Rabbi Micah Greenland, international director of NCSY and JSU, reflects on Jewish summer camp’s power to transform lives
Each summer, approximately 200,000 children, teens, and young adults participate in over 300 nonprofit Jewish day and overnight camps across North America, according to the Foundation for Jewish Camp.
Following another successful camp season, we spoke with Rabbi Micah Greenland, international director of NCSY and the Jewish Student Union (JSU), about how Jewish summer camp shapes identity and belonging, why the experience remains so meaningful long after summer ends, and how camps can continue to engage and inspire a new generation.
What makes Jewish summer camp such a powerful environment for shaping a young person’s Jewish identity, and what can camp provide that schools, shuls, and other Jewish institutions may not be able to replicate?
There are three main benefits that camp is uniquely positioned to provide.
First, it gives young people opportunities to develop strengths beyond academics. Whether those talents are in the arts, music, athletics, woodworking, or another creative area, camp offers an environment where kids can gain confidence in their own abilities. They can also find a sense of purpose and meaningful ways to contribute to the camp community, whether by leading davening or sharing a particular skill with their peers.
Second, camp takes people out of their routine. Whether they’re there for two weeks or eight weeks, they’re removed from the rhythms of everyday life and immersed in a setting that can be transformational. Jewish experiences and practices that may feel routine at home can take on new meaning at camp, giving young people an opportunity to consider: Who am I? What is my Judaism really about? Why are certain things resonating for me here that don’t resonate in the same way at home?
Finally, there’s the role-model component. Camp is filled with counselors and junior counselors who are just a few years older than the campers and therefore highly relatable. Schools and shuls, by necessity, rely on experienced educators and leaders with the knowledge and expertise those settings require. Camp complements those relationships by giving kids access to younger role models who can connect with them, listen to them, and understand their experiences in a different way.
So much of camp revolves around friendships, counselors, and informal educational moments. What role do those relationships and experiences play, particularly for children and teens who may not feel as connected in more formal Jewish settings?
Those informal aspects of camp can be particularly formative for campers. As I mentioned earlier, counselors are relatable role models, but camp also offers experiences that can be intentionally designed to reach the heart and soul, not just the mind.
Much of the school experience is necessarily focused on cognitive goals: developing skills, building comprehension, and acquiring knowledge. Camp has the freedom to focus more heavily on affective goals: How will this experience make a young person feel? What will it inspire them to believe, value, or think about?
Schools can certainly create those kinds of experiences, but they are not always able to orient as much of the day around them as camp can. At camp, those goals can shape the entire experience.
Why do you think Jewish summer camps hold such an enduring place in people’s lives?
Individual moments add up to memorable, formative experiences. Being taken out of your normal routine makes those moments more likely to stay with you. Over time, they become part of how you understand your identity, and the places where they happened take on significance as well.
If you had an inspiring moment at the waterfront, for example, that waterfront can hold a special meaning in your mind, associated with the sense of connection or personal growth you experienced there. The same can be true of a dining room where you participated in a song competition or bonded with your Color War team. When those experiences happen repeatedly over several summers, the connection to the physical place becomes even stronger.
I don’t think that’s exclusive to camp. People can have enduring connections to their shuls, schools, childhood homes, and other places that carry deep personal significance. The prospect of one of those places no longer being there can evoke a profound sense of loss. Camp is part of that picture. These places become meaningful because they’re connected to experiences and relationships that helped shape who we are.
Youth today are growing up in a very different cultural and technological environment than previous generations. How do Jewish summer camps need to evolve to continue engaging and inspiring them?
It takes more to engage a teen today than it did a generation or two ago. Technology is ubiquitous, and young people are accustomed to being entertained constantly. Even in a technology-free environment, camps have to recognize that reality. Programs need to be thoughtful, engaging, and enjoyable from beginning to end. That puts pressure on educators to continually think about how to create meaningful experiences rather than simply resting on what has worked in the past. I think that’s a great challenge to have.
There are also times when technology can be used effectively at camp, whether to produce a film or to use popular media as a springboard for discussion. When we do use it, the quality has to meet the standards kids are accustomed to outside of camp.
That said, one of the great strengths of camp is that it can be an oasis from the constant presence of technology. Humans have a natural need to connect with one another and with nature, and both can happen more organically at camp. Technology can become a burden when it’s ever-present. Giving people, especially young people, a refuge from that is an asset that camps should celebrate.
Rabbi Micah Greenland is the international director of NCSY and the Jewish Student Union (JSU).