The strength of our Jewish community is our membership. We are blessed by so many warm and caring individuals and families that make our community a great place to live and work. Our member Q & A section seeks to tap into that community spirit and find the mitzvot motivation of our members.

In the summer of 2024, Ethan Holzer and Eli Freedman attended Jewish Summer Camp.

Thank you Ethan and Eli for sharing you thoughts on this adventure and learning experience.

My Summer at Camp Harlam

By Ethan Holzer
Camp Harlam is a sleepaway camp which is divided into 10 different units (k’ton, Rishonim, Carmel, Sharon, Kineret, Arava, Galil, K’far Noar, Chavurah, and Gesher). Each unit has 4-6 cabins (also called bunks). I was in Kineret 4 this summer. Camp Harlam was very very very very very very very very fun and exciting.

The first reason that Camp Harlam was so fun was because of the variety of activities. Some activities included the swing (not the average swing), milk squad (getting milk and cookies), color war (the camp gets broken off into four teams & competes in sports and other activities for a week), gaga (don't get hit in the leg), wiffle ball (you don’t always get to play this but it is very common), s’morning (morning announcements), and rest hour (rest in your bunks, or outside). These activities were fun because you could never get bored. Last year I described it as an amusement park without the rides because it was so fun.

Another reason that Camp Harlam was so fun was because of the religious connection I had. Things like services and J-life were some things that really had me make a connection with my Jewish life. Your unit will also lead services one night. I sang Barechu and Shema on my unit’s night. Being at camp helped me find who I really was as a Jew.

The last reason Camp Harlam was fantastic was because of the meals. Food like chicken tenders and the saturday meals (donuts for breakfast, and fast food for lunch) are delicious. The Friday meals (fried chicken) were very enjoyable and were very good as well as the Saturday meals. This one came as a surprise; one day it was said to be fish sticks for dinner, but instead we got mcdonalds tasting chicken nuggets (which are actually really good) for dinner.

To sum it up, this camp satisfied my need to be amused, helped me find my Jewish self, and made my belly happy.

Dear Federation Board,
Thank you for the money you gave me to go to Camp Zeke. I liked the jet skiing the most, it was really fun. I enjoyed being with other kids that were Jewish, and I keep in touch with them. We had Shabbat services on Friday night.

I wish the food had been better. We did keep kosher for meals the whole three weeks. I enjoyed my counselors who were very nice.

Thank you again,
Eli Freedman