Jewish summer camps have been evolving for a century – but 2024 is a summer like no other

In 1902, ten-year-old Isidore Itzkowitz accepted a scholarship to an overnight camp in upstate New York. “Izzy,” an orphan raised by his grandmother within the dingy basement of a tenement constructing, fit the profile of kids who Education Alliancea settlement house, desired to help. invigorating idea from his camp was to take working-class Jewish boys out of the new and congested streets of the Lower East Side and expose them to “the great outdoors in a healthy and beautiful atmosphere away from home.”

The experience deeply affected Itzkowitz, who later became often called Eddie Cantor – probably the most popular entertainers of the mid-Twentieth century.

Now called Surprise Lake Camp features an outside pool and free WiFi throughout the property.it's still situated on the identical wooded property that Cantor knew in his youth, however the 1902 tents and farmhouse have been replaced with state-of-the-art facilities, including a zipper line, tennis and pickleball courts, and the Eddie Cantor Theater.

The clientele has also modified – and the aim. In Cantor's time, the camp was for boys only, and the leaders were excited by Americanization and social advancement. In 2024, Surprise Lake is co-gendered, and while scholarships are still available, it’s aimed toward middle- and upper-middle-class families. Most importantly, the camp draws rather more heavily on its Jewish identity and values. when it in its first many yearsincluding Jewish rituals and Hebrew Language infusion.

The change at Camp Surprise Lake is a logo of a more comprehensive development inside Jewish Summer Camps – one which I’m investigating as a scholar of Jewish educationThey have served different purposes over time and represent diverse views on every aspect of the Jewish faith and culture, including Israel.

This summer, the camps are navigating an uncertain landscape that has been transformed by Hamas October 7, 2023, attack and Israel's response: the choice whether and find out how to talk in regards to the war in Gaza, the fear of anti-Semitism within the US and political debates about Israel.

Jewish camps then and now

Already within the Nineteen Twenties and Nineteen Thirties there have been Jewish camps a wide range of flavorsIn addition to “fresh air” camps corresponding to Surprise Lake, there have been Jewish cultural camps dedicated Yiddish And Zionism – the movement to determine and consolidate a Jewish homeland and to revive Hebrew culture – in addition to more exclusive camps for youngsters of the rich.

In the Nineteen Forties and 50sthe industry grew and served a growing Jewish middle class. After the Holocaust, the decimated established Jewish communities in EuropeSome Jewish Americans viewed summer camps as Leadership training area for the subsequent generation. Jewish religious movements also viewed the camp as a way of revitalizing their denominations.

Over the years, Jewish camps have addressed various facets of Jewish-American identity, including social justice, environmentalism, art, and Jewish rituals. Since Israel's founding in 1948, many camps have also made it a degree to have fun its culture. Camps include Hebrew music and Israeli folk dance, instill Hebrew words corresponding to “boker tov” (good morning) and “ruach” (joy of life) have been incorporated into the camp vocabulary and serve Israeli dishes within the “Chadar Ochel” (dining room).

Sometimes the concentrate on Israel served as a way of cultivating Jewish pride in difficult times. The self-confidence of most Jewish Americans Acceptance in American society increased within the second half of the Twentieth century, when fears about anti-Semitism subsided. But that The sense of security is shaken persistently – including 2017 “Unite the rights” Rally in Charlottesville And the 2018 massacre At the tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

A difficult landscape

The Hamas attack, the relentless war in Gaza and the political debate in regards to the conflict are particularly destabilizingIn recent years, most concerns about anti-Semitism have focused on the acute rightBut the past 12 months has also exposed anti-Semitism in the acute left.

To make matters worse, support for Israel a bitter point of contention in Jewish-American communities, especially amongst younger people, more progressive Jews.

As with the rise of anti-Semitism, the fraying the Jewish-American consensus on Israel has been in productionThe change of heart can’t be separated from its broader political context – including an increasingly illiberal Israeli government.

While many younger Jews proceed to have an emotional connection to Israel, they’re Criticism is getting louder from his policy and skeptical that it is really excited by a just peace with the Palestinians. A major percentage of the protesters within the campus encampments last spring were Jewish students partly motivated by their commitment to Jewish values, even when many other Jewish students said they felt unsafe.

All this leaves Jewish camps with quite a few challenges. One part The magic of summer camps is a “bubble” from the “real world”: a closed, protective environment of controlled freedom and fun, away from family and faculty, that promotes children's growth through controlled risk-taking behavior. Serious discussions about current events, especially grim ones, can burst this bubble.

When colleagues and I Jewish summer camp visited in July 2014, while a seven-week war between Israel and HamasThe staff were understandably reluctant to debate the events with the youngsters. Nevertheless, the after-effects were clearly felt. The carers normally made sure to debate the most recent news out of earshot of their charges. But at times the stress was palpable.

Today’s dilemma

This summer, the emotional baggage of the last ten months accompanied the young people and the staff to camp just as safely as their suitcases and duffel bags.

Some, especially those that have felt isolated of their schools and neighborhoods, will want to process the events with friends and trusted elders. Jewish camps in parts of the South and lower Midwest often draw campers from small Jewish communities which have few or no other Jewish colleagues and should crave a possibility to share their feelings. Others will little question welcome the sanctuary that camp provides and depend on staff to take care of the bubble.

The decision to debate the conflict between Israel and Hamas and anti-Semitism also carries other risks. The importance of the advisors as role models is undisputed, but they should not trained teachers or therapists. In July 2014, we often encountered counselors who felt ill-prepared to have difficult conversations in regards to the conflict, and for good reason. They are often highschool and college students, only just a few years older than the youngsters of their care, and lots of are fighting their very own feelings in regards to the war – especially Israelis living in Jewish camps. set often to replenish their workforce.

As in the COVID-19 crisiscamps have largely improvised the challenges of this summer. But when the season is over, I feel camps might want to reflect and reevaluate their approaches.

You would do well to seek the advice of experts who’ve studied How Jewish children and young people understand Israel and the conflict. They must also reassess the long-term effectiveness of “feel-good” programs about Israel that obscure or simplify the conflict. But as Surprise Lake shows, the camps have shown a history of adaptability without abandoning their missions.