It’s 4 p.m. and though the sun has yet to disappear on the lake, campers at Center Day Camp in Windham are clapping hands and singing songs for the camp’s Friday afternoon celebration of Shabbat, a Jewish tradition. After blessing “wine” (a.k.a. grape juice) and lighting candles, camp counselors pass out Challah bread for Shabbat before the campers head home for the weekend.
This is all part of the experience at Center Day Camp, says camp director Sara Kramer. Though the camp is not exclusively for Jewish children (roughly a 50/50 mix), the camp celebrates certain traditions such as the weekly Shabbat to educate campers about Jewish culture.
“You’re not going to find another camp like Center Day Camp in the area,” Kramer said, “We offer a full overall camp experience and we offer some exposure to the Jewish culture along the way.”
Located at the Sebago Lake basin, the campers – preschool through 6th grade – participate in a range of activities like swimming at the waterfront, hiking nearby trails in search of blueberries, playing sports on the camp’s field, creating artwork and performing in theater productions put on by campers.
The older campers, 7th through 9th grade, spend little time at the camp, said Kramer, instead traveling throughout New England on outdoor and urban adventures. Kramer went on to say that many former campers become counselors and whose children later carry on the tradition.
“I have counselors here whose parents were campers and counselors,” Kramer said.
The camp also hosts visiting counselors from Israel. This year, two counselors made the journey overseas to teach at camp, Anat Minqowski and Keren Maoz. Minqowski teaches the campers about “nature survival skills” and Moaz plays Israeli games with the campers and teaches them about life in Israel.
“They learn all kinds of stuff about Israel,” Maoz said, “They’re really interested and ask all kind of questions.”
Throughout the camp experience, campers are taught to respect one another for their differences through friendship, sportsmanship and an understanding of Jewish culture and values.
This Sunday afternoon, a female music trio, Visions, whose music speaks to the same message of friendship and cultural diversity, will be performing an outdoor concert for the campers and the community at large. Visions is made up of three young Jewish singers – Amy, Andra and Talia – who sing a mix of traditional Jewish and inspirational songs with an emphasis on community spirit and “making the world a better place.” The trio have recorded three albums and tour the nation, performing at festivals, synagogues and religious conferences.
“They’re a very exciting young group and they have a lot of energy,” says Bob Kessler, executive director of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine (JCA) that funds Center Day Camp.
The Visions concert and special camp BBQ also marks the kickoff of the JCA’s yearly annual fundraising campaign. JCA raises money for Jewish communities in Southern Maine and donates to the international JCA which distributes money to families in need throughout the world, said Kessler.
“We’re basically a fund-raising social services organization,” Kessler said of the JCA, “Our Center Day Camp program is one aspect of what we do.”
The JCA founded the Center Day Camp back in 1949, according to Ken Nelson, one of the first campers and a longtime supporter of Center Day Camp. Members of Jewish community in Southern Maine, many returning from World War II, wanted to create a camp for their children, Nelson said. After buying the acreage where the camp now sits, hundreds of people from the Jewish community turned out to clear the space of overgrowth and establish the campsite. Now, over 50 years later, the camp is still a centerpiece for the community and hosts hundreds of campers each summer.
“The day camp represents the ultimate in volunteerism,” said Nelson whose father Harold helped found the camp, “And it now provides an important camping experience to children who might not otherwise have that experience.”
Visions’ unique blend of traditional Jewish and inspirational music will be performed Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. The event is free and open by invitation. Contact Bob Kessler at 772-1959 to RSVP.
Campers at Center Day Camp enjoy Challah bread for Shabbat, a weekly Jewish tradition. Though the camp is open to all children, part of the camp experience is learning about Jewish culture.Send questions/comments to the editors.
