New Research Confirms Jewish Camp is the #1 Shared Experience Among Jewish Communal Leaders
Data underscores camp as a primary engine for Jewish talent pipeline
NEW YORK — Foundation for Jewish Camp today highlighted new findings from Leading Edge’s State of Jewish Nonprofit Talent: 2025 report, identifying Jewish camp as the number one shared experience among Jewish communal professionals. The report underscores camp’s role as an incubator for talent and a foundational entry point in the Jewish leadership pipeline.
“This new data from Leading Edge confirms the path to Jewish leadership often begins in the bunk. I’m living proof of this impact, having journeyed from camper to counselor to Jewish communal leadership,” said Jamie Simon, CEO of Foundation for Jewish Camp. “If camp is the birthplace of our future leaders, then investing in camp is one of the most effective ways to ensure a vibrant, sustainable future for the entire Jewish community.”
“Jewish camp is an early and powerful touchpoint for future Jewish communal professionals,” said Gali Cooks, President & CEO of Leading Edge. “Our data shows Jewish camp is one of the most consistent experiences shared by professionals in our field today. The task now is to grow that impact by leveraging camp and other Jewish community experiences even more to build talent excellence across the sector.”
The report reveals that two thirds of Jewish employees in the nonprofit sector participated in Jewish summer camp and comes amid a surge of young adult engagement in camp. This past summer, nearly 39,000 young adult staff worked at Jewish summer camps. FJC is actively nurturing this Jewish talent pipeline through funding and professional development programs designed to support leaders at every stage of their career.
FJC’s Cornerstone Fellowship has trained over 6,000 senior counselors, empowering them to bring meaningful Jewish content to their campers and gain skills they take back to their college campuses and home communities. FJC also offers the Yitro Leadership Program, a strategic investment in cohort-based professional development experiences for camp leadership in middle management roles, and the Camp Management Fellowship, which brings high quality and timely training to seasonal camp supervisors.
FJC’s investment in young leaders ensures they view Jewish communal work as a viable and inspiring career path and helps them develop critical competencies such as facilitating difficult conversations and building resilient communities. Data from FJC’s Character at Camp initiative, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, suggests that Jewish camp nurtures a sense of leadership and communal responsibility as part of camp culture, helping campers and staff be active leaders in creating and sustaining values-led communities.
About Foundation for Jewish Camp
FJC’s mission is to grow, support, and strengthen the Jewish camp movement, leveraging more than $20 million of philanthropic giving annually to scale programs and resources that benefit more than 300 Jewish day and overnight camps across North America. Learn more at jewishcamp.org.
About Leading Edge
Leading Edge mobilizes Jewish organizations to become places where great people deliver great impact. Learn more at leadingedge.org.
