Campers Learn Jewish Tradition
PEORIA, IL — The groom was 10, the bride was 9 and the rabbi wore shorts.
A few dozen young people took part Thursday in a mock Jewish wedding at Camp Gan Izzy, a Jewish day camp run by Lubavitch Chabad of Peoria at Peoria Academy.
The three-week camp is held annually as a way to impart Jewish values, teach Jewish traditions and have some fun. Each day has its own theme. Thursday’s revolved around a traditional Jewish wedding.
The mock ceremony followed the outline of a real Jewish wedding, which the campers got to see in the form of a video of Rabbi Eli Langsam’s nuptials. Some of the details differed, however.
For example, the blessings to be imparted over the groom took the form of popular children’s songs, such as “Old MacDonald,” and Camp Gan Izzy chants, like “I’m a Jew and I’m proud and I’ll sing it aloud, that’s what forever I’ll be!”
The huppah, or canopy, held over the heads of the couple was made from plastic table covers instead of a prayer shawl and hoisted on sticks rather than poles.
And the glass cup broken at the end of the ceremony to shouts of “Mazel tov!”? Paper, not plastic.
But the sense of joy at a Jewish wedding that Langsam wanted to impart in the demonstration was authentic.
“There’s a lot of dancing,” the rabbi said.
The celebrants gathered into separate circles of boys and girls, joined arms and danced around to the disco-ish music, sometimes spinning off into silliness before being reined back in by one of the seven counselors.
Finally the group gathered around a chair, first hoisting the bride, Samantha Savage, and then the groom, Joshua Eckhart.
Throughout the dancing the kids stole back to tables to nibble on the wedding feast of popcorn, pretzels and Twizzlers.
Adam Raso, who was the groom in last year’s demonstration, presided over the ceremony as the rabbi this year, complete with a black hat and rubbed-on beard. Before the wedding, he walked around with two notebook sheets filled with facts about Jewish weddings that he would recite later.
“The bride always has to cover her head,” he told one observer.
“Everybody wish mazel tov to the bride and groom, who’s sitting over there,” said Rivkie Shuchat of Toronto, one of the camp counselors, before she ran over to Eckhart with mock tears of joy, screeching, “Oh, I can’t believe it!”
After the dancing subsided, a few skits and songs were performed as the celebration wound down, but not before a final blessing was sung.
Mindy Eckhart arrived in time to see the last part before picking up her son, the groom.
“The camp is fabulous,” she said. “He just loves it. They make it fun, enjoyable. It’s like the kids don’t know they’re learning, but they are.”
The camp, the name of which stands for Garden of Israel, continues the next two weeks.
“Rabbi” Adam Raso, far right, 9, of Peoria officiates the mock wedding ceremony of Joshua Eckhart, 10, in white yamaka, and Samantha Savage, 9, in black veil during a Jewish day camp Thursday at Peoria Academy.
“Newlywed” Samantha Savage, middle, 9, looks a little overwhelmed as her “husband” and his friends chow down after a mock wedding ceremony Thursday at a Jewish day camp at Peoria Academy.
Wedding guests dance during the reception following a mock wedding Thursday at a jewish day camp at Peoria Academy.
Neal A. Illinois
thanks Chabad of Peoria…as an old timer from Bradley University….it is nice to ss all the great things you do for the Jewish community of Peoria.
prenups
“mock jeiwsh wedding” be carefull! I hope he got a Prenup!
Rivkah Leah Bernath
Wonderful,great idea, this will stay with these kids for a lifetime. Rivkah Leah Bernath
Gruntig
you go to be careful, if thing are done wrong you could get into some serious problems. I hope the boy didn’t say “harie at mekudeshes li”!
counselors of Peoria, Ilinios
the wedding was incredible! thanx to all the wonderful campers and amazing shluchim, the Langsams, for making it happen. Gan Izzy, peoria illinois roxxx! For all future counselours this hicktown is awesome! a special thank you to our best head counselor, Rivkie Shuchat, we love you!! love your counselors!
fellow senior
go Chanie!!!!!!!!
:)
CHANKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
att gruntig:
att gruntig: just to let u know this is a “mock, fun, gan izzy wedding” dont worry!
The Blachman-s
Go Chayele!!
Looks like it was reallly beautul!!!
Behashgocha Protias the Mock wedding took place the same day as your brother Zalmy’s Lechayim.
Have a Good Shabbos. We all miss you som so much
anonymous
of course the groom didn’t say harei at mikudeshes li… it was a playful reenactment of what a jewish wedding is like. i’m a counselor here and it put the kids on such a high. they enjoyed every minute of it. and the shluchim here truly are amazing. counselors have nothing to worry about here. it’s amazing the effect we can have on not-frum children.
Chana Esther & Yonathan
way to go Rivka!
Old Fashioned Chassidishe Litvak
Years ago there was a “mock wedding” in a certain camp, that, if I recall correctly, (per Igras Moshe maybe?), ended in a need for a Get.
In any event, I can understand why there may be a need to have a co-ed camp. I can accept that there may be no choice but to have co-ed activities. But I cannot accept that the camp should encourage an activity of “ISHUS” (even a mock one) between boys and girls of any age.
Is that kiruv? Maybe it’s bringing too much kiruv between the boys and girls. I may be old fashioned, but is this the best activity the camp can come up with?!
Saychel above feel good middos
Old Fashioned has a point.
Remember the Rebbe explained that single girls should only light ONE shabbos candle since two would represent a couple: male and female. The rebbe stressed that such chinuch should be avoided, even in a subtle manner. Kal v’chomer a mock wedding!
Do shluchim ever ask a shaylah or do they just do whatever pops into their head?
What next – a trip to McDonald’s (temperary koshered)? It’s been done!
anonymous
oh come onnnn..
True Shluchinm of the REebb
omg. this is crazy. yeah. i might expect a different shliach to do something like that. just do any idea that pops in their head.but these shluchim happen to be one of the most amazing shluchim there are, truly there for the rebbe. they would never compromise on anything!