Tribe’s Spectacular Summer
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Thursday 28th August 2014

This summer has seen perhaps the busiest Tribe has ever undertaken, and what a success it has been!

It all kicked off with our Campus Pack deliveries to all secondary school leavers. We do this annually to inform those beginning the next chapter of their lives how Tribe can continue to play a role, be that in Israel or on campus. This year the over 800 school leavers received a Tribe drawstring bag filled with goodies like a mug, stationary, sweets and a copy of a fantastic book to enhance their knowledge of Israel – Start-Up Nation.

Whilst a tour of London was taking place by all the Campus Pack delivery vans, a group of 16-year-olds were touring the length and breadth of Israel on Tribe Israel Tour. For some, this was their first visit to Israel, and the whole group returned having gained a much deeper understanding of the land, its history and importance to us, as Jews. In Jerusalem the group were taken on a journey through Jewish history, from Temple time in the Old City, to the tragedy of the Holocaust at Yad Vashem, and modern Israeli heroes at the Mount Herzl state cemetery. A great deal of time was spent splashing around, be it rafting down the Jordan River, floating in the Dead Sea, or exploring the reefs of Eilat. 

‘Chesed’ (kind deeds) always features heavily in our tour itinerary, as a way of giving something back to the country and society that participants learn to love throughout the month. This year, Tribe volunteered by painting and decorating at Boys Town Jerusalem, planting trees in the Lord Sacks forest, visiting a British Emunah home and handing out toys at Hadassah Hospital. 

Our Tour began before the tragic murders of the three Israeli teenagers, and before the conflict in Gaza broke out. As such, our Tour was lucky to have been able to experience the South of Israel, where they enjoyed a Bedouin experience and camel trekking. Being in Israel during this time obviously presented additional challenges for the group, but, along with the emphasis on volunteering, it afforded the group with a unique feel for some of the difficulties Israel faces, alongside all that is positive. It must be mentioned that our group were taken care of fully by our tour operators and the ‘Cheder Matzav’ – the official Israeli security team, whom we are indebted to for their professionalism, supervision and intelligence. For the first time Tribe partnered with UJIA Israel experience who were a tremendous help and support with all aspects of Tribe Israel tour. We are grateful to the UJIA Israel Experience team.  

This summer we have had continued success with our day trips for Years 3-6. The trips have seen participants enjoy kayaking and sailing at the beautiful Danson Water Park, low-impact paintballing, and enjoying the rides and extraordinary models at Legoland, team adventuring and exploration at both Sayers Croft and Go Ape, and an insight into professional special effects.

Our residential camps have seen growth and development with over 250 participants involved in our residential programmes from Years 5-12. Years 5 and 6 experienced a brilliant camp at Alton Castle, where, under the guidance of fantastic leaders, they took part in non-stop activities including sports, arts and crafts, and even a day at Alton Towers theme park! For the year 6 participants on Camp Zev this was an especially rewarding camp, with an opportunity to prepare for secondary school by making new friends and gaining independence with a week away from home. This included a Shabbat on Tribe camp, always a magical experience.  

Those in years 7-10 once again benefitted from the facilities at an incredible campsite in Belgium. Each camp had inspirational leaders, jam-packed days and a trip to one of the best theme parks in Europe. In addition to all the thrilling outdoor activities, they experienced Tribe’s fantastic informal education, with each camp engaging with themes important to Jewish identity. Camp Barak (years 7-8) delved into the subject of ‘Jewish Heroes’, learning about inspirational characters past and present, while Camp Kerach (years 9-10) focused on the topic of Israel, including the origins of Zionism and the Israeli military, along with religion and society in modern day Israel; giving participants a taste for Tribe Israel Tour the following year.

At Tribe we believe it is tremendously important to produce the future leaders of our community, who will continue to lead The United Synagogue and instil the philosophy of inclusive, modern and authentic Judaism to the next generation. This is why, as well as running our camps with this ethos, we run TLC – Tribe Leadership Camp – for those in year 12. TLC gives participants leadership training to set them on their way to becoming great leaders, with training in London and an amazing pre-camp weekend, before giving them the opportunity to lead younger Tribe participants, having planned activities like Murder Mysteries, Colour Wars, Olympics days and supper quizzes.

We are extremely proud of all our participants and leaders – the things they have achieved and the fun they have had provide us with a deep sense of fulfilment and satisfaction in the work Tribe is carrying out.   

Tribe is committed to creating a future for our community through engaging, educating and inspiring the next generation. I hope that you will agree that this summer we have taken a major step forward in achieving those aims.

David Collins is Executive Director of Tribe.