Camp Sarah: A Jewish Summer Camp Grows in Africa.
Camp Sarah first bloomed in the minds of rhapsodic volunteers, a tiny passing thought that slowly grew into a becoming idea and an eager dream till it blossomed into an outstanding magnificent event that would remain in the minds of everyone who had the opportunity to attend the camp.
A Jewish educational and cultural camp for children aged 5–16 from the Nigerian Jewish community, Camp Sarah is rooted in Jewish traditions and values, offering meaningful educational and fun experiences aimed to foster personal growth, a cohesive community, and a love for Judaism. Born with the intention to unify the Jewish communities in Nigeria and connect the Jewish communities to the international community, Camp Sarah held its very first Jewish camp for Nigerian Jewish children in the Summer of 2023.
Camp Sarah’s staff consisted of an all-volunteer group of twenty-four persons, both Nigerian Jewish youths and Jews from aboard. The camp was held on the premises of Tikvet Israel synagogue in Kubwa, Abuja Nigeria, from August 21–26 2023 for forty campers. Elder Habakkuk and his wife were kind enough to host the camp at their synagogue, an act of kindness that was much appreciated.
The campers were divided into three Edot (age groups): Chatulim (5–8-year-olds), Great Stars (9–12-year-olds), and Ikar (13–16-year-olds).
Every day at camp had a theme focusing on 1–2 Jewish holidays. Each Edah had specific teachings and activities in accordance with the day’s theme to foster learning. The youngest, Chatulim focused mainly on the holidays themselves, which includes stories and Midrash. The middle, Great Stars, focused on the use of tefillah and Torah studies to foster understanding for ben-bat mitzvah preparation. And the oldest, Ikar, focused on text studies drawn from the Torah, tefillah, Talmud, and more to foster understanding and teamwork among themselves.
While the structure of the week followed the rhythm of the Jewish year through the holidays, each guiding theme was in both Hebrew and English with respect to understanding how the Judaism of our tradition can be woven with the Judaism of our daily lives.
On Monday, the theme of the day was Teshuvah (respect) focusing on the first three holidays of the year: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. On Tuesday, it was Gevurah (strength): Simchat Torah and Hanukkah, and on Wednesday was Achrayit (responsibility): Tu B’shvat and Purim. Thursday was Koach Hadibbur (the power of speech): Pesach followed by Hakarat Hatov (gratitude).
Each day at the camp started at 9:00 a.m. with Tfilot led by the Chanzzans. Tefilot was followed by snack time, then activities led by each Edah and their counselors. This was followed by dancing and singing Jewish songs in the courtyard, followed by lunch. The third activity after lunch could be sports, arts, or more learning, followed by the final snack of the day. Camp ended each day at 4:00 p.m.
Daily activities consisted of arts and crafts, where the children made crafts in accordance with the theme/holiday of the day. Sports played by energy-filled kids that would play for hours on end. And finally, Yahadut, a special time dedicated to transmitting Torah knowledge to campers eager to learn.
Camp Sarah worked with a flexible schedule that had the children in mind, a schedule with a snack time every hour and a half, and an afternoon time for every child to pick what activity they wanted to engage in. The camp was filled with fun. Camp prepared a delicious lunch daily; the camper and staff looked forward to lunch as much as they did every activity!
The childern painted an entire wall with festival symbolisms and had a fun-filled interview (get-to-know-you) that resulted in a gorgeous mural and megillah filled with activities for all staff.
The start of the camp was filled with children who were a little bit nervous, and each counselor took it upon themselves to ease out those nerves and foster friendship and teamwork among the children. With the use of snacks (as expected) and games that can be accomplished by working together, Camp Sarah was the start of many marvelous friendships.
The camp ended on a marvelous note of a Shabbaton attended by the campers, camp staff, and members of Tikvat synagogue, and even some visitors from other synagogues like Gihon Hebrew synagogue, Jikwoyi, Abuja, flooded the premises of Tikvat synagogue.
When Camp Sarah first opened its gates to the campers of Camp Sarah, we had a vision and mission for every child, a goal to bring together the Jewish community of Nigeria and fill each child with boundless happiness and embed with Torah teachings. In a country that is predominantly Christian and Muslim, the Jews of Nigeria can often feel alone. The fear of being religiously distant from friends and even family, the lack of representation of who you are, of what you believe in is hard. Camp Sarah is a movement to remind Nigerian Jews that they are not alone and to speak for the Nigerian Jewish children on an international scale, their dreams and their aspirations, their uniqueness and beauty, and finally their love for the G-d of Abraham.
Camp Sarah lasted over seven days. A week-long camp that blossomed into a beautiful and unique experience, a place that birthed friendships that crossed oceans and states, and a chance to hear every subtle yet beautiful difference of worship filled with loud enchanting voices. In seven days, we saw the children and staff grow, we witnessed a birthday and a Bar Mitzvah, we tried new foods, and learned a thing or two from each other. Most importantly, we filled the children with reminders that they are not alone in this, nor are they unknown, that out there, outside their synagogues, there are millions of Jews just like them and all that is between them is no more than land mass and seas, and that they should never diminish their love for their religion and their love for their G-d.
With the first year of camp, a birth of a Jewish legacy in Nigeria for every Jewish child has been made. With an undying hope, Camp Sarah is here to stay.
