Cornerstone Fellowship

Specialty Tracks

Specialty Tracks allow you to explore an area you’re particularly interested in and form a stronger bond with an experienced Educator. Specialty Tracks also provide continuity across three sessions throughout the seminar. You’ll register for ONE of each Specialty Track.

Program Track

Program Track is a mutli-part deep dive into one topic with the same small group. It focuses on specific programmatic areas of camp.
See Program Track

Context Track

Context Track is a multi-part deep dive into one topic with the same small group. It focuses on the common topics, themes, or skills that come up at camp.

Fellow Electives

These sessions create moments in the day for participants to connect with others, explore new topics, and think about how to bring more intention and care into their work at camp.
See Monday Fellow Elective offerings
See Tuesday Fellow Elective offerings

Staffter Hours

These sessions model strong, ready-to-use programming that participants can lead for camp staff this summer. Activities focus on boosting staff morale, encouraging self-care, showing appreciation, and building community.
See Staffter Hours offerings

What is a Senior Fellow?

Specialty Tracks

Context Track is a multi-part deep dive into one topic with the same small group. It focuses on the common topics, themes, or skills that come up at camp.
See Context Track offerings

Fellow Electives

These sessions create moments in the day for participants to connect with others, explore new topics, and think about how to bring more intention and care into their work at camp.
See Monday Fellow Elective offerings
See Tuesday Fellow Elective offerings

Staffter Hours

These sessions model strong, ready-to-use programming that participants can lead for camp staff this summer. Activities focus on boosting staff morale, encouraging self-care, showing appreciation, and building community.
See Staffter Hours offerings

Staffter Hours

These sessions model strong, ready-to-use programming that participants can lead for camp staff this summer. Activities focus on boosting staff morale, encouraging self-care, showing appreciation, and building community.
See Staffter Hours offerings

General

Please bring clothing appropriate for camp (comfortable layers)! It will be warm in the sun and cool in the shade, and we’ll be outside (a few drops of rain won’t stop us from outdoor programming), inside (with some air-conditioned facilities), and camp cabins without heat for our overnight accommodations.

Make sure to pack closed-toe shoes, and rain gear.

Linens are provided, but it does get COLD at night so consider packing an extra blanket, sleeping bag and/or warm pajamas.

A camp tshirt for camp tshirt day!

Clothing

Dress code for the seminar is casual. However, please keep in mind that this is a professional development conference, and you will be representing your camp community! Be aware you’ll be asked to sit on the ground for some programming.

Additional Necessities

Suggested (Non-Essential) Items

Cornerstone is a great opportunity to share your talents, be creative, exchange ideas, and trade best practices. Consider bringing some of these:

• Song books from your camp
• Printouts of favorite programs to share with other camps
• Musical instrument (drums, guitars, etc.) (You’ll have a chance to jam…)
• Favorite games
• Camera

Jewish Ritual Items

There will be time in the program for those who have a practice of daily prayer and saying grace after meals.  We will have a limited number of benchers and prayer books available. If you prefer to pray with a specific siddur, please, BYO-Siddur! If you wear or use a kippah/yarmulke, tallit, tefillin, or other ritual garment, please bring your own. We will not have access to these religious items.

Luggage

FJC is not responsible for the cost of checked baggage. We suggest packing your items so they will fit in one carry-on bag. For additional details, see our Travel Policy.

Alpha Epsilon Pi – The mission of Alpha Epsilon Pi is to provide education, resources and training to the future leaders of the world’s Jewish communities. This mission is demonstrated every day through acts of brotherhood, Tzedakah (charity), social awareness and support for Jewish communities and Israel.

AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps – Avodah develops lifelong social justice leaders whose work is informed by Jewish values and who inspire the Jewish community to work toward a more just and equitable world. Our flagship program, the Jewish Service Corps, is an immersive service year program for emerging changemakers ages 21-26 who are passionate about social justice and ready to engage in a pluralistic Jewish community. Corps Members live and learn together in intentional communal homes while they deepen their social justice framework through experiential programming and values-driven community building. Corps Members serve directly at local organizations tackling crucial social and economic justice issues. Corps Members receive furnished housing, a monthly living stipend, health insurance, an exit stipend, and a travel allowance. Corps Members can also tap into our Economic Access Fund to support unmet financial needs.

