A Jewish Camp Story Made at Tel Yehudah: The Floaters

By David Weinstein, Executive Director, Camp Tel Yehudah

Some stories don’t just remind you of home. They are made there. The Floaters is one of those.

The Floaters is a very Jewish movie about Jewish summer camp. It is about kids who don’t always fit, about friendships that form quickly and deeply, and about what happens when a community really tries to make room for everyone. If you have ever spent a summer at Jewish camp, the world of this film will feel immediately familiar. As producer and Young Judaea alum Shai Korman shared, the goal was to tell “a story centered on Jewish women leaders that took place in an authentically Jewish world,” inspired by the many women who shaped their lives at camp.

What makes this especially meaningful for us is that The Floaters was filmed almost entirely at Camp Tel Yehudah. After camp ended in 2023, the cast and crew moved in and lived at TY for nearly a month while they made the movie. They transformed Tel Yehudah into “Camp Daveed,” but anyone who knows our camp will recognize it instantly. There are scenes in the Beit Ha’am, scenes in the kitchens, and moments across campus that are unmistakably Yehudah.

You will also spot some familiar faces. Stu Stein and Noah Wilker both make appearances. And yes, our very recognizable rikud made it into the film as well. As Shai Korman explained, the rikud scene was especially important to capture: a moment inspired by “the magic of Saturday night at camp where everyone—no matter who you are and where you come from—comes together after Shabbat to dance and have fun.”

The film was produced by Shai, Becky, and Lily Korman, TY and Young Judaea alumni whose connection to Tel Yehudah runs deep. Their parents met at TY. They grew up in the Young Judaea world. And now the next generation is continuing that story, with their kids heading off to Sprout Lake and Tel Yehudah. Bringing the project back to Tel Yehudah felt like a true homecoming. As Shai shared, “The best part about being back at TY was recreating the joy and camaraderie of camp with our incredible cast and crew… we all walked away with a bond and memories that will last a lifetime.”

That sense of belonging is at the heart of both Young Judaea and the film itself. Much like Tel Yehudah, the world of Camp Daveed brings together kids from all over the country—with different backgrounds, ways of thinking, and ways of being Jewish—to find community. As Shai put it, “Pluralism and fun” were central to the film, reflecting a place where kids can take a break from everyday pressures and experience genuine, sometimes wacky, joy with their friends.

“Watching The Floaters felt like coming home,” said David Weinstein. “It gets Jewish camp. The warmth, the awkwardness, the intensity, and that insistence that everyone belongs, even when it’s complicated.”

The cast is terrific and a big part of why the film works, including Jackie Tohn from Nobody Wants This, Sarah Podemski, Seth Green, and Steve Guttenberg.

Since its release, The Floaters has been playing at film festivals around the country and continues to do so. It has picked up awards and a lot of well-deserved attention along the way.

We encourage Judaeans of all ages to seek it out and watch it. Alumni, parents, current campers, and friends of the movement will all find something familiar here. If you know Tel Yehudah, you will see it on the screen. And even if you don’t, it will still feel familiar in that very Jewish camp way. It feels like summer. It feels like community. It feels like home.

More information and upcoming showings can be found at: https://floatersmovie.com/