Summer camp in California gives Jewish children of colour a haven to be different together

PETALUMA, California (AP):

One camper, from Oakland, California, has a white Jewish mother and a father who is black and Muslim. Another was adopted in Uganda by a white Jewish woman. They now live in Montana.

Like many of the young people who shared challenges and adventures with them this summer, they grew up often feeling like outliers — and then found a near-magical comfort zone at Camp Be’chol Lashon in the rolling hills of California’s Marin County. Its founders say it’s the only sleep away summer camp specifically serving Jewish children of colour, creating a safe space for candid conversations on race and identity.

Isaac Harrison, the 10-year-old from Oakland, went to a traditional Jewish summer camp last year and said he was bullied by some campers for being black.

“There were no kids of colour there,” he said. “Some kids kept saying that you can’t be both black and Jewish. They said that you can’t be two things. They were just being really mean, but here, no one’s mean like that.”

Isaac’s mother, Jennifer Harrison, was relieved to find Camp Be’chol Lashon.

“If camp this summer didn’t work out, we were going to be done with Jewish camps,” she said. “My child was suffering.”

Over the past 14 years, the camp has offered children like Isaac a haven where they don’t have to explain their identity or downplay a part of who they are. It functions as an extended family for campers who are often the only Jewish child of colour in their hometown or treated more as a curiosity than a full-fledged member of Jewish or black communities.

JAMAICAN HERITAGE

Most black Americans identify as Christian. Several of the campers recalled uncomfortable encounters with Christians trying to proselytise them.

“If it’s just black people and you say that you’re Jewish, they just don’t get it,” says Baileigh Davis, 11, of Houston, who is the third generation of black Jews in her family.

The US Jewish population remains overwhelmingly homogeneous in its racial makeup, with 92 per cent of adults identifying as white, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey. But there are signs that the nation’s Jews are becoming more diverse, especially among younger generations. Compared to eight per cent of all Jewish adults, 15 per cent of those ages 18 to 29 identified with a non-white category.

At the camp, each morning begins with a lesson on global Jewry. For example, there’s Pirate Day, when campers learn about Jews who were expelled to the Caribbean during the Spanish inquisition and found livelihoods as pirates.

Some of the campers have Jamaican heritage, including Josiah Spencer, 15, grandson of camp founder Diane Tobin and son of Sarah Weinberg, the camp director.

“It’s like a family, and having been here makes people more comfortable when they’re not here,” said Josiah, who attends a Jewish day school in San Francisco.

When the camp opens, each child gets a booklet called Passport to Peoplehood, with questions about their nationality, ethnicity, and favourite foods. Asked if another language besides English is spoken at home, hands shot up — answers included Spanish, Zulu, Swahili, and Bulgarian.

Although most campers this summer were from northern California, other home states included Texas, Montana, and New Jersey. One came from South Africa.

“We were looking for a place where (Isaac) could celebrate both of his identities,” said Rashad Harrison, Isaac’s father. “There are very few African American spaces where Judaism is embraced.”

At the end of one busy day, campers gathered in the art room, surrounded by projects like the mezuzahs and menorahs they had made at camp. That night’s game was “Jewpardy,” with questions reflecting the diversity of Jews, including black Jewish musicians such as Drake.

DIVERSITYAfter evening s’mores, in the flickering light of a campfire, eight-year-old Abey Levine belted out a rendition of “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars. Cheering campers hoisted him atop their shoulders. Abey, short for Abraham, is white and Jewish from New Orleans. He attended camp with his brother Major, 10, who is black and Jewish.

“We searched all over the country for Jewish camps that had diversity,” says their mother, Vanessa Levine.

Later that night, the group gathered in a circle by the firepit, arms around one another, swaying as their voices rose together in a Hebrew prayer, asking God to watch over them.

Apiyo Bocast, an 11-year-old wearing turquoise beads in her hair, was adopted in Uganda and lives with her mother in Bozeman, Montana. She has been exhilarated by camp, including a morning lesson about a community in Uganda that has practised Judaism for more than 100 years.

“It makes me feel more welcome into the world,” said Apiyo.

Many of the campers identify as mixed race. Aesa Masliyah, 16, of Oakland, represents multiple heritages. Hiis grandparents were Iraqi, Israeli, Ashkenazi, Jamaican, and Dominican.

“There’s not one type of Jew, every Jew doesn’t look the same, and there’s not just one way to practise Judaism,” said Jonah Tobin, 25, of San Francisco, counsellor and son of founder Diane Tobin. She was inspired to found Be’chol Lashon, the organisation behind the camp, after adopting Jonah into her family of six.

The camp incorporates aspects of Jewish practice such as lighting candles for Shabbat and Havdalah, the ceremony to close out the Sabbath day. That ceremony also marked the end of the two-week camp session.