{"id":40327,"date":"2022-12-23T01:25:34","date_gmt":"2022-12-23T09:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=40327"},"modified":"2022-12-22T09:29:38","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T17:29:38","slug":"building-sense-of-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2022\/12\/23\/building-sense-of-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Building sense of community"},"content":{"rendered":"

This past summer at Camp Hatikvah, the 13-year-old campers were asked to re-create a camp photo from the 1960s. (photo from Camp Hatikvah)<\/em><\/p>\n

If any Camp Hatikvah alumni stepped onto the property for the first time since the early 2000s, they would be in awe. With the exception of the chadar <\/i>(dining hall), every single building on site has been rebuilt over the years thanks to the generosity of the community. The facilities are safe, modern and thoughtfully planned to ensure the best program possible can be delivered to the close to 700 participants Hatikvah hosts each summer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, even more impressive than what has changed at Camp Hatikvah over the years, is what hasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur site has certainly improved a lot over time and the new facilities have led to exciting program\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

opportunities for our campers but, with great pride, our program remains deeply steeped in the same traditions that existed when the camp was founded some 75 years ago,\u201d shared executive director Liza Rozen-Delman.<\/p>\n

Rozen-Delman went on to say that, while\u00a0 <\/span>alumni from any previous era who visited the camp may not recognize the buildings, they would feel immediately at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything would be familiar to them. The mifkad<\/i> (flag raising\/lowering) ceremony is performed verbatim to how it was done in the \u201940s. We still start every meal by singing \u2018Anachnu od lo achalnu shum davar \u2026\u2019 followed by the blessings. The Kochot campers still try to sneak past shmira <\/i>(night watch) after bedtime and final banquet is still the most special night of the summer,\u201d she said with a smile.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard not to smile with her, as you can see the passion for Jewish camping all over her face as she speaks about the generations of children who have been impacted by Hatikvah.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a place like no other,\u201d Rozen-Delman said. \u201cIt is where thousands of kids had the chance to experience a fully Jewish environment for the first time in their lives. It\u2019s beautiful and I am grateful to be able to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joanna Wasel, board president, couldn\u2019t agree more. She said Jewish camp is one of the most impactful ways to help children form a strong and proud Jewish identity. It works, she said, \u201cspecifically because the learning at camp is informal. It doesn\u2019t come from lectures but from immersive Jewish experiences that are shared amongst a community of peers. It\u2019s powerful and effective. Quite frankly, it\u2019s brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
One of the photos from the 1960s that Camp Hatikvah 13-year-olds re-created last summer. (photo from Camp Hatikvah)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During these complicated times, when youth are experiencing mental health issues at an unprecedented rate, Hatikvah\u2019s focus on tradition is also helping campers go back to a simpler time. \u201cWe are a technology-free zone,\u201d noted Rozen-Delman, who went on to say that camp offers children a much-needed respite from social media. \u201cBeing unplugged is freeing,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the greatest gifts we can give the children of today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rozen-Delman spoke about the joy she feels when kids engage in the type of back-to-basics fun that the camp environment can provide. She recalled a program the 13-year-old campers did this past summer, where they were given an historical camp photo from the early 1960s and asked to re-create it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not always easy to get a 13-year-old excited about a program, so I was unsure what the reaction would be,\u201d she said. \u201cBut these kids reveled in the opportunity to do something creative and different. They went to their cabins, got dressed up and had the most amazing time giggling with each other as they performed their task. It was so pure. And I loved the photos they took, as it connected them with the past and reminded them that they are a part of a community of people who have been touched by this special camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Courtesy Camp Hatikvah<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This past summer at Camp Hatikvah, the 13-year-old campers were asked to re-create a camp photo from the 1960s. (photo from Camp Hatikvah) If any Camp Hatikvah alumni stepped onto the property for the first time since the early 2000s, they would be in awe. With the exception of the chadar (dining hall), every single […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5938,4242,5127,7750,2087,5948],"class_list":["post-40327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-continuity","tag-history","tag-jewish-camp","tag-joanna-wasel","tag-liza-rozen-delman","tag-summer"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}