Young leader to share experience through winter break camp

By Deborah Moon

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When Hadas Horenstein returned from Young Judaea’s high school leadership camp in New York last summer, she wanted to find a way to share the Young Judaea experience with other Jewish youth in Portland.

As a lifelong Jewish camper who had watched her mother Dorice Horenstein develop and run the Hebrew language summer day camp, Camp Nofim, her thoughts quickly turned to camp.
   
The result? This year for winter break, Congregation Shaarie Torah, where Dorice Horenstein is the education director, and Young Judaea are teaming up to offer Winter Camp at Shaarie Torah Dec. 26-29. Designed for children in kindergarten through seventh grade, the camp will offer a Zionist experience of Israel. Camp will meet Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the final day being special Shabbat programming at the synagogue.
   

“This is the only winter camp we will be sponsoring but if it is successful it is something we will try elsewhere next year,” said Karen Goodman, director of Camp Young Judaea West. “This winter camp helps Young Judaea gain exposure and is a prelude to our summer camp.”
   
Hadas Horenstein said that at Tel Yehuda leadership camp she attended numerous workshops on what it means to be a leader, “but they left it up to us how we are going to use that knowledge.”
   
Goodman said that Young Judaea gains many leaders from Tel Yehuda, the movement’s high school leadership camp in New York. 
   
“A great deal of our leadership comes out of that camp including the counselors for our regional camps,” she said. “Often campers come back into their communities and run programs for the younger kids year around.”
   
Horenstein will draw on some of her fellow leadership campers to join her as counselors at the camp.
   
“We’re doing most of the programming and supplying the counselors to staff the winter camp,” said Goodman. “Young Judaea is known for its excellence in programming and with Young Judaeans running the programs it exposes the children to the kind of counselors they will have at (summer) camp.”
   
Like all Young Judaea programs, the camp will focus on Israel. Israel at 60 will be the camp theme with arts, sports, music and all activities focusing on the Jewish state in a pluralistic, kosher Jewish environment.
   
Following the conclusion of camp on Friday, parents are invited to join their children for a special “camp style” Shabbat dinner.
   
Dorice Horenstein, who will lead the camp, said she is very excited to be partnering with her daughter to create this new program.
   
“I have a partner who is my daughter,” she said. “I feel very blessed. When you raise a kid and she becomes a leader, she needs you to assist, but she’s running with the idea. It’s the best gift I could ever get.”
   
She added that Young Judaea has been very supportive of the project.
   
“We are very excited to be partnering with Dorice and the synagogue and hope this is a prototype that we will be able to duplicate in other communities in the future,” said Goodman.
   
Cost for the camp is $160 for one child or $300 for two. For more information, contact Dorice Horenstein at 503-226-6131 ext. 229 or via email at education@shaarietorah.org.