Life – Page 37

Let’s hear it for camp!

(photo from teenlife.com/summer-program/urj-camp-kalsman)

Going to camp was a rite of passage when I was growing up. Everybody went to camp. In my day, it was the B’nai B’rith camp that all Jewish kids went to, in Sandy Hook, past Winnipeg Beach.

I don’t recall much detail of my really young days as a camper, but we never missed a summer. As small kids, we went with our mothers. It all had to do with getting away from the oppressive summer heat and time at the beach, wading and swimming, sunning on a blanket, playing the games on the boardwalk. I would have an ice cream cone every day, even though, back then, all you could get were vanilla and strawberry flavours. There may have been chocolate, too.

I enrolled in Young Judaea in my early teens. In the heady days leading up to and after Israel declared its independence, movements of every political stripe in Israel had a youth group and camps in Canada and in the United States.

At camp, we built our Jewish consciousness and reinforced our Jewish identity. We were part of larger society, of course, but the one that was becoming central to our lives was the Jewish one, and the camp experience strengthened all that. Everything around our activities focused on our life as Jews, intellectually and emotionally, in our developing teen years. It was easy to pick out the future leaders – assertive, confident, basing their arguments on material accepted as fact. That was the stuff we brought forward into our adult years, colouring what we would become and the messages we would transmit to our children.

Aliyah to Israel was an enormous focus of the Zionist camps I associated with. This possibility, went the argument, was why we had to study our history, our customs, our holidays. We were building a new kind of Jew, unapologetic for his striving nature, determined to never again be a victim. History’s lessons were clear and we had to take heed and take our future into our own hands. The camps I attended were the educational vehicle.

In those days, we pretended we were chalutzim (pioneers), so we went out into the bush and made like we were going to live off the land. We built lean-tos to sleep under, chopped down trees, built things, learned how to make a campfire even without matches, and engaged in marches, canoeing, the whole megillah.

The years I spent as a camper – learning to be a scout, learning to create things with my hands, to develop myself physically, to compete for excellence – we were modeling the new Jew. We were not content with just being students, we knew we could do that – we were going to be doers. We were building pride in ourselves and in our accomplishments.

In turn, I became one of the leaders trying to transmit the messages I had absorbed to others. The young people I grew up with at camp worked in their own communities in the same way. All across the country and across the United States, we were a network fighting assimilation, building loyalty to Israel and a consciousness of being Jewish and the values it represented.

One of the best experiences I had was when I was invited to be a Camp Shalom program director in Gravenhurst, Ont. I spent six months preparing programs and then threw them all out on my second day on the job. I spent the next two months preparing different programs on the fly, built around Jewish holidays or events in Jewish history. We organized camper teams, choosing names, uniforms and cheers, and had athletic competitions, colour wars, talent competition skits, swimming competitions or just fun at the beach. I don’t know about the campers, but I had a great time exploring my creative capacities. We set up a pattern that was followed for years at that camp.

Some of us became community leaders. A few of us even got to Israel, at least for a time. Many of the associations we made have withstood the test of time. Some of the best friendships I have today are ones I made in those years. A good number of marriages came out of those experiences, including one of my own.

What a wonderful institution camps are, whatever their nature! Bringing kids into a healthful environment with responsible supervision, living lives completely different from what they are accustomed to, meeting people they would not normally meet, exposing them to alternative behavioural norms, has to be good. And getting away from the city into a natural environment, who has to be convinced that that is a good thing? Let’s hear it for camp days. Rah, rah, rah!

Max Roytenberg is a Vancouver-based poet, writer and blogger. His book Hero in My Own Eyes: Tripping a Life Fantastic is available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

Iron Chef Chanukah 2017

On Dec. 13, after the lighting of the menorah and a Chanukah party at the Centre for Judaism (C4J) in Surrey, participants in the Iron Chef Chanukah Competition filled the C4J kitchen. The excitement was palpable as the chefs and their teams quickly planned and executed the preparation of their dishes.

