Starting April 18, Israelis Won't Be Required to Wear Masks Outdoors

PAGE 1 | APRIL 22 , 2021 THE HEBREW WATCHMAN | hebrewwatchman.com Want to be seen? Advertise Here HEBREWWATCHMAN.COM 10 Iyyar, 5781 April 22, 2021 VOL. 99, NO. 31 ‘Kids need camp this summer more than ever before’: What Jewish summer camp will look like this year By Shira Hanau (JTA) — Last year at this time, to eat in the hall at a reduced capacity. the message out of Jewish summer “The last thing you want to do is to camps was one of doom and gloom. have a superspreader event at camp,” Co- In April 2020, the Union for Reform hen said. “We don’t need that. We can go Judaism announced that COVID would one summer without everyone davening force a closure of its camps for the sum- [praying] together or singing together.” mer, affecting some 10,000 kids. In May, Most camps will be able to aggres- Shoshana Cenker and her children Lyla, Aiden and Kivi Cenker, 3rd and the Conservative movement’s Ramah sively test their campers and staff, and 4th generation Survivors, lit the Yom HaShoah memorial candles this year, camps across the country followed suit. receive results quickly enough to iso- accompanied by Diane Zelickman Cohen (violin) and Claire Julian (piano). This year, the outlook could not be late and prevent the spread of the virus. more different. Vaccinated staffers will add another Memphians Join 59th Annual Camps in the United States are open- layer of protection, ensuring that the ing again with a combination of testing adults at camp, who are more vulner- Yom HaShoah Commemoration and vaccinations, along with a better un- able to death and serious illness from derstanding of how COVID-19 spreads. COVID than children, will be protect- Margo Gruen, chair of Memphis Jew- live to a Zoom audience, while safely so- “It’s absolutely exhausting but incred- ed. And with increased understanding ish Federation’s Holocaust Memorial cially distancing. This years’ theme was ibly exhilarating,” said Rabbi Mitchell of how COVID spreads and preven- Committee, served as emcee of Fed- Rescue: Challenges, Choices & Conse- Cohen, national director of the National tative measures — namely through eration’s 59th Annual Yom HaShoah quences, which featured a presentation Ramah Commission, which runs the Ra- mask wearing, social distancing and Commemoration, April 8, 2021. A small by Susan Goldstein Snyder, a curator at mah camps across the U.S. and Canada. activities held outdoors or in buildings group of rabbis, cantors, musicians and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Cohen’s exhaustion has to do with the with improved ventilation — keeping speakers gathered in the MJCC’s Belz Hundreds of households tuned in to join extra planning involved in fitting camp- the virus under control seems doable, Social Hall to broadcast the program in the communal commemoration. HW ers into existing space while allow- even if it does require extra preparation. ing for social distancing and keeping Helping to cover some of the extra campers in pods and outdoors as much costs for camps to buy tents, upgrade lance testing throughout the summer. Co-director Howard Salzberg plans as possible. And while most of Ra- buildings and increase capacity is $3.8 While the camp won’t be bringing ev- to follow the same playbook this mah’s 10 overnight camps are expect- million in funding from the Founda- eryone together in one room for singing year, though at a significantly reduced ed to open without issue, the group’s tion for Jewish Camp. Its grants are set the way it usually might, OSRUI has cost now that testing has become Canadian camp may have trouble due to add capacity for 4,000 campers and ideas about gathering the entire camp. cheaper and more widely available. to Canada’s sluggish vaccine rollout will help the camps recoup some of the “Something like a Friday-night “We learned a lot last year, so we don’t and rising infection rates in Ontar- money that was lost last year. (Jeremy song session, instead of being all need to reinvent the wheel,” Salzberg said. io, where the camp is located. (Cohen Fingerman, the foundation’s chief ex- together [inside], we’re in a soc- Modin campers will be asked to get said the camp is exploring options for ecutive officer, said Jewish overnight cer field with kids sitting in pods a COVID test in the days before camp a new U.S. campus to serve campers camps lost about $150 million last year, and wearing masks,” Kane said. and will be tested on the first day — from New York and Ohio who would the vast majority of which was covered But no matter how much testing and possibly again with a rapid antigen typically attend the Canadian camp.) by loans, cost reductions, donations has to be done and how many events test before boarding buses to camp. At most Ramah