by Raphaella Ruggiero, Photographer and Communications Specialist
Tsofim campers have just finished their first year of middle school and are preparing for their b’nai mitzvah; their unit theme of self, family, and community care therefore resonates perfectly with this age group. This is a key time to discover their Jewish identity and comes with a lot to reflect on.
During one particular Mashehu, the campers participated in ”Picture This. Drawing Stereotypes” created by Tsofim Programmer Corey. The saying goes, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, which can be difficult when campers are growing up and trying to figure out their own identities. Some may make broad assumptions about a person without knowing them. The aim of this program was to see how to keep our community from generalizing other individuals based on stereotypes, what actions can be taken to spread awareness about not making generalizations, and how to accept each other’s unique differences. The program is based off the teachings in the book of Deuteronomy. Campers chose a slip of paper which contained a sentence on it. This sentence read a description of some sort, such as ”I am tough”, ”I am good at martial arts” or ”I wear a lot of pink”; campers then had to draw a detailed version of what they perceived that person to look like. Once finished with their drawing, the campers then had to write three other things they associated with that person. So for example, for the paper that read ”is good at martial arts”, campers also wrote ”very slim” or “tough” because that is the first thing that comes to mind for them. Campers realized the stereotypes that were coming up, spoke about how stereotypes can be damaging to people’s lives, and what they can do to reduce bias, making assumptions, and stereotyping. The key phrase and take home message for this program was ”anyone can be anyone”.
Another program the campers did during Mashehu was ‘Mitzvah project exploration’ in order to prepare the campers for their upcoming b’nai mitzvah. This helped the campers to think about what they might choose for their mitzvah projects and is based around making the world a better place. This program involved brainstorming ideas for their b’nai mitzvah, what responsibilities will be involved, and what maturing in a Jewish community means. They also had a chance to speak to other campers who have already had their b’nai mitzvah to get an idea of what is involved, calm any nerves they may have, and answer any questions. The program started with a funny clip from ”Keeping the Faith”, which showed a boy feeling nervous about his bar mitzvah. The unit leader then explained that having a bar or bat mitzvah is a huge responsibility and often involves doing a social action project which helps take care of the community around us. The campers were then given an option to choose from 4 social action areas; these include homelessness and poverty, education, environment, and racial justice. In groups they talked about the areas they chose and then spoke about organizations that are involved within those areas. Campers had to then work together to come up with their own social action organization based on the area they chose including a name for their organization, a mission statement, objectives they want to accomplish, the group of people they’re assisting, and a budget. This was an empowering program that showed campers they don’t always have to volunteer at an organization to make a difference- they can create their own.