Camp Pembroke wins Goodman Prize for Excellence in Israel Education at Camp
May 6th, 2015
In re
cognition of its success infusing Israel into a greater part of camp culture and overall experience, Camp Pembroke in Pembroke, was awarded the inaugural “Goodman Prize for Excellence in Israel Education at Camp” by the iCenter for Israel Education, Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC), and the Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundations.
Along with nine other camp semi-finalists for the $1,800 cash prize award, Camp Pembroke—an all-girls pluralist Jewish summer camp—is part of the Goodman Camping Initiative for Modern Israel History. The ongoing initiative enhances and expands the commitment of Jewish overnight camps to modern Israel history and dynamic Israel education within all parts of camp, and is designed to help campers build deep and meaningful connections with Israel.
“We are honored and excited to receive the Goodman Prize for Excellence in Israel Education at Camp,” says Ellen Felcher, Director of Camp Pembroke. “Israel has always been a focal point for us, but over the last few years, Israel has infused in all the spaces in camp—from the dining hall, to the cabins, to the sports fields, to arts and culture, Israel is all around our campers. The Goodman initiative has been a driving force behind this change, giving us exciting tools and ideas to bring Israel to life at camp.”
Compared to just a few years ago, Camp Pembroke today offers campers many more opportunities for Israel engagement, with twice-a-week “Jewish life and learning” classes and dynamic, fun experiences. Among numerous activities, Goodman Fellows decorate a golf cart as an “Israeli Cash Cab” at the beginning of each summer for counselors to drive around, stopping anywhere at camp to ask Israel trivia questions. Another activity involves campers dramatizing Israeli-related inventions like the pill-cam, special irrigation techniques, cell phone technology, and more, while other campers guess the invention. And campers have designed picnic tables and benches to showcase Israeli history, heroines, and culture.
“Everything we do at Camp Pembroke now builds to a 5 and a half week trip to Israel during the campers’ ‘Counselor-in-training,’ summer.” Felcher adds. “We showcase Israel as modern state, living and breathing with excitement. The girls develop their own personal and meaningful connection to the country and the people.
Now in its third year, the Goodman Camping Initiative is a partnership between the iCenter and Foundation for Jewish Camp with generous support from The Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundations, with contributions from the Marcus Foundation and the AVI CHAI Foundation. The Initiative has engaged 36 camps at workshops, at seminars for shlichim, and with online tools that offer strategies and resources to help camps infuse modern Israel history into their camp’s educational program. As an example, Goodman curriculum details how a camp can run its own program based on the TV show “Shark Tank,” that teaches campers about social justice programs started in Israel. Beyond specific programs, the Goodman Camping Initiative helps camps incorporate Israeli themes, images, or Hebrew language into their entire camp surroundings, including their gardens, their climbing walls, and their bunks.
“Camp fosters deep connections and creates lasting memories—and we have an incredible opportunity to make Israel a focal part of this positive experience,” says Jeremy J. Fingerman, CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. “We’ve seen camp staff embrace this initiative and combine their learnings with really creative ideas that bring Israel to life for their campers. This year, as there are every year, so many camps were worthy of this prize. I am proud of the ways all of these camps have incorporated Israel into the Jewish camp experience in such effective and dynamic ways.”
As part of the prize selection, camps had to detail how they’ve utilized the resources and training provided by the Goodman Camping Initiative to offer new Israel experiences to both campers and staff, and how their participation in the initiative has an ongoing impact at camp.
“The Goodman Initiative already has created a very significant shift in culture at camps by integrating Israel into regular, everyday programming,” says Anne Lanski executive director of the iCenter. “Authentic Israel experiences can be incorporated into nearly any learning environment, and the physical, immersive space of camp presents so many great opportunities. The initiative and this prize are indicative of the continued, exciting evolution of Israel education that we see at camps, day schools, congregational schools, and other educational settings around the country.”