By Ariel Stein

I have always loved social media and blogs as a place of inspiration. Around the time my older daughter was born, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, looking for Jewish parenting and lifestyle ideas and I realized that I was hardly following any Jewish mom accounts on social media. Then I realized that there really weren’t many Jewish moms on social media putting out that kind of content and it inspired me to start sharing my own Jewish motherhood journey. It began with posts about my daily life with kids, Shabbat, and Jewish holiday celebrations. Now it’s been almost 5 years since I started my blog, and it has evolved into an amazing place where I have connected with thousands of people. It has been so nice to have this online space where we can share each other’s homes and family traditions to get inspiration and a sense of community, especially during the last year and a half.

Shortly after the pandemic began, my older daughter’s preschool closed and my husband began working from home. I found myself taking care of a 1-year-old and homeschooling a 3-year-old full-time from our modest 2-bedroom Brooklyn apartment, while my husband worked remotely out of our bedroom. This time forced me to get more creative with practicing Judaism at home. Without the regular programming of our local synagogues or typical family gatherings, I realized it was up to me to make the Jewish holidays and Shabbat feel meaningful for my family. Despite the fact that we had a virtual seder over Zoom for Passover 2020, I made sure to cook special recipes and teach my daughters about the holiday through fun crafts and activities. The same was true for the high holidays and Hanukkah later that year. For the first time in my adult life, the responsibility of making the Jewish holidays “happen” for my kids fell on me and not my parents or the greater community.

I was inspired to share my experiences of raising kids with a strong love for Jewish traditions more on social media and I got an overwhelming amount of positive feedback. And thus, Jewish Family Magic was born! It is an online platform that supports parents with resources to bring Judaism to life in their homes and a community where parents raising Jewish children can come connect and collaborate.

My experiences growing up in Young Judaea have influenced me as a person and in the way that I parent. I was a camper and staff member at Sprout Lake and Tel Yehudah for 7 years and was an active member of my local YJ club and region throughout high school. My time serving on my club, regional, and national Young Judaea mazkirut taught me invaluable leadership skills that I still use today. My experiences on Machon and Year Course also played a huge role in fostering my love of Israel. I majored in Judaic Studies as an undergraduate at The George Washington University, staffed a YJ Israel summer program in college and went on to earn my MA in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Later on, I served as the Director of Israel Programs at Northeastern University Hillel in Boston, MA for three years and got to work with hundreds of students to help strengthen their Jewish identities and their connection to Israel.

To this day, I still use the pillars I learned in Young Judaea to guide me in life –  Jewish identity, Israel, pluralism, leadership and social action. One of Judaism’s principal beliefs is that all humans are created “B’tzelem Elohim” – in the image of God, and therefore of inherent dignity and value. Every person on this earth – regardless of race, gender, religion, orientation, age, or anything else – contains Godliness within them. Now more than ever, I am thinking about what actions I can take to uphold the value of B’tzelem Elohim and being an example and teacher to my daughters. I’m committed to practicing empathy, compassion, and set a personal example for my children everyday. The Jewish value of “Tikun Olam” is the idea that the world is broken and it’s up to each of us to repair it. Our world is hurting and my prayer is that we all continue to do our part to heal it together.

“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” -Pirkei Avot 2:21

The pillar of social justice is always at the top of my mind and heart. At times, I have felt overwhelmed with the amount of work I still need to do personally and how far we still have to go as a global community. But I’m reminded from my upbringing in Young Judaea that big, systemic change doesn’t happen overnight and we can all make small changes in our own lives everyday.

Today as a mother, online content creator and Jewish activist, I often think about my time in YJ in the work I do. I am incredibly grateful for the lessons I learned and skills I developed in YJ, which still impact me today. I hope to raise my daughters with a love of Israel, Jewish values, and to be proud of their Jewish identities and to inspire other Jewish millennials to do the same.

Named one of the New York Jewish Week’s 36 Under 36 Jewish change makers in 2021, Ariel Stein is the founder of Jewish Family Magic, an online platform designed to make Jewish living fun and accessible for the whole family. Ariel is the founder of the motherhood blog ‘Ariel Loves,’ where she shares Jewish living inspiration. Ariel is a former Camp Sprout Lake (2001-2003) and Tel Yehudah (2002-2004) camper and attended Machon (2005) and Year Course (2006-2007). She served on the Tel Yehudah Board of Directors from 2012-2016. Keep up with Ariel on instagram @Ariel.Loves, @JewishFamilyMagic, and visit JewishFamilyMagic.com.

Written by Nicole Perez, Camp Judaea and Camp Tel Yehudah Alum 87-98

I always knew that Camp Judaea was a magical place, but after what transpired this summer, I am convinced that someone spread magical pixie dust all over the campground. This is the only way I can explain how a rustic campground in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains holds so much meaning and touches so many people across the continent year after year, and one generation after another.

At Camp Judaea, it doesn’t matter if doesn’t matter if you are coming to camp for the first or second session, or if you are from Puerto Rico or Atlanta, because the moment you receive two new Camp Judaea laundry bags, you are officially part of the CJ family. From then on, the Adon Olam will be sung while playing imaginary musical instruments, you will find yourself making up silly bagel songs, and before you know it, you are already starting the countdown for the following summer to do it all over again.

