H EADLINES
Jewish Teenagers Share Their Summer Plans
L OCA L
LEAH SNYDERMAN | JE CONTRIBUTING
WRITER AS THE WORLD slowly returns
to normalcy, the question of what
was normal in the fi rst place has
arisen. Whatever it was, a new
normal is being created, and this
summer will likely help shape it.

With kids out of school,
camps and other summer
programs are pioneering this
new normal. From sleepaway
camp to travel, Jewish teens
across the United States shared
what their summer of 2021
looks like.

Summer Camp
Jewish sleepaway camp is a staple
of summer in the Northeast, so
with kids missing out on the
experience in 2020, they are even
more excited to be back.

“It’s like having a second
life,” said Asher Waldman, 13,
from Bryn Mawr. He attends
Camp Cedar in Maine with
his younger brother, Austin,
following in their father’s
footsteps. According to his mother,
Amy Waldman, going to
camp provided Asher with the
opportunity to try new things
he wouldn’t have been able to
do at home.

“My own children have
become passionate about activ-
ities that they were exposed to
at camp, not necessarily things
I would have signed them up
for at home,” she said. “As a
parent, sending your children
to overnight camp is incredibly
diffi cult.”
However, all feelings of
uncertainty are dissolved
when seeing pictures of her
kids smiling and getting letters
from them thanking her for
sending them to camp, she
said. Many camps have ensured
their campers would be safe
from COVID-19 by requiring
proof of negative tests and
keeping bunks separated for
the fi rst week or two.

Leadership Training
B’nai B’rith Youth Organization
runs training programs
throughout the summer for its
members. BBYO is a movement
for Jewish teens around the
world to gain valuable experi-
ences and connect with other
Jewish teens — locally and
internationally. International Leadership
Training Conference is a
14-day program at B’nai B’rith
Perlman Camp in Lake Como.

See Teens, Page 21
From left: Ziva Davis, Dara Hammel and Hallie Jayson at Mount Arbel.

Courtesy of Dara Hammel
There are many pages
in a long, rich life.

What will you be inspired
to do next?
Maybe you’ll find time for
a new approach to fitness,
refine your gardening skills,
take a class. Or just
appreciate the convenience
of a walk to the store.

just getting
started i am
Don’t miss our summer Open House!
July 13, 12pm-3pm
July 22, 10am-1pm
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM August 5, 10am-1pm
August 17, 12pm-3pm
Call 215-999-3619
or visit RydalPark.org
JEWISH EXPONENT
Whatever your next chapter
brings, you can open up
the time and space for it
here, in a community that
supports your goals every
step of the way.

...to be continued
JULY 15, 2021
9