BBYO – BBYO is the leading pluralistic teen movement aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences. For over 95 years, BBYO has provided exceptional identity enrichment and leadership development experiences for hundreds of thousands of Jewish teens.

Brandeis University: Consortium for the Teaching of Hebrew Language and Culture – Kayitz Kef leverages the strengths of camp to position Hebrew not as an academic subject, but as a living language embedded in daily activity, social interaction, and communal life. Through Hebrew, campers encounter Israel and Israelis as people and culture, not as symbols. Kayitz works with camps across North America to integrate Modern Israeli Hebrew and contemporary Israeli culture into camp life. What began as a single-site experiment has since been intentionally adapted to a wide range of camp structures, populations, and community contexts, without compromising its core educational principles: Hebrew is used for real purposes, not isolated instruction. Language is tied to activity, emotion, and social interaction. Israeli counselors and Hebrew-speaking staff serve as cultural and linguistic anchors. Learning occurs through participation and exposure, not performance or assessment. Across all programs, the goal remains the same: to create environments in which Hebrew is lived, spoken, and shared as part of everyday camp life.

Civic Spirit – Civic Spirit educates, inspires, and empowers youth across faith traditions to enhance civic knowledge, responsibility, and belonging in their student and faculty communities. We focus on three core pillars: Democratic Fluency, Civic Skills, and Civic Belonging. Our Camp Ambassadors opportunity focuses on camp as particularly impactful settings for civic education and engagement because of the community values at the core of the camp experience.

Foundation for Jewish Camp – Whether you’re considering working at camp for a summer or something more long-term, you’ll find a wide variety of fellowships, internships, and seasonal positions here to help you advance your professional journey.

Gift of Life Marrow Registry – Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a non-profit marrow and stem cell registry that facilitates lifesaving transplants for people battling blood cancer and other blood disorders.

Hadar – The Hadar Institute is a center of Jewish life, learning, and practice that builds vibrant egalitarian communities in North America and Israel. Our vision for Jewish life is rooted in rigorous and nuanced Torah study, gender equality, meaningful Jewish practice, and the values of kindness and compassion.

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion – At Hebrew Union College, we believe a vibrant tomorrow depends on nurturing spiritual, scholarly, and effective Jewish leaders today. Because, even with its powerful legacy, Judaism cannot advance and transform itself. We need dynamic leaders to connect and strengthen our local and global communities. Learn more about our Executive Masters in Jewish Education, Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management, Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music, and Rabbinical School with both a campus-based and virtual pathway.

Hillel International – Since its founding in 1923, Hillel has become the world’s largest, most inclusive Jewish campus organization, serving more than 180,000 students each year at 850+ colleges and universities around the world. Hillel is a global community and a movement, but it’s also more than that: It’s a promise to empower every Jewish student along their Jewish journey, positively impacting the lives of generations of young Jews and ensuring the Jewish future, now and for years to come.

J Street – J Street U is the college organizing arm of J Street, a pro-Israeli, pro-Palestinian, pro-peace advocacy organization. Through educational and community-building events, we bring nuance to campuses and create a space for students to hold their progressive pro-peace values.

JDC Entwine – JDC Entwine is building a generation of young Jews who lead and live a life of action with global Jewish responsibility at its core. Explore the Jewish world through our flagship Insider Trips, get connected to Jewish communities while studying abroad, or take part in unique leadership programs in the US and abroad.

Jewish Communal Leadership Program at the University of Michigan – The Jewish Communal Leadership Program (JCLP) at the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work is a two-year graduate program that prepares leaders to address contemporary issues facing Jewish communities and broader society. JCLP integrates rigorous academic study with hands-on professional development, offering students a unique opportunity to earn a Master of Social Work (MSW) while deepening their understanding of Jewish communal dynamics, social justice, and leadership.

Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) – The Jewish Changemakers Fellowship is a six-week virtual program that is geared towards Jewish young adults, ages 21-27. The program focuses on personal and professional growth through a Jewish lens, helping participants grow more in the Jewish community. Fellows explore leadership, connect with peers across North America, and join the broader Jewish Changemakers Network to continue developing their skills and community engagement beyond the program.

