Reflection: Canadian Camps for Israelis

By Jonathan Nyquist

The resilience of the Israeli people is inspiring, but like any community, their ability to withstand pressure and stress has its limits, especially for a young country still finding its way. Help from abroad, especially at a time like now seems more important than ever. In this vein, my team and I who help young adults from around the world travel to Canada to engage in meaningful, community-based work and travel experience at camps across Canada felt inspired to step in to see how we can shed a small amount of light on the sad and troubling issues unfolding in Israel.

We reached out to a friend in Toronto who is well-connected with communities in Israel who were displaced due to the war. We were able to connect with a number of skilled and talented 16 to 18-year-olds who were closely tied to the youth movement in Israel and who were eager to take a break from their disrupted lives in these displaced communities. They were ready to let their wings sore and come to Canada for a break to recharge, explore the world and feel free again.

We amended our program to reduce the financial hurdles involved and we linked up with the UJA to set up a fund to pay for the flights for these inspiring young leaders of the future. We also teamed up with a number of dedicated Jewish camps who are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the staff and are excited to introduce them to their new summer homes.

It is a blessing to have an opportunity to play a very small role in making things better. The hope is to make this experience as enjoyable and as smooth as possible for the Israelis that participate this year and to build on this momentum and help many more for next summer.  There is so much goodness in this world and it will always find its way through.

Thank you to Holy Blossom and Rabbi Splansky for being an inspiration on this journey. Praying for peace.  If you would like to donate and support our community efforts, please click here: https://www.jewishtoronto.com/camp-canada