Cross-Cultural Perspectives: How October 7th Shaped the Jewish Summer Camp Experience in 2024

By Nila Rosen & Matt Reingold

This report highlights diverse perspectives from thousands of North American and Israeli staff, campers, parents, and camp leaders, exploring the critical role Jewish camps play in Israel education and fostering intercultural connections, written with three goals in mind:

• First, to capture a specific moment in time by describing Israel-related encounters at camp after October 7th. To build a comprehensive portrait of what occurred in summer 2024, we have drawn upon surveys, interviews, and visits to camps across North America. We have made use of the voices of camp leaders and administrators, North American and Israeli counselors, Israeli campers, and the families who send their children to camps.
• Second, to positively contribute to how Israel is encountered at camp by offering a series of best and emerging-practice recommendations for how Israel can be included at camp in summer of 2025 and beyond.
• Third, to share applicable learnings for other sectors when sharing or delivering Israel education.

Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) and the field of camp deeply appreciate the $2 million that was given to support Israel education and resources at Jewish camps by the Jim Joseph Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Maimonides Fund, Samueli Foundation, The Jewish Education Project, UJA-Federation New York, and several individual donors. In addition, The Jewish Agency for Israel and Mosaic United in partnership with FJC contributed approximately $2.5 million to bring Israeli campers and Hebrew-speaking social workers to Jewish camps across North America in summer 2024. As well, several Federations (including Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York) provided security grants to their local camps.

We also want to express our appreciation to the reviewers of this report and the individuals who visited camps this summer and conducted fieldwork and interviews including Abigail Uhrman, Tal Vaizman, Amy Meltzer, Daniel Olson, Shalom Orzach, and Michal Shapira Junger.