can go to his counselor, unit head, or camp director with at camp.  This includes talking about bullying or if something is making him upset or uncomfortable.

Make sure your child knows the camp’s rules: if the dining hall is Kosher, whether or not electronics can be used and when, the policy on junk food, etc.

Packing is a huge part of the camp experience.  It signals that camp is close and that your child will not have all of the comforts of home at her fingertips.  Be sure to pack with your camper so you can show her what is making the trip to camp, explain what can’t go and why, and get input on certain items (such as a pair of shorts she hates or her favorite pajamas).  Show your child things like how her toiletries will live in a caddy and not on the sink, where laundry will go, and how to address a letter.

Camps usually provide packing lists and we suggest you follow it pretty closely.  Many camps have activities or “special nights” that require specific clothing or equipment which will be listed on their packing list.  They will note things like whether or not your camper will need to bring extra money for the canteen or outside trips as well as what items are prohibited -  if you send these things anyway, they will most likely be confiscated.  We also suggest you don’t send anything valuable and be sure to write your child’s name in and on EVERYTHING.  And of course, don’t forget to pack some clothes in the camp’s colors for color war/Maccabiah/Olympics!

Your camper may also feel more comfortable if he is able to personalize his area of the bunk so send along fun decorations and some reusable adhesive.  And don’t forget to pack comforting reminders of home including favorite stuffed animals and pictures of family!

The Best Gift

Posted in Guest Bloggers, Parenting, Parents, Why We Love Camp on June 12th, 2013 by alicia - No Comments »

This past Sunday I went back to camp 50 years after I had spent my first night there.

Along with more than 950 other people, my husband and I and two of our three kids made the trip to Wingdale, New York, for the celebration of Camp Ramah in the Berkshires at 50. I had been a camper at Ramah in Nyack during its brief tenure as an overnight camp, and then was among the first campers to go to Ramah in the Berkshires when it was opened by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1964, somewhat misnamed because it is really more in the foothills of the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains.

I spent three more summers as a camper there, five years on staff, and I can’t figure out how many as a visiting day parent. My husband, Richard, actually spent a few weeks there as waterfront staff member before I knew him after an illustrious career running the agam (lake) at Camp Massad. We were both devoted Jewish summer camp people, but we were not a “Ramah couple.”

Even though it has been a few years since we came to Wingdale for a visiting day, I still had the same jolt of joy and expectation as I got out of our car on what’s always been called the golf course but hasn’t seen a golf club in half a century. I felt as though I hadn’t seen my kids in four weeks (even though we had just spent Shabbat together) and worried that I didn’t have enough food to share with their bunks!

My three kids, Zachary, Rebecca and Ilana, started in the youngest edah (age group) and continued on for many, many summers. All of them returned on staff in some position or other (bunk counselors, sports, and one particularly hot summer, as a water-boy). Zach is married to Jordana Kaye, who falls somewhere in age between him and Rebecca and whom he met at the camp’s Labor Day Alumni Weekend. (For some reason, I still am not sure of all those details.) They certainly would have been in Wingdale on Sunday if they didn’t live in Utah! Rebecca has expanded her Ramah experience to become a senior program manager at the Foundation for Jewish Camp, a job that seems custom made to her skills and experiences. (And because I am a Jewish mother, I must add that Ilana is a social worker at NYU Medical Center; I don’t want her to feel left out.)

So what did I think? The camp looked beautiful (although the fact that it was the nicest day out of seven last week certainly helped). The new buildings are impressive. The numbers are reassuring. The connections are very real.

But what is most fascinating to me was not that I reconnected with people I hadn’t seen in 40 or 50 or even 10 or 15 years. What is most intriguing is the many people I saw at camp whom I see regularly but who weren’t necessarily part of my crew as a camper or staff member. They are people who share my love of things Jewish, a commitment to Jewish education, and involvement with the Jewish (and specifically Conservative/Masorti) world. We share all this now, I think, because of our individual experiences at Ramah, because of how Ramah forged our love of yiddishkeit, of Israel, of tikkun olam. We might not have done these together at camp, but we do them now because of how each of us processed the Ramah experience. I have come to appreciate how this was not by chance, that Ramah had an agenda, and that my Jewish life – and that of my family – was part of that agenda.