“It was really wonderful to see teenagers, millennials, parents and grandparents working together seamlessly and having so much fun,” said shluchah Simie Schtroks.

“The competition this year was taken to a whole new level,” said Rabbi Nuta Yisroel Shurack, who is one part of The Rabbi and the Chef, with chef Marat Dreyshner.

Although various prizes were awarded, all the participants agreed that dinner together at Rabbi Falik and Simie Schtroks would be the best way to celebrate another great championship.

Camp fosters independence

At Camp Shomria, it’s all “about equality and giving the power to the youth,” says one parent. (photo from Camp Shomria)

In Ontario, Camp Shomria was established based on the principals of Hashomer Hatzair (The Young Guard), with its Zionist and socialist principles, including that building a strong community is just as important as building strong individuals.

Camp director Uri Ron Amit is an Israeli who runs the only chapter of Hashomer Hatzair in Canada, which is based in Toronto. He comes from a background of working as an educator in international development and community management.

“The kids are from Grade 2 (7-year-olds) all the way up to Grade 11 (17-year-olds),” said Amit. “By Grade 12, they become first-year youth counselors in the movement. And then, later on, they can continue working to make an impact in the camp, either as youth counselors, as head of camping or as head of programs.”

Most families involved at the camp are from the Toronto area but some campers also come from the United States and a fairly large number come all the way from Israel. The camp is situated an approximately four-hour drive northeast of Toronto, and about an hour and a half southwest of Ottawa.

“Starting in Grade 2, the kids spend a week away from home at camp,” said Amit. “Grades 3 and higher stay at the camp for at least two weeks at a time, and sometimes for five weeks. Having young kids sent by their parents to be away from home … brings both opportunities and challenges. The further away you are, the more remote [it is, and] it can create a sense of independence and a different world for the kids and youth counselors.”

Hashomer Hatzair was established more than 100 years ago, he explained, “with the idea of having youth of different ages develop an independent youth community that stands for the ideals of humanistic Judaism and Zionism. The main difference in sending your kid to experience camp away from home is the added layer of independence – a level of ownership over the community … self-reflection and personality development.

“I think the main reason parents send their kids away from home for a couple of weeks with minimal communication with them is because they want them to go through a meaningful learning process that can help them pick up a strong group dynamic in the youth community.”

Amit described one particular child who came to the camp. This child had never been to a sleepaway camp before, and was dependent on his parents for almost everything. “After a couple days, this child became a star,” said Amit. “He became independent and took to different stages of sharing feelings and emotions…. We gave him the opportunity to lead discussions … with group members. His parents said it was a life-changing experience.”

Camper Zoe Friedman, 13, who lives in Toronto, started attending the camp last summer, choosing to do so after she learned that some of her friends from Israel go there.

“It’s a camp that really builds character,” she said. “And it gives you time to expand on things … expands character, responsibility and social skills. Every morning, we have something called toranuyot (chores), where we get split into groups and go clean up the camp…. So, we might clean the washroom, pick up trash, or something else that helps everybody. The theme of Shomria is socialism. We all do everything together and support each other. It’s a really good vibe.”

As for being away from her parents and home, Zoe said she felt it was sometimes very difficult, as, at night, it is extremely dark and you feel very far away from it all. But, at other times, she said, it is tremendously fun.

“It was really fun to disconnect from the outside world and focus on what’s in front of you,” she explained. “It’s just interesting to see how such a big group of kids can just disconnect from technology and focus more on social skills, responsibilities, and just on having a good time, without focusing on technology.”

Zoe and her family – mom Eilat Bakerman, dad David Friedman and younger sister Gaia, 9 – have been living in Toronto for the past 12 years, and are very involved in the local Jewish community. Bakerman heard about Shomria from friends and decided to send both Zoe and Gaia there.

