Category Opinion

A counselor’s import

At sleep-away camp, the camp counselor is the person your child is going to turn to as a replacement for you. Even if it’s a day camp, it is the counselor who will be there to comfort, encourage, discipline and…

In the unlikely event that …

photo - Most issues that arise at camp can be solved so that your child enjoys the experience, and perhaps learns that problems can be overcome

Most issues that arise at camp can be solved so that your child enjoys the experience, and perhaps learns that problems can be overcome. (photo from flickr.com) The moment most working parents dread is when they discover, halfway through, that…

Building of community

photo - Originally, the only focus of Jewish camp was to offer Jewish children an opportunity to spend some time in a woodland environment

Originally, the only focus of Jewish camp was to offer Jewish children an opportunity to spend some time in a woodland environment. (photo from pxfuel.com) Camping and camps may have been around forever. But Jewish camps, at least those in…

Let’s be more Jewish

It’s an inflammatory question. When attacks against Jews occur, as they are in increasing and alarming numbers in North America – including an incident of hateful graffiti at Camp Miriam on Gabriola Island recently – people ask why. Why Jews?…

Tips for inclusivity

image - If you’ve got a kid with special needs, it can be hard to find the right learning experiences and it can require extra work to make them accessible

If you’ve got a kid with special needs, it can be hard to find the right learning experiences and it can require extra work to make them accessible. (image from clker-free-vector-images (pixabay.com)) All Jewish kids deserve to have access to…

A time to learn who we are

photo - For many kids, camp is the only time they find themselves in a less structured environment

For many kids, camp is the only time they find themselves in a less structured environment. (photo from pixabay.com) I remember the days when going to camp was the annual ritual, part of the summer holiday agenda. In our Winnipeg…

Extremes and elections

Drawing parallels between political events in disparate countries may be folly, but it’s the season for frivolity, so why not. As British Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson was piling up an historically massive majority government, Canada’s Conservative leader Andrew Scheer…

The supporting cast in our lives

Shabbat, Dec. 21 Vayeishev, Genesis 37:1-40:23 I am a rabbi because of a game of catch I played at camp with a rabbi more than three times my age. I found love and happiness and my partner in life because…

A not so diasporic dialogue

Awhile back, friends invited me to a writers group. Although I told them that I wasn’t quite the right fit for the group, they convinced me to go. The meeting was nearby. I enjoyed walking on a cold, dark and…

A call to join Maspik!

No external threat worries Canadian Jewry more than the rising tide of antisemitism. For years, in grassroots consultations hosted by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), community members have unanimously and consistently said antisemitism is their primary concern.…