Take a moment to imagine this: 150 Moriah students, all sitting in the same room, learning the ethics of a story from Tanach which occurred around 3000 years ago. Furiously debating amongst each other the actions of those involved and the ramifications today.

Those same students sitting in a dark room, arms around one another, singing together as one.

The students taking time to sit silently alone, as they reflect on who they are and how the decisions they make now determine the people they will become.

We are now in the midst of Counterpoint season again, where every student in Years 8-12 takes time out of their busy lives to come together as a Year group, to spend time with a diverse group of young role models, for an authentic Jewish experience and to learn and grow, both individually and together.

Each Counterpoint camp is designed with the age and stage of the students in mind so that the camp can meet their specific needs. Counterpoint provides students with an opportunity to explore important issues and themes that often don’t have time specifically dedicated to them. The topics include an exploration of values, influence of society on the individual, importance of family, Jewish law, relationship with Israel, love, life goals and who we truly are.

The work for each camp begins months before the first bus arrives. Each year, the sessions for every camp are thought through and re-thought through to ensure they are relevant to the students and focus on the most important issues for that particular cohort. Every moment on Counterpoint, from the meal times, to the programs, ruach, and shabbat, is carefully crafted.

In the words of one Counterpoint madricha, “I’ve been to other school camps and I expected Counterpoint to be the same – but Counterpoint is so much more meaningful and impactful than anything I have experienced before.”

Counterpoint is a world of its own. This year, 11 international madrichim have come to Sydney to spend the month with our Moriah students on Counterpoint. This is combined with over 40 local madrichim, with the vast majority of them being Moriah graduates, who want to provide younger students with the same experience they once enjoyed. The madrichim put their heart and soul into this experience. At a time when it’s not always easy to find positive role models for teenagers, the madrichim serve as living examples of the values that we are teaching to our children.

The aim of Counterpoint is not to give students answers or to tell them what to do or think. It is to encourage students to question, explore, and debate. To reflect on their own lives and the life they want to live and contribution they hope to make in the world.

When students arrive at Counterpoint in Year 8, they are given a journal, which is handed back in at the end of camp and returned to them at the next camp, every year until they take the journals home at the end of Year 12. Students see firsthand each year how they have grown and developed. One of the favourite things when students receive their journals back is to flip to their past entries and see what they wrote the year before. 

At Counterpoint, above all, we are striving to create positive Jewish experiences. We hope that each student is able to deepen their connection to Judaism in their own way.  We want our students to build a love for who they are, for their Jewish identity and the State of Israel. We see students return to school with a sense of confidence and pride about being Jewish and hope that Counterpoint sparks a lifelong journey of learning and questioning.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Talya Wiseman is the Head of Jewish Life, High School, at Moriah College in Queens Park, NSW.