“They thought it really helped to build kids’ character, and they support the values of what the camp aims for … about giving the power to the youth,” said Bakerman. “The camp is run by youth and they are leading other youth, a bit younger kids, in whatever they do. The only adults they have there are the operational staff – cooks, doctors, nurse, drivers, and so on. It highlights what you’d imagine a kibbutz life was like when it first started.”

According to Bakerman, one example of the unusual way in which the camp is run is how, when the kids first arrive at the camp, any money parents send with the kids is pooled together and everyone is given back an equal share. “Nobody feels they have more than others,” she said.

“When they go to Perth, which is the closest city,” said Bakerman, “everybody gets the same share of money – no matter how much they each may have brought into the camp – and that’s what they have for spending money.

“No matter if you came from a wealthy home, where you don’t need to do any chores, or not, at camp, in the morning, the kids decide what kind of chores they’ll do and everybody in the group does it,” she added. “Everybody is eating the same food. It’s about equality and giving the power to the youth.”

Bakerman also regularly sends her daughters to stay with family in Israel while she stays to work in Canada. The location of the sleepaway camp was not a deterrent.

“I think the kids are so engaged, it really doesn’t matter – the distance,” said Bakerman. “The distance is neither a barrier nor an excuse to come home or to call home. To me, it was about character and values…. The camp gave them independence and they have something to aspire to become. They’re really looking forward to next year.”

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Immersed in Hebrew

Friends at Camp Shomria show off the fresh vegetables they picked in the camp’s garden. The produce was used to make a salad for one of the meals. (photo from Camp Shomria)

It is said that there is no better way to learn something than by immersing yourself in it. And for kids who want to learn Hebrew in Canada, camp is one of the best and most accessible ways of doing that. But, while there are many Jewish camps in Canada that promote Hebrew language, Camp Massad in Manitoba is the only camp where all the activities and programming are carried out in Hebrew.

“They are not allowed to speak English outside the cabin,” said Danial Sprintz, the camp’s executive director. “Inside the cabin, they speak in whatever languages they want to. But, if they are outside, they are not allowed to speak in English to each other. The kids are all trying to speak Hebrew. So, when everybody’s doing it, you fall in line. Our camp is run completely in Hebrew and there isn’t any other camp that is doing that.

“Not all the kids that come to the camp can speak Hebrew when they arrive. About 50% of the kids don’t go to Hebrew day school, so they are learning Hebrew at camp. We don’t sit them down in a classroom, but we teach them the essentials they need to ask the basic questions. We teach Hebrew through song.”

With repetition, and everyone being together for three meals a day and programming, the kids start picking up the ability to communicate with each other as they go.

Most of the staff has grown up going to the camp and, each year, there are also a number of staff who come in from Israel.

The camp also prides itself on being 100% inclusive. No matter what a child’s situation – if they are autistic, use a wheelchair or are developmentally delayed, or if they are completely secular or ultra-Orthodox in Jewish observance – Sprintz said the camp is dedicated to finding a way to make the experience work for all campers.

Sprintz was executive director of Congregation Emanu-El in Victoria for a number of years, when he and his wife were going to school in British Columbia, before returning to Winnipeg and taking on his role at Camp Massad.

“When I arrived in Victoria, the rabbi was on sabbatical in Israel,” said Sprintz. “I approached the board about helping them with the programming while he was away, and then just stayed on after.”

This experience helped Sprintz develop ways of introducing the children at Camp Massad to Judaism. “We make it fun,” he said. “And we make it something the kids look forward to, as we make the tunes and the process of it all fun. We have tefillin club in the morning for kids who want to try something out, and for kids who need to. But, when it comes down to it, we provide all the religious and traditional cultural components that kids would need to come to camp, to a certain point – we don’t want to separate boys and girls, as we want everybody to be together.”

Camp Massad encourages the children to write their own songs and to put on plays for others in the camp – all in Hebrew.

Winnipeg’s Aviva Tabac has been sending her two daughters, Chaya, 15, and Sara, 13, to Camp Massad for the last three years.

