Jewish day camps across South Florida are filling kids’ summers with athletics, creativity and Judaism.
Programs like those at Camp Nefesh in Fort Lauderdale and The Mandel JCC’s Camp Shalom in Palm Beach Gardens, both pictured here, are popular with local Jewish families who hope to keep their kids active while maintaining Jewish customs.
Children, whose ages range from preschool to 10th grade (depending on the camp), get to experience an entertaining summer that instills a sense of Jewish pride during a season that is bereft of Hebrew school and big Jewish holidays.
An average day at Jewish summer camp offers the mainstays — arts and crafts, cooking, water slides and basketball, to name a few activities — but also intertwines morning prayer, Israeli culture, Jewish learning and traditions, and a camp-wide Shabbat to finish the week.
“Our goal is to make Judaism come alive in the most joyful and meaningful ways,” said Camp Nefesh director Koby Lerner. “We sing, we cheer, and we teach Torah with energy and heart. Our campers build lifelong friendships and discover that Judaism isn’t limited to the synagogue — it lives on the soccer field, in the bunk room, and everywhere they go.”