Israeli dance has been a part of Erica Goldman’s life for as long as she can remember.
Her father, now 72, loved it and would take her dancing with him when she was a child. “It was one of the Jewish things in life I would do,” she remembers fondly.
As a student at Brandeis University, Erica started teaching dance herself and eventually worked as a dance director at a camp in Los Angeles known for its Israeli dance curriculum.
In the years since, she has held professional positions in the Jewish communal world, including her current role in the Network Department at UJA-Federation, while teaching Israeli dance on the side. She has literally taught thousands to dance.
This summer, third- and fourth-graders at three separate day camps at the UJA-funded Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds in Staten Island were able to experience the joy of Jewish dance and music for themselves. Together with music instructor Landon Braverman, Erica taught them popular Israeli children’s dances and songs over two weeks. Counselors and campers with disabilities participated as well.
For Many, a First — But Not Last — Exposure
Not all of the campers are Jewish, and even for many of those who are, this was their first exposure to Israeli, or even Jewish, music and culture. But if the culminating performances each group put on for their counselors and fellow campers over three separate days this summer were any indication, it won’t be the last.
Dance gives the campers and counselors a different perspective on Israel than they might be hearing otherwise. “I had always thought Israeli dance was an amazing entry point to learning about Israel,” Erica says. “It’s a cultural, fun way, as opposed to what they might be hearing today.”
Strengthening Jewish music and culture at overnight camps and music and dance culture at day camps is a priority for UJA, which has brought in consultants to help grow the program. Following a successful pilot to deepen the culture of Jewish music in three residential camps — Camp Zeke, Berkshire Hills Eisenberg, and Surprise Lake — last summer, UJA was excited to expand on that by adding dance and bringing it to day camps as well, says Alina Bitel of UJA’s Jewish Life Department. “We saw what was possible,” she says. “The needle is moving, and we’re looking at the best way to grow this.”
Erica sees the opportunity to dance together as only the beginning. “Once we’ve danced in a circle and held hands, maybe we can sit down and have a different kind of conversation.”