Music At Day Camp

We consistently find that many Jewish day camps feel challenged by how to create and maintain a strong Jewish identity that feels authentic to their communities’ population. Day camps tend to be religiously diverse, comprised of a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish staff and campers, and of Jewish staff and campers with a wide range of previous experience with Judaism. For many children, Jewish day camp is their first entry point into formal Jewish community. How can camps navigate this? How can day camp best capitalize on its potential strengths of teaching empathy for Judaism and teaching how to exist in a microcosm of the larger world where diverse identities are celebrated?

Three big themes on Jewish content and culture have emerged in recent Day Camper Satisfaction Insights and Day Staff Satisfaction Insights surveys:

• Jewish and non-Jewish staff and families alike report positively on camp’s Jewish programming and content.
• Shabbat is a highlight of Jewish experiences at day camp. 
• The camps that tend to have the most positive ratings on their Jewish content and culture are the ones where Judaism is seamlessly integrated into the entire camp experience. 

Inspired by these themes and the piloted L’hadlik program, the following resources are designed to support the seamless integration throughout the camp week of more Jewish content that’s connected to Shabbat, using music as an accessible educational tool. All camp staff members have the power to take on the role of Jewish educator and lead music at camp! 

Resources