I’ve spent the last 25 years as a professional in the Conservative movement. Richard and I probably spent 30 years volunteering for the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County. Richard is an officer of the Masorti Foundation. We don’t take our Judaism casually and I think our children appreciate that. But even more, they have benefited from how they, too, processed the Ramah experience. We were moved almost to tears on Sunday when they showed us the paving stone they had purchased in our honor. It said, “In honor of Richard and Rhonda Kahn for giving us the gift of camp.” They, too, have been forged by the Ramah experience and have processed their Judaism to include the same things that have been so important to their parents. What better gift could they have given us?

- Rhonda Jacobs Kahn is the Communications Director at Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, and Editor at CJ: Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism

A Happy and Healthy Summer

Posted in Uncategorized on June 7th, 2013 by alicia - No Comments »

This post originally appeared on the Camp Ramah Darom blog.

In last year’s parent survey, many of our parents told us that their children need healthier options while they are at camp. We couldn’t agree more, and are pleased to tell you about several improvements we are making to our food offerings this year.

We have always been committed to nurturing our campers’ bodies and minds, and that includes providing them with healthy, kid-friendly food that they find enjoyable and nourishing. The camp environment is a natural haven from the onslaught of advertising and other factors which promote unhealthy food products. We are taking the opportunity this year to focus on creating a healthy camp environment in which delicious, nutritious options are widely available to  children while they are with us. Our efforts include:

- An expanded organic gardening program: In addition to the organic garden in camp that our campers have been tending for years, this year we are leasing land just down the road on which we will establish a more expansive organic gardening program. Campers will grow – and eat – their own produce. We also will continue to source our produce locally when possible, which will help us reduce our carbon footprint and fill our kitchen with highly nutritious fruits and vegetables. We aspire to become a farm-to-table camp, and this is a first significant step toward that vision.

- Shomrei Adamah Tuesdays: Each Tuesday our menu will represent our commitment to the Jewish value of being stewards of the land, and will feature food grown and sourced in a manner that is good for our bodies and the planet. The menu will include fresh produce, healthier snacks and vegetarian meals.

- Healthier canteen: Twice a week children visit the canteen for special treats. This year, we will be offering healthy options including natural fruit juices and smoothies, granola, veggie chips and other snacks that are low in salt and sugar.

- Healthy additions: We will be using more whole wheat flour in our pizzas and breads and increasing the variety of locally-grown vegetables on our salad bar and in our dishes.

As always, we will accommodate any and all of our campers’ specific nutrition needs and are very sensitive to allergies and special diets. We have had happy campers with nut, dairy, gluten, egg and other allergies over the years and are glad to offer them satisfying alternatives when necessary to provide them with the energy they need to enjoy our action-packed days at camp.

This is the beginning of a shift for us to bring our menus into alignment with the healthy lifestyle that is central to our Jewish values and life at camp. At the same time, we recognize that it will be a bit of a change for our campers. We hope you will join us in this effort, and encourage your child to make healthy food choices this summer.

We are committed to creating an environment in camp that is most nurturing for children’s physical, social and spiritual health, and look forward to providing them with their best summer yet!

General Manager Anthony Franklin getting our new garden ready for our campers!

- Geoff Menkowitz, Director, and Todd Jones,, Executive Chef, Camp Ramah Darom in Clayton, GA

S.W.A.K.

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Posted in Parenting, Parents on June 6th, 2013 by alicia - No Comments »

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This post originally appeared on The Canteen.

My first summer at Camp Nah-Jee-Wah, when I was going into 4th grade, my mother promised me Capri Sun Juice pouches in my lunch every day the following year if I wrote every other day.  Seemed like a great incentive before I left, but once I got to camp and realized rest hour was for playing jacks and cootie catchers, I didn’t really care about the silver pouch of fruit punch. I had lanyards to make and bunk-mates hair to braid (and let me tell you, both of those skills have made me a really cool mom!). I wrote about four letters that summer.

Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and now I struggle with getting letters from my own kids while they’re at camp.  My nine-year-old is a great letter writer, but my older one – not so much. She sends me the names of her counselors weeks after I met them on visiting day and borrows check-off stationery from her friends. So how do we get our kids to write? Here are my suggestions…

  1. Create your own fill-ins.  I send 2-3 Mad Lib-style letters for my kids to write home with the first few days of camp.  This way, I get the info that I need to picture them having fun at camp. Who is in their bunk?  Are they on a top bunk bed?  Who sleeps on the bunk above, below, next to them?  Where are their counselors from?  What activities are new at camp this year? Did they check on each other? You get the gist. (I save the templates from year to year and just print a new batch for that summer.)
  2. Send pre-addressed envelopes. This year my little one asked me to take a stack of stationery, address the envelopes and put stickies on them so she knows how many letters she should write to each of her grandparents, aunts/uncles/cousins, and a few friends.  Hmm, why didn’t I think of that!?
  3. Print pre-addressed labels. I create address labels for them to use so they not only have an idea of who they need to write to, but it’s easy for them to do so.  I give them the amount of labels for how many letters each person is expecting.
  4. Make sample envelopes.  Since letter writing is becoming a lost art, I put a sample envelope in with their stationery so they remember to include (and where to put) their return address and a stamp.
  5. Choose your stationery wisely. I’ve never met a stationery store I didn’t like, but the cutesy stationery isn’t always best. My nine-year-old has big loopy handwriting so standard fill-ins and postcards aren’t always the best. This year, we made personalized pads on VistaPrint.  We have a few fun fold-overs from years past, but this way she gets something fun and the room she needs to tell her stories.
  6. Keep it together.  I try and send my kids’ stationery organized in a plastic sleeve from Staples.  One goes with a lapdesk, my other with a big storage clipboard. I also include some fun pens – sparkly, smelly, twisty – as incentive to write.  It all comes home as a big mess but at least that shows they’ve been rifling through!

I am going into this summer with low expectations about what and when they’ll write.  But that won’t stop me from hunting down the mailman and sending pictures of their letters to their bunk-mates’ parents to fill them in.

- Allison Cohen, Director of Marketing and Communications, Foundation for Jewish Camp

Packing Tips, Tricks, and Things That Aren’t on the List

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Posted in Parenting, Parents on June 5th, 2013 by alicia - 1 Comment

This post originally appeared on The Canteen

As you would imagine, the staff at FJC has packed and unpacked a lot of camp trunks – as campers themselves, parents of campers, and of course, as counselors. This is no small task.  Parents, I know that over the next few weeks you’ll be packing up your happy campers so I’ve come to offer some help (unfortunately, only via this blog, not literally).

By now, you have picked out your trunks (they may look big now because they’re empty, but just wait) and ordered your name labels.  I spend weeks thinking about the piles of clothes hoping that if I wish it hard enough CampMinder or Bunk 1 will figure out a way to pack your bags for you, not just schedule a pick-up. But of course, that never happens.

First and foremost, be organized! If you really knew me, this would make you laugh – really, really hard.  I don’t know how to be organized – except when it comes to packing for camp. So, here is the best of my advice and those from my colleagues, wrapped into a nice care package for my fellow parents out there:

