I’m back!
2011 Shlichim pose with David Mitnick in Israel
After being off for the Passover holiday and then attending the Jewish Agency for Israel Summer Shlichim Seminar in Israel (see below), I am finally back and in full Camp Milldale mode.
This week I’ve had meetings with the head of our Day Camp Sports program to discuss a new specialty at camp – fitness; our CIT Director/Assistant Program Director to go over some plans for the summer and Dori Zvili, Milldale’s Director has come to visit in my Park Heights office 2 times. I’m not sure if I’m still experiencing jet-lag or if this has just been a really intense week.
Many of you have asked about the seminar I attended in Israel. It was truly an eye-opening experience for me. Here’s a basic rundown of the program. The Jewish Agency for Israel recruits, places and trains almost 1,000 post-army Israeli young adults for work in Jewish Camps in North America. I attended as a director of one such camp so that I could not only meet and bond with the 7 shlichim who will be coming to JCC Baltimore camps this summer but to also meet with other shlichim who will be traveling to similar camps in the USA. Together we explored some similarities and differences between Israelis and Americans and we went over quite extensively what they could expect when coming to camps in the states. In addition to my work with the shlichim, they delved into their own psyches by identifying with their own levels of commitment to Judaism, Jewish life, Israel and more and learned how to transmit their love of Israel and Israeli culture to campers. They learned how to address “difficult” questions that may be posed to them. They were educated about the host family experience (we are looking for host families!) and what to expect from their experience in the states.
Our shlichim are bright and funny and extremely talented and I can’t wait to see them again when they arrive in America. Check out the YouTube video we made.
May 13, 2011
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