The Canadian Jewish News, Friday, September 13, 1974 - Page 3
National Nev»^
Quebec's Camp Massad may be forcec to close doors after 30 good years
Edith Levy (second from left) goes over lists of potential canvassers for United Way ciampaign. Mrs. Levy is United Way chairman for the Federation of Jewish Women's Organizations. With her (from left) are: Mary Kent, United Way residential chairman; Helen Malcolm, overall co-ordinator, and FJWO President Lil Wax.
FJWO organizes 600 women to canvass for the United Way
TORONTO -
More than 600 Jewish women who have been recruited through sisterhoods and orgahiza-tions in Toronto, will canvass; for the United Way campaign which got un-derway this week.
Edith Levy. United Way chairman for the Federation of Jewish, Women's Origanizations,' has undertaken the mammoth task of organ- ; izing and working with volunteers for this community-wide project for the second consecutive year. The FJWO is a division of the United Jewish Welfare Fund. . "It is important to stress to volunteer can-, vassers that they think of United Way in terms of 'US' not 'them'," Mrs. Levy said. "Even the most fortunate among us may at one time or an-
other require a service fund^ by the United Way,, from the distress centre which is geared to h^lp young people ih trouble, to a blood donor clinic or the YM-YWHA, to name just a few." ^
In her role as United Way: chairman, Edith Levy expressed strong views on the necessity to get across tq Toronto's Jewish community the imjportance of supporting the campaign and publicizing the fact that Jewish agencies receive \ close to $1 million annually through United Way allocations. "Many people are totally unaware of this," she said. "The Jewish Family & Child Service and Jewish Camp Council, are just two of the many beneficiary agencies."
Mrs. Levy was lavish ; in her praise of the lead-
ership and vitality of the Federation of Jewish Women's O rganizatiohs "which has been in.the forefront of social action and ediication in thiis city." She cited the protests on behalf of Soviet Jewry, survey on Jewish education, Tay Sachs clinics and other programs with which the FJWO has been involved during the past few years. Accor-ding to Mrs.- Levy, several projects were initiated in U.S. cities as a result of information funnelled through Toronto's FJWO.
When she took over as United Waychairman last year, she insisted that volunteers be allowed: to canvass throughout the city and not solely in Jewish areas, as had been the practice in previous
A past president of
Temple Smai sisterhood, Mrs. Levy has been a district consultant on social action for Reform sisterhoods in Toronto for the past two years. She was recently appointed to. the executive board of District #3 of the National Federation of Tern -pie Sisterhoods, an area which encompasses Ontario. Quebec and upper New York State.
Born" in Montreal, E-dith Levy moved to Toronto with her family when, she Was four. She is married to Arnold Levy and they have three children. A*great Toronto booster, Mrs. Levy has definite opinions on why Toronto, unlike most North American cities, has retained its liveability and quality of life.
By IRWIN HUBERMAN
MONTREAL -
Massad, a summer ~ camp where children are involved in intensive Hebrew' language immersion,- may be forced to close its doors, it was learned here recently.
Located at Lac Carre, 55 miles north of Montreal, Camp Massad provides children aged nine to 16 with the opportunity of living in an all-Hebrew environment.
"Wherever you go, you hear Hebrew," said Sh-muel Isackson, camp director. "All social activities, swimming, sports and hobbies are done in Hebrew. We are strongly, oriented about Zionism and Israel." . Along with the. camp emphasis on the Hebrew language, the following of Jewish tradition ranks high among Camp Massad's priorities, According to Isackson, daily and Sabbath services, religious holidays and Kash-ruth are all observed.
Camp Massad has been in operation for almost 30 years., However in recent seasons, the camp has been faced with a number Of setbacks that
PETERBOROUGH -
Veteran community leader Hymie Smith, 55, has died. He had been a president of the Peterborough B'nai B'rith Lodge, the board of education of Beth Israel Synagogue, and a leader in the BBYO^and sports -organizations ti^lMUghotit the city. )
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include a serious lack of funds and the collapse of Its auditorium, a dining hall and; several bunks. The camper population dwindled from about 370 in the mid-60's, to a mere eiLchildren in 1972.
There is~currently no organization that financially supports the.camp. Once backed by the Keren Hatarbut, Camp Massad IS now run entirely by a board of directors composed mainly of former Massad campers. The camp IS-operated solely from camper fees and private donations.
"We've had a lot of tough luck," said Mrs. Bernard Tonchin, executive secretary and one of. Massad's original camT pers, "but there is a great need for <this camp. We run it now on a totally.voluntary basis."
This past season Camp Massad hosted 143 children, most of whom at--tend Hebrew schools in tne Montreal area. The
camp staff, composed largely pf Israelis and Hebrew high school students, totalled 38. "The fact that the camper-staff ratio is;50 good," Isackson said, "makes It possible for -each child to have a lot of attention."
"You compare Camp Massad with a big camp," camper Joanne Steinberg
said, "At the big camp the only people you know _are the people in your unit. Here it is like one big familyr- You know everybody and the spirit is fantastic."
—Each-summer-at-Camp" Massad is climaxed by th~e- Maccabiah, where in the final week of the season, the campers are di-.
vided into twoteams com-, peting against each other in song, sports and spirr it
"It IS during the Mac-cabiah that you see how Camp Massad works," -said head counsellor-Car--^ mela Baruch. "The kids play games like baseball and they usealltheterms m Hebrew. This is a very
wonderful thing." v
"In reality, I can't tell you the whole camp speaks Hebrew," Isackson said, "but when' a child begins to speak in English he is answered" m Hebrew. We have ;an Israeli mission and the environment is here,' so the child has to pick up something."
Navel approach to anti'Smitim
WINNIPEG -
An innovative teacher at the Isaac Newton Jun-, lor'High School, disturbed by the evidences of anti-Semitism among her students and even the willingness of some Jewish, students to cover up their identity, ha's altered the situation radically by tackling the problem headon.
. Elsie Stasiuk assigned, her class a three - to -four-week number of top-
ics of Jewish interest with the.plan to culminate in an exhibit. The stu^ dents spread out to get. their information first hand, and visits were made to the offices of The -Western Jewish News, to the Jewi'sh Public Library,, to the Rosh Pina. Hebrew School and to synagogues; . .
The exhibit crowned t|ie effort with success. .
The entire student body, the faculty and some.
parents were invited, They were entertained with Jewish folk music, dined on kosher tidbits, and viewed films donated by the Jewish Historical-Society, as well as a special slide presenta-^ -tion arranged by a teacher at the school, Hymie. Rosenblatt. .
Mrs. Stasiuk said the reaction to the class effort wasoverwhelming.
" For many of the students> it was the
closest they have ever been to anything even remotely Jewish." She suggested the Jewish community approach the Department of Education to include a history of the Jews in the social studies curriculum: : •
In conclusion, she said students who had found.it necessary to hide the fact that they were Jewish wore their identity proudly during the course of the entire prograni. -
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