Unique Camp Inspires Teens

Ramiz Rafailov, 17, knows that his experiences at Camp B’Yachad are leaving an indelible mark on him. The eight-day overnight camp is designed to help teens from Russian-speaking families in New York City develop their Jewish identity.   

“At B’Yachad, I learned about my family’s roots as Sephardic Jews,” says Ramiz, who emigrated in 2000 from Azerbaijan at age 6 with his mother and settled in Brooklyn. “It was also fascinating for me to learn from the other teens what it was like to be Jewish in different parts of the former Soviet Union.” 

For a week in the summer, Camp B’Yachad, supported by UJA-Federation, brings more than 100 teens ages 13 to 18 to a campsite in the area. The program is led by the Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst together with the Shorefront YM-YWHA of Brighton-Manhattan Beach, the Bukharian Teen Lounge of the Jewish Child Care Association of New York, Kings Bay YM-YWHA, and the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, all beneficiary agencies of UJA-Federation. 

The camp, started in 2007, is based on a model of overnight camps in the former Soviet Union that was developed by the Jewish Agency for Israel, also a beneficiary agency, with an emphasis on Jewish learning and exploration.

Year-Round Connection

“Teens begin their exploration of the complexities of Russian Jewish identity and communal responsibility at B’Yachad,” explains Alex Budnitsky, Marks JCH CEO and executive director. “The true power of B’Yachad is harnessed in year-round programming at their respective agencies. The teens return to their communities more knowledgeable and inspired to take on new volunteer and leadership roles.”

B’Yachad, which is Hebrew for together, uses creative projects to explore Jewish themes and identity.

“The whole group feels like family,” Ramiz notes.

He and his friends will be counselors-in-training this summer. “We’re going to have a role contributing to the program and helping other teens discover their Jewish identity, just like we did,” Ramiz says, and adds that he looks forward to continuing his participation with Jewish teen programs at the Marks JCH.