Eric Chapman had his first camp experience this summer. He swam, canoed and learned about effective leadership and Israel advocacy.

Some 50 to 60 student leaders attended the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students’ leadership retreat this year. [Alana Kayfetz photo]

Some 50 to 60 student leaders attended the Canadian Federation of Jewish
Students’ leadership retreat this year. [Alana Kayfetz photo]

Eric Chapman had his first camp experience this summer. He swam, canoed
and learned about effective leadership and Israel advocacy.
Chapman, a third-year biology student and co-president of Queen’s University Hillel, was one of around 50 to 60 campus leaders who took part in the Canadian Federation of Jewish Student’s (CFJS) annual retreat at Camp Gesher, near Cloyne, Ont.

The retreat, which ran from Aug. 26 to  29, helped students develop leadership skills and included lectures from organizations such as Canadian Jewish Congress.

“This was my first CFJS conference. I wanted to make sure I was ready to be co-president of Queen’s Hillel,” said Chapman, 20. “I gained a lot of experience hearing other leaders that have been in high positions for a long time. It really inspired me.”

Chapman, who had never been to Camp Gesher before, learned about Israel advocacy and dealing with the media.

The third-year biology major also did some bonding.

“I had never been to camp growing up. It was a big deal for me. You really get to feel how people come together. You really become a family,” he said.

Chapman also enjoyed hearing from the Assembly of First Nations, which had representatives come to the retreat for the first time this year.

“It was quite interesting… to see how other minority student groups act together to work on issues. We were kind of trying to relate that to the CFJS and what we do,” he said, adding that he hopes to help unite other student groups at Queen’s.

Shira Fenyes, vice-president of programming at CFJS and the retreat organizer, sees this as an important goal, both nationally and locally.

“We’re really taken an interest in reaching out to other student groups,” said Fenyes, 20, adding that CFJS president Aaron Vomberg attended the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council this past July.

“We’re hoping it’ll be a long-lasting relationship… We come from such a multicultural society,” she said.

Fenyes, a third-year political studies major at the University of Saskatchewan, said the goal for this year’s conference was to provide a forum for campus leaders.

“The goal of the conference was to bring Jewish student leaders together and… to give them tools and ideas and training that they could bring back to their campuses,” she said.

For Fenyes, Camp Gesher was an ideal environment for the retreat.

“It really provided a setting that was conducive to this type of retreat. Having a conference at a camp really does change the dynamic, and it was a more relaxed environment,” she said.

For Alexandra Izso, 20, president of Carleton University’s Hillel, the retreat was an important learning experience.

“We had a lot of advocacy training workshops and Jewish identity workshops. We discussed what Israel means to us and touched upon volunteering and building coalitions with other groups on campus,” said Izso, a third-year student in international relations and economics.

“I definitely learned a lot, especially coming from fellow students who have had experience in the past with campus politics.”

Izso, who hopes to bring a larger variety of Jewish programming to her campus this year, appreciates the social connections she gained from the trip.

“I’ve met people from all over the country who are in the same shoes as I am, and people who have done this previously. I’ve networked and built relationships,” she said. “I really enjoyed it.”