  1. Live the list.  I take the camp packing list and create an excel file, then I add all the “must-haves” my kids come home “needing” year after year. If it is your child’s first summer, talk to other camp parents about their kid’s favorite clothing items, games, bunk decorations, etc. that you may not think of or know about.  Each camp has certain traditions and “nice-to-haves” that aren’t on the official packing list and some items that may be prohibited at one camp are all-important at another. (For example, my girls love their Crazy Creek chairs and other camps don’t allow them).  I also mark down what items I send more of than the list asks for – somehow four bathing suits just doesn’t seem to be enough.
  2. Read carefully.  Make sure you really read the list and the parent handbook before your start packing. Many camps only allow one-piece or tankini bathing suits for girls, or ask for special clothing for Shabbat.  Make a note of your camps technology policy and plan accordingly.
  3. Label! Label! Label!  There are a zillion different options out there – sew-in, iron-on, stick-on.  Figure out what works best for you (confession – I just use a Sharpie– a black for most things and a silver metallic for dark items). Make sure everything including all shoes, sports equipment, and towels have a name on them.  It is shocking that one sneaker can find its way into a Lost & Found bin, or that kids don’t recognize their lacrosse sticks when a camp director holds it up from the front of the dining hall.
  4. Talk to other parents.  Seek out parents and ask about what their kids wear at camp.  Many camps are in the mountains or by a lake, making mornings and evenings cool.  We have seen many kids wear rain boots and Uggs to breakfast with their sweats and PJ bottoms. Some camps have post-Shabbat dancing with crazy costumes. That doesn’t mean run out and buy stuff – look around your house for fun wigs and crazy t-shirts, they always come in handy. Each camp is different so find out what clothes the campers at your child’s camp wouldn’t leave home without.
  5. Pack with your child.  Make sure they know exactly what is going in the trunk and what isn’t.  If there is a favorite item going to camp with them, make sure they know where to find it and drill into their heads that certain things need to come home. Also explain to them what isn’t allowed or if there are rules for certain items (such as electronics) that are going with them.
  6. Make it easy for everyone.  At some camps, the trunks arrive early, counselors unpack for the kids and voila – your kid is ready to go the second they step off the bus.  Others, you do the unpacking when you drop your kids off.  Either way, a little pre-thought goes a long way.  USE ZIPLOCK BAGS.  I pack all the socks in one, shorts in others, t-shirts… This way, whoever is doing the unpacking has a little less work to do and nothing is floating around in the trunk. If your child needs a special outfit (Shabbat, banquet, whatever) pack that in a separate, labeled Ziplock bag so they know where to find it.
  7. Get sock laundry bags.  These could be one of the best camp inventions ever.  Teach your child to put their socks in a smaller laundry bag and put that right in the camp laundry. Then on laundry day, they are not sorting and pairing up socks with 15 other kids. (Perhaps they will use this extra time to actually write you a letter…)
  8. Under bed storage.  Some camps suggest you bring under-the-bed boxes or plastic drawers.  If you send them, pre-pack the boxes how you envision your child using them. I also pre-pack the shower caddy, toiletries, whatever I can.  I show my kids what is where and how I packed the extras like soap, shampoo, shoelaces, and sunscreen (again make sure you are protecting the things in the trunk from leaks by using Ziplock bags).
  9. Batteries.  Don’t forget to pack lots of these essential little items – and show your kids how to change the batteries in their flashlights and fans.
  10. WE WANT COLOR WAR! Pack a shirt in each color of the color war/Maccabiah/Olymics team that the camp has.  This way your child doesn’t have to search around when color war breaks (I never had anything green and always ended up on the green team). I send some face paint, bandanas, and mustaches in different colors as well. Party City has a great section with all sorts of fun stuff by color if you want to send some extras.
  11. Costumes.  You may be told to send your child to camp with a costume for a special event but I always also pack a white t-shirt and a Sharpie – instant costume for any occasion.
  12. Be organized! Organization really starts the day the kids come home from camp.  Make a note of what got used and what didn’t.  If half the sweatshirts are still folded just how you sent them or the socks are still paired up and white, don’t send as many the following summer. I make note of what I need more or less of and leave it in the trunks so I find it each spring (consider it a love note to yourself).

Well now that I’ve shared some packing wisdom with you, I think it is time to get off my tush and take this advice.  Anyone want to come help?

- Allison Cohen, Director of Marketing and Communications, Foundation for Jewish Camp

Building Bridges to Connect Jewish Camps and Schools

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Posted in Developing Professionals, Education and Educators, FJC Programs, Guest Bloggers on March 6th, 2013 by alicia - No Comments »

The following was also posted on the Jim Joseph Foundation blog.

