For participants of the “DJCY – STL kids – JFuture” program, implemented by the Dnipro Jewish Community with the support of STL and the JFuture project of the JRNU Foundation, a day camp was organized during the winter school holidays. The camp took place in the informal Jewish educational space of the “Menorah” Center.
Over six days, the children had the opportunity to become participants in a true “Fantastic Expedition,” setting out on the trail of mysterious creatures mentioned in Tanach, about which very little is known, but which open up deep meanings and provide space for reflection, research, and play.
Each day of the camp was dedicated to one animal and began with a special introductory segment—a trigger that set the day’s theme, atmosphere, and game concept. The young “scientist-explorers” completed tasks related to Jewish tradition and Torah sources, learned the history and symbolism of these fantastic creatures, participated in creative workshops, madrich-time activities, and camp-wide events where learning was organically combined with lively interaction, movement, and the joy of shared discovery.
Thirty-two program participants took part in the research of the “Fantastic Expedition.” For them, this was not only a wonderfully spent time among friends but also an experience enriched with new knowledge that helped form a holistic picture of the world, of which the world of Tanach’s imagery—whose twenty-four books are the foundation of the Jewish worldview—became a part.
“Each day of the camp had a well-thought-out program using innovative pedagogical methods aimed at developing various aspects of intelligence,” says the head of the “DJCY – STL kids – JFuture” program, Adina Seldina. “Our day camp became part of the diverse children’s and teen events organized during the winter school holidays by the Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
