Philadelphia resident bridges gap between summer camps and year-round Jewish community engagement

Hilla Kabazo works full-time as the high school programs director for Habonim Dror North America, a Progressive Labor Zionist youth movement based in Philadelphia. Her role focuses on creating year-round connections for teens who typically only interact during two months of summer camp. She designs seminars and professional development opportunities for camp leaders and helps coordinate a four-week Israel summer program for high school students.

Kabazo, a Center City resident, also serves as a resident at Moishe House Philly, a community for Jewish young adults. She is in her second year at the organization, where she helps plan and host events ranging from Shabbat observances to social gatherings. Kabazo stated that her involvement with Moishe House has positioned her as a leader in the local young Jewish community.

The movement’s North American chapter operates six summer camps across the United States and Canada, along with an Israel gap year program. Kabazo’s job is to ensure the organization remains active outside of the summer season. She works to maintain the network of young people who gather at the camps.

Kabazo was born in Israel and emigrated to Vancouver, Canada, with her parents in early childhood. She described the contrast between living in a Jewish-majority country and living as a minority in the diaspora. In Israel, she noted that Jewish identity is constantly surrounded and requires less active effort to maintain. In Vancouver, her family attended a Reform synagogue, where she completed her bat mitzvah. She also attended Camp Miriam, a Habonim Dror camp off the coast of Vancouver, which she credited with deepening her engagement with her Jewish identity.

She moved to Philadelphia after a colleague suggested Moishe House, knowing she needed housing. Kabazo initially expected to live with young Jews and host various social and holiday events. She said the experience has provided her with numerous connections and skills. Her favorite events include house parties that blend casual settings with Jewish contexts, such as a recent gathering focused on Jewish mysticism and tarot card readings.

Kabazo lives with three other Moishe House residents, two men and two women. Their household represents a mix of practices, with half observing Shabbat and keeping kosher. She views this diversity as a reflection of the wider community. Kabazo said the arrangement has allowed her to connect with different types of Jews and has given her a platform to lead in a straightforward manner.

Her two-year term as high school programs director ends in one year, after which she plans to return to Vancouver. She intends to explore higher education in teaching and hopes to restart a Moishe House chapter in Vancouver, which closed after the pandemic. Kabazo said she feels established in Philadelphia and has made strong social connections, but she looks forward to continuing her involvement in Jewish communities regardless of her location.