By Andrew Adler
Community Editor
L-R: 2025 Shlichim Aviv and Roni (Photo by Andrew Adler)
Aviv and Roni, our 2025 Camp J Shlichim, are quite different in temperament and appearance. They do, however, agree on at least two things: American kids are quieter than their Israeli counterparts, and when it comes to crazy driving, Israelis leave Americans in the dust.
These young women (Aviv is 21; Roni, 19) are among approximately 1,500 fellow Shlichim – or emissaries — dispatched annually to work at Jewish summer camps in North America. Nearly all of them have completed their mandatory service (three years for men; two years for women) in the Israeli Defense Forces.
Like the post-high school ShinShinim, who spend a year embedded in various communities across the continent, Shlichim are tasked with sharing myriad aspects of Israeli culture with their local hosts. Here at the Trager Family JCC’s Camp J, they’ve been immersed in the happily boisterous atmosphere that defines camp life – which, to the disappointment of more than a few children and parents – closes out on Aug. 1.
Each Shlichim is versed in specific skills: Aviv in drama (not surprising for someone with experience as a professional entertainer), Roni in art. They met during pre-summer orientation in Israel and travelled to the U.S. together, arriving in Louisville shortly before Camp J swung into action on June 3.
The pair has been living with four successive host families, which means that they’ve been joined at the hip during their two months here.
And those purported contrasts? True?
“Yeah, we’re complete opposites,” Aviv declared, shooting a glance at Roni while adding, “she just wants to be right.”
Okay. So you’re different? In what?
“Everything,” Roni said. “We’re like water and oil. It took us time to realize how we could work together. But I think we’re in a good place – we’ve learned how to solve conflicts. And we’ve become really good friends.”
The two Shlichim had only snippets of information about what to expect when they reached this odd-sounding place called “Kentucky.” Most of their background came courtesy of Camp J director David Siskin, who attended a portion of the Shlichim orientation.
“We had three days of seminar, when David came to Israel.” Roni recalled. “He told us a lot about the camp, but one thing that surprised us was that we weren’t expecting all the kids to be so young – I don’t why, but we had it in our heads that the kids would be a little bit older.”
Not that in the end any of this mattered. “The kids are very sweet,” Roni said. “We enjoy them.”
But what about those comparisons with Israeli kids? Well, it seems the American versions didn’t quite live up to their advance billing.
“A lot of people told us, ‘The kids are crazy! The kids are crazy!’ Roni recalled. I’m like, ‘No they’re not, compared to ours. Kids in Israel – even the five and six-year-olds – are much more mature because of war and stuff. I don’t think we ever noticed that in Israel before we came here.”
For her, participating in the Shlichim program was a way of making up for lost time. “I missed the opportunity to sign up to be a ShinShinim,” she said. “You’re supposed to do that when you’re 15 or 16, but I (didn’t). So I decided to do something else like that, and I came to this.”
Aviv had heard lots of good things about Shlichim. “I had friends who did this program before and said it was a wonderful experience,” she said. It was a chance for her to continue her entertainment groove. “I’ve worked in hotels for two years. I love acting.”
Aviv put her training into practice at Camp J. “We learned how to build stories and how to improvise,” she explained. Her camper-actors range in age from five to 13, with the younger ones “needing more guidance” while “the older ones love the challenge.”
“It changes a lot,” Aviv said. “We have this thing where they build their own show and can do whatever they want, and I help them.”
Boys’ processes, Aviv has observed, can tend toward the semi-chaotic. Plots, one might say, are concise: “‘Rob the bank,’” Aviv said. “Everyone’s a robber.”
“But if there’s a group of girls, it will be very organized,” she said. “Everyone knows what they are doing. Everyone knows what role they are. There’s a known plot, and everything works like clockwork.”
Camp J operates according to weekly sessions, which means a fair amount of camper turnover. “But for the kids who do stay, we build great relationships,” Roni said. “There are a lot of kids who connect with drama, so they really love Aviv. And there are a lot of girls who love arts and crafts, so they always choose me.”
Paging traditional gender norms. “You do notice that the boys like art less and the girls like art more,” Roni said. “I do get boys, but mostly it’s the artsy girls who want to do something with sparkles and listen to Taylor Swift.”
Soon the music will wind down, and on Aug. 1 Camp J will end for another season. The very next day, both Shlichim will be on separate flights heading for their respective destinations. Roni’s travel plans include a week in New York City, where she has family members who live in Brooklyn. Aviv will also visit New York, before jetting off to Florida and the Bahamas.
The tropics are fun, but what if she wilts in the summertime heat?
Not a chance. “I lived near the Dead Sea,” she said. “You know how hot that is?”