The Jewish Agency for Israel said Wednesday it will bring about 1,000 Israeli teenagers to Jewish camps around the world this summer, expanding a program launched after the Oct. 7 attacks.
The initiative, Campers2Gether, will send more than 700 Israeli teens from communities affected by the war to 34 Jewish overnight camps in North America. A new pilot program will bring about 300 children of Israeli reservists to Jewish seasonal camps in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere.
Campers2Gether participants
(Photo: Jen Roman)
The agency said the program is intended to give Israeli teens a break from the pressures of war while building ties with Jewish peers abroad. Participants are integrated into camp life with local Jewish teens and take part in outdoor activities, sports, communal programming and informal daily interactions.
The Israeli campers travel in groups accompanied by Israeli counselors and mental health professionals, the agency said.
The expansion comes after more than 300,000 Israeli reservists have been called up for extended service since Oct. 7, placing strain on families across the country. The new pilot focuses on children of reservists who have dealt with long parental absences, repeated deployments, displacement and instability during the war.
“At a time when Israeli youth have grown up under the shadow of war, Campers2Gether offers them respite and the opportunity to experience firsthand the strength and diversity of the global Jewish community,” said Mark Wilf, chairman of the Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors.
The agency said the program also gives Jewish teens abroad, many of whom have had fewer opportunities to visit Israel since the COVID-19 pandemic and the war, a way to build direct relationships with Israelis their age.
More than 2,000 Israeli summer camp shlichim, or emissaries, also are expected to work at Jewish camps across North America this summer, the agency said. The shlichim program places Israeli counselors in Jewish camps to teach about Israel and build ties with local Jewish communities.
The Jewish Agency oversees recruitment, staffing, travel, training and mental health support for the Israeli participants in partnership with Jewish federations, camps and communities worldwide.
Campers2Gether is supported by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation, Wilf Family Foundations, Adnim Foundation, William Davidson Foundation, Zalik Foundation Fund and other donors.