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 [...]

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.

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. [...]

Why welcome home our kids? We want our kids to know that we support them, missed them, and are glad to have them back in our congregational home as well, back at their Jewish address. We want them to know they are important to us and to the future of our Judaism. We want it to be clear to them that we are interested in what they have to say.

By Stephen Weitzman Amazing! Absolutely amazing! Those are the only words that immediately come to mind to accurately describe all that took place at Camp Chazak, the URJ’s program for children whose social development makes it difficult for them to function in a “typical” camp environment, which is held each year at Eisner and Crane Lake Camps. Then again, the word exceptional also comes close!

by Rabbi Benjamin David Once upon a time, you either went to camp or you didn’t. Such days are behind us. Growing up outside of Philadelphia, there were essentially two groups amongst my close-knit group of friends, a group populated by various cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and religious affiliations. There were those who stayed at home, working, volunteering, or competing as part of our local swim team or basketball club. Then there were those of us who left for four weeks, maybe eight weeks, to experience the rhythm of summer in different terms. I was, am, and always will be a [...]

Now that the summer of 2012 is in the history books, we have been looking back on some of the wonderful times we had but also looking ahead to summer 2013 and why we can’t wait for you to come to camp.

When we talk about the impact that Jewish summer camps have on the Jewish future, we often talk in large numbers and percentages. Indeed, it is wonderful to see the proof that we are reaching our youth outcomes. But as I head to pick up my own children from Jewish summer camp, I am reminded of the individuals whose lives – not only their Jewish identities – are profoundly impacted by their summer home.

It isn’t just a program for Jewish teenagers that do volunteer over summer break; it is home.

by Rabbi Barbara Symons and Rabbi Ron Symons We are writing to you in this special joint article from our modest room at URJ Camp Harlam, where we are now serving as faculty for two weeks of vibrant Jewish learning and living with 500 campers and another 200 staff in the beautiful Pocono Mountains. This is the seventh year that we have served at Harlam in this way. Our connections with URJ camping run deep. When Ron was entering 7th-9th grades, his parents sent him to the URJ Camp Eisner in Great Barrington, MA. As the child of a NYC [...]

Want to bring the camp experience home to your synagogue and engage former and future campers in congregational life? Here are 12