RJ Blog

The Foundation for Jewish Camp released preliminary findings last week from their recent research study Jewish Camp for Children with Disabilities and Special Needs, which maps current, potential, and desired camp program opportunities for children with disabilities/special needs. The study paints an encouraging picture of the field of Jewish camping, highlighting a variety of models that successfully provide meaningful Jewish camp experiences to children with diverse needs. The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Camp and Israel Programs are committed to providing a positive Reform Jewish summer experience to all children, including those with special needs. The FJC study found that [...]

I just returned from two weeks in Israel focusing on the intersection of Israel and youth engagement… and eating lots of delicious hummus! A dynamic connection to Israel is a critical strategy in all our youth engagement work. One of the key Israel intersections occurs at the URJ camps. URJ camps host more than 200 Israelis (Shlichim) over the summer creating a unique engagement opportunity for our North American campers to interact with, learn from, and learn about Israel. I was able to spend several days with the URJ Camp Directors and Educators during the training of the Shlichim. The [...]

by Loui Dobin As I am writing these words, I am on a plane home from Israel. We took off a couple of hours ago and have just crossed the coast of France. Now that we are “feet-wet” over the North Atlantic, I have had a little time to think about my trip. I landed on the eve of Yom Ha’atzmaut and was picked up at the airport by Amira Bar-Shalom, during Yom Hazikaron (Israeli memorial day) just in time to stand in silence as all of the sirens in Israel sounded for two minutes to commemorate those who had died. That evening, I found my way on the [...]

Every camper has their own spark, something that makes them tick, their burning passion. An ineffable desire that makes them excited to wake up each morning. One action item for the counselors is to help each camper find and ignite their spark.

With summer quickly approaching, I have many asking me what I will be doing for the next 2 months. Summer is often associated with relaxing on the beach, spending quality time with family, and kicking back with old friends. However, my answer is different.

At camp, we are always looking for ways to give back and focusing on how we can be the best Jewish role models possible. During staff week of summer 2012, our staff were presented with an opportunity to complete both of these goals, when they were visited by two volunteers from Gift of Life. This charity, works to find bone marrow matches who can donate to those in need. Gift of Life has worked with many of our sister URJ camps and we were thrilled to be able to participate in their Canadian Camp Tour. To hear our Dean of [...]

URJ camps employ approximately 2,000 Jewish staff members each summer across 14 camps. This weekend, more than 100 of those staff members will gather together in Philadelphia.

Coming to camp has many parallels with the Exodus story. When campers get ready for that first summer at camp, they are leaving everything they know; they are leaving home for an unknown land; they have to have faith that it will all work out in the end. (And, no, I’m not saying that our lives at home are Egypt or that parents are enslaving their kids… it’s an imperfect metaphor, but still one that is valuable.)

The truth is, Valerie doesn’t wake up every morning asking herself “Who can I inspire today? And how?” Rather, she gets up and does her work – the very challenging, and often rewarding work of being a congregational rabbi. And, for every time someone shares with her how they have been “inspired” by her work, there are SO many other times when she never knows if she’s even had an impact, made an impression, made a difference.

On an institutional level, summer camp can model the values we hope to instill in our campers on a personal level. For campers to feel safe, we must use supportive and nurturing language. For campers to challenge themselves, we must provide opportunities, encouragement and confidence. And, if we want our campers to be innovative, we must create a culture in which exploration, curiosity, and honest reflection are valued. In a recently published article, American Camping Association CEO Peg Smith refers to camp as a “classroom without walls.” According to Smith, camp is a unique experiential learning environment where, unlike a [...]

by Karen White The summer after I finished 4th grade and my mother finished law school, my sister and I were shipped off to sleepaway camp in the mountains of West Virginia for four weeks. My mother was studying for the bar exam, and she decided that this would go a lot better if we weren’t around. In my memory, it went something like the scene from Poltergeist (“Get Out”), but in reality, I’m sure it was a much gentler experience, where our parents deposited us at camp with loving hugs and promises to send care packages. I loved camp. [...]

by Stacey Zisook Robinson Crick. Crack. What’s your story? That’s what started it. Well, OK; not really. There were introductions. There were songs. There was food. What? You thought we’d survive on words alone? Of course there was food (and, speaking as one who spent almost two decades at overnight camps, this was decidedly not camp food; hats off to the chefs of OSRUI). But really, for me, when you get right down to it, what started this amazing journey was the question “What’s your story?” Believe me: the answer had little to do (nothing to do) with the kind [...]

I have been to the mountaintop and I can see the future of Jewish education. Take your shoes off, friend. We’re walking on holy ground and praying with our feet.

by Josh Miller, Steven Green, Leah Nadich Meir and Joel Einleger  Collaboration and partnership have become the buzzwords of our time. The business world as well as the nonprofit sector heralds the advantages of collaboration: sharing resources, bringing multiple perspectives to address difficult issues, eliminating duplication, learning from one another and pooling assets. The Jim Joseph and AVI CHAI Foundations, as funders interacting with multiple organizations across sectors, have a bird’s-eye view of what can result when organizations function from within their own separate silos: duplicate efforts on the one hand and unaddressed needs on the other. This led us [...]