Training is an important bonding experience

In April, I was fortunate to travel to Israel for the summer shlichim (Israeli emissary) training held at Kibbutz Shefayim outside Tel-Aviv. Every year, the Jewish Community Center Association (JCCA) picks 10 camp directors to travel – at no cost – to the shlichim training.

In order to be chosen for the program, a candidate had to complete a short questionnaire, serve as a camp director for at least one year, have participated in the shlichim program before and again in the current year and never been to the training. It was an honor to be chosen by the JCCA to travel to the training to meet our 2016 summer J-Camp shaliach, Noam Spector.

Our group of 10 camp directors spent four days at an intense day camp training that all the shlichim go through in order to get ready to come to the United States. It was like being at camp: we danced, laughed and ate with more than 150 young Israelis. We covered a variety of topics including  what to expect at camp to Color War games and what to expect from host families. Each day, I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with Noam and tell her all about how great summer J-Camp is. Many people remember Maor Mintz, the summer shaliach for a few years. He was one of the trainers at the seminar. He could not say enough great things about summer J-Camp and Rhode Island. His enthusiasm helped Noam get excited and ready to come to camp.

Getting to know and spend time with Noam was invaluable. Among other things, Noam will bring Israeli culture and a background in theater to camp. She studied theater in school, worked with a local theater company in her hometown of Modi’in. During her time in the army, Noam worked with children who made aliyah with their families and taught them skills such as community building and Hebrew. Noam is extremely friendly and excited to spend her summer getting to know everyone at J-Camp. Here are Noam’s thoughts about the seminar:

“Being the only shaliach at camp sounds scary at first. Before the seminar I didn’t know a thing about the camp, about what is expected from me. I had so many questions and no idea how to prepare myself  for the summer.

“Having Seth, my camp director, at the training was meaningful in so many ways.

“First, I felt important. We connected and I knew I didn’t need to worry about the summer because someone is interested to hear how I feel and what do I need and what do I have to offer.

“At the training we had lot of time to talk about J-Camp, helping me understand the vibe, writing ideas, brainstorming and just to hear about the community.

“Just by the videos and the stories I felt enthusiastic and wanted to go home and prepare myself to be the best shaliach I can be.

“I cannot compare working face-to-face and talking over emails. Training with a camp director makes it real.

“I am so thankful for the experience and I can’t wait for summer to begin  and working with my camp director and all the campers I heard about.”

The remainder of the trip was a three-day tour of Israel with the nine other directors. We traveled to Jerusalem where we walked the Old City and visited the Kotel. We celebrated Shabbat in Tel-Aviv. Before leaving, we took a 4 ½-hour walking tour of Tel-Aviv and Jaffa. We spent some time on the beach and experienced havdalah on the beach at sunset. It was a very meaningful and spiritual journey. The directors on the trip became colleagues and friends. I feel so fortunate to have been able to share this experience with them. I came home with a renewed excitement for summer camp and love for Israel and for being Jewish. Many thanks to Aaron Greenberg and David Ackerman from the JCCA for this amazing opportunity. 

SETH FINKLE is director of Camp Haverim and teen programming coordinator at the Jewish Alliance. To learn more about summer J-Camp, visit jewishallianceri.org.