“I didn’t go to camp growing up,” said Tabac. “My parents took us on a summer vacation each year, and the rest of the time was spent at the beach with family and friends. Since I didn’t grow up going to summer camp, I felt it would be a good idea for the girls to try it. Just from my immediate circle of friends who all went to Massad, there’s a special bond they have with one another that carries over into adulthood. All my friends still talk about their fond Massad days and I wanted to give the girls the chance to experience that for themselves.”

Both Chaya and Sara attend public school, so they do not get a lot of other opportunities to speak Hebrew. Tabac said, “When my girls return from camp, they continue to speak in Hebrew, sing Hebrew songs and reminisce. They hang onto their Massad memories and feelings for as long as they can.

“The Hebrew is a big component,” she continued, “but, more so, the celebration of Shabbat, day-to-day celebration of Jewish culture and being proud of being Jewish. The lov[ing], understanding and caring staff and councilors [are] amazing. My girls feel at home when they’re at Massad. They come back rejuvenated, independent and confident. I know that, when they’re there, I have nothing to worry about because they’re in good hands.”

Meanwhile, Lilach Golan moved with her family to Vancouver last fall. She has been sending her four daughters to Camp Shomria in Ontario for years, and plans to continue doing so. She does it with the hope of them picking up some of the values that she grew up with on kibbutz in Israel, including Hebrew.

“For us, the Hebrew language and culture were extremely important and it was very difficult to speak in Hebrew at home all the time … because, when children live in English, they want to speak English and want to be part of the culture around them,” said Golan.

While Camp Shomria operates in English, Hebrew is everywhere at the camp, and the different areas in the camp have Hebrew names, like the chof (beach), cheder ochel (dining room) and moadon tarbut (culture club). Hebrew is also spoken during many of the activities, which include singing and dancing, and at different presentations.

“They do have a lot of Israelis and people who speak Hebrew,” said Golan. “And that’s a big push for the Hebrew – kids love to talk Hebrew with them and the Israelis come every summer. And the songs they sing, there is a lot of language happening there.”

Sharon, 14, is Golan’s youngest daughter. For her, the best part of camp is getting to spend time with her kvutza (group).

“We use Hebrew terminology in contexts where they make sense to me and I can use them meaningfully,” said Sharon. “I also remember better what they mean when I’m not at camp anymore because I can remember the context in which we used them. Hebrew constructs a lot of what and how we do things at Camp Shomria and it’s that culture, atmosphere and values that make me want to come back.

“Even if the Hebrew we use at camp is not new to me,” she said, “it adds so much value to the camp environment and my experience of it. It helps me develop the connection to the three pillars of Hashomer Hatzair [The Young Guard, the Zionist-socialist youth movement] and the core values we share.”

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

School bars Chanukah

The chair of Vancouver Board of Education (VBE) and even the provincial minister of education waded in after Jewish students at a Vancouver elementary school went public with concerns that they were being made to feel excluded by exclusively Christian holiday symbolism.

Students Maya Sontz and Rebecca Weinberg went public last week after asking the principal of General Gordon Elementary, Hope Sterling, to add some Chanukah decorations to the Christmas trees, wreaths and other Christmas decorations up around the school. The girls said they were rebuffed by the principal, who claimed the Christmas decorations were not religious symbols, while a chanukiyah or other Chanukah items would be. The holiday concert was to include songs about Santa, reindeer and trees, which the principal defended as being “cultural” symbols, not religious ones.

The principal’s position drew rebukes over the weekend from Janet Fraser, chairperson of the board of education. “The VBE sincerely regrets any practices at General Gordon Elementary that have negatively impacted a sense of inclusion and representation for students and parents within our school community,” she wrote. “As chairperson, I apologize on behalf of the board to the students and their families who did not feel welcomed and included at their school. We acknowledge that, in the interpretation and implementation of our policies, there has been confusion about what is permitted as part of upcoming winter celebrations, including Chanukah. The board chairperson and school district staff will be meeting with members of the families … to ensure that their children, as well as all others, are included and represented in their school.”

