Joel Friedland
1 Reviews
Pleasant and warm experience with observant, liberal Jews
Isabella Freedman is a winterized Summer Camp for senior citizens. 160 guests or so are accommodated. I was there from Friday before Sabbath through Tuesday, April 15, the third day of Passover. There were about 15 couples with kids — toddlers to teens — and a gay couple with an infant. The day camp is well run and the kids were happy. About a third of the guests were over 65 and more than half were over 50. About a dozen guests were single men and women, mostly widows and widowers. Synagogue services were great. It seemed like everyone had gone to Ramah (or the equivalent of Orthodox camps), remembered all the melodies, and believed in singing, in tune, together. When everyone hit some chords just right, it felt like being swaddled in a blanket of sweet sound. The rabbis and guest speakers thought through their presentations and did NOT “phone it in”. Most everyone behaved like they were “Frum from Birth”, even if they were Baal Teshuvas. No one was pompous. or self righteous. No one discussed politics. Everyone was environmentally conscious. The food was tasty at every meal. Vegetarians who eat no meat, no dairy, and no fish were well fed. The vegetable side dishes and main dishes were superior to what’s served at vegetarian Indian and Chinese restaurants. Acorn squash with pepitas, asparagus slaw, bok choy with ginger, eggplant with garlic, chopped potatoes with garlic, braised swiss chard, scallion potato pancakes, glazed turnips, vegetable fritters, and quinoa were all very good. Lunch on the first day of Passover was cold poached salmon. Dinner on the second day was chunks of cold, rare roast beef. At $200 per day in a dorm room, this was very reasonable for going away for Passover and a great experience.