When we talk about the impact that Jewish summer camps have on the Jewish future, we often talk in large numbers and percentages. 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.
Tag Archives | community
Olympic-Sized Maccabiah
This year, as we watch the 2012 London Olympics with bated breath, campers at our 13 URJ Camps are lacing up their sneakers, pulling out their colored t-shirts and preparing for their own version of the Olympics—Maccabiah!
12 Ways to Make Shabbat Services at Your Congregation More Like Camp
Want to bring the camp experience home to your synagogue and engage former and future campers in congregational life? Here are 12
The Power of The Music Of The Night
Rabbi Marci Bellows talks about the contiunous impact of Jewish music. She discusses her first meeting with Debbie Friedman at URJ’s Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute and how transformative her music has been on the Jewish community.
Lake Forest High School senior finds ‘true self’ during Israel Experience
The enthusiasm in Robin Leventhal’s blog postings — and her voice during a conversation — reinforce the fact that her semester of study in Israel affected her for a lifetime to come. A Lake Forest High School senior, Leventhal, 18, returned Dec. 29 from four months of academic and field trip experiences outside the norm for virtually all teenagers, such as learning to handle and shoot an M16 rifle.
Camp and the URJ Biennial
Rabbi Marci N. Bellows discusses the 71st URJ Biennial and how she was surprised that the most anticipated event was Shabbat services. She believes this is because the Shabbat experience at Biennial is the closest most Reform Jewish adults will come to experiencing the beauty of Jewish camping.
How Do We Connect, Inspire, and Engage Kids: What We’ve Learned From Camp
Counting the days until the URJ’s Biennial convention outside of Washington DC became that much more exciting after a planning session with some colleagues. Gathering together by telephone from all across the US, we – three camp directors, three rabbis, and one talented URJ specialist – put our heads together to plan a Biennial session on the “magic of camp.”
Faculty Celebrates National Wear Your Camp Shirt Day
What a great day for the Faculty of Eisner and Crane Lake Camps! This morning, we were joined by more than 30 Rabbis, Cantors and Educators, wearing their camp shirts, for our annual Education Summit.
Why the World Needs Summer Camp: An Essay to Parents
It is not easy for parents to make the decision to send their child away into the waiting arms of strangers who promise to take care of them — people who promise to show them the wonders of nature, fun, new skills, and friendships. As a parent of two children, even I struggle with the idea, and I have been around summer camps my entire life.
Srecna Nova Godina! – Celebrating the New Year in Serbia
Charlotte Sall is a long time Eisner camper and staff member currently spending a gap year in Serbia working with underprivileged youth. In this blog post, she writes about her experience celebrating Rosh Hashanah in a country with fewer than 2,000 Jews.
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Camp Heroes Support Gift of Life
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12 Ways to Make Shabbat Services at Your Congregation More Like Camp
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Wear Your Camp & Israel T-Shirt Day Contest Winners
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Just welcomed all of our first time taste of Kalsman campers to camp! So excited to have them checking out camp!11 months ago
Becoming Olim Leadership program for our Olim campers just had an incredible program on image. #teachablemoments http://t.co/Cgt2Dnw611 months ago