A unique aspect of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City’s summer day camp is its two Israeli emissaries who provide Jewish and Israeli perspectives and activities to the campers.
Israeli shlichot (Israeli emissaries) Shir Nagola (from Tirat Carmel) and Hadar Herstein (from Zichron Yaakov) are working at J Camp this summer. Before signing up to work at a camp in the United States, they did not know each other; only when they met did they find out they lived 25 minutes away from each other in Israel.
The shlichot both shared why they wanted to partake in this program, which is facilitated by the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Nagola, who staffed Birthright trips while in the Israel Defense Forces, developed an interest in the U.S. and American Jewish culture. She said that while staffing Birthright, she “really realized the Jewish community [in the U.S.] does not really know anything about life in Israel. I want to get to know and see how life in America is seen, like the Jewish life, how they celebrate the holidays.”
Herstein had a similar reason for becoming a shlicha that was sparked from a different place.
While in the IDF, Herstein worked with people who traveled to Israel to serve. Herstein said that she has “the opportunity now to try and understand them and go to the ‘other side,’ [and] also to be a real shlicha — to really share what happens and really help and be the person who can answer a question and be a reliable source.”
After getting into the program, those in charge asked participants if they wanted to go to either a sleepaway camp or day camp throughout the United States and Canada. Those participating do not get to choose their location.
Nagola and Herstein had to go through trainings in both Israel and the U.S. In Israel, they went through a series of seminars and learned how to manage different scenarios regarding campers’ behavior. Directors from different camps in the U.S. also helped them train and work through scenarios they might encounter at camp. There are also some fun aspects which cover activities they can do with campers and how they can adapt to a host family.
In Kansas, the training was similar and included learning CPR, getting to know the other staff and familiarizing themselves with The J.
Nagola and Herstein both want to do something meaningful and educate the campers about Israel. They said that programming does not necessarily need to be connected to Israel, but it should help make a personal connection with each camper. When campers ask questions about Israel or Hebrew, it makes the shlichot excited, and they know they’re making an impact.
Outside of the daily scheduled activities with other J Camp staff, Nagola and Herstein have free time to interact with the campers. During their free time, they lead games and do activities tied to Israel, such as Israeli trivia, to help campers strengthen their connection with the country.
Nagola works for the Boom! Camp, which consists of campers going into fifth through seventh grades.
“The way [the campers] think about things is different,” Nagola said. “They can ask me really interesting questions, and I can talk with them really openly about this stuff. I don’t need to make it all pretty. I can really talk with them about the situation in Israel, [not just] making everything happy, so they can really understand.”
Herstein works for the Barney Goodman camp, which has campers going into first through fourth grades.
“I love little kids, and I think there is so much to learn about them,” Herstein said. “I think that people sometimes don’t really think you can do stuff with little kids because they are little and don’t think, but this is [when] the thinking starts, and this is [when] they start to understand stuff… I can help them and make a difference.”
Camp did not begin easily for the shlichot. When they first arrived, they had yet to learn a lot about American culture. They were quickly able to learn about sports, popular trends and foods, and both shlichot were able to ask questions to feel more connected and understand American culture. They felt they were part of the staff after only a week.
Herstein enjoys getting to see the kids grow throughout the week. They begin the week shy, and by the end of the week, they don’t want to leave.
Every Friday, when the camp practices Shabbat, the shlichot sing an Israeli song in front of the whole camp. Even if the campers do not know Nagola and Herstein personally, they can still get a small taste of Israel and Judaism.
“Being Jewish in different places or countries can be a little bit scary,” Nagola said. “When I [travel] with my family, they say ‘don't bring Jewish [jewelry].’ Here, people are so proud of it, and really celebrate the holidays. It is amazing. I didn’t know that [there is] such a big Jewish community here.”