The History of American Jewish Summer Camps

Every summer, millions of young Americans pack their bags and go to sleep-away camp for weeks or months at a time. Among them are hundreds of thousands of Jewish campers and counselors. Whether they know it or not, they are participating in a 100-year-old American Jewish tradition, following in the footsteps of the pioneers who first embraced camping in the early 20th century as a way of escaping the city, preserving tradition, and forging a Jewish identity.

Dr. Gary P. Zola, Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA) and HUC’s Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American Jewish Experience & Reform Jewish History

Dr. Jenna Weissman Joselit, Charles E. Smith Professor of Judaic Studies & Professor of History at George Washington University and curator of the 1994 exhibition “A Worthy Use of Summer: Jewish Summer Camping in America”