Jewtina y Co. – To shape inclusive, joyful and resilient Latin-Jewish communities by strengthening identity, leadership, and connection.

Keshet – Keshet works for the full equality of all LGBTQ+ Jews and our families in Jewish life. We strengthen Jewish communities. We equip Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ+-affirming communities, create spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued, and advance LGBTQ+ rights nationwide.

Legacy Heritage Fund Limited – The Nachshon Project helps college juniors and seniors explore exciting careers in Jewish communal service through three transformative U.S.-based conferences and a weeklong trip to Israel – all fully funded. Throughout the fellowship, fellows connect with top Jewish educators, changemakers, and community leaders to learn about dynamic Jewish careers; dive into Jewish learning and big conversations about purpose and leadership; work with mentors and a career coach to discover the professional path that’s right for them; receive a stipend and become eligible to apply for graduate funding for an MA in Jewish Education or Rabbinical School down the road.

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College – The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, the sole seminary of the Reconstructionist movement, is dedicated to teaching Judaism as an evolving religious civilization and to engaging with the riches of Jewish tradition to create meaning, connect to the sacred and bring individuals and communities to greater love, justice and peace.

Repair the World – Repair the World is the Jewish service movement. We connect Jewish young adults to service and learning rooted in Jewish values – meeting urgent needs like food insecurity, housing, and education while building identity, community, and belonging. We mobilize Jewish young adults and their communities to take action through service and learning that strengthens communities, deepens Jewish connection, and responds to urgent needs.

Shoolman Graduate School of Jewish Education, Hebrew College – Hebrew College is a vibrant graduate school dedicated to promoting deep Jewish learning and inspired leadership within a pluralistic environment of open inquiry, intellectual rigor, personal engagement and spiritual creativity. We are training Jewish leaders, professionals and lifelong learners for a world in need of healing and hope.

StandWithUs – StandWithUs Campus empowers student leaders to educate their peers about Israel, address and correct misinformation, and confront antisemitism on college campuses. Through tailored resources, including expert-led workshops, student conferences, educational materials, on-call legal guidance, and leadership programs — we equip students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to share Israel’s story and build resilient campus communities. Our work supports students in shaping their college experience by fostering informed dialogue, effective leadership, and enduring connections to Israel and the Jewish people.

Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work – Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work offers the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree which can be completed in different modalities including live virtual classroom (synchronous zoom study), on-campus and online (asynchronous). We even offer an opportunity to do the MSW through our Israel block cohort which includes summers in New York and fall/spring semesters in Israel. Other programs we offer include the Clinical Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Welfare.

At the May Seminar, you’ll learn how to enhance the Jewish experience for your campers by attending innovative Jewish programs and exchanging ideas with Fellows from other Jewish camps. Then, you will be expected to design and implement programs for campers and staff over the summer. For more details, speak with your Supervisor or your camp’s Lead.

Registration for all participants closes on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at 11:59pm PST. Remember, sessions fill-up beforehand and are open on a first-come first-served basis.

See our Cornerstone Fellowship Information Guide for details about late registration penalties.

The form works best when accessed from a desktop. If you’re having trouble with the session selection buttons not responding, try accessing the form from a desktop (not a laptop nor mobile device).

Don’t see the session you wanted to take listed? Once a session is full to capacity, you will no longer see it listed as an option. Please make sure to be prepared with your second-choices.

Unfortunately, we do not allow Fellows to change sessions. Please be sure to review all your session choices with your Supervisor BEFORE registering!

For details, see our Packing List. Capital Camps and Retreat Center will provide all bedding and linens, as well as towels, mini shampoo & mini bar soap. However, it does get very cold at night in the cabins (which do not have heat). You may wish to bring an extra warm blanket, a sleeping bag and/or sweatshirt to sleep in (we will not have extra blankets)!

During the seminar, Cornerstone’s office number at Capital Camps will be: 717-794-1449

Prior to the seminar, you may contact FJC’s Associate Program Manager, Henry Weltman, at 646-278-4529 during typical weekday business hours (M-Th: 9AM-5PM ET, Friday: 9AM-2PM ET) or email Cornerstone@jewishcamp.org.

