In 2011, The Foundation for Jewish Camp authored a study entitled “Camp Works — the Long-Term Impact of Jewish Summer Camp.” Their primary purpose was to determine what, if any, role Jewish summer camp played in the development of long-term Jewish identity.
The results were staggering. In many interpretations, attending Jewish summer camp proved to be the greatest predictor of adult Jewish identity. Some specific findings from the study showed that kids who went to Jewish summer camps were:
10 percent more likely to marry a Jewish partner
21 percent more likely to believe in the importance of being Jewish
26 percent more likely to belong to a synagogue
37 percent more likely to celebrate Shabbat
25 percent more likely to give to Jewish charities
55 percent more likely to feel an emotional connection to Israel
These statistics don’t surprise me at all. Mostly because I attended a wonderful “nondenominational” girls’ summer camp for 10 consecutive summers during my youth. While I wriggled awkwardly at grace each evening in the dining hall and squirmed uncomfortably during our Sunday morning Vespers service, I had friends at nearby Jewish camps who were joyously celebrating Shabbat every Friday night and passionately chanting the Birkat Hamazon after each meal.
When we’d reconvene at Hebrew School in the fall the sense of pride my Jewish friends had in their faith was palpable. I may have had more horseback riding ribbons or tennis trophies for my athletic accomplishments at camp, but my classmates who had spent their time at Jewish summer camps had an appreciation for their heritage and an inner connectedness that I’ve envied even to this day.
When my oldest son, Levi, was 10 years old, we attended an informational summer camp program at his day school. He gravitated toward Camp Newman in Santa Rosa, Calif. “This looks fun,” he told me after the presentation. The idea of sending my son to overnight camp terrified me at the time. I was haunted by memories of my 9-year-old self in Eagle River, Wis., for eight bitterly homesick weeks my first summer of sleep-away camp. But Camp Newman offered beginning sessions that were only 12 days long. That didn’t seem so daunting. Plus, we had a built-in security system — my best friend, whose husband is a rabbi, went to Camp Newman each summer with her family. She was happy to watch out for Levi during his first camp adventure.
Levi’s experience was beyond amazing. He loved everything; the kids, the staff, the activities, the food. He sang me songs and shared stories about Shabbat and insights about torah parshot. “Camp,” he told me, “is my special place.”
He’s gone back to Camp Newman every summer since. This coming summer he’s going for a full month. He’s already started packing (not kidding). I tried to put his feelings about camp into words. But I couldn’t do them justice. So, from one kid to the next, here’s Levi’s review of Camp Newman.
