Camp Modin
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Camp Modin is a
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...
in New England. It was established in 1922 in what is now Lake George Regional Park in
Canaan, Maine Canaan is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,193 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water. Demographi ...
. In 1992 the camp moved to Salmon Lake in Maine's Belgrade Lakes region.Amy Calder
"Revering Lake George Regional Park"
''
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'', October 8, 2012.
An early example of a summer camp intended to provide Jewish children with
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, religious, and cultural education as well as recreation, Camp Modin has been described as "the prototype for camps sponsored by every branch of the community, from socialist Zionists to
Orthodox Jews Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Jewish theology, Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Or ...
."Rosemary Skinner Keller, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Marie Cantlon, eds., ''Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America: Women and religion: methods of study and reflection'' (
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...
, 2006), , p. 902
Excerpts available
at
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.
Camp Modin is now a
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,
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, pluralistic Jewish and
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camp, employing over 180 professional teachers, mentors and counselors and providing more than 70 activities. It is accredited by the
American Camp Association The American Camp Association (ACA), formerly known as the American Camping Association, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves the United States. It is an association for camp owners, camp professionals and others interested in summer camps and si ...
and is a member of both the Maine Youth Camping Association and the Maine Camp Experience. Camp Modin became one of the first Jewish camps in the US to announce it would be open in the summer of 2020 during the
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.


History

Camp Modin was founded by three couples who had studied under the influential Jewish educator Samson Benderly: Albert & Bertha Schoolman, Alexander & Julia Dushkin, and Isaac & Libbie Berkson. They opened a boys' camp on the site of an abandoned hotel on the shores of Lake George in
Canaan, Maine Canaan is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,193 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water. Demographi ...
in 1922, with 45 campers in the first class.Jonathan B. Krasner, ''The Benderly Boys and American Jewish Education'' (
UPNE The University Press of New England (UPNE), located in Lebanon, New Hampshire and founded in 1970, was a university press consortium including Brandeis University, Dartmouth College (its host member), Tufts University, the University of New Hampsh ...
, 2012), , pp. 273ff & passim
Excerpts available
at
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.
A girls' camp on the other side of the lake was opened in 1925."Our History"
at Camp Modim official website (accessed 2014-05-02).
The camp was advertised as "The Summer Camp with a Jewish Idea" and was notable for its goal of financial self-sufficiency, allowing it to maintain its independence from other Jewish organizations; for the significant roles played by women in its operation (Libbie Berkson was the camp's director until 1958); and for its emphasis on Jewish pluralism, welcoming children from all
Jewish religious movements Jewish religious movements, sometimes called "religious denomination, denominations", include different groups within Judaism which have developed among Jews from ancient times. Today, the most prominent divisions are between traditionalist Ortho ...
,
Jonathan Sarna Jonathan D. Sarna (born 10 January 1955) is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and director othe Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University ...
, "The Crucial Decade in Jewish Camping", in Michael M. Lorge, Gary Phillip Zola, eds., ''A Place of Our Own: The Rise of Reform Jewish Camping'' (
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, 2006), , pp. 32ff
Excerpts available
at
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.
although the camp developed a reputation as the camp of choice for children from prominent traditional Jewish families, and Berkson described its religious practice as "religiously
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with leanings toward
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Reconstructionism". The prominent rabbi and philosopher
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was a counselor at the camp.William B. Helmreich, ''The Enduring Community: The Jews of Newark and MetroWest'' (
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, 1999), , p. 167
Excerpts available
at
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The Berksons bought out the other partners' interests in the camp in 1942 and ran it until 1958. In 1992, camp director David Adler, decided to move to a more modern facility, and relocated the camp to Salmon Lake in
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.


Activities

Campers at Modin range in age from seven to sixteen years old, all of which participate in a variety of activities throughout the week. Weekday mornings, children participate in scheduled bunk activities; afternoons find them engaged in a "free-choice" elective program, which allows them to build a uniquely tailored program designed around their individual interests. The facilities in which these activities take place are first class. From its expansive waterfront and tournament ski boats, to its state of the art fitness pavilion and recreation center. The current directors of Camp Modin are Howard Salzberg and Lisa Wulkan, and the assistant director is Samara Lender. Other administrators include Jesse Lender, Warren Wulkan, and Dave Corcoran.


Notable people

Writer and director David Wain attended the camp in the 1980s, and Modin was the inspiration for his summer camp film, ''
Wet Hot American Summer ''Wet Hot American Summer'' is a 2001 American teen comedy film directed by David Wain from a screenplay written by Wain and Michael Showalter. The film features an ensemble cast, including Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Pau ...
''.Mimi Udovitch, "''The Way We Live Now: 8-5-01: Questions for David Wain and Michael Showalter- Camping It Up''", The New York Times Magazine, August 5, 2001.
Hank Azaria Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Sna ...
, an actor, also attended this camp. His last name is mentioned aloud as a fictional character’s name in “Wet Hot American Summer” as a nod to the actor. Composer
Craig Wedren Craig Benjamin Wedren (born August 15, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and composer, who began his career fronting post-hardcore band Shudder to Think. Following the disbandment of Shudder to Think, Wedren pursued a career as a ...
, one of Wain's childhood friends, was another well-known summer resident at Modin. "We lived for going to Camp Modin," Wedren has stated in an interview, "our parents, aunts and uncles had all gone there, and we went there, too. I loved that place. We all did."Joanna Connors, "''Summer camp film of a different stripe screens at Sundance''", The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), January 26, 2001. Other famous alumni include director
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and
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creator
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. Mindy Schneider's 2007 memoir "Not a Happy Camper" is rumored to be based on the original Camp Modin: the author attended Modin as a child. The playwright
Benj Pasek Benj Pasek (born June 6, 1985) is an American theater and television composer and lyricist best known for his works ''The Greatest Showman'', ''La La Land'' and ''Dear Evan Hansen'', all of which he co-wrote with his songwriting partner, Justin P ...
attended the camp for five years and went on to write the
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hit musical and multiple
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-winning musical
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"Contact Camp Modin: Overnight Jewish Summer Camp in Maine". www.modin.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.


References

*Mac Daniel, "''A journey comes to a tragic end - New Zealander electrocuted hunting coins''", The Boston Globe, August 28, 2004. *Lisa Fleisher, "''Bus filled with campers rolls over''", Boston Globe, July 4, 2005. *Associated Press, "''Bus full of youngsters overturns on Maine highway''", USA Today, July 3, 2005.
Online version
*Editorial, "''More heroics from more camp counselors''", Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME), July 16, 2005.


External links


Official site
{{Summer camps in Maine Modin Jews and Judaism in Maine Modin Buildings and structures in Kennebec County, Maine 1922 establishments in Maine