camps, campers will and tuition rolled over to this year.) have to be reconfigured to work out- “We have the ability to test, test, test,” be kept in pods of one or two cabins for “We’re estimating that as a result side, the most important thing to Salzberg said. “That is so much more most of their activities. Spaces like the of this grant, it’ll raise more than $16 Kane is to get the kids back to camp. than we even had at our disposal last dining hall, where hundreds of camp- million of revenue that will drop to “It’s been a hard last year for every- year and costwise it’s now affordable.” ers and staff would come together for the bottom line,” Fingerman said. body,” Kane said. “Kids need camp Still, Salzberg is worried that par- meal times, will be subdivided with At the Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Insti- this summer more than ever before.” ents this year may be less on guard temporary walls or plastic sheeting to tute, a URJ camp in Wisconsin more Camp Modin in Belgrade Lakes, than they were in 2020, when par- separate pods. Where birkat hamazon, commonly known as OSRUI, camp di- Maine, was one of the few Jewish ents were overjoyed to be able the blessing after meals, was once a rol- rector Solly Kane is looking forward to camps to open last year, hosting about to send their kids to camp at all. licking campwide songfest, some camp- welcoming back about 900 campers af- 300 children for one five-week session. “The thing that was most effective ers will have to step outside the dining ter closing last year. Staffers, including The camp asked families to quarantine was that the parents were partners with hall to a tent to say the blessings this about 35 from Israel, will be required to before camp, and tested campers and us and they really, really locked down year to allow another shift of campers be vaccinated, and there will be surveil- staff multiple times in the first weeks. and they tested negative,” he said. HW Starting April 18, Israelis won’t be required to wear masks outdoors By Ben Sales meted along with its successful vac- an average of a couple hundred cases a cided to enable taking them off.” (JTA) — Israel has reached a mile- cination drive. At certain points last day among more than 9 million Israelis. Masks will still be re- stone in its return to normalcy: Start- year, Israel reported case numbers “The masks are intended to pro- quired in indoor public spaces. ing Sunday, Israelis will no longer that were among the highest in the tect us from the coronavirus,” Health The change in mask protocols is one of be required to wear masks outside. world, but the country since has vac- Minister Yuli Edelstein said, accord- a few ways that Israeli society is reopen- The announcement April 15 from cinated more than half its population. ing to The Times of Israel. “After ing. Schools will fully reopen next week, the Health Ministry comes as Isra- The rising vaccination rates have professionals decided this was no and starting in May, vaccinated tour el’s COVID case numbers have plum- pushed the COVID numbers down to longer required in open spaces, I de- groups will be allowed to visit Israel. HW PAGE 2 | APRIL 22 , 2021 THE HEBREW WATCHMAN | hebrewwatchman.com Memphis Jewish Home & Rehab’s new Philanthropy and Community Engagement Established September, 1925 Associate Editor Emeritus Director By Leo I. Goldberger (1902-1989) ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Memphis and Mid-South $36 By Shoshana Cenker MAILING ADDRESS Call for out-of-state rate A longtime Memphis family member 1138 N. Germantown Pkwy. Ste.101 Payable in Advance has returned to her hometown, bringing P.O. Box 353 Cordova, TN 38016-5872 Submissions passion and energy with her to the piv- Office: 901.763.2215 Send editorial submissions otal new role she proudly holds. Kate Direct: 901.827.7244 (calendar items, news releases, Menke is now happily serving as Mem- event photos, and letters to the phis Jewish Home and Rehab’s (MJHR) [email protected] editor) at least 9 days prior to director of philanthropy and commu- publication date to Susan C. Nieman [email protected] nity engagement. Her excitement can Editor and Publisher even be felt over our Zoom interview. Advertising “I was floored and honored to be of- Rebecca Miller For advertising rates and specs, Social Media Director contact Larry at 901.299.7376 or fered this incredible position. I’ll be Web Development meeting with donors, processing in- [email protected] coming donations, and growing and Larry Nieman Simchas maintaining those important relation- Advertising Sales Director Weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, ships,” explains Kate about the main birthdays, engagement, Holly Marks focus of her position.

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