By Jordan Magidson, Nadiv Educator at URJ Camp Kalsman in Arlington, WA and Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, WA. 

One idea that has been drilled into my head for the last four years is that no Jewish community is an island—or at least no community should be. Rather than hoarding our intellectual property we should be sharing it, collaborating with other Jewish organizations and learning from one another in order to create the best possible educational experience for our children. What I find unique about the Nadiv program is that it is one of the first national initiatives to begin building those bridges between Jewish organizations, recognizing that religion schools (that’s what we call it in my neck of the woods) and Jewish camps both have a lot to teach each and learn from each other when it comes to innovative and successful Jewish programming for kids.

My position as Nadiv Educator is pretty unique. I am only one of six Jewish educators who split their time between working in a school and working at camp and only one of two in this pilot that works in supplementary Jewish education. While there have been challenges, they have been minimal and hardly noteworthy. The benefits and opportunities for growth for the camp, the religion school and for me as an educator have been far more numerous.

When I am wearing my temple hat, I am thinking about what makes camp so successful and how we can start integrating that into our religion school. We send 140 students from Temple De Hirsch Sinai (TDHS) to URJ Camp Kalsman each summer. This gives us the opportunity to create a sense of year-long Jewish education for our students. With camp being located only an hour outside of Seattle, we have the chance to utilize this beautiful and uniquely Jewish setting to support what is happening in the classroom. We will begin by sending our 4th-6th graders to camp in May for a Shabbaton where we teach our students and their families about how we can address poverty in our community. Camp is a perfect setting for this as fighting hunger is a major goal of our camp community. This past year we donated roughly 1000 lbs. of food that we grew in our garden to a local shelter and we hope to double that this year. By utilizing program areas like the garden and farm, we not only teach our students about this big issue, but also literally get our hands dirty and show them how they can be change agents in our community. This will have a bigger impact than if we just stayed at our congregation. We are also, of course, hoping to garner more excitement about camp and encourage some first-time campers to try it out.

When I am wearing my camp hat, I am thinking about ways in which camp can continue to grow and be at the forefront of innovation when it comes to Jewish education. It is important that camp not simply rest on its laurels – just because something worked 20 years ago doesn’t mean it doesn’t need rejuvenating. This year at camp we are beginning to move to a fully integrated model of Jewish education, which will be a change from how we have done things in the past. It will bring a new energy to the education program. As Director of Education at camp, I am also aware that not every community I work with has the same resources available to them as available TDHS. That is why we are beginning to send out holiday recourse sheets to schools and families that will allow them to bring a little of the camp spirit into their homes. We are also going to start making available tested and approved all-school and family programming to our camp communities that would like to add more experiential programming to their schedules but may not have the time or resources to create them. This will be one way we can give all of our campers, not just TDHS campers, the ability to experience this year-long Jewish education.

All of this is just the beginning. April will mark one year in this very unique position for me. In this first year I have learned a lot and accomplished a lot. I know that in the coming years I will accomplish even more. David Berkman (Director of Camp Kalsman), Rabbi Daniel Septimus (Director of Congregational Learning at TDHS) and I are all very committed to creating endless opportunities for collaboration. I can’t wait to see where we go from here!

Can Jewish Organizations Really Work Collaboratively? Early Lessons from Nadiv

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Posted in Developing Professionals, Education and Educators, FJC Programs, Guest Bloggers, Jewish Camp in the News on February 28th, 2013 by alicia - No Comments »

The following post was originally featured on eJewish Philanthropy.

Collaboration and partnership have become the buzzwords of our time. The business world as well as the nonprofit sector heralds the advantages of collaboration: sharing resources, bringing multiple perspectives to address difficult issues, eliminating duplication, learning from one another and pooling assets.

The Jim Joseph and AVI CHAI Foundations, as funders interacting with multiple organizations across sectors, have a bird’s-eye view of what can result when organizations function from within their own separate silos: duplicate efforts on the one hand and unaddressed needs on the other. This led us to ask: can we, as funders, use our resources and influence to catalyze collaboration? And taking that one step further: can we, as funders, collaborate to more effectively advance our common goals?

