Madison — Some years ago, an 11-year-old Jewish boy from the former Soviet Union arrived in Madison with his family. Within days, he was enrolled in Camp Shalom, the day camp operated by the Madison Jewish Community Council.
Steve Morrison, executive director of the MJCC, noticed this boy again recently, for he is now a counselor at the camp who, among other things, teaches “a variation on [the Chinese martial art] tai chi” as a “creative way” of “helping boys get into dance.”
This story is fairly typical, Morrison said, in that “Most of our counselors were campers.”
And this boy is just one of “thousands” of Madison children “that have been part of Camp Shalom over the years.”
This Sunday, July 18, the camp will mark its 50th anniversary. “That parents throughout the five decades have entrusted their children to us is something that makes us feel very gratified,” Morrison said.
These haven’t just been Jewish parents and children, either. Camp Shalom is open to the entire community and has welcomed campers from foreign countries as well. “That is part of our commitment to what we believe a Jewish community ought to be about,” said Morrison.
The camp grew as a partnership between the Jewish community and the city of Madison. In fact, during most of its history, camp sessions were held in Madison public parks.
In 2000, the camp moved to its present home, the 154-acre Irwin A. and Robert D. Goodman Jewish Community Campus in Verona. As current camp director Lynn Kaplan put it, “This incredible space has made it possible for the camp to grow, so we can serve more children.”
The camp began with five children, in its first year, according to Dr. James Stein, chair of the camp committee. This summer, more than 900 children will attend the camp’s three programs: Camp Shalom for children in kindergarten through fifth grade; Camp Shalom Bogrim, for sixth to ninth graders and located on the campus; and Camp Shalom Noar, which takes sixth to ninth graders on excursions off the campus.
And the partnership with the general community continues. Morrison said that the Madison school system provides lifeguards and swimming teachers for the camp when campers use the Goodman Aquatic Center; and when camp is not in session, the center is open to the general Madison public.
Stein said that the MJCC determined from the camp’s inception that “no child would be denied a camp experience because of financial limitations.”
For the last 10 years, said Morrison, about 25 percent of the campers attend on scholarships, which this year total about $87,000. The bulk of this money comes “from corporations and other donors throughout the Madison community and camp families,” Morrison said. “It’s another example of how much of a community treasure this is.”
The planned festivities on Sunday include an 11 a.m. brunch honoring Joel Minkoff, son of Camp Shalom’s founder Ben Minkoff and a veteran camper, counselor and camp leader in his own right. Cost is $50 per person, with proceeds going toward camp scholarships.
At 2 p.m., a festival will take place that is free and open to the public. For more information, call 608-278-1808.
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