Joel Silver is something of an outdoorsman. He’s backpacked in the Rocky Mountains, hiked in the Negev Desert, spent 28 days on a canoe trip and now, for the second year in a row, he’ll be celebrating Shabbat in Algonquin Provincial Park.
From left, back row, are Aviad Barel, Haai Kuperman, Emily Harris, Michele Oziel, Jason Spiro, Yosef Aharonov and Talya Shacham, who went to Algonquin Provincial Park last year as part of a Hillel group. Inbal Shreemohan and Joel Silver are in the front row.
From left, back row, are Aviad Barel, Haai Kuperman, Emily Harris,
Michele Oziel, Jason Spiro, Yosef Aharonov and Talya Shacham, who went
to Algonquin Provincial Park last year as part of a Hillel group. Inbal
Shreemohan and Joel Silver are in the front row.
Joel
Silver is something of an outdoorsman. He’s backpacked in the Rocky
Mountains, hiked in the Negev Desert, spent 28 days on a canoe trip and
now, for the second year in a row, he’ll be celebrating Shabbat in
Algonquin Provincial Park.
And he won’t be alone.
Silver, an aerospace engineering student at Ryerson University, created and organizes Hillel’s Travel With Purpose Algonquin trip.
The trip, which had its pilot run last year, merges Judaism with the wilderness and includes canoeing, hiking and a Shabbat dinner.
In its second year, Silver’s initiative has been split into two, with the regular trip, which runs from Aug. 26 to 29, for beginners and an advanced trip, which lasts from Aug. 25 to 29, for those comfortable with the outdoors. Participants in the advanced trip will go deeper into Algonquin Provincial Park and will have longer canoeing and portaging experiences. On Aug. 27, the two groups will merge for Shabbat.
“The whole point of the trip is two things – the wilderness, outdoor experience and to tie that into the Jewish identity,” Silver, who’s involved with Hillel and organized the trip with the help of Hillel staff, said.
“There’s a lot of programs that help us see Israel and let us help out in different countries… I thought it was important to bring it home and have Canadian students have an experience in Canada.”
For Silver, 20, who has always been interested in the wilderness, camping can be used as a link to many Jewish values.
“The outdoors really gives you a sense of responsibility. When you hike along the path, you get a sense of beauty and your impact on the world, on the environment,” he said, adding that the trip will help students understand the importance of environmental projects.
“You appreciate the world around you, and you become closer with it. Many of the core value of tikkun olam are involved with that… not only are you going out and recycling, you’re also reaping the benefits and appreciating the beauty you’re helping to sustain,” Silver said.
The trip, which has about 18 participants, is aimed mainly at students who have little involvement with Hillel. Which is something that Rena Friedman, the student leader for the regular trip, can appreciate.
“I love the idea of taking something that everybody can enjoy, like nature, and really giving it a Jewish twist and giving these people who pretty much have no connection to Judaism and being involved in Jewish youth groups on campus… something to relate to,” she said.
“I’m hoping [the students] will get an appreciation for nature and Judaism. I’m hoping they’ll get involved and not see Hillel as a place that only the ‘in’ people can come to.”
This is what happened to Yosef Aharonov, who went on the pilot trip last year. Aharonov, a graduate of York University’s Atkinson School of Business, rarely attended Hillel events in his third year.
“I went to a few Shabbat dinners, but was never really involved,” he said, adding that the trip piqued his interest.
“It was incredible, definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had in Canada,” he said. “It brought me closer to Hillel, it opened my eyes… going on the trip made me realize who are the type of people that go to Hillel. I found it to be a great experience.”
Aharonov particularly liked spending Shabbat in the outdoors.
“It’s easy to keep Shabbat in your home, but when you’re out in the open, it’s a whole different ball game. We didn’t have a fire for Shabbat, we prepared some food before, we had a lot of sandwiches for Shabbat lunch,” he said.
“We kept it really simple, we didn’t go anywhere, didn’t travel. We sat around and we talked. We all bonded, had some davening going on. It was a really nice feeling.”
For more information on the trip, contact [email protected].
