Camp Taught him the Greatest Jewish Value of All

Oliver S. is one of just three kids in his grade who will have a bar mitzvah this year. To the rest of his classmates, he constantly has to explain what being Jewish means. It can be a bit lonely, to say the least.   

But thanks to the Federation, Oliver now spends his weekends traveling to attend the bar mitzvahs of his closest friends – his camp friends.

Giving the Gift of Jewish Summer Camp

Oliver is one of 64,000 young Jews around the country now attending Jewish overnight camp thanks to grants of up to $1,000 from One Happy Camper, a project of the Foundation for Jewish Camp in partnership with 40 local Federations, PJ Library®, and camps. These incentives are making a huge difference: last year, 60 percent of OHC recipients were considering only secular summer activities or programs. Of those families, 30 percent would have otherwise kept their kids home.

For so many kids like Oliver, camp is the first time they’ve been immersed in Jewish community. He and his new friends play sports, swim and hike, “but we also happen to say prayers…and celebrate Shabbat together each week. It all feels so normal yet Jewish,” he says.

And camp itself is only the beginning. The effects of those summers last long after August goodbyes. Later in life, Jewish campers are more likely to support Jewish causes and take on leadership roles in their communities.

Paying it Forward

Thanks to the spark provided by the Federation, this summer is Oliver’s fifth at Jewish camp. “Jewish camp is amazing,” he says. “I could not imagine what I would do in the summertime if I did not go to camp.”

It’s also helped bring Jewish values to life in a whole new way. Now that it’s his turn to become a bar mitzvah, Oliver is making his first act of Jewish adulthood an act of giving – specifically, donating to the One Happy Camper fund at his Federation. “I hope that my contribution…will make it possible for more kids to feel like I do about camp,” he says.

To learn more and apply for a One Happy Camper grant, visit our website, or contact Galya Segal at 415.512.6242.