As a child and teenager, I did not attend a residential camp, and only occasionally attended a summer day camp. Rather, my family and I enjoyed a summer cottage on one of the many lakes in the Kawartha region of Ontario. Swimming, water skiing, and mosquitos were the norm as I grew up beside the lake. I don’t think that my parents considered a summer residential camp for my sister and me; if they even knew of their existence in the fifties and early sixties. Our family were members of an independent synagogue, not affiliated with the UAHC (original name of the URJ), and therefore were not aware of the fledgling camp system when I was a child.
Fast forward …….. To marriage and children. My family began our membership at a UAHC affiliated temple, with our kids beginning their Jewish journey at the supplementary school, both Judaic studies and basic Hebrew language skills. By the time our eldest was 8, my wife and I were well aware of both the national temple youth programs and the related, residential camp system, comprising 10 camps across the United States.
At that time we enrolled our son initially, and then a year later, both of our children in a UAHC camp in Wisconsin. A success from the beginning! At the conclusion of each summer, upon returning home, the question was “how long until we can go back to camp? “ The stories of fun, learning, interacting with Rabbis, and above all the friendships that grew from the first year made my wife and I realize that this camp, the faculty and staff were well and truly having a very positive impact on our children and their Jewish journey. Our friends’ children were having similar experiences….ie ….. ”school is an interruption in the camp season.”
As the journey continued I became aware of the multitude of Jewish professionals in Canada and within the URJ who are camp alumni contributing to the advancement of Reform Judaism. In my family’s case, both of my children went on to further study in Israel, on several occasions, and both have earned a PhD, one in Jewish history and one in education through JTS. Both are fully embracing Judaism in their lives, and their own families.
The start and the support my children had at the UAHC camp was remarkable, was truly appreciated, and has led to two very literate Jewish young adults. Another direct result of the development of my children and their enjoyment at camp for many summers, was my founding of Camp George, the 13th camp in the URJ system (UAHC at the time) in 1999. It was important and remains important that as many children as possible are given opportunity for Jewish experiential education in a camp setting. The resulting lifelong friendships, Jewish literacy, and commitment to Judaism are worthy of support by the whole community.
G H