(JCC Maccabi Sports Camp from Camp Collective website)
Right about now I would be making suggestions and referrals to Jewish summer camps – day camps and sleep over camps. But one by one the camps are announcing their closure for this season due to COVID-19. It is terribly sad and disappointing for kids and their adults, but it is necessary.
The local overnight camps share a website, Camp Collective, where you can explore them all. Additionally, most of the JCCs have day camps – in San Francisco, Oakland & Berkeley, Marin, Foster City, Palo Alto and Los Gatos. Then there are independent Jewish organizations who offer their own options, like Urban Adamah and Wilderness Torah.
So why am I torturing you by mentioning all the options you no longer have? Anticipation is a wonderful and happy experience. Sit your child(ren) down and explore the possibilities for next year. Then look at the programs that are offered and see if you can do some of them in your own space. Can you grow some beans? Learn a new dance? Go swimming – OK, in a wading pool. Go on a backyard or park hunt for all the bugs you can find. Even though there is a pandemic, this is still summer and you all deserve the sunshine and fun that implies. If you don’t feel like you can figure this out for yourself, email me, dawn@buildingjewishbridges.org. I can help you come up with some fun plans. Don’t be alone, even if we can’t be in each other’s presence we can join together to encourage and delight each other.