URJ Heller High and Camp George!
Way back in March, I got a very special email. Our Assistant Director, Josh Tolkin, reached out to connect me with Rabbi Orli Moss, the Director of the URJ’s Heller High program. URJ Heller High is an incredible opportunity for teenagers to spend a semester of their high school career in Israel. Teens study in an Israeli high school environment while living together, taking unique courses in Jewish life and history, traveling around the country, and still earning credit with their home school board. And to make the deal even sweeter, the program is based just 10km from the beach!
We’re lucky to have several URJ Heller High alumni on staff and in leadership roles at camp this summer—including our very own Assistant Director and members of our Faculty—so we’ve seen first-hand how transformative this program can be. We knew we had to do everything we could to bring Rabbi Moss to camp so our campers could experience her wisdom and warmth.
What made her visit even more special is that Rabbi Orli Moss is not just the Director of Heller High—she is also a leading voice in the Reform Movement in Israel. Through her work with the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), she represents the values of pluralism, equality, and social justice that sit at the core of our Reform Jewish identity. Her presence at camp was an opportunity for our campers to not only learn about studying in Israel, but also to deepen their understanding of what it means to live Jewishly in a modern, diverse, and democratic Jewish state.
We were so fortunate to have Rabbi Moss (or Rabbi Orli, as the kids called her) at camp for an entire Shabbat weekend. She jumped into our programming with full heart, leading in-cabin education blocks, supporting our Barak campers as they prepared to lead Shabbat, and spending time in meaningful conversations with our Israeli campers and staff in preparation for Tisha B’Av. She became a trusted adult to so many—Israeli, Canadian, and American alike—within just a few days.
The highlight of the weekend was a special Shabbat Limud (Shabbat learning block), crafted in collaboration with some of our Heller High alumni. Designed for our eldest campers and CITs, this session gave them a real taste of what a semester at Heller High could look like, with the chance to ask questions and hear stories directly from alumni and Rabbi Orli herself. It was an eye-opening opportunity that we hope inspires more of our teens to consider a semester in Israel—not just to study Math or English, but to explore their Jewish identity in a deep and personal way.
We were truly blessed to have Rabbi Moss with us this summer. After just three days, she felt like a true part of the Camp George community. Though we were sad to see her go, she left us with powerful ideas for how to bring even more Israel to camp—and more camp to Israel. Stay tuned!