WINNIPEG — Camp Massad has done something that appears to be unprecedented in the history of Winnipeg’s Jewish community: the Hebrew immersion overnight camp is offering 17 immigrant children a free two weeks of camp in its first session this July.
“The only criteria is that all of the children must have settled in Winnipeg within the last five years and must be attending Massad for the first time,” said Leslie Jacobs, administrative director of Camp Massad, located in Winnipeg Beach on Lake Winnipeg.
“We’ve been able to do this as a result of receiving a $20,000 grant from the Dorothea Gould Foundation, a Swiss-based foundation. We were made aware of this foundation and encouraged to apply by Faye Rosenberg-Cohen [the planning director] of the Jewish Federation [of Winnipeg],” Jacobs said.
Rosenberg-Cohen said the vast majority of Jewish immigrants to Winnipeg in the last couple of years have been Russian Israelis.
“All of these new immigrant children speak fluent Hebrew, since they’ve lived in Israel. They are a really good fit for our camp. They are easily able to participate in our drama productions that are put on in Hebrew. They are natural stars… And they are real assets to the camp, because they help raise the level of Hebrew,” Jacobs said.
A request for proposals written by the Dorothea Gould Foundation says the foundation is aware of research “that confirms that an intensive summer… overnight Jewish oriented camp experience has positive long-term impact on youth,” and keeps them connected to Jewish life.
Jacobs said Camp Massad decided to offer the spots free of charge, since even if there are subsidies available to go to camp, “there are always some people who are reluctant to apply for subsidies, which requires having to show financial need… We wanted new immigrant children to have the opportunity of experiencing Jewish camping without having to worry about having to go through the process of qualifying for subsidies.”
Some immigrant families to Winnipeg have had more trouble than they originally anticipated re-settling in the city.
“A lot of them have to re-educate, and the economy is in a downturn, so the resettlement process can take time,” Jacobs said.
Camp Massad advertised its 17 positions via e-mail with the assistance of the federation and Winnipeg’s Jewish Child & Family Service.
“Within a week and a half, all of the spots were filled,” Jacobs said.
The immigrant children will all be attending the camp’s first session, because that’s when Massad had room to accommodate them.
“We only have 60 children registered for first session, including the 17 spots that the grant covers. Second session usually fills up, and we have close to 120 campers,” she said.
Camp Massad is one of only two Jewish camps in Canada that are Hebrew-speaking, Jacobs said.
Last year, Massad received a grant of $5,000 from the Dorothea Gould Foundation, which went toward subsidies for children in need.
“So far, we haven’t had other families of immigrant children, in addition to the 17 families, apply to get a spot free of charge. But if someone expresses an interest in our a camp, they’ll still be able to apply for a subsidy from us, or they also can apply to the province-wide Sun-Shine fund, which assists kids who want to go to camp,” Jacobs said.