During Jewish Disability, Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month, Foundation for Jewish Camp Provides Resources to Boost Accessibility at Camp
NEW YORK — During Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), observed each February since 2009 to raise awareness and encourage inclusion, Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) is providing resources to boost accessibility at Jewish summer camps.
Since 2019, FJC has provided over $12 million to 46 Jewish camps to improve accessibility for campers and staff with disabilities through its Yashar Initiative, generously funded by The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. The initiative focused on awarding $10 million in capital grants, with additional funds for capacity building. These grants have enabled camps to construct accessible facilities, create inclusive programming spaces, and provide essential staff training.
“Every person should be able to experience the magic of Jewish summer camp, and our work through the Yashar Initiative has helped make camps even more welcoming and accessible,” said Jeremy J. Fingerman, outgoing CEO of Foundation for Jewish Camp. “Last summer, nearly 8,000 campers with disabilities attended Jewish day and overnight camps.”
“From paved pathways to retrofitted bunks to a rock-wall friendly for campers with developmental disabilities, FJC grants enabled transformational investments at Jewish camps,” said Jamie Simon, incoming interim CEO of Foundation for Jewish Camp. “Our data suggests capital improvements, alongside increased staff training, helped campers be more independent and feel more included.”
One camp noted that “whereas previously the uneven dirt terrain made access to the various spaces in camp a real challenge for individuals with disabilities, the newly paved paths ensure safe travel to and from the various camp areas.” A Yashar Camp Director explained that accessible cabins “reaffirmed that we are an inclusive space” and became the “gathering place for the entire village.”
Examples of Yashar projects include:
- Camp Ramah in New England used Yashar funding to expand their vocational education building, including building four new ADA compliant sleeping rooms.
- Camp Ruach in Bridgewater, New Jersey, built a fully accessible, zero-depth entry splash pad and an “Etz Chayim Center” outdoor exploration area and sensory garden” in two rounds of Yashar funding. Camp Ruach’s leadership observed that the splash park enabled “all children to play together” and gain “a greater appreciation of one another.”
- Round Lake @ NJY Camps in Milford, Pennsylvania, built a retrofitted bunk with an entry ramp and ADA-complaint shower, a ramp to its program space known as “The Den,” an indoor sensory space, and an outdoor sensory playground.
- Lessans Camp JCC in Rockville, Maryland, constructed a new rock wall with a series of ropes and pulleys that allow for greater access to campers with physical disabilities, with staff trained to find ways every camper can be included. The camp also built a new “sportsplex” for camp-wide programs so that all campers can gather in a single place.
“FJC strives to ensure that every Jewish child can find a camp they can call home where they feel seen and accepted,” said Rebecca Kahn, Senior Director of Grant Making & Field Expansion at Foundation for Jewish Camp. “By helping camps become more accessible, the Yashar Initiative has fostered a true sense of belonging among campers and staff. Today, 10% of individuals at Yashar camps are campers with disabilities, more than double our initial target .”
To learn more about the Yashar Initiative and the impact of FJC’s work to support campers with disabilities, visit our website and read the Inclusion in Action: Yashar Report prepared in collaboration with EMC Consulting.
About Foundation for Jewish Camp
FJC advocates for over 300 day and overnight camps that provide nearly 190,000 campers and counselors each summer with a meaningful, personal, and lifelong connection to Judaism. FJC is the only public 501(c)(3) charitable organization solely focused on Jewish camp. jewishcamp.org
Media Contact
agoldstein@ninetywest.com for Foundation for Jewish Camp
