Oct. 7 has had a comprehensive impact on the Jewish community: Israel is at war with both Hamas and international sentiment. Antisemitism has increased all over the world. In the United States, the increase is likely by a percentage in the hundreds, according to the Anti-Defamation League and other sources.
A Jewish institution can’t avoid incorporating the lessons of Oct. 7 into its programming and security efforts. Many also feel compelled to help Israel in any way they can.
What are Jewish camps doing? Some directors were willing to talk about it, though others wanted to wait until after the season, now just days away.
Pinemere Camp (Stroudsburg)
Programming: Ilay Nachman, an Israeli, worked at Pinemere as the adventure course instructor in 2022. Nachman died in the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, but he also saved the lives of at least two women before he died.
“Ilay was heroic,” Pinemere Executive Director Eytan Graubart said.
The Pocono camp will unveil a new ninja course in his honor this summer. A Shabbat dinner will also be dedicated to him.
“The first thing we’re going to teach is that this is not hypothetical. Oct. 7 affected all Jews,” Graubart said. “We’re also going to teach about knowing how to do what’s right. What it means to step in for people who you care about and who you love.”
Pinemere hires counselors from Israel every year. This year, the camp’s 25 Israeli staff members will talk about the experience “in ways that are meaningful to them,” Graubart said. They will also plan an Israel Day with American staff.
Security: The Pocono camp used to have security guards on duty from 6 a.m.-2 a.m., according to Graubart. This summer, it will have a team on duty 24/7.
Camp leaders have enhanced their tent at the front gate to a booth with cameras and mirrors.
“It’s a demonstration of force,” Graubart said. “This looks very secure.”
Relief: Pinemere is taking in 10 campers from Kibbutz Be’eri, just north of Gaza. Between 1,200 and 1,300 residents of the kibbutz were displaced on Oct. 7, according to Graubart. The 10 campers have lived in a hotel since the attack.
“We’re committed to having them at camp to give them the experience of just being a kid,” Graubart said.
Habonim Dror Camp Galil (Ottsville)
Programming: Camp Galil is a progressive Zionist operation. Therefore, it has some specific positions relating to Oct. 7 and the war.
“We support Israel as a multicultural, democratic Jewish state that has the right to defend itself. That Palestinians deserve to live their lives in peace and dignity. Hamas is a terrorist organization. The hostages need to come home,” Executive Director David Weiss said.
“Within that, there’s room for people to hold a range of opinions,” he added.
By the time those conversations take place, the Galil staff will have completed training sessions with Resetting the Table and Interfaith Philadelphia on “facilitating civil dialogue,” Weiss said.
“There’s going to be ground rules. We’re not going to dehumanize anybody. If somebody were to use a charged term like genocide, we’re going to use that as a teaching moment and ask them what they mean,” he explained.
Security: Galil is adding security guards this summer, according to Weiss.
“The spike in antisemitism has made it a necessary step,” he said.
Relief: The Bucks County camp is bringing in 14 kids from Kerem Shalom, an evacuated kibbutz near the border with Gaza. Evacuees have stayed in another kibbutz in the Negev.
“It gives them a chance to have fun,” Weiss said.
Golden Slipper Camp (Stroudsburg)
Programming: In response to Oct. 7, Golden Slipper bought a curriculum with 30 lessons from Moving Traditions, an Elkins Park-based youth organization.
The daily lessons and activities will focus on helping campers work through how they feel about the situation and how to talk about it with each other, according to camp Director Justin Guida.
“It’s a little bit more of a Jewish space to reflect on identities, Jewish wisdom,” Guida said. “It can help develop healthy relationships in and outside of this community.”
Security: Golden Slipper hired the Jewish Emergency Preparedness Project to coordinate training during staff orientation. JEPP focuses on preparing individual community members to respond to a crisis.
“There is a rise in antisemitism,” Guida said.