June
27, 2012, Utica, Mississippi--Two Jewish summer camps serving the Deep South--one
Reform, the other Orthodox--will come together for a day of activities to
celebrate America's independence. This unprecedented collaboration is
made possible by a grant from the Foundation for Jewish Camp.
Orthodox
Jewish campers from Camp Darom in Grenada, Mississippi, will spend the Fourth
of July at the Union for Reform Judaism's (URJ) Henry S. Jacobs Camp. This is
the first time these two camps have come together for an inter-camp program
day.
The
event, dubbed "Americafest," will include a Fourth of July Parade
featuring campers from both camps and an afternoon carnival. In the evening,
all will gather for an outdoor concert by renowned Jewish musician Dan Nichols,
followed by fireworks and treats. Campers and counselors from Camp Darom will
also enjoy some of Jacobs Camp's other recreational offerings including new
lakefront activities such as a Blob and a Wet Willie Waterslide.
The
URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp is the Reform Movement's summer camp serving the Deep
South, at its permanent site in Central Mississippi since 1970. Camp Darom, the
first and only overnight camp under Orthodox auspices in the South, was founded
by Baron Hirsch Congregation in Memphis, Tennessee, and has been serving
families in various locations since 1976.
"While
the two camps practice their Judaism differently, their missions are very much
the same: to strengthen the Jewish identity of young people from small and
isolated Southern Jewish communities by providing them with outstanding
programs and powerful Jewish memories," said URJ Jacobs Camp Director
Jonathan "J.C." Cohen. "Jacobs Camp's motto, 'A Jewish Place at
a Southern Pace,' will surely ring true during this one-of-a-kind
celebration."
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