On the topic of funding collaboration efforts, David La Piana, in his monograph Real Collaboration: A Guide for Grantmakers, offers a sobering observation. “Funders cannot create Real Collaboration. They can only help to enhance it. In most instances, a ‘grant for collaboration’ will not seed or create a partnership where none existed before unless the motivation to create a partnership is present and strong. ”

We are fortunate that talented professionals in the areas of Jewish education that our two foundations support were already thinking of developing and nurturing collaboration and were highly motivated to see it succeed. Jewish camp leaders wanted year-round educators devoting their skills to deepen Jewish learning in camps and Jewish school leaders wanted to inspire their students with more immersive “camp-like” Jewish experiences during the school year. To address these needs, our foundations have jointly funded a five-year grant to the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Nadiv Initiative, an experiment designed to create new connections between Jewish camps and schools, leveraging unique professional knowledge and best practices for the benefit of both.

Nadiv involves a complex array of individual, organizational and system collaboration in order to produce camp and school alumni whose Judaism deeply engages both their heads and their hearts:

  • Each of six experiential Jewish educators is “shared” by a camp and a school in the same geographic area.
  • Each camp-school pair works together to determine the role of their Nadiv educator.
  • Educators, heads of school and camp directors participate collectively in a community of practice to learn from one another’s successes and challenges.
  • The Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) together helped develop the program and are directing its implementation.
  • Two foundations have co-invested in the project, communicating regularly and learning the give-and-take required by funding partnerships.

Can so many levels of partnership succeed not only simultaneously, but in such a way that the partnerships build on each other and each strengthens the whole? While Nadiv is just in its early stages of implementation, the first evaluation report has been conducted by BTW informing change. One of the two sections of the report, “The Nadiv Story, Unfolding,” tells the story of Nadiv’s collaborative process as it unfolded, with all the turns and twists in the road. The second section, “Key Learnings from Nadiv’s Launch,” shares successes along with key learnings and offers recommendations for ongoing implementation and future partnerships.

Even in this early stage, Nadiv is turning out to be a fascinating story about collaboration, with multiple characters and plotlines. At the individual level, six educators from a range of backgrounds are working across institutions and denominational affiliations to support one another and share learnings. At an organizational level, camps and schools are leveraging their partnership to retain a talented educator and strengthen one another’s educational work, bringing more of the joy of camp to school and introducing more of the substance of school to camp. At the field level, FJC and URJ are deepening their relationship, identifying shared measures for success, and laying the groundwork for future collaborative efforts. And on the funder level, two foundations deeply committed to Jewish education are bridging their differences to enhance their leverage. While it is too early to identify concrete results, BTW’s report notes encouragingly: “The most common words used to describe the nascent partnerships are respect, communication, collaboration, support and trust.”

At the first Nadiv convening this past fall, energy and excitement ran high as school and camp heads, Nadiv educators and their mentors reached across their organizational divides and talked together about the best ways to inspire and educate Jewish youth. Participants left with a sense of being halutzim (pioneers) in a model that can bring down some of the walls that separate classroom-based and experiential education, winter and summer, teacher and counselor.

We will have to wait several years to fully understand whether this experiment to catalyze new institutional collaboration will achieve what it set out to do. If it does, we hope that other camps, schools and educational institutions will adapt elements of the Nadiv model for their own collaborative experiments. We equally hope that other funders will be inspired to invest (or even better, co-invest) in such efforts.

We will, of course, continue to “learn in public” as the project progresses and look forward to your reactions and your own stories of collaboration in the Jewish education world.

- Josh Miller is a senior program officer at the Jim Joseph Foundation. Steven Green is director of grants management and administration at the Jim Joseph Foundation. Leah Nadich Meir is a program officer at The AVI CHAI Foundation. Joel Einleger is a senior program officer at The AVI CHAI Foundation.

