I’ve been home from serving on the faculty at URJ’s Crane Lake Camp for over a week now, but every night I still dream that I’m back at camp. The power of the Jewish summer camp experience for our children is well-known and documented—and I am certain that I am not the only one who continues to dream of camp long after our time there is done. It is a peak experience for all of the participants: campers, counselors, staff, and even faculty.

I feel incredibly blessed to get to spend two weeks at Crane Lake as a part of my job. For a portion of the summer, we get to share in the Jewish joy and energy that only happens at residential summer camps. We get to live in that bubble and play a full part in the life of camp. As faculty, we participate in services, support campers and counselors, join in with activities, swim in the lake, and much, much more.

It is a true privilege to share in this special community, witnessing our children in their happy place, watching them grow and develop, seeing them experience a joyful Judaism. Few adults are afforded this opportunity, and I can tell all of the other parents that your children are having as magical a time as you are imagining. Sending them to sleep-away Jewish summer camp is a true gift you are giving them.

While at camp, we live in an immersive Jewish environment that is filled with Jewish joy, Jewish community, and Jewish pride. This has always been important, but in today’s world it feels even more valuable as a place where our children (and we adults) can escape. At Crane Lake (and I’m sure many other summer camps), they refer to living at camp as being in “the bubble.” For me, that bubble has always been a blessing, but today it is revitalizing, rejuvenating, and reinvigorating—providing the strength, support, and resolve to return to the “real world.”

I have always appreciated my two weeks at summer camp (my friends and family can attest to the fact that it is one of the highlights of my year), but this year I felt like I needed that escape in a different way. The last several months (perhaps even the last several years) have been overwhelming. Every day it feels like there is a new event—in the USA, in Israel, or around the world—that shakes our foundations and challenges previously held assumptions. It is hard to keep up. And the 24-7 news and social media cycle present an unrelenting pressure to stay up-to-date and on top of what is happening, often calling for a response as well.

I think this has been true for many groups within society, but it has been especially true for the Jewish community. We continue to grapple with the aftermath of Oct. 7, we’ve experienced the war with Hezbollah and Iran, and we continue to struggle with the war between Israel and Hamas, waiting for the hostages to return home. And domestically we are witnessing rising levels of antisemitism and attacks from all sides, with little source of hope or respite.

Against this backdrop, I and thousands of other young Jews have been able to escape to “the bubble.” The gift of a Jewish bubble has always been significant. Summer camps provide one of the few places in North America where children can experience an immersive Jewish environment—building a Jewish community that lives according to Jewish time, is guided by Jewish values, and follows the rhythm of the Jewish day. It is also a place that is infused by Jewish joy; the campers experience peak moments, develop their independence, and build lifelong friendships in a place that emphasizes Judaism.

And this year, Jewish overnight summer camp has provided them with a break from the world and the pressures of everyday life. We know the importance of rest to be reinvigorated and reset (after all, we have Shabbat every week), but in our 24-7 society, that can be hard to find. Camp is a place where our children, their counselors and staff can have an opportunity to be their full selves and to recharge their batteries. But more than this, they can carry camp with them through the year, with the friends they make, the values they cherish, and the community they build.

The investment in attending summer camp has always been recognized for securing and developing Jewish identity that “sticks,” but it is also an investment in the present. A gift that allows our children a break from the pressures of our world today and a place where they can be fully themselves. It is a gift I am grateful to participate in, to witness, and to share with our own children as well.

Thank you to everyone who dedicates themselves to Jewish residential summer camp (and especially to the team at URJ Crane Lake Camp); the work you do is of immense importance, a treasure in our community, and a gift for our children.

This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishBoston assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here. MORE