In response to Fraser’s statement, Rob Fleming, B.C. minister of education tweeted: “ALL children, regardless of ethnicity, religion or gender should feel and be welcome to celebrate who they are in every single one of our #bced schools.… Thank you for your leadership upholding inclusive schools @VSB39 and @janetrfraser.… Let’s #celebrate diversity this year!”

Administrators were to meet with school officials, parents and students Monday to address the issue.

“It is called a public school, so, if you’re going to invite everybody, you’ve sort of got to include everybody,” 11-year-old Maya Sontz told CTV news.

Being kosher in today’s world

On Dec. 7, Temple Sholom Sisterhood hosted a discussion on the relationship, history and relevance of today’s kosher practices. The panel aimed to “explore, broaden and in some cases challenge the term kashrut” and “explore integrating values such as ethics, community and spirituality as it relates to food.”

The panelists were Rabbi Lindsey bat Joseph, executive director of the Centre for Jewish Excellence; Michael Schwartz, director of community engagement at the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia; and Noam Dolgin, a Jewish environmental educator and “sustainable realtor.”

As participants ate baked organic apples – sourced locally and made with gluten-free oats – Dolgin began at the beginning, discussing the Garden of Eden and asking the audience to name the first mitzvah (commandment) given to human beings alone. Although many people think it was “be fruitful and multiply,” that commandment was given to animals as well. The first human commandment, Dolgin said, was to “work and protect” the garden. After leaving the hunter-gatherer society of the garden, we became farmers able to produce surplus food and wealth, he explained, and so came the laws around our relationship to the land and to other people, which aimed to promote justice towards the earth and to each other.

Dolgin gave an overview of the development of Jewish law in relation to land, animals and people, touching on such core rabbinic laws as ba’al tashchit (do not waste) and ba’al tzarei chayyim (do not be cruel to animals). Dolgin said, although there are biblical laws protecting the land, there has been a shift in recent years from an emphasis on immediate human concerns – “don’t pollute upwind,” for example – to deeper ecological concerns, such as “don’t pollute at all.”

Schwartz spoke about how Jewish culinary traditions go beyond the legalities of kashrut. He focused on the home as the locus of cultural preservation, and noted the museum’s recent initiative to collect and share Jewish cultural stories around food. As part of this project, he said, one Jewish woman talked of her memories of food from Second World War-era Bangalore, India; another spoke of her Mizrahi Jewish family who had lived in China for years and were more comfortable in Vancouver’s Chinatown than in other parts of the city, including Jewish institutions.

Schwartz also discussed efforts to bring Jewish ethics to bear on food, describing the community’s creation of a food bank, and of other food-justice-related organizations.

“The alert among you will notice that I have made it this far into my talk without mentioning the word kosher,” he said. “That is not an accident. The reason for this is that I wanted to demonstrate that there are many ways that food can preserve our identity and inform our morals.”

Rounding out the discussion, bat Joseph explored the architecture of kosher law and the way it was built out of biblical law. She explained how kosher laws are traditionally considered to be transrational, or beyond human understanding. She said, despite our not understanding the details, the Torah suggests two primary purposes of kashrut: to make us distinct from the nations around us and to promote a holy lifestyle, to encourage mindfulness and “a sense of priestliness in the most mundane things.” She debunked the commonly held idea that kosher laws may have had a connection to health.

A wide-ranging question-and-answer period included humourous stories of trying to live kosher, different family traditions, and the struggle to balance inclusivity both among Jews and between Jews and non-Jews while observing kashrut.

Matthew Gindin is a freelance journalist, writer and lecturer. He writes regularly for the Forward and All That Is Interesting, and has been published in Religion Dispatches, Situate Magazine, Tikkun and elsewhere. He can be found on Medium and Twitter.

