May 1, 2025

Israeli Teens Find Joy and Healing at American Summer Camps

This summer, 700 Israeli teens from Gaza and Lebanese border communities will attend Jewish overnight camps in North America, thanks to you! When the program launched last summer after the October 7 attacks, 1,500 Israeli young adults from traumatized war-zone communities attended Jewish summer camps around the world. The goal was to help them heal and discover resilience, with the bonus of advancing Jewish peoplehood, and the bonds forged between the Israeli and Diaspora campers proved just as impactful. Federation partnerships have been critical to its success, along with a matching $2.5 million grant, and will enable the initiative to continue for at least another three years, this time at North American camps. The project is yet another example of the power of immersive Jewish summer camps to create meaningful and lasting connections among the next generation of Jewish leaders.