by Lisa David The Foundation for Jewish Camp released preliminary findings last week from their recent research study Jewish Camp for Children with Disabilities and Special Needs, which maps current, potential, and desired camp program opportunities for children with disabilities/special needs. The study paints an encouraging picture of the field of Jewish camping, highlighting a variety of models that successfully provide meaningful Jewish camp experiences to children with diverse needs. The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Camp and Israel Programs are committed to providing a positive Reform Jewish summer experience to all children, including those with special needs. The FJC study found that parents of children with disabilities/special needs feel strongly that providing a uniquely Jewish … [Read more...]
Preliminary Research Released on Special Needs in Jewish Overnight Camp
The Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) has unveiled key findings from a survey and in-depth interviews mapping current, potential, and desired services available to children with emotional, intellectual, and physical disabilities at nonprofit Jewish overnight camps across North America: Jewish Camp for Children with Disabilities and Special Needs. The research reports that the majority of those involved in camp - including staff, campers, and parents - care about this issue and want more options for this group. It also found that while the field is making progress in the types and amounts of services offered, there is still more to be done. According to the survey, the field of Jewish camp is currently serving roughly 2,500 children with special needs and physical disabilities. While the numbers … [Read more...]
Can Jewish Organizations Really Work Collaboratively? Early Lessons from Nadiv
by Josh Miller, Steven Green, Leah Nadich Meir and Joel Einleger Collaboration and partnership have become the buzzwords of our time. The business world as well as the nonprofit sector heralds the advantages of collaboration: sharing resources, bringing multiple perspectives to address difficult issues, eliminating duplication, learning from one another and pooling assets. … [Read more...]
The Community We Build Together
Diverse audiences that often find themselves on the fringe of the Jewish community - whether because of their background, ethnicity, race or special needs - ought to be seen for their ability to contribute and enrich who we are as a community. by Alina Bitel Twenty-five years ago, North American Jewry turned over mountains to ensure the future of Soviet Jewry, opening their homes and hearts to the influx of hundreds of thousands of families and giving Russian-speaking Jews the freedom to make their own Jewish choices. “We have a patch of empty land: large enough to accommodate homes for all of you. We have bricks and materials. We have experts who can help you design your homes, and we will help you build them. ... Let us do this together.” This quote from Sir Jonathan Sacks’ book The … [Read more...]
Funders Exert Positive Influence on Jewish Communal Agenda
by Ramie Arian Looking back at the Jewish landscape of the year just concluded, I am struck by how deeply and positively the Jewish communal agenda has changed. Once motivated mainly by important but dark imperatives - to save Jewish communities in danger and to remember the Holocaust - today’s Jewish agenda is dominated by creativity dedicated to revitalizing American Jewish life. It is remarkable how much of this shift has been shaped by the strategic investments of philanthropists. The just-concluded Weinstein Institute for Staff Training, a four-day seminar sponsored by the National Ramah Commission (NRC), is a case in point. Ramah, the camping arm of Conservative Judaism, has become a remarkably attractive target for philanthropic investment, according to Rabbi Mitchell … [Read more...]
Grant Awarded to Conduct Special Needs Research in Jewish Camps
Thanks to a research grant from Dr. Allan and Nan Lipton of Hershey, PA, Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) plans to map current services available to children with special needs and physical disabilities at nonprofit Jewish overnight camps across North America. This will be the first ever research of its kind in the Jewish community and will drive the ultimate goal of making the experience of Jewish camp available to all children. Working with Laszlo Strategies, a firm specializing in helping nonprofit groups champion the causes of medical science and people with physical and developmental disabilities, this research will provide a thorough understanding of the options Jewish camps offer to children with special needs and provide a baseline for expanding services. The research will be followed by … [Read more...]
