Jewish Summer Camping

Some of our Crane Lake Campers front, l. to r.: Alison Kirsch, Sarah Harris, Matthew Kalmans, Sam Glass, rear: Scott Harris, Michael Chetrit, Alex Rich, Sharon Harris

Congratulations, B’nai Israel!
                                                                                                                                                      I am proud to serve as a member of the Commission that oversees the two Reform Jewish camps in our region.  You can imagine my delight when I learned that this past summer our own Congregation B’nai Israel sent the largest number of campers to Crane Lake Camp and Eisner Camp of any of the more than 170 Reform congregations that are served by our camps!  Last summer there were 32 girls and boys from B’nai Israel who attended one of our two summer camps – 32 fortunate children who got to experience the joy and excitement of a wonderful summer camping experience in the beautiful setting of the Berkshires in Massachusetts. 

Crane Lake Camp in West Stockbridge and Camp Eisner in Great Barrington provide quality camping experiences with a full breadth of athletic and recreational activities.  Crane Lake is for campers entering 3rd to 10th grades, and Eisner is for campers entering 2nd to 10th grades.  Both camps afford a wonderful opportunity for children to develop a strong, lasting Jewish identity while having a fabulous traditional summer camp experience.  Thirty-two happy campers can’t be wrong!

If your child does not yet attend one of our camps and you would like to learn more about the camping experience at Crane Lake Camp or Eisner Camp, please feel free to speak with me, with our Director of Education, Ira Wise, or with our Camp “Ambassador” Tracey Taylor.   You can also speak to any of the 32 children who attended our camps this past summer and to their families.  Or check out the web site for our camps at http://necamps.urjcamps.org.  Next summer could be the start of a lifetime of fabulous memories of Jewish summer camping for your child, too!

George Markley

My friend Joel Grishaver once wanted to make a documentary about summer camps. He wanted to spend a summer going to every different kind of camp he could find-religious camps, sports camps, YMCA camps, weight loss camps, computer camps-you name it. He wanted to interview the kids in each place on film, asking them just one question: "What is the best thing about this camp?"He never made the movie because he was certain that he would get the same answer in every place, no matter what the camp's core values were:

"My friends, man. My friends."

I believe he is right. Every camp does the basics well-sports, aquatics, drama, and yes friendships. Camps are pressure cookers that encourage their young charges to relate to others. Some have specializations that make them stand out to those seeking those unique aspects. If your family is all about soccer, then a soccer camp may be the way to go. If a career in dance is in your child's future, then a dance camp may be the right move.

Our congregation is part of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), which sponsors a series of camps across North America. Crane Lake and Eisner Camps, both in the Berkshires, serve our region. Fifteen B'nai Israel kids and I spent part or all of last summer there. I would like to talk to you about what is unique about them.

Yes they have sports, aquatics, drama, and opportunities for friendships. You get all of the usual things you expect from an overnight camp. While you are at home this summer and your son or daughter is at one of our camps, you can be confident that they are also developing their values and Jewish knowledge. In short, they are working on bulking up the part of themselves that make them menschen (humans-good, kind, decent, and honorable).

Yes, they will make great friends. I can show you my phone bill reflecting all of my son's friends from all over the Northeast. They can act in plays, make beautiful art, compete in a variety of sports, or just play non-competitive sports and games. Every child leaves camp swimming a little better than they did before.

I believe that sending your child to one of these Jewish summer camps is THE best thing you can do for him or her this summer. We and the camp have funds available for partial scholarships. Watch you mail for information about when the Louis or his staff will be coming to our community to talk about camp. Send your child to Eisner or Crane Lake this summer.

L'shalom,

Ira J. Wise, R.J.E.
Director of Education

Click here for the Northeast Camp Institute Website!