Adding a Little Color to Summer Camp

by Steven Philp For centuries Jews have been the target of damaging stereotypes; yet in our effort to battle unfavorable myths, sometimes we overlook our own assumptions concerning the Jewish community. Perhaps this oversight is what makes Camp Be’chol Lashon so extraordinary. Located in the forested hills of Marin County—a short 35 miles north of San Francisco—the summer camp seeks to expand the borders of the Jewish community, to allow Jews of color to see themselves as an integral part of world Jewry. According to a New York Times article, Be’chol Lashon—which translates to “In Every Tongue”—has done in two short years what many Jewish communities have failed to accomplish: make the Jewishness of Jews of color a statement of fact, rather than a question. “If there’s Christians of all colors and all kinds, and Muslims...

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It Gets Better for Jews, Too

By Steven Philp It has been one month since the suicides of ten LGBT teens prompted a national debate on the adverse effects of homophobic bullying in our schools. One of the more positive results of this dialogue has been the It Gets Better Project. Started by advice columnist Dan Savage, this initiative has grown rapidly through videos submissions, lectures, and rallies. The message is that–although it may be difficult at the moment–life does get better for LGBT youth and it is worth sticking around to experience it. To hear this statement from prominent figures like President Obama or Ellen Degeneres is powerful; for LGBT teens to know that they have allies in our government and media can give hope in dark times. Yet where do the Jewish voices emerge in this dialogue? Unfortunately the only leader...

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