Each summer, many parents wonder what to do with their children to give them an enjoyable break from studying. Attending a Jewish camp in the summer is a special opportunity for your children if you are part of the Jewish community. On top of the fun and games, there is a unique mix of cultural enrichment, personal growth, and community building. Here is why your child should go to a Jewish summer camp:
Deepening Jewish Identity
Jewish summer camp offers children the opportunity to explore their heritage. Camps do this in a way that will engage and contextualize the culture in their own lives. The experience helps them to build up a strong, positive attachment to their Jewish identity, something that may be elusive in a secular world. Learning about Jewish heritage through cultural dancing, food, and music makes the experience memorable. Campers can learn about their culture’s history in a fun and exciting way.
Connecting With Nature
Many Jewish summer programs boast magnificent settings in nature that allow children to detach themselves from screens and city life, regaining their interaction with the world of nature. Whether hiking, swimming, or experiencing the outdoors, camp settings help promote an active lifestyle. This also encourages a lifelong appreciation of nature and physical activity.
Fostering Community
Community is central to Jewish summer holidays. The children learn to work as a community by helping each other in certain group tasks and being responsible for actions taken. This sense of community is reinforced by the Jewish values of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and chesed (loving-kindness), which are often integrated into the camp’s programming.
Instilling Jewish Values
From both formal education and informal experiences, Jewish summer programs instill core Jewish values in children. It can be from a lesson about social justice, intentionally talking about what tzedakah means. Or it can be about how someone gives kavod, respect, in everyday interactions. The children leave camp with an augmented view of what leading a Jewish-ethics-directed life means.
Building Positive Memories
For some, summer camp is a staple in their childhood memories. Jewish summer meet-ups offer a degree of immersion in a unique world that offers fun activities and meaningful connections that may have the children reminiscing years later. These are not simply memories of the fun they enjoyed, but also the identity and belonging developed.
Continuing Jewish Education in an Engaging Way
The informal and enveloping environment of summer camp lets learning about Judaism get exciting and relevant for the children. They learn by singing Hebrew songs, attending a camp-wide Havdalah service, or acting in a play about a story from the Torah. This comes across most organically and is an immersive method.
Enroll Your Children in Jewish Summer Camp
Sending your child to a Jewish summer camp provides them with the opportunity to grow and learn. The attendees also connect with each other in ways other camps may not offer. Summer camp offers fun, friends, and independence, but a Jewish camp also gives children more grounded roots. It offers them a lifetime community and solid values by which to live. Enroll your children in Jewish camps this summer to give them an enriching and fun-filled experience.