Permission to Shine

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Posted in Guest Bloggers on February 26th, 2013 by alicia - No Comments »

In Ki Tisa, this week’s Torah portion, we read about Moses ascending Sinai and getting the Ten Commandments. It is hard to imagine anything more inspiring than being on hand for Moses receiving the Torah. But, alas we see that this did not work for the Israelites. While Moses was up getting the Tablets, they grew impatient and made a Golden Calf for themselves. If the Israelites lost their passion and commitment so soon after experiencing the miracles of the plagues in Egypt, the splitting of the Red Sea, and the victorious war with Amalek, how could we today have any hope of staying on mission?

After the resolution of the Golden Calf incident Moses returned to the people with a new set of Tablets. While the first set were made by God, this time Moses made them himself. In addition at the end of Torah portion we read:

33 And when Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But when Moses went in before the Lord that God might speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out; and spoke unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face sent forth beams; and Moses put the veil back upon his face, until he went in to speak with God.

This is the origin of the Michelangelo‘s depiction of Moses with horns of light. It is clearly also the source of why some people believed that Jews had horns. This is all secondary to the notion that this outpouring of light from Moses helped the Israelites see that their leader was inspired. We need our leaders to be inspired to be inspiring. There is something to the DIY ethos. We all need to have a sense of ownership in a project to be invested in its outcome. Where as in the first set of Tablets it was all about God, in the second set God had Moses and therefore the people’s buy-in.

Recently I was talking with Michael Wax an Assistant Director of Beber Camp about how he might inspire his staff to move the needle on what is an already a very good program at his camp. In my mind we need to find more ways to share our vision so that others share a sense of ownership. When we allow people to own their work they radiate their passion and joy. This attitude itself is infectious. This reminds me of one of my favorite poems, Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson. We read:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.
And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Moses’s beaming face gave permission for the Israelites to let themselves shine too. It seems that if we really want to move the needle we need to figure out how to let ourselves and those around us shine.

–Rabbi Avi Katz Orlow is the Director of Jewish Education at the Foundation for Jewish Camp

Giving, Receiving Constructive Criticism

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Posted in Developing Professionals, FJC Programs, Guest Bloggers on January 30th, 2013 by alicia - No Comments »

The following post was originally featured in The Atlanta Jewish Times

In this post-inauguration and post-election period for the United States and Israel, respectively, we are well aware that leadership styles, models and talents can vary greatly between individuals. In Parashat Yitro specifically, we are witness to the fact that the ability to listen, to hear and to convey ideas effectively are all traits of outstanding leadership.

In the chapters that precede the description of G-d’s revelation at Sinai, we read about Moses’ father-in-law and the instrumental role he played in establishing the legal system for the Jewish people in the wilderness. We are introduced to Yitro after he hears about all the things that “G-d had done for Moses and for Israel His people (Exodus 18:1).”

Yitro then brings Zipporah, Gershom and Eliezer back to Moses, and father-in-law and son-in-law soon reconnect as Moses recounts to Yitro the story of G-d’s power and the Exodus from Egypt. Finally – less than a day after being reunited – the unsolicited advice from elder to younger pours out.

In these moments, we see the mutual respect either has for the other and a model for great leadership. Yitro witnesses Moses serving as the lone judge for the people, hearing their disputes and then rendering his decisions. Then, no more than a verse passes within the text before Yitro intercedes, listens to Moses’ reasoning and then offers his own perspective.

He says, “This is not a good thing you are doing,” a gentle way of telling him that the whole manner in which Moses is going about this procedure is completely wrong (Exodus 18:17). It is not that his rulings or warnings to people are incorrect, as says the Midrash Sechel Tov (12th-century commentary), but rather that the system is untenable both for Moses and the people.

Thus, Moses develops a new system – based on Yitro’s feedback – in which the responsibility is shared with other individuals and only the major disputes come before Moses.

Yitro’s suggestions are not earth-shattering; what is most impressive about this scene is his ability to witness the pitfalls of the current structure and to share practical solutions in a way that Moses can hear them. At the same time, Moses’ ability to place his ego aside, to listen to the perspective of an “outsider” and to implement changes based on that input show his dedication to doing what is best for the people and not to making his own name great.

