Maorr Libes can’t wait for the upcoming summer. For two weeks, the 9-year-old will head to Camp Gilboa in the San Bernardino Mountains.
“I went last year and I am already looking forward to going back,” Maorr says. “My best friend and I can’t wait to make more good memories.”
Camp Gilboa, one of the camps operated by Habonim Dror North America, was among 120 organizations appearing at the Jan. 23 Jewish Summer Camps and Israel Programs Fair at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco.
Organized by Orli Rinat, the fair featured more than 50 programs in California, Washington, D.C., Israel, Costa Rica and Belize, specializing in sports, arts and religion. In just its second year, the fair is already one of the largest of its kind in North America.
Rinat, who chose Palo Alto for last year’s fair site, was not surprised by the success of the fair.
“I was amazed at the number of local and international programs that seemed to need participants and the number of Bay Area families looking for good opportunities,” Rinat says.
Costa Rican Adventures is one of more exotic programs represented at the fair. The group has been leading trips to Central America for 10 years, giving kids the opportunity to have Shabbat dinner in San Jose, Costa Rica, one day, and raft a jungle river the next.
“The camp fair has been a great success,” says Suzie Rose, a representative for Costa Rican Adventures. “We had five kids from Palo Alto out of 19 in 2004. That was due to exhibiting at the fair. This is a great forum for us to get the word out about the program.”
The Costa Rican program, as do many of the camps, blends Jewish activities with outdoor adventures. Camp Alonim in Southern California is one example of this multifaceted mission. The camp, part of the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, is located on the largest piece of Jewish-owned property outside of Israel. This summer, Alonim is offering four camps for its youth soccer, basketball, wilderness and arts.
“We wanted to provide an experience for our ninth grade and older kids that balances Judaism with the activities that many of them are focused on,” says Alisha Teichner, a 15-year veteran of Camp Alonim, who is now its assistant director. “We find kids are becoming more and more busy throughout the summer and at an earlier age. We want the program to fit with their activities.”
For children who are interested in a less physically active yet equally rewarding summer experience, Seeking Common Grounds, a Denver-based organization, provides two-week opportunities for Palestinian, Israeli and U.S. girls ages 16 to 19.
“The camp brings together young women from all over the world with differing religious and socioeconomic backgrounds and facilitates communication among other things,” says Erin Breeze, associate director of Seeking Common Ground. “It is less about trying to change someone’s opinion of the world or the situation in the Middle East and more about understanding that someone you get to know and befriend can have an opinion very different from yours.”
Seeking Common Ground provides sliding scale tuition for participants.
Back at Camp Gilboa’s booth, Maorr Libes and his mom, Batel, continue to talk to interested kids and parents about their experiences as parents and participants. Habonim Dror, which operates six camps in addition to Gilboa, is a progressive labor Zionist youth movement.
“Many of the kids initially come for the experience of being in the mountains and enjoying the activities,” says Batel, “but we find so many of them become very active in the movement and seek that as much as the outdoor activities.”
As for Maorr, he enjoys all aspects of the camp. “I like to be able to express my feelings. But my favorite part of the whole summer is the dancing.”
The fair was sponsored by the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation, its Israel Center and other organizations.