Campfires to Compass Points

_{Originally published by Dine Magazine. Republished with permission as part of Resident's editorial content exchange. All rights remain with the original publisher.}

He was so proud as he waved to me from the canoe dock. As I sped toward him in my cedar strip canoe, my heart raced to meet his beaming cherubic smile. "Hey, my boy!" He excitedly cheered. I casually stretched my arms back and cut the water with my blade for a shocking inside-turn-landing a hair's distance from the edge of the dock. "Hey, Dad." I coolly smiled. As I stare out at the lake now, thirty years on, each ripple on the water is a wave of nostalgia. My son snaps me back to the present. “Dad, look!” he calls out, as he paddles toward me at the canoe dock. This is my Cats and the Cradle moment.

I’ve been visiting Camp Arowhon to teach canoeing for a few days. It’s my son’s turn at camp now. But I think back to so long ago. So many summers spent here. Those were the wonder years, the friendships that I cherish to this day, the skills that I’ll never forget, the life lessons that I live by, and the traditions—all quintessential Canadian experiences, and yet now, upon reflection, with a sense of tradition and legacy, I feel they are also very Jewish experiences. 

Even though Arowhon is a secular camp, I’ve come to believe that Jewish values flourish anywhere they're practiced. Camp in general, and this camp specifically, is a conduit of values and teachings, passed down through generations, that are a huge part of being Jewish. Jewish children at Arowhon, whether from my dad’s generation, mine, or my son’s, learn to bring their ethics, empathy, and curiosity into a community that reflects the broader world, and live Jewish values in a uniquely diverse and inclusive environment. In doing so, they embody the Jewish ideal of being a light unto others, modeling kindness, justice, and compassion wherever they go.

Today, there is a much greater consciousness of inclusivity and respect. This, in spite of a world that can feel more antisemitic; more virulently ethnocentric. It seems as though our children need to navigate a Canadian society whose attitudes toward Judaism seem increasingly complicated. But in truth, it’s been forever thus. This is how Canada was when Arowhon first opened in the 1930’s.

At that time, when Max Kates became the first Jewish dentist in Toronto, his wife, Lillian Kates, came up with the novel idea to build a coed camp for kids—out of the city and into nature. Can you imagine the chutzpah of this young Jewish woman, so independent and industrious in the early 1930’s? And who even heard of Algonquin Park back then? Years later, her son, Eugene Kates, would return from the war to imprint his own ideals on the camp, which involved fostering character-building through structure and skills. When his daughter, Joanne Kates, picked up the mantle in the late 1980s, her aim was to create a culture that would be a socially and emotionally safe space for kids. Now, her own kids, Mara Kates and Max Muszynski, run the camp as a dynamic brother and sister team, but also as parents to their own young children, with immense respect for what it means to care for children at this time.

We say "L'dor vador " and from generation to generation pass down the stories, traditions and values that shape who we are. When we recite the Shema, the most seminal prayer in Judaism, to reinforce our commitment to God and to the transmission of our values to the community, we say “You shall teach them diligently to your children.” That sense of continuity, of generations returning to the same shores, sleeping in the same cabins, and singing the same songs, speaks deeply to a Jewish sensibility. Just as we pass down stories, rituals, and values through our families, so too do Arowhon families hand down the traditions of camp life: gathering at the Main Lodge, cheering at campfires, learning to lead and to care. This continuity nurtures a feeling, even an identity, of belonging.

Jewish tradition also emphasizes derech eretz, treating others, and the environment, with kindness and respect. At Camp Arowhon, this value is lived out daily. From the youngest camper to the oldest staff member, everyone is expected to treat one another with kindness, fairness, and empathy. The camp's emphasis on co-operation, accountability, and integrity mirrors the Jewish concept of kehillah, in which every individual's contributions matter, and that community matters.

One of the most enduring Jewish values is tikkun middot, being mindful of refining one's character. One of the beautiful aspects of Arowhon is the attention to personal growth. Campers are challenged to try new things (from canoe-tripping and sailing, to the climbing and ropes course, to dance, music and yoga, the free-choice activity program is endless), face fears, lead with compassion, and learn from mistakes. Counselors guide campers to reflect on how they treat others and how they respond to challenges. In many ways, this mirrors the Jewish practice of cheshbon hanefesh, to take stock of one’s self in ways that last long after summer ends.

On Teepee Lake in Algonquin Park, Arowhon campers are immersed in nature. In the silence of the morning mist on the lake, or sitting around a glowing campfire under the stars at night, the feeling of connection is undeniably spiritual. The Torah teaches us to be stewards of the earth (bal tashchit — the commandment not to waste or destroy needlessly). This feeling of respect for the land, the water, the trees, has lasting impact. From my dad, to me, to my son, each generation of campers experience this sense of awe and humility towards nature.

There is a 2:1 ratio of staff to campers at Arowhon, helping them build the tools and skills to overcome challenges within an extraordinary range of activities, and nurturing the self-confidence to self-advocate and to care about each other. I don’t know how we got by as kids, but today, these campers are so safe, their strengths, skills and self-esteem, so encouraged. As a parent, I am elated, because I can rest assured that the experiences shared by my dad, and by me, is a living tradition in a place where memory and growth meet, to become my son’s, with nurtured continuity. These ideals embody the heart of what Judaism is all about: connection, gratitude, growth, and the enduring power of tradition passed lovingly from generation to generation.

The most prominent difference that I see now is that the food is exceptional. Meal time is an occasion, and the dietary standard is in line with our culinary and nutritional demands of today. Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, fresh fruit and pain au chocolat for Sunday brunch? This feels like a wellness resort!

To go back to camp after so many years, and to see my son and his friends interacting with their sense of adventure and curiosity, embracing values of gemilut hasadim and respect for each other, is a beautiful thing. I’m sure my dad felt the same way when he came to visit me at camp. He was a canoe tripper at Arowhon, where I learned to paddle a canoe, and became canoe instructor. Now, together with my son, silently paddling above the reflection of an opaque moon off the water, amidst the haunting call of the loon, swirling eddies swish by as we breathe-in a shared sense of legacy toward the spiritual compass points of our Jewish heritage, in a tradition we feel so profoundly on the mystical shores of Teepee Lake at Camp Arowhon.

For more information go to: Camp Arowhon