A note for our friends at Camp Havaya…
The Europe Trip is currently celebrating our first Shabbat in Córdoba, Spain. As you continue through your own Shabbat celebrations in the Poconos, we wanted to update you on our trip with some words from our trip members. Here in Spain, we are having a great time connecting as a group and with Jewish culture. For those who don’t know, Spain was known as Sepharad in Hebrew because of a large Jewish population that flourished during the Muslim caliphates. When they lived in the region, they had considerable influence until 1492, when they were told to convert, leave, or be killed in the Spanish Inquisition. Ari, a member of the trip, commented that “there is a long history of Jewish culture here that I hadn’t heard about because I am not as familiar with Sephardic Jews, but it is really intriguing and more people should learn about it.” Others like Yshai and Eli added that “they have been pushed out so much, yet their story is a very inspiring experience of adaptation and perseverance.” Overall, learning about the history was greatly enhanced by being together as the Havaya community. Vanilla added that she was “excited to experience being with my favorite people and learning about the history of my favorite people [the Jews].” Despite not everyone being from the same session, the nature of the trip let everyone – whether they were previously Aleph, Bet, or a seven-weeker – experience the Jewish value of kehillah, or unity. From exploring synagogues built in 1205 to the Sephardic museum, in only a few short days, we have had the most amazing experience. Being able to fulfill the Jewish mitzvah of learning while having fun with the Havaya community is truly How We Bee. We would like to thank the Director and all of camp, but especially our trip leaders Ryan, Lily, and Omer for allowing us to have this incredible experience. In the words of Omer: “it is truly an honor to learn more about other types of Judaism not normally seen in North America, and I am proud to be the leader of such an amazing group of Jewish teens.”
Shabbat Shalom from Spain!