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A familiar scene played out in parking lots throughout our community a few days ago, with happy tangles of children, families, and madrichim all preparing for the bus ride to camp. What’s in store for these kids – and for all of us - is much more than sunny days at the waterfront, campfires, and new friends.

In my 20’s I spent a year serving on the board of a Jewish camp that sat on the edge of where there was a major forest fire. It was almost like the fire itself stopped short of taking this camp. It reminded me that our camps, in many ways, stand in the way of the fires that encroach upon Jewish life these days, fires like anti-Semitism, apathy and assimilation. Sitting around that table reignited my passion for what Jewish summer camp has to offer these days. The immersive experience of unplugging from the hectic lives our children are experiencing to find out who they are as people is priceless in our pursuit to create the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.

A 2011 study called Camp Works put serious numbers to the increased levels of adult Jewish community engagement. Here are just a few key findings about adults who attended Jewish overnight camp as children. They are:

• 21% more likely to feel being Jewish is very important;
• 37% more likely to always/usually light Shabbat candles; and
• 55% more likely to feel very emotionally connected to Israel.

For some children in our community, summer camp is their only Jewish educational experience. At a time when ties to Jewish life are eroding for many people, camp takes on particular importance when it comes to sustaining our community for the long term. When I look around at the people I serve with in our community, having attended Jewish summer camp is a common thread amongst many of them. I’m a second generation Ramah camper, but it wasn’t until adulthood that I realized and appreciated the building blocks of Jewish life that I received as a camper. Regardless of whether a child has an average experience or a magical experience at camp, the long-term impact is often profound.

Camp is an experience we think every child deserves, but the reality is not everyone can afford it on their own. There’s an old saying that it’s expensive to be Jewish, and on top of that we live in a very expensive city. The affordability of Jewish life is a concern for many of our community members, not just those living in poverty. Many families need our help to shoulder the expenses that are part and parcel of Jewish life, such as camp fees, extracurricular activities, and school tuition. These are our friends and our neighbours. Up to one-third of local campers receive camperships. Imagine what camp would be like without those kids. Imagine campers making one-third fewer friendships, enjoying one-third fewer laughs, or having their cabins and canoes one-third empty.

That’s where we come in. More accurately, that’s where you come in, because it’s your campaign gift that helps fund camperships for more than 160 local children to have residential or day camp experiences at Camp Hatikva, Habonim-Dror Camp Miriam, Camp Solomon Schecter, Camp Gan Israel, and JCC Camp Shalom.

For the third year in a row, in collaboration with the JCC and the Aleph in the Tri-Cities Society, we are providing support to the regional camp initiative. The initiative funds a bus and driver to bring approximately 22 campers to JCC Camp Shalom from the Tri-Cities, Surrey and Langley areas. This year, campers will be attending two weeks of camp. With over 2,000 Jewish children living outside the City of Vancouver, this is an important step toward increasing the accessibility of the Jewish camp experience for children who are not in close proximity to aspects of Jewish community life.

We also provide funding for the Camp Hativkah Camp Bubbe - a registered psychologist who spends time at the camp, and is available by phone to provide support and assistance to campers, and advice and guidance to counsellors and the camp director. And to ensure that everyone has access to a Jewish camping experience, the Jewish Community Foundation is funding camperships to JCC Camp Shalom to support campers with diverse abilities.

Breaking down barriers to Jewish life, like affordability and accessibility, are key to creating a more inclusive Jewish community in which everyone feels welcome. Apply that to camp support that increases the diversity of the camp experience and fosters increased engagement for years to come, and you have a recipe for long-term community sustainability. It’s not the only piece of the puzzle, but it’s an important one. When your kids arrive home and come off the bus an inch taller and all suntanned (wait - that’s not dirt, is it?) you really are hugging our community’s future leaders.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver