PORTLANDER Noah Rosenberg, far left, joins his camp friends in a little good “dirty” fun at Camp Young Judaea Midwest last summer. Several Portlanders attended the Midwest camp last year after Camp Young Judaea West closed since it could not find a permanent location.

Young Judaeans find camp fun in Midwest

By JEWISH REVIEW

article created on: 2011-03-01T00:00:00

“At camp, it’s so much fun and it is like a family. You can be totally real around everybody in camp,” says Meitav Aaron, after spending his first summer with his brother Nitzan at Camp Young Judaea Midwest

Since last summer, when the lack of a permanent site caused Camp Young Judaea West to close, Camp Young Judaea Midwest has served campers on the West Coast looking for a Young Judaea camp experience. The five Young Judaea camps across the United States welcome boys and girls from all Jewish backgrounds to build Jewish identity and lifelong connections to Israel. The CYJ Midwest population is quite diverse; adding campers from five Western states gave CYJ the opportunity to incorporate new traditions.

Abigail Natelson, who will be returning for her fourth summer at CYJ, said: “I loved meeting people who I’d never have known existed if not for this camp. I like the creative learning activities and environment. I love how camp can change you as a person. It can make you braver and stronger, mentally and physically. I like how camp exposes you to different types of personalities and you can learn alternative customs and traditions from your peers.”

Camp Young Judaea Midwest Director Noah Gallagher visited Portland in January to visit campers at the Portland Jewish Academy and Congregation Shaarie Torah and to speak with parents.

Gallagher, a CYJ alum himself, explains why families might choose to send their kids to a camp so far away rather than stick with more local options: “Young Judaea camps give our campers the tools to make informed choices about Judaism. Our educational programming is all informal. During tefillah, campers are encouraged to share new melodies or prayers with everyone. A Hebrew lesson might consist of bringing inflatable Hebrew letters out to the middle of our lake to make words.”

“I send my kids to CYJ because at CYJ Jewish is fun. It’s all around, not something you have to do that’s different from all your friends, just part of the fabric of every day,” said Amy Hamermesh, president of CYJ’s board and a parent of two campers. “At the same time, it’s still summer camp—free time and swimming—but free time is called chofesh and swimming is s’chiyah. … they come home and poof—more Hebrew and Jewish friends for life.”

For more information, contact CYJ Midwest at 847-675-6790 ext. 3 or info@cyjmid.org or visit cyjmid.org.