“One day each summer, my childhood camp was magically transformed into a mini-Israel for “Yom Yisrael,” Israel Day. My favorite part of Yom Yisrael was the Beduin tent. There was something mysterious and astonishing about the characters who served us sweet, strong coffee and welcomed us to sit with them on the tent’s floor. I was taught that the Beduin were part of the very fabric of Israel – one of the diverse elements that made Israel “Israel,” and thus that made me, as an American Jew, proud of Israeli diversity.

I now realize that my camp’s representation of a Beduin tent reflected the Epcot-esque Beduin encampments that so many Diaspora Jewish groups visit while touring southern Israel.

These cultural attractions are exotic and fun, but generally fail to provide visitors with a complex representation of Beduin life.”

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