Guatemalan children experience Jewish community in U.S.

Four young kids from Guatemala experienced Jewish summer camp for three weeks at the JCY camp in Northern Indiana. JCY director Michael Steinberg visited Congregation Casa Hillel in Guatemala City a few months ago. Casa Hillel is composed mostly of converted Jews.

Steinberg kept in contact with the members of the congregation and eventually decided it would be a great experience for the Guatemalan children to come to the camp to experience the sense of community it builds.
“Being Jewish in Latin America is to some degree a lot different than being Jewish in North America. It’s like belonging to an exclusive club. What has happened to many of these congregants is that once they converted, the door has been shut behind them as far as connections with their family and friends who are Catholic,” said Steinberg.

He added that the Casa Hillel members often reach out to different countries to stay close to the Jewish community because there are so few in the area.

The Guatemalan children received warm welcomes from the campers and staff alike. Steinberg said that they are learning English from the American students while teaching them Spanish.