More Than Just Fun in the Sun

Hiking at Camp Alonim

Now that it’s June, most parents have made their children’s summer plans. If your kids are enrolled in a Jewish summer camp, you probably have reasons for selecting a particular facility. But how much do you really know about what your children will experience during their session? What types of Jewish activities happen each week? What is the level of observance? What do kids really take away from their time at camp?

To find out, we checked in with participants and leaders at some local Jewish sleep-away camps:

Camp Alonim, Simi Valley

Camp Alonim is located on the 2,800-acre Brandeis-Bardin Institute campus — a combination of wilderness, farmland, multipurpose facilities and housing used year-round. The camp itself was established in 1953 and has been a program of the American Jewish University since 2007.

Josh Levine, Alonim’s newly appointed camp director, believes one of the main things kids take away from sleep-away camp is that it’s cool to be Jewish and to learn about and embrace Judaism. Jewish camping, he said, “can be so effective because you can’t plug in and plug out. You are immersed in the culture 24 hours a day,” he said, and he should know: Levine and his younger brothers pretty much grew up at Alonim.
“Camp touched each of us profoundly. We are all different, and Alonim appeals to kids with all different types of interests,” Levine said, adding that he also met most of his closest friends at Alonim.

“Parents might not realize how intense the bonds are between campers,” said Meredith Raber, a former camper and current camp mom. Some of Raber’s most memorable camp moments revolve around Shabbat:
“Everyone wears white, and it’s so pretty … the people make the camp such a special place. It’s the connection with other Jewish people, and living together, that brings you closer.”
Raber and her husband, Elan, met as counselors at Alonim. This year, Raber’s daughter, Sydney, will attend Mini Camp (a one-week sleepover) and her son, Jack, will join Gan Alonim, the facility’s day-camp program. Camp Alonim is strictly kosher, so children from all levels of observance can attend.

Camp Hess Kramer, Malibu

With about 270 campers, Camp Hess Kramer is the larger of the two Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps (its sister camp, Gindling Hilltop Camp, has just 100 campers and its hilltop site offers a view of the ocean and surrounding hills and canyons).

Hess Kramer prides itself on helping campers build and establish relationships with other campers and the staff, according to Douglas Lynn, director of camps for Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps.

At the end of the day, the entire camp (sessions are age-specific) comes together in a closing ceremony — Siyum — “which the campers and staff alike point to as a unique moment for each day,” Lynn said.

“The tradition of Camp Hess Kramer is such an important part of our family, as it is for many others that I went to camp with who are sending their children today,” said Mark Kaplan, a former camper and counselor who, through his children’s continuing connection, boasts almost 40 years of camp stories and memories.

Kaplan believes the camp’s emphasis on Jewish content has been bolstered during the years, and, as a result, his children welcome the chance to delve into their Judaism. “But the essence and feeling at the camp is still the same,” Kaplan said. “I think you would find that going back to every generation that has gone through the programs at Camp Hess Kramer: Shabbat is still Shabbat, Inspiration Point is still Inspiration Point [home of the camp’s iconic menorah]. Those places and times are carried on.”

Kaplan’s children, Maya, 12, and Daniel, 9, agree with their dad. “I love Shabbat,” Maya said. “It is very magical. We eat, pray, dance, sing, have fun and spend time with our friends.” Both Maya and Daniel say their favorite place at camp is Inspiration Point.

“It feels magical there,” Daniel says. Kaplan said he remembers the daily Jewish programming and looks forward to sharing more stories with his own children. Camp Hess Kramer is aligned with the Reform movement.

Camp JCA Shalom, Malibu

“Mom, how many days till I go back?” was the response Brandon Polak, 10, gave when asked about his camp experience. With some prodding, Brandon elaborated on his camp favorites: “I love how we do all of the Jewish things at camp, since there aren’t many Jewish students at my school. It brings me closer to being Jewish.” This confirms the evidence reported in a Foundation for Jewish Camping study, which showed kids who attend Jewish sleep-away camps tend to remain more involved in Judaism. Experts even go so far as to say that one of the best predictors of a child’s commitment to living a Jewish life is whether he or she attends a Jewish summer camp.

Bill Kaplan, executive director of the Shalom Institute (the home of Camp JCA Shalom), has been on staff at the camp for 20 years. He began his camp career at JCA at 10. “I have been here so long because I see the incredible impact that Jewish camping has on children of all ages,” Kaplan said. “Our song sessions are the best way to see the impact JCA has. I call it ‘Jewish Exuberance’ or ‘Jewish Joy’  —  the kids singing and dancing to Jewish and Hebrew songs full of spirit and full of pride in being Jewish.” Camp JCA Shalom also has a kosher kitchen and welcomes campers from all levels of religious observance.

Camp Ramah, Ojai

“As a camping movement, Ramah has an exceptional reputation for developing secular and Jewish leaders,” said Zachary Lasker, director of Camp Ramah. Lasker has worked with the camp for nine years but has been affiliated with Ramah for more than 20 — first as a camper, later as a counselor and now as its director. He says the day-to-day Jewish experience is designed to make Judaism “come to life in an engaging manner that is organic. Getting the ideals out of the classroom setting.”

Many of the counselors are Israeli, and much of the programming involves Israeli themes, including a camp-sponsored trip to Israel that students entering 12th grade are encouraged to attend. As the official camp of the Conservative movement, Ramah offers year-round programs as well asone-,  two- and four-week sessions. Some campers stay for the full summer. The Ramah Commission has seven overnight camps throughout North America, and the programs are based on the following ideals: self-esteem, character development, Jewish learning, Jewish identity and community, Jewish observance, Zionism and Hebrew. 

The Inside Scoop:

What your kids don’t tell you about camp

“How was camp?” It’s a common question asked by parents when they pick up their kids from summer sleep-away camp. The answers, though, vary, from “It was great!” to more elaborate responses. Typically, though, most kids tend to stick to the facts without expanding on what, in many cases, has been a life-changing experience.

“Parents might not realize how intense the bonds are between campers,” said Meredith Raber, a former Alonim camper and current camp mom. “It’s really hard to go home [from camp] and get right back into your home life. [Sometimes kids] feel lonely, especially after being around so many other kids, and it’s really quiet at home.”

Bill Kaplan, executive director of the Shalom Institute, says many kids develop a greater sense of independence and self-esteem while at camp, traits that remain with them long after their camp session ends. And while many kids also come home with a greater appreciation for Judaism, they may not all express that change to their parents.

Douglas Lynn, director of Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps, says, “I often find myself talking to parents after the summer about how to work with their children who are ‘campsick.’  Many campers come home from camp and desperately miss their camp life.  I hear from parents that the second their campers wake up the day after camp, they are online with their friends, that they don’t necessarily want to see their ‘home’ friends, that all they can talk about — if they talk to their parents at all — is about camp.”