Indeed, after having recently returned from a conference for the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the value of having genuine leaders who both listen to and share feedback has been on my mind a good deal. I had the fortune to work with educators of varied backgrounds, skill sets and professions (all leaders in their own right) as we modeled educational programs, critiqued one another and internalized the comments that were being offered.

In this small group of Jewish leaders, I perceived Yitro’s ability to diagnose a potential problem and Moses’ ability to listen to feedback, both in group sessions and in individual conversations. Most impressively, at the core of all of these conversations was the commitment to creating outstanding experiences and training programs for others – even if it meant rethinking, refining or changing one’s own program.

Leadership manifests itself in different ways, and thus it is hard to define one style, model or talent as the most beneficial. But as we learn from Parashat Yitro, the ability to listen, to hear and to convey ideas effectively cannot be overlooked in the conversation. These talents have the power to inspire and to bring about real change in the world.

- Rabbi Marshall Lesack is the director of education at Congregation Shearith Israel and a member of the Atlanta Rabbinical Association.

 

Ah-Ha Moments

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Posted in Developing Professionals, Education and Educators, FJC Programs, Guest Bloggers on January 15th, 2013 by alicia - 1 Comment

As it is written: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.  And God saw the light that it was good.” (Bereishit, 1:3-4)

Each day, we have moments of light.  We have thoughts, ideas, and contemplations about ways to improve life.  We think about how we can help our family and friends.   We think about ways to make our jobs more meaningful or easier. We think about how to become healthier.  We think.  Not every idea is a good one.  We likely have more bad ideas than good ones.  Yet, rarely do we take the moment to reflect and determine its merit.

Human nature inherently pushes us to go and do.  Many of us attend seminars, trainings, workshops, meetings, conferences, etc.  The rooms buzz with excitement and ideas.  The hour long presentation was the best thing you ever saw.  You walk out the door energized.  You get back to your desk and realize you can’t articulate the ideas you left the room with just moments ago.  Shadows of your thoughts ruminate in your brain.  You try your hardest to put your thoughts on paper, but you can’t reach them.  It’s too late.  The moment of reflection has passed.

God teaches us reflection from the start of the Torah.  Each act of creation is followed by a recap and nod of approval.  The Yitro Leadership Program brings Assistant and Associate Camp Directors together from all parts of the US.  In a three-day seminar, not a moment is wasted.  We walk in and have agendas, workbooks, notebooks, and pens waiting for us.  The flip charts are placed at the front of the room near the PowerPoint projector.  There is a coffee table at the back of the room.  It’s time to work.  You look at the agenda, and it looks like any other schedule: three sessions before lunch, another four before dinner, and an evening program.  The agenda, however, doesn’t tell the whole story.  We revisit the content from our previous two seminars.  We look at the challenges facing our own camps today.  We build a frame, together, for what we are about to do.  We are learning as we share with each other best practices.  With each topic, we work through case studies, build skills, and develop benchmarks.

We are asked to flip to page one of our workbooks and jot down any revelations we’ve had.  The top of the page reads “Ah-Ha Moments”.  It’s a blank page in a workbook.  We are in session, but we are silent.  Many would look at this as wasted time and space.  This is intentional.  Reflection is critical to learning and development.  It underscores that which we have found most important.  It allows us to remember our thoughts at a later time.

Thinking back on our sessions, I had so many “Ah-Ha Moments”.  One of the most profound discussions and topics was about the way we train our staff.  Training is not a one week process at camp.  In fact, training is an ongoing process in life.  We coach, we teach, we cultivate, and we teach our staff to be better individuals.  We are in the business of role modeling. We are in the business of growing children into young Jewish adults.  What do we want our kids to Know, Value, and Do in their lives? These are the methods we use to train our staff as role models.

What’s an idea that you lost?  What do you wish you remembered?  What got lost between the meeting room and your desk?  Stop.  Think.  Reflect.  Write.  Imagine the good that can come from it.

- Dan Baer, Associate Director, Camp Interlaken JCC

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