An interesting story in 4 parts
Michael A. Poretsky (MPoretsky@AOL.COM)
Thu, 2 Dec 1999 15:38:52 EST
Part 1:
A Unique Court of Honor
A report of a unique event in the annals of Jewish Scouting.
Rabbi Meshulam Emmanuel, the Executive Director of the Vaad Ha=92Ir of Montr=
=E9al, opened this event with the Invocation, and was followed by Jewish Sco=
uts from two countries who formed the Color Guard. They carried the flag of=20=
the United States, and the flags of Canada and the Province of Quebec. This=20=
was the beginning of a unique Eagle Scout Court of Honor, held at Congregati=
on Oneg Shabbos =96 a Lubavitch Chassidic synagogue =96 in Montreal, Quebec=20=
on Sunday, November 7, 1999.
The Scouts from the United States brought a special musical rendition of =93=
O Canada!=94 the Canadian National Anthem, and included the text of the orig=
inal four stanzas of that rousing song in the Court of Honor program folders=
. Citizens of both countries sang the anthem, which was followed by citizens=
of the United States saluting and saying the Pledge of Allegiance.=20
It is not often that one has to check with officers in the United States Con=
sulate to clear the protocol of a Scout Opening Ceremony. It is also not oft=
en that the Welcome and Introduction of Honored Guests at an Eagle Scout Cou=
rt of Honor are given in both English and French.
Among the honored guests were the representative of the United States Consul=
General in Montreal and a member of the Executive Committee of the City of=20=
Montreal. With two Scouting organizations in Quebec, there were two sets of=20=
Scout guests. =91Scouts Canada=92 is primarily Anglophone, and was represent=
ed by both the President and the Commissioner of the Qu=E9bec Provincial Cou=
ncil. The =91Association des Scouts du Canada=92 is Francophone, and was rep=
resented by the President of the =91Scouts Israelites=92 and the Scoutmaster=
of a recently formed French-speaking Jewish Scout Troop in Montreal. All th=
ose present had gathered to honor a young man from the Lubavitch Chassidic c=
ommunity who had come a long way since he first sought out the Scouting prog=
ram in the spring of 1994.=20
Just over five years ago, a 13-year-old Binyamin Tanny had been looking for=20=
someone to run a camp in Quebec He knew nothing about Scouting. He certainly=
did not know that the vision he held, for the camp that he wished to start,=
was actually a vision of the Scout program. Through friends in Crown Height=
s, Brooklyn, he was referred to Dr. Howard A. Spielman, the Scoutmaster of O=
ld Colony Council=92s Troop 54, chartered to the Striar Jewish Community Cen=
ter in Stoughton, Massachusetts. After making his request, Dr. Spielman told=
him: =93The camp that you envision already exists; it is Camp Kunatah on th=
e Ten Mile River Scout Reservation =96 the only Scout Camp in the world with=
a kosher dining hall.=94=20
Binyamin learned about how Troop 54 operates: how they observe the Jewish di=
etary laws and Sabbath (kashrut and Shabbat), how they pause for prayer (tef=
ila) every morning and evening, and how they offer opportunities for Scouts=20=
in Jewish learning (limudei kodesh). Binyamin and his family found that this=
program had no barrier to entry for them, because of their observance of Ju=
daism. Thus, that spring he was registered in the B.S.A., bought a uniform,=20=
read the B.S.A. Scout Handbook from-cover-to-cover (twice), and showed up at=
Camp Kunatah ready for fun, adventure, and advancement.
Upon his return to Canada, Binyamin got involved with a Scouts Canada troop.=
Since they did not observe kashrut and Shabbat, he could not go on overnigh=
t camping trips with them, but he could show leadership at meetings and on d=
ay-hikes. His outdoor experiences with his Shomer Shabbat Troop 54 in the B.=
S.A. were able to count towards his Canadian advancement. Thus, over several=
years, Binyamin achieved the =91Chief Scout=92s Award=92 the highest rank i=
n Scouts Canada.
In the B.S.A., he camped with Troop 54 at Camp Kunatah for 11 weeks over fou=
r summers. He participated in a Junior Leadership Training Conference (JLTC)=
with Troop 54=92s =93Kosher Patrol,=94 and later was invited to serve on a=20=
JLTC Staff. He spent three summers backpacking and canoeing in the Adirondac=
k Mountains with the kosher high-adventure programs run by Daniel Chazin, Sc=
outmaster of Troop 226 in Teaneck, NJ. He spent two winters at the weeklong=20=
Old Colony Council Traditional Jewish Scout Conclave. In addition, with The=20=
Shomer Shabbat Contingent to the 1997 National Scout Jamboree, at Fort AP. H=
ill, Virginia, he served as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader.
