By Jane Diener, Yokneam Summer Camp Volunteer, Atlanta

Yokneam Summer Camp this year was completely different from last year. There were less kids, more counselors and a more intimate feel in general. Plus, I had one American camper who only spoke English. Seeing this little boy from Knoxville, Tennessee, trying to fit in with a bunch of Israeli children was quite a sight. As much as I thought Seth would never fit in with the other kids, after one day of tears and reluctance to enter the classroom, he  became really good friends with a few other kids, played the games all the other kids were playing and interacted with the Hebrew-speaking kids on a daily basis.

I will never forget one day at camp when Seth was having a hard time. I wanted him to be happier, so I started playing with a balloon right in from of him thinking he would might join in. Not only did he join in, but a few of the Israeli children asked to play as well.

One of the more shy Israeli campers wanted to ask Seth face-to-face if he could play with them as well. So, using me as a translator, he asked Seth if he could play and, for the first time, Seth responded to him in Hebrew with a big smile and an energetic “Kayn!” (Yes!)

The effort that all of the other campers put into communicating with Seth was heart-warming. This proved to me that language barriers are not a barrier at all, just a simple difference in two people. With Seth as inspiration, I tried even harder to communicate better with my Hebrew-speaking co-counselors and campers. By the end of camp, both Seth and I were communicating much better and we had even learned some Hebrew and taught a little bit of English along the way.