Tamarack Camps Blog

Brooke Leiberman, Tamarack’s head of omanut (arts and crafts), and her staff created dozens of ceramic red flowers that have become a symbol of Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day), commemorating Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror. They dedicated these poppies to the residents of the Gaza Envelope (specifically Kibbutz Gevim and Kibbutz Be’eri — … Read more

The rocks displayed as part of this exhibit were painted during an evening when some Israeli shlichim (staff) and Shinshinim shared stories (and favorite recipes) of three of their friends/fallen soldiers. Local and international staff from Israel, North America and Europe went from table to table hearing stories — and tasting favorite dishes — of … Read more

This piece was created by Hagar. Although she lost friends who were more like family, Hagar was not at her Kibbutz on October 7, which brings her own survivor guilt.   The work depicts the beautiful sign at the entrance to Kibbutz Be’eri, as well as the logo for the regional council. In addition to the … Read more

The Be’eri girls together memorialized one of their best friends, Yheal.  In their words: In this piece, we wanted to show you the story about our good friend who grew up with us since day zero and was a significant and important person for us all. She was murdered on October 7 in her home. … Read more

This piece was created by Geffen and Alma. Geffen, along with her family, was saved when her 23-year-old brother killed three terrorists who entered their home. They hid in their safe room for 10 hours while the rest of their home was burned. Alma was a hostage herself; she and her brother were released on … Read more

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of joining the Jewish Community Center Association (JCCA) Summit in Chicago — an international group of professionals and lay leaders who connected to share best practices and the current landscape of communal work. And, during the plenary, I was honored to join a panel that discussed the ways … Read more

Fall Family Camps felt more like a summer escape this year, with the gorgeous weather setting the perfect backdrop for Dad & Me and Mom & Me weekends. Families soaked in all the fun camp has to offer — rock climbing, ziplining, tie-dying, fishing, and even tubing — while celebrating Shabbat and Havdalah around the … Read more

The Healing Power of Camp, Art and Community for Israeli Campers This summer at Tamarack Camps was truly transformative, with over 200 Israelis at Camp Maas, including nearly 140 campers from the Elaine and Michael Serling Israeli Camper Program and 70 shlichim (Israeli staff). It served not only as a well-deserved escape to the “Fresh … Read more

There’s something so special about meeting new campers and their families. I had the chance to meet some wonderful families in Nashville last week, including our fabulous hosts Miriam and Rabbi Dan Horwitz and Akiva School, and it was a great reminder of why I love what I do. Hearing about parents’ hopes for their … Read more