The Denver Jewish news., 1923-09-06
A KOSHER CAMP SCOUTS
L AR G e S T BOY S COU 7
CAMP IN THE WORLD
Constructs Special United for Jewish
Boys Who Desire Strictly Kosher
Meals.
BY "A. sCHAEFFER, JR.

comprise the largest camp, of any kind
in the world, not only of Boy Scouts,
but of any organization. The huge
camp is called the Kanchwahke Lakes
Boy Scout Camps because It is situated
on the shores Of three lakes of that
name. 1t is maintained for Scouts only,
under the supervision of the Boy Scouts
Foundation of Greater New York, which
is the director OF Scouting in this city.
For some time the Boy Scouts who
are Jewishly inclined have been requext-
Ing the Foundation to. establish a unit
for the convenience of those boys who
wish to observe their religion in a
proper manner. In compliance with
these requests special table was pro-
vided in one of the camps at which
Kosher meal WAS served, but until
this summer it had been impossible to
provide separate camp.
Now, however special camp has
been constructed. Its called CampIDa-
hunda, and consists. of, u huge log mess
and assembly hall, and seventeen tents,
at which the Jewish boys may be ac-
commodated with the certainty that
everything will he managed in a truly
orthodox manner. To Insure; such man.
ngement, rabbi lives at the camp
throughout the summer with the boys,
and personally supervises everything.
Captain William Mayer. who is on leave
from the Field Artillery School staff
during the summer months, is director
of the camp. In which he is assisted
by Rev David Rudavsky, of the United
Synagog Of America.
: At present the camp is filed to ca
pacity, having on It's roll ninety scouts,
four councillors, and the camp directors.
Aside from the fact that this unit Of
the Scout camps ia run under the strict
ly Kosher menu, 1t is managed in exact
ly the same manner as the other twen-
ty three camps. The boys get mp at the
same time, eat at the same hours, have
the same swimming hours, and turn in
n night mt the same time.
|, Rabbi Rudavsky, however. does not
limit his religious instruction and
services only to the Scouts of Camp
Dahundla On. Friday evenings and Sat
ur,lay mornings as well as special &C.
casions, he conducts services for all the
Jewish boys In all the camps at Tuxedo,
MS well as anyone else who cares to
attend.
He says, I'm my work endeavor to
aid the boys to. grow up good American
awake. physically
strong, md morally straight-boys who
will be credit to their race and an
asset to the community. 1 do not
believe in cultivating in them narrow
sectarianism, but rather attempt to
broaden their horizon.
But we do not confine ourselves SOLE
ly to the religious aspects of our camp.
For example, in ertler to increase the
boys interest in native Jewish char
acters, we give each patrol the name
of some great Jew, besides the usual
Scout custom of dalling each patrol by
the Indian name for some animal. For
instance, one patrol may be called by
the Indian name for snake. Besides
that however, we will also give it the
name of some great Jew such as Judah
Tur0 or Chayim Solomon, great Ameri-
can Jews who aided in the American
Revolution; Chayim Weizman, or Louis
ID. fBrandeis or Max Nortlau. In this
,.,.., 49,, 1n,.s, ,,pconcctnusIy laaru bOth
past and contemporary history, and an
interest is awakened which urges them
to look up the lives of these men in
order to find out what they are famous
for.
Another thing worthy of remark Is
that although the proceedings of the
camp are essentially American. they
are also observant of the Jewish re-
ligion. A good deal of English is in
serted in the prayers besides the Gus
tomary Hebrew. Hymns are sung in
Hebrew and in English.
..The sermons consist of biographical
sketches of great Jewish Rabbis, and
tire stories of great Jewish events. For
example during the Three Weeks the
stories were concerning Tishu BAY
Jewish customs are explained to the
boys so that they may view them the
more sympathetically and practice then
UNDERSTANDINGS. 1t is this that re-
ligion is made attractive to the boys
for to hold the youth to his religion
hn n,t1st untlprStun1 it. to hold him
to the synagog the service must be
made attractive.
"The best indication of our success
so far is the fact that outsiders have
become interested in our camp to the