There are many reasons why Temple Judea allocates five Sunday mornings as Family Camp days - days where experiential learning is designed for the entire family to share together.
Parents are their children's primary Jewish role models and Jewish educators. Studies have shown that today's youth are strongly influenced by their family's attitudes and beliefs regarding religion and culture. More will be learned from parental attitudes about Jewish learning than from the most creative and engaging teachers and curriculum. At Family Camp you are handed the opportunity to actively participating in your child's Jewish learning, communicate the importance Judaism has in your life, and show that Jewish belonging is lifelong. For example, yesterday's "Torah Selfies" created a visual memory for the families who were here of their connection to one another, to the clergy of Temple Judea, and most importantly, to the values of the Torah.
Family Camp is a chance for families to stop and have important conversations with each other. In the words of clinical psychologist Dr. Betsy Stone, "much of the conversation within families is sadly focused on scheduling and arrangements, and Judaism can provide a framework for families to talk about important topics - which can create greater intimacy within families." (http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/a-new-model-for-family-education/) For example, in this week's Torah board game, one question posed to families was: God told Abraham to leave his home and go to a place which God would show to him. Imagine you were going on a similar sort of adventure, name three things you would want to bring with you and why? While answers to this question can be quick and silly, ideally parents will seize this opportunity to connect with their children and inquire about the things that the kids truly believe are important. Would you bring things with you or are there people you would want with you on this journey. This question prompt also provides parents the opportunity to explicitly share their values and beliefs with their children. Yes, I love playing golf, but bringing your baby book would be more important than my golf clubs.
Family camp is also important for building community within our congregational family. Many children who come on Sunday mornings have been coming for many years and are re-connecting with friends from early childhood. Just as many families are new to Temple Judea, new to Miami, and sometimes new to Judaism. Temple Judea prides itself on being a welcoming community. Family camp ensures that every family who has children in our program is introduced to other families with whom they will hopefully build connections. Several years ago, we received the following feedback anonymously: There aren't many opportunities for non preschool families to connect with other families. The community is pretty set and we haven't really socialized with anyone besides the wonderful staff whose job it is to connect with us. Family Camp is way to make sure that there are opportunities for these connections to develop. Temple Judea is a sacred community and we want every family in our congregation to feel that they are a part of this.
With 5,000 years of Jewish history, teachings, values, and customs, there is thought and intentionality put into every decision about how to spend the sacred and limited time that we have with your children. Doing Jewish together as a family is one of the most important ways that we can build Jewish and ethical leaders of the next generation. We continue to strive to make the time you spend at Temple meaningful and valuable for you and your child. Thank you for choosing to spend your Sunday morning with us.
