Is enough being done to tie the Jewish camp experience - to Jewish experience & learning all year round? (schools, Synagogues, JCCs, Youth movment & groups?
Jewish educators argue about many
things; check out this past CASJE blogcast if you
don’t believe me. There's one thing, though, about which they seem to
agree: Jewish camp is peculiarly effective as a vehicle for Jewish education and engagement. It
seems that there’s a kind of magic at camp that leaves a lasting influence on
the Jewish lives of most former campers. There are few forms of educational
experience that are so impactful and that are remembered so
warmly.
This week I’m joined by a crackerjack
“cast” to help make sense of that magic. Ultimately, I’m hoping that this group
will think about how we transform Jewish camps into laboratories of practice
from/in which all Jewish educators can learn to perform their magic, whatever
institutions they lead.
To get the ball rolling, I want to ask
the cast what the magic of camp looks like. How do you
know it when you see it? What would you point to as evidence of the magic?