There is wireless connection in the main program spaces, and some other areas of camp. There is some cell phone service (Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T tend to get better reception). Fellows are welcome to use these services during free time, but should refrain from doing so during programming.

Yes, and we ask that you indicate your dietary restrictions and food allergies fully and completely in your online registration form. Capital Camps is a kosher and nut-free campus!

Fellows & Fellows will be in gender-specific cabins (based on gender self-identification*) with Fellows from their camp when possible, along with Fellows from 3-4 other camps. Fellow accommodations include top and bottom wooden bunk beds.

Senior Fellows will be in shared-housing with other Senior Fellows.

For those who choose to opt-in below, whether identifying within or outside a gender binary, there will be an All-Gender Housing option available.

Supervisors may be housed in shared accommodations.

Guests, please connect with your FJC contact to confirm your agreed-upon accommodations.

Bedding, linens, and towels will be provided by Capital Camps & Retreat Center (Fellows may wish to bring an extra blanket for cold night).

If you have any concerns about our housing policy, please let us know.

*The Cornerstone Fellowship is inclusive and open to participants of all genders. Housing assignments are based on gender self-identification.

Yes, each cabin has private showers.

FJC arranges travel for all participants. If you are a Fellow, Senior Fellow, or Supervisor coming from within 60-miles of NYC, Newark, DC/Rockville, Baltimore, or Philadelphia, you should request a seat on one of our charter buses in your registration form. For flights, our travel consultant (Abe Friedtanzer) will handle all bookings. All participants fly into BWI, DCA, or IAD airport, so please indicate your preferred departure and arrival airports in your registration form. Shuttle buses are then provided from BWI, DCA, or IAD to Capital Camps and back to BWI, DCA, or IAD after the seminar.

Yes. This process ensures that FJC is able to cover all costs and provide support from a travel consultant in any emergency situations.

Fellows may not drive themselves to and from the Seminar, but you may get a ride with your Supervisor, or be dropped off at camp by family/friends. However, you will need to inform FJC that you will be arriving by car (including the name of who will pick you up and drop you off). All driving arrangements must be confirmed in writing to cornerstone@jewishcamp.org.

No. You may book a one-way ticket if needed. However, if you book a round trip flight and forego the first leg of that trip, the second half will be automatically cancelled by the airlines.

Additionally, you may book a two-leg flight that is not necessarily round-trip. For instance, if you are traveling from school to the Cornerstone seminar and then home, this can be arranged by FJC’s travel consultant. Similarly, if you are traveling from home to the Cornerstone seminar and then straight to camp, this too can be arranged by FJC’s Travel consultant. If you plan to extend or alter your trip in anyway, FJC may invoice you for the expense. Please be prepared to pay for any additional costs associated with changing or altering your flight as soon as you confirm your itinerary.

No. The Cornerstone Seminar is crafted so that each piece intentionally builds upon the next, so we cannot allow for participants to miss any portions of the program. This helps ensure you are set up for success and have the opportunity to maximize your camp cohort’s experiences.

It’s approximately an hour-and-a-half drive. FJC will provide bus service between the airport and the Seminar for those who are flying.

There will be buses from NYC, Newark, Philadelphia, and the Metro Washington D.C. area. If you are traveling from the Baltimore area, you will meet at BWI airport and take the FJC shuttle to Capital Camps with those arriving by plane. FJC will provide you with information closer to the start of the Cornerstone Seminar if you note on your registration that you will be coming from or going to one of these locations.

Generally there is no cost to participants. However, if you plan to alter your travel arrangements after booking, FJC may invoice you for this expense. Please be prepared to pay for any additional costs associated with changing or altering your flight as soon as you confirm your itinerary.

FJC is not responsible for the cost of travel for all bookings requested after April 15, 2026 (online registration close date). See our Cornerstone Fellowship Information Guide for more information.

If participants fail to register for transportation by the registration close date (April 15, 2026), or if any changes are made after the registration close date – and therefore the travel cost increases or change fees are applied – the participant is responsible for the difference in cost.

Participants are responsible for reimbursing the full cost of travel if cancellation occurs after travel arrangements are confirmed or registration close date passes, including processing fees. If in any situation FJC is unable to recuperate costs from the participant in these situations, the participant’s camp will ultimately be held responsible.