May 21, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marilyn Casey
216-831-0700 x1394
mcasey@clevejcc.org
THE MANDEL JCC SENDS CAMP PROFESSIONAL STAFF TO TAG® EDUCATION TRAINING.
On April 19, The Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland camp professionals attended a training seminar at the JCC Association’s Mandel Center for Jewish Education in New York. Attendees from the Mandel JCC were Jill Davidson, Director of Children and Day Camp, and Meredith Belman, Assistant Director of Camp Wise. The seminar provided instruction on their innovative curriculum, TAG: Jewish Values Through JCC Camping®. More than hundred and fifty JCC camping professionals from the U.S. attended the seminar.
TAG® is an acronym for Torah (learning and living), Avodah (service and spirituality), and Gemillut Chassadim (acts of loving kindness), three encompassing values of Judaism. Through informal camp activities that incorporate music, drama, art, and games, TAG curriculum units provide campers in JCC camps with the opportunity to learn about Jewish values in fun and engaging ways. This year’s offerings include units on Judaism and the environment, Israel, and the summer Torah portions.
Camp directors and programmers learned how to most effectively use—and then show their staff how to use—the new units. Dr. Alvin Mars, director of the Mandel Center for Jewish Education, Rabbi Jen Tobenstein, assistant director, Charlene Wendell, consultant on camping services for JCC Association, and Robin Graff, consultant and writer for MCJE, acted as trainers.
With this year’s additions, camps have 38 TAG units available. Jill Davidson, Director of the Mandel JCC’s Anisifeld Day Camp said “I came home energized and ready to incorporate this incredible curriculum into our own dynamic Judaic programming.”
About the Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland From its roots in the Council Educational Alliance founded in 1889 through its emergence as a Jewish Community Center in 1948, the Jewish Community Center of Cleveland has played a vital role in a strong Jewish Community. The goal of the JCC is to be a central gathering place where Jewish families and individuals can gather and connect for socialization, recreation, Jewish learning and enrichment and education through Jewish Arts and Culture for all age groups, in a dynamic and welcoming environment – one that reflects the multiplicity of the Cleveland Jewish community and encourages full participation in Jewish life. For more information on features and events at the JCC call 216-831-0700 or visit www.clevejcc.org.
About the JCC Association
JCC Association is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish Community Center Movement, which is comprised of more than 350 JCC, YM-YWHA and camp sites in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural, social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens connections between North American Jews and Israel as well as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also a U.S. government accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
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