Miri Hasson and counselors take a break with young campers after a session of pita-making, led by cooking specialist Cara Altman, rear right, at the Israel Day celebration at the Union Y.
Photo by Elaine Durbach
July 17, 2008
First in Scotch Plains, on July 9, and then in Union, on July 14, day campers got to celebrate Israel and all things Israeli, led by the combined force — and it is a force to be reckoned with — of young Israelis.
The visitors are part of a cadre of shlihim, or emissaries, young adults selected by the Jewish Agency for Israel to spend the summer as camp counselors in the United States. At each of the Israel Day events, three shlihim from the JCC of Central New Jersey’s Camp Yachad in Scotch Plains (one was away with the teen travel group) joined up with the four from the YM-YWHA of Union County’s summer camp.
Mistress of ceremonies for their activities was fellow Israeli Miri Hasson, a shliha herself who is spending the year with the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey.
Counselor Jessica Schroeder relaxes with her charges during the hectic Israel Day program at the JCC of Central New Jersey in Scotch Plains.
Photo by Jared Lindenberg
With a backdrop of Israeli flags and posters and slogans adorning the setting, the seven young women and one lone guy took the various groups of youngsters through a hectic program of map games, pita-making, “kibbutz visits,” and army games. The campers created Israeli crafts, learned Hebrew words, and pieced together big jigsaw puzzles to form the images of ancient Hebrew coins.
Both days wound up with a rousing offering of Israeli song and dance presented by the seemingly tireless shlihim. “We’re not exactly the New York Philharmonic,” admitted shliha Sivan Revivo, catching her breath but still radiating party spirit.
Revivo was part of the emissary group last year and enjoyed it so much — and was so much appreciated at the Y — she helped recruit this year’s candidates and returned to New Jersey with them for another session. “It’s great to be back,” she said.
Miri Hasson, in white, leads fellow emissaries and campers in a sing-along finale to the Y’s Israel Day program.
Photo by Elaine Durbach
While Hasson was dressed in white — to symbolize Jerusalem’s thousands of years of history, she said — the others had blue bandanas on their heads and Israeli flags draped cape-style about their shoulders. A few had their cheeks painted blue and white, like some of their young charges, all in the day’s sabra spirit of raucous patriotism.
“They were awesome,” said Avital Levine, teen counselor at the Y camp in Union.
“The kids had a great time,” her buddy, Batya Itzkowitz, agreed.
“It was a fantastic day,” declared Mike Goldstein, codirector of Camp Yachad in Scotch Plains, smiling broadly.
The following week, Y executive director Bryan Fox watched the finale there with a similar grin. The emissary partnership, he said, “is such an excellent program, there should be more of it. But is it possible to find more like these — more Sivans?”
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