Habonim camps, at their inception, introduced new and revolutionary methods and concepts into the field of camping generally, and Jewish camping in particular. Perhaps we, not to speak of authorities in the field of Jewish camping, have never fully evaluated or appreciated the new and progressive approaches we developed in our first camps. Our program was outstandingly different from other Jewish camping programs; in most phases of camping, we led the way and were far ahead of other camps.
Alongside the most progressive educational techniques and values, our camps, from the physical point of view, operated on a most primitive level. Campers were generally housed in tents. Outdoor plumbing was the rule and not the exception. Dining halls were small, kitchens totally inadequate. There were no special facilities for infirmaries. Frequently, camps were situated in virtually inaccessible sites. There were no si)ecial technical personnel; an older havera with relatively limited experience might well be the cook or nurse, and an older haver, the business manager. And no camp season was complete without at least one good epidemic, fire, or accident, which created the material for "chizbatim" told to this very day. In fact, the more primitive the camp, the more enjoyable and satisfying the camp season appeared to have been.
And, surprisingly enough, parents sent their children to such camps. Perhaps it was that in the late thirties and early forties the Jewish community had not as yet reached its present economic middle-class level, with corresponding middle-class standards in regard to the camps. Perhaps parents-and especially those from so-called "Jewish homes" -felt that the uniquely Jewish content which we had to offer their children in such a creative and dynamic manner more than offset the primitive environment to which their children were exposed. Whatever the reason, though they complained, parents sent their children to our camps, and their children returned from camp none the worse for wear and full of enthusiasm for the type of creative Jewish camping which they had experienced over the summer-an enthusiasm which to varying degrees was communicated to, and shared by, the parents themselves.
Today, from the point of view of progressive educational techniques and values, our camps are no longer unique. Every year, new camps come into being which stress similar approaches to the very ideals in camping which were once almost exclusively ours. For instance, one can find a strikingly familiar description of a day at camp in the March 14, 1954, issue of The Reconstructionist, in an article entitled, "At a Work Camp of the American Jewish Society for Service, " by Hyman R. Sankel. " The day's work is beginning ... Two boys and a girl start to saw wood for the flooring of the house they are erecting ... Others are busily mixing mortar and cement for the foundation of the house . - . Still others are digging a ditch to lay the sewer pipe. The cement is ready. The foundation is about to be laid. Now the plumb line and the level go into action. This is a key job, Cooperation is essential. The camp individualist, Emanuel, cannot do the job alone. He must ask for help. He begins to see the value of working together with his fellow camper for a common goal." This could be a description of a very successful work project at a Habonim camp, with its emphasis on the dignity of labor and cooperation among men. It is actually a description of a typical "work camp" of which there are many, ranging from agency camps, such as the one described above, to private camps charging high tuition rates.
The monopoly we once had in the field of creative Jewish living" is no longer ours either. Here, for example, is a description of a B'nai B'rith camp: " The most popular of the subjects studied was the imaginary trip to Israel . . . The children were started on this imaginary trip by applying, realistically enough, for visas at the Israel Consul's office. They visited the cities, famous settlements, and landmarks of the country. Each site was investigated for its ancient and modern significance. When they entered the kibbutz Yizr'el, which is on the Gilboa, f acing the Arab Triangle, they could sense the immense drama which has taken place and is taking place around this famous mountain . . . " While we may take pride in the fact that a B'nai B'rith camp here employs so successfully a technique long known to Habonim, an even more important conclusion, which can be drawn from this and other examples, is that we are no longer alone, or among the few, using the approach to Jewish camping which such an activity typifies.
So now, in 1954, we find that we are not the only progressive Jewish camp on the scene. On the other hand, though educationally Jewish camping has caught up to us, technically we have f ailed to keep pace with the other camps. And today, more than ever before, the Jewish parent pays increasing attention to the physical setup of the camp to which lie sends his child; there are so many Jewish camps from which to choose that he may well be particular as to the one he finally decides upon. The physical setup and technical funetioning of the camp finally chosen may well be the deciding factors.
Let no one conclude from my foregoing remarks that our particular type of camping has outlived its usefulliess; on the contrary, in terms of our movement's needs, Habonim camping is as necessary and important to us as it ever was. For in Habonim, unlike other Jewish organizations, we want to create halutzim, and only our camps can educate towards that aim.
But one need not have a technically primitive, illmanaged camp in order to educate towards that goal. A good madrich should be able to educate towards the aims of Habonim in a modern, well-equipped, well-run camp as well as, if not better than, in a primitive one; on the contrary, in a modern, well-operated camp, the madrich has more tools and materials at his disposal to aid him in his job. To defend the primitive camp on ideological terms is to distort the entire meaning of our ideology.
The need then is to bring our camps up to date in the physical, technical, and administrative spheres so that we can once again compete with other Jewish camps and be acceptable to the modern Jewish parent, whose first concern is with his child's health and safety.
Habonim camping is now at a crucial turning point. If we do not advance technically, a time will come when our camps will be empty. If we do advance, as we have set out to do, we may once again find ourselves in a leading position in the field of Jewish camping in America. We must face up to the realities of the situation and solve the problems confronting us in a responsible and mature manner.
Dex Srauss, 1954