Menorah-making in Richmond

The Shadeck family. (photo by Sarah Aginsky)

Approximately 300 people showed up to a menorah-making event at the Home Depot in Richmond on Sunday, Dec. 3. Families could come and make menorot out of wood, glue and nails supplied by Home Depot. Chabad of Richmond also supplied bullet shell casings to hold the candles on the menorah, symbolic of turning weapons of war into a source of light and life.

photo - Mayaan and her dad Amir — Mayaan and her dad Amir. *(photo by Sarah Aginsky)*

photo - Liam with his menorah — Liam with his menorah. *(photo by Sarah Aginsky)*

photo - Levi and Rabbi Nuta Yisrael Shurack — Levi and Rabbi Nuta Yisrael Shurack. *(photo by Sarah Aginsky)*

Mystery photo … Dec. 15/17

Na’amat Women’s tea, 1955. (photo from JWB fonds, JMABC L.12592)

If you know someone in this photo, please help the JI fill the gaps of its predecessor’s (the Jewish Western Bulletin’s) collection at the Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C. by contacting archives@jewishmuseum.ca or 604-257-5199. To find out who has been identified in the photos, visit jewishmuseum.ca/blog.

Judaica in Metro Vancouver

Among the items featured in Buchan’s Judaica section is a set of six hammered liquor cups on a pomegranate branch from Yair Emanuel, for any Shabbat or holiday table. (photo from facebook.com/BuchansKerrisdaleStationery)

If you’re looking for a new menorah or some cool Chanukah gifts over the next few weeks, you’ll want to target your search to three stores that have become the only hotspots for Judaica in the Lower Mainland. Sure, there are items here or there that you can find elsewhere, but not with much selection. And, you can shop online, but the problem with click-and-purchase is you don’t get to hold the weight of an object in your hand, to see the real symmetry of a piece from your screen, how it will fit into your home. Here’s where to go if you’re in the market for Jewish objets d’art.

Buchan’s Kerrisdale Stationery sits right next door to Garden City Bakery in Richmond, the Lower Mainland’s number one challah maker. The store has had a small selection of Judaica for several years but, when Inna Vasilyev took ownership a year ago, she decided to up the ante and significantly increase the variety. Vasilyev, who also owns the original Buchan’s Kerrisdale, on West 41st Avenue in Vancouver, aims to please everyone in her product choices. You’ll find 99 cent Chanukah candy, inexpensive wooden dreidels over which small kids can drizzle candle wax, fancy hand-painted dreidels and the plastic ones that disappear into the corners of a house each year. Buchan’s has Chanukah games, gelt, colouring books, tea towels, napkins with Jewish designs and menorot.

photo - Beth Tikvah’s gift store offers several different styles of menorot and a host of other Chanukah gifts, including shaped cookie cutters, games and books — Beth Tikvah’s gift store offers several different styles of menorot and a host of other Chanukah gifts, including shaped cookie cutters, games and books. *(photo from btikvah.ca/support/beth-tikvah-gift-shop)*

“We have designer pieces by well-known designers and a good selection of candles, too, from simple ones to deluxe ones that burn for ages and smell beautiful,” she said.

Vasilyev also stocks non-Chanukah-related Judaica like mezuzot and candlesticks. For shoppers averse to crossing the bridge into Vancouver (or into Richmond), this accommodating store owner will transfer product between the stores to make life more convenient. She’s in the throes of updating her website and hopes to eventually display all her products on it.

Also in Richmond is one of the Lower Mainland’s longest-lasting synagogue stores, the gift shop at Beth Tikvah. Vicki Northy has been the manager and chief volunteer for the past seven years.

In the hours the office is open, office staff will gladly open the store to shoppers and handle the transactions. Northy buys new products every year, choosing a variety of fun items like bagel spreaders and mensch mugs, functional items like Kiddush cups, candlesticks and challah boards, and Judaica art by well-known artists including Yair Emanuel, Gary Rosenthal, Lily Art, Adi Sidler and Agayof. The store will be open 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 and 10 this year to accommodate Sunday shoppers.

