Overnight camps deliver summer fun nearby

By Bayley Carl

Sleepaway summer camp is a beloved Jewish tradition, and there are so many great choices close to home in the Lehigh Valley.

Pinemere Camp, located in the beautiful Pocono mountains, feels more like family to many of its campers. This is likely due to the fact that over 90% of families return the next summer for another year of camp. Pinemere aims to have the best summer, every summer. It accomplishes this by creating an environment that its campers want to return to, and also by growing with its campers! Days at Pinemere are packed tightly with activities. In addition to their regular programs, they have various Jewish leadership camps.

“Pinemere feels like my son’s home away from home. The minute he arrives at camp he feels like he is returning to a special place. You can see it in his face. He is just SO happy to be there. The staff knows all of the campers, and the kids all know one another, no matter what the age. It is a large extended family that emphasizes Jewish identity and Jewish values,” said one parent.

Camp Galil, located in Ottsville, Pennsylvania, is less than an hour outside Philadelphia, New York City and most New Jersey addresses. Galil runs programming for their campers across the tri-state area all year round. From their summer camp sessions to fall and spring seminars at camp and celebrations of Jewish holidays to bowling trips and community service projects. At Camp Galil they focus on fostering friendships that will last their campers lifetimes. They strive to facilitate activities for their campers to stay connected throughout the year.

Camp Ramah in the Poconos has over 200 staff members during the summer, the majority of whom were once some of their 400 some campers from one of the summers before. They take a multi-generational approach to their staffing, and many of their campers move on to become staff members. As their families grow, they too become part of the experience.

“At Camp Ramah we promote a culture of inclusion and innovation when it comes to programming for your child. In the bunk, their edah (age group), and among the camp as a whole, your child will experience creative, experiential and just plain off-the-wall fun programming as part of their camp experience,” said a representative from Ramah.

Camp Harlam in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania, is one of 15 Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) overnight camps across North America. Camp Harlam consists of smaller communities within Junior Camp, Senior Camp, and the Gesher (Counselor in Training) Program.

“The mission of Camp Harlam is to create a vibrant, fun and caring camp community which enriches and strengthens Reform Jewish identity and values while cultivating lifelong friendships,” the camp said in a statement on their website.

Camp Moshava in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, aims to educate all members of its camping community to make Aliyah and to establish a model society in Eretz Yisrael, which will serve as an Or La Goyim. At the heart of this endeavor is Bnei Akiva’s ideology of Torah Va’Avodah and Religious Zionism. Permeating all aspects of camp life, Torah Va’Avodah emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relations, social justice and contributing to community within the framework of Torah and Halacha.

As Young Judaea’s national teen leadership camp, Camp Tel Yehuda in New York works each summer to create a diverse and warm teen community dedicated to building lasting friendships, exploring our identities and beliefs, changing the world and, of course, having fun.

CYJ Sprout Lake is located in the Hudson Valley of New York. They are a non-denominational camp that aims to inspire Jewish children to live their best lives, connect to Israel and the Jewish people, and to make a difference in the world. Their intimate camp size (maximum 225 campers per session), innovative and inclusive programming, and state of the art sports are key features of their program.

And Camp Havaya in the Poconos trains the next generation of rabbis, supports and uplifts congregations and havurot, fostering emerging expressions of Jewish life and encouraging people to be their best selves — always helping to shape what it means to be Jewish today and to imagine the Jewish future.