Youth leadership at Camp Tavor
By Eliana Adler, Etta Heisler, and Mira Sussman
In an era when many summer camps are run by career administrators, Camp Tavor stands apart. At this Jewish summer camp in Michigan, the head counselor might be just 23 years old, and campers as young as eight participate in community-wide decisions. This distinctive approach to youth leadership has been creating confident, capable leaders for generations.
“We take kids seriously,” explains Mira Sussman, a longtime camp participant and current board chair. “There is so much more that kids can do — they just need opportunities to do it.” This philosophy manifests in every aspect of camp life, from daily avodah (work/chores) to major policy decisions.
Unlike traditional summer camps where adult staff handle maintenance and cooking, at Camp Tavor, everyone pitches in. “It’s crazy to explain to people,” says Eliana Adler, a recent counselor. “Feeding, cleaning up, cooking food — like all of that stuff — we do it ourselves.” This approach teaches responsibility while fostering a deep sense of community ownership.
The camp’s commitment to youth leadership extends far beyond basic responsibilities. Camp Tavor is part of an international youth movement called Habonim-Dror, which has been in existence for 90 years. Tavor is one of six Habonim-Dror camps throughout the U.S. and Canada. “We have 16 to 24-year-olds as the governing body of the organization,” explains Etta Heisler, a Camp Tavor board member. “They have a meeting where the rules of the organization are decided, and it happens without anyone over the age of 25 in the room.” This level of youth autonomy is so unusual that when Sussman described it at a Jewish camping conference, other administrators were stunned to learn that Camp Tavor includes young staff members on its board of directors.
This trust in young people’s capabilities has profound effects on campers’ development. “Hadracha (leadership) isn’t about being at the front of the room,” Heisler emphasizes. “It’s about being able to offer your most valuable, most unique contribution to the greater community.” The camp environment nurtures these contributions in a collaborative rather than competitive atmosphere.
Adler, who recently completed her first year as a counselor, describes how this approach shapes young people: “I attribute so much of the way that I communicate with people, and the way that I know how to have serious conversations, to my time at machaneh (camp).” She notes that the camp’s collective decision-making process gives everyone space to develop leadership skills in ways that feel natural and meaningful to them.
The impact of this leadership model extends beyond camp boundaries. Adler shares how her camp experience influenced her political engagement during a recent election season: “I worked for a campaign and was very politically involved. I would see my kids from this past summer around Ann Arbor, and check in with them, and see how they were feeling about all the crazy stuff going on.”
This sense of responsibility and leadership carries forward into all aspects of life. “Camp was a place where I went to be part of a community where I was just a member,” reflects Heisler. “I was just a person who did my part, and everyone else did their part.” This early experience with community responsibility prepared her well for college and beyond.
The camp’s approach to youth leadership also influences its Jewish identity. Campers and counselors shape religious practices and celebrations, creating meaningful Jewish experiences that evolve with each generation. “Camp has changed as well,” notes Adler, describing how religious observances have evolved during her time there. “Those conversations are so important. I have learned a lot from those conversations at camp.”
What makes this youth leadership model particularly special is its inclusivity. “When everyone is developed as a leader, then you have a community full of leaders that can rise to the occasion,” explains Heisler. “Stepping up and stepping back with the natural ebb and flow of things — that’s kind of what’s magical.”
The success of this approach is evident in the deep respect that permeates camp relationships. “It humbles me to come to camp and watch the way that teenagers and adolescents and young adults interact with younger campers with the deepest possible respect,” says Heisler. “The level of respect that children have for each other at camp is like this piece of olam habah (the world to come).”
While this level of youth autonomy might seem risky to some parents, camp leaders emphasize its transformative power. “Adults have to sort of learn to be humble and give up some control, and that can be very, very hard. But I think it’s worth it,” reflects Sussman. The result is a summer camp experience that doesn’t just occupy children’s time but empowers them to become thoughtful, capable leaders who understand the value of community and collective responsibility.
As Adler notes, while the people change, “the ideals and structures and ways that we interact have been so consistent.” It’s this consistency in valuing youth leadership that has made Camp Tavor a unique and powerful force in developing the next generation of community leaders.
Registration for this summer at Camp Tavor is underway! For more information, please visit www.camptavor.org or contact Randy Lubratich at [email protected].