Olive+Wild, the gift and home décor store at 4391 Main St., is quite possibly Vancouver’s only retailer selling Judaica. Owners Simon and Bella Zaidel have 18 different menorah designs in stock right now, ranging from menorot that will get your kids excited about Chanukah to artistic beauties in brass, silver and glass.

photo - Olive+Wild has some 18 different menorot from which to choose, as well as Judaica for Shabbat and other Jewish holidays and occasions — Olive+Wild has some 18 different menorot from which to choose, as well as Judaica for Shabbat and other Jewish holidays and occasions. *(photo from oliveandwild.com/collections/judaic)*

“We stock Judaica designs by Nambé, Michael Aram, Yair Emmanuel and Carrol Boyes. And, given the demand, we’ve expanded our collection with various price points to make our products available to all different budgets,” Simon Zaidel said. The store opened last September and the response from the community has been “incredible,” he added. “Since Temple Sholom’s gift store closed down, there’s a limited availability of Judaica in Vancouver,” he noted. “We carry Kiddush cups, Shabbat candles, tzedakah boxes, Havdalah sets, challah covers and boards, kippot, tallises, mezuzahs, hamsas and Judaic jewelry, most of the products made in Israel.”

After the sugar-rush from the combination of Chanukah gelt and sufganiyot has worn off and the aroma of frying latkes is leaving your kitchen, you’ll want to begin “the Great Menorah Cleanup.” If there’s candle wax on your glass surface, it’s a relatively easy job involving a dollar store scraper and a hairdryer to melt any stubborn excess wax. Candle wax on silver candlesticks can be harder to eliminate without scratching your metal. Experts suggest placing your candlestick holder or menorah in the freezer for at least 20 minutes and then using your fingernails to flick off the frozen wax. A cotton ball with silver polish or rubbing alcohol can also be a useful resource to swap the area until it’s clean.

Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond. To read her work online, visit laurenkramer.net.

Walking Israel National Trail

On Canadian Friends of Hebrew University trips to the Israel National Trail, travelers will take their time and enjoy the landscape. (photo from Ami Dotan)

The Vancouver chapter of Canadian Friends of Hebrew University has plans to walk the Israel National Trail (Shvil Yisrael).

As it would take too long to walk the entire 1,000-kilometre trail, CFHU Vancouver will only walk its highlights, dividing them into five separate trips. The week-long excursions will be led by Ami Dotan, CFHU scholar-in-residence and a professional tour guide. The walks will take place each spring, beginning with a trip March 5-11, 2018.

“Generally, the main core of tour guiding in Israel involves going to Jerusalem and some of the holy sites and history and so on, which I totally love,” said Dotan. “But, whenever I get the chance to do some trekking, then I gravitate to it…. It’s my favourite thing. And, doing it on the INT – which was defined by National Geographic as one of the top 20 holy grails of treks in the world – it’s amazing.”

Dotan decided to kick the walks off by exploring Israel’s desert, as it provides such a contrast to the lush forests and lakes that most Canadians are used to at home.

“There’s something special about the desert,” he told the Independent. “There is no makeup of rivers and vegetation, just the essence, the core of things, the rocks and the ground…. Since I was a child, I loved the desert. Alone sometimes, with no cellphones, it touches your heart I think.

“If you ask yourself, ‘Why go to the desert?’ just think, the three major Western religions were conceived in deserts: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.”

Growing up in Jerusalem, Dotan recalls having stepped out of his home as a child and walking to the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem, making his way to the Dead Sea. Eventually, his father would come with their old car to bring him back home after dark. “That’s when I began developing a love for the desert,” said Dotan. “And, then, of course, during military service, walking in the desert.”

The trip Dotan will be leading in March will begin with an overnight in Mitzpe Ramon, going down into the crater and walking across it to the other side. This is a 12- to 13-kilometre stretch of serious desert.

