Foundation for Jewish Camp Hiddur Initiative: Enhancing Jewish Learning and Growth in Jewish Camps

It’s no secret that the vibrant, immersive environment of Jewish summer camp is one of the most meaningful and resonate learning experiences for youth today. For 17 years, Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) has supported Jewish overnight camps across the country, working with camps from various backgrounds and practice to promote excellence in their management, programming, marketing and enrollment.

FJC’s newest initiative, Hiddur—which in Hebrew refers to the concept of beautifying or enhancing a Jewish ritual by appealing to the senses—is a pilot project focused on helping camps deliver even more substantive and effective Jewish educational experiences that align with each camp’s unique Jewish mission.

Over the last several years camps have significantly improved their Jewish learning offerings. Yet FJC recognizes that Jewish education at many camps is still a work in progress with great opportunity. The Hiddur Initiative is designed to capitalize on this by pairing camps with expert coaches to create new ways to change and expand Jewish culture at camp. The first Hiddur cohort of eight camps will focus on the specific Jewish experiential learning outcomes they want to see in their campers, staff, and camp community.  What do the camps want these audiences to know, value, and do differently after having spent time in their camp? What activities will foster these outcomes? Hiddur will help answer these questions—both on paper and in practice—and will focus on outcomes in a range of ritual areas:

 Klal Yisrael: Jewish Peoplehood — Shomrei Adama: Nature and Environment — Ivrit: Hebrew Language — Eretz Yisrael: Connection to Israel — Marking Sacred Time — Tikkun Olam: Social Justice — Tikkun Middot: Personal Ethics — Spirituality and Mindfulness

An ambitious list to be sure. But Hiddur will help camps establish and enhance systems so they can realize their Jewish missions. Utilizing the cohort-framework proven successful in past FJC initiatives, the inaugural Hiddur camps have committed to a three-year process of learning and growth. The coaches—all seasoned leaders in the field of Jewish camp and organizational life—will guide the camps to enhance Jewish experiential education. Each camp will form a Hiddur team, including professional and lay leadership, to ensure that their Hiddur efforts align with and impact the broader vision of the camp community. Camps will also have access to Ignition Grants to fund new Jewish initiatives.

The inaugural Hiddur cohort is comprised of B’nai B’rith Camp in Neotsu, OR; B’nai B’rith Perlman Camp in Lake Como, PA; Camp Daisy & Harry Stein in Prescott, AZ; Camp Judaea in Hendersonville, NC; Camp Sabra in Rocky Mt., MO; Camp Tel Noar in Hampstead, NH; Emma Kaufmann Camp in Morgantown, WV; and Herzl Camp in Webster, WI.

As a Community of Practice in Hiddur, these camps will share experiences and learn together to offer the best Jewish experiential learning. Both FJC and the Jim Joseph Foundation believe that learnings from Hiddur will be utilized by camps outside of the pilot program as well. And with almost 80,000 campers and 11,000 college-aged counselors annually, Jewish camp continues to grow. With the support of FJC, these youth will engage in some of the most meaningful, effective, and fun Jewish learning—shaping them for the rest of their lives.

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded numerous grants to the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Its grant to Hiddur is for up to $774,970 over three years.