The group will then bus to the Arava for a night. Dotan described this area as being “in between Israel and Jordan, but very safe. The next day, we’ll go do a trek called Maale Palmach (Palmach Ascent). This is an ascent nobody knew was possible to do … and the Bedouin who met them at the other side said it couldn’t be done…. Therefore,” he said, “it was named ‘the Ascent of the Jews’ by the Arabs. We’ll do part of the trek, including climbing up a ladder, to be able to [get up] this cliff that they walked up.”

The third day will have participants heading into sand dunes, to Kibbutz Ktura for the night. And, on the fourth day, they will go to the colourful sand rocks near Eilat and spend the night in Eilat.

“Lastly, on Saturday, for people who want to walk on Saturday, we’ll go up the mountain and then down through the INT,” said Dotan. “Then, for those who want to go on to Petra, we’ll spend three more days and continue to Petra.

photo - Hopefully travelers will see some of the Shvil's residents, such as mountain goats, which have their babies in the spring — Hopefully travelers will see some of the Shvil’s residents, such as mountain goats, which have their babies in the spring. *(photo from Ami Dotan)*

“The trip will involve special activities around the walks, to better understand the culture and the character of the people who live there, and things we do in the desert. And, we have a Bedouin evening with local people – an amazing way to get to know the desert geographically, but also the people who’ve lived there for so long and how their life changes in a modern country, which is fascinating subject on its own.

“Next year [2019], we will do less desert, instead going to the north, which is also beautiful. I think, what you get in the north is more the human diversity. You have the Jews – Orthodox, secular and Modern Orthodox – and Arabs, Christians and Druze. In the desert, you have a Jewish population and Bedouin.”

Dotan chose to have the trips in March for two reasons. One is because they will take place before Passover, so participants will have time to return home for holiday preparation. The other reason is that, in March, the desert may have some flowers blooming, as well as some vegetation and grass.

“I hope we’ll even get to have an appointment with some mountain goats that have their babies that time of year – amazing to see,” said Dotan. “Hopefully, we’ll find natural water pools in the valleys filled with water. Not Canadian-scale quantities of water, but, after you’ve walked all day and have been sweating and warm, you’ll get to jump into this cold, fresh natural water … before it disappears in a few months.

“Also, of course, March is the time that birds migrate from Africa back to Europe. Twice a year, we have half a billion birds flying all over Israel, and many of them fly over the Syrian-African rift (which is the border between Israel and Jordan … just over our heads). So, you’ll be able to see swarms of all sorts of birds – birds of prey, storks and pelicans, whatever you want.”

According to Dotan, the trip is designed for people who have good mobility, but it won’t be extreme. There will be walks of roughly 12 kilometres a day, but, as Dotan said he has learned from experience, “It’s not a question so much how many kilometres you walk, it’s about what type of kilometres you walk. Yes, we are going to go down sometimes very steep rocks, but, obviously, it’s doable. It’s part of the excitement of walking in the desert. If you’re reasonably fit, you can do it…. I’ve had people 80 years old doing this trek. It’s not a matter of age. It’s a matter of if you’re enjoying the walk. We’re not going to rush. On the contrary, we have a lot of time to do it calmly and enjoy the landscape, nature, and excellent logistics.”

The tour group will get to stay in unique hotels at the end of each day, with a bus taking them to the beginning of the trails and picking them up at the end. “Every night, you will get to enjoy a hot shower, a good dinner, and so on and so forth,” said Dotan.

“This experience isn’t for those who rush. Rushing in the desert isn’t a good idea. I’ve done most of these treks with my 10-year-old son, and he’s not Superboy. It’s for anybody who loves nature and is reasonably fit for walking in the mountains, not just in a park. Even if you need to not participate for a day because you need the rest, then that’s possible and no problem.”

For more information about the CFHU Shvil tours, contact Dina Wachtel, Western Region executive director at 604-257-5133 or dwachtel@cfhu.org.

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.