This year, after months of uncertainty, Summer 2021 arrived and the gates of 48 Camp Judaea Lane opened to parents and campers full of anticipation, excitement, and smiling faces. Unfortunately, a few weeks in, sadness, heartache, and unimaginable loss flooded the gates with the collapse of Champlain Towers South. Campers of all ages, staff, and alumni were faced with a mix of emotions. Coming together was the only next logical step, because truth be told, that is what Young Judaea had taught us. Wasn’t that the meaning of Tikkun Olam? It was our turn to try to heal, and it was our own community that needed mending.

In typical Young Judaea manner, we did not waste any time and got to work. Private messages were exchanged to check on the families and friends that were personally affected by the tragedy. Messages were sent to the families offering clothing, food, and even temporary homes, anything that they needed to get back on their feet. CJ families were posting on social media messages of hope, strength, and support. Old camp pictures were posted to remind us of all the good times we had shared. Campers left camp for just one day so that they could be a shoulder to cry on for their CJ friends who were victims of the collapse.

This tragic accident has also personally brought me a mix of emotions, especially in the case of the children who lost their father in the Surfside tragedy. In the very near future, my two children will be losing their father to ALS. Every summer I see the pictures of my two beautiful kids either dancing Rikkud, screaming with excitement during Bikkurim, or playing sports, all with huge smiles on their faces surrounded by their camp friends. How will those pictures change once they lose their father? Will I see them dance again? Will they lose their beautiful smiles? Will they want to be embraced? How resilient will they really be? But after witnessing CJ’s involvement in the Surfside tragedy, I think I can take a step back, take a deep breath, and thank my lucky stars that my family belongs to the Young Judaea movement. It gave me a sense of gratitude.

This summer while in CJ, three long-time Judaeans decided to return to camp after losing loved ones to this horrific tragedy. They could have chosen to be anywhere in the world, a vast array of places to choose from to try make sense of this nightmare, but they decided camp was where they wanted to be. It was so comforting to know they had a place where they could go to be surrounded with so much love, a place their loved ones probably would have wanted them to be.

Their decision to go back to CJ also served a much higher purpose for my family and for that I will forever be grateful because it taught us one of life’s most valuable lessons, and one day, maybe not now, they will be able to fully understand what I am talking about. The three that returned to camp did not know my children prior to this summer, even though as life would have it, I went to camp with their parents. But it was destiny for them to meet, to spend time together, and to learn from one another.

In one specific situation one of them walked right next to my daughter with a big smile on their face. My daughter noticed it immediately and it made such an impact on her that she wrote to me about it. She wrote that she was so amazed that a person who had just been through such loss would have such a huge smile on their face and look so happy all because they were back at “home.”

While reading this from my daughter, I could not stop the tears from pouring out. First, I was in awe that of all the smiles she had seen in her lifetime this one had resonated with her.  I also felt a sense of relief, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. These three teens had just suffered an incomprehensible loss and they chose to be at camp with their friends, a place where they felt at peace and surrounded with such an immense amount of love from their CJ community. In the end, what happened was that we all learned one of life’s most valuable lessons and that is: whatever you think you can’t handle, you actually can, and that we have more strength than we give ourselves credit for.

I think I finally got the answers to my prayers. Yes, my children will be resilient; yes, the smiles will return; yes, they will have many shoulders to lean on when they will need it; and no, my kids will not go through life’s challenges alone. Their camp family goes beyond their eda (age group), it will be any person that at one point or another was part of the Young Judaea movement. They will be surrounded by love because that is what we do as a CJ family. And every year, from June to August, my kids will be at 48 Camp Judaea Lane, scurrying on those awesome white rocks, and wearing a big smile on their face, and who knows, maybe someone else might be watching them and need that smile on that day.

Young Judaea thank you for providing us with the most beautiful, supportive family anyone can ever ask for. And more importantly, thank you to the person that decided to spread their magical pixie dust over camp 60 years ago because now we all have a place, we can call home.

By Raffi Schieir

During my time with Young Judaea I participated in summer camps, went on Year Course in Israel and continued as a Peer Leadership Educator with Young Judaea in my early 20s. At Young Judaea we were empowered with skills to truly make a difference in our communities and my life’s mission, to prevent ocean plastic pollution at scale, no doubt stems from these critical experiences.

Research shows, if we continue on our current trajectory, the annual flow of plastic entering the ocean will triple by 2040, to 29 million metric tons. I was convinced there must be a plastic packaging solution that prevented damage to the world’s oceans and ultimately, I have made this my career.

Originally from Canada, I have lived in the UK for the past ten years. I founded Bantam Materials over a decade ago and established the Prevented Ocean Plastic program in December 2019. Our Prevented Ocean Plastic program diverts plastic away from our oceans and supports coastal communities in developing countries by assisting bottle collectors, collection centers and local recyclers based there, by paying for the collection of waste bottles and other plastic.  I am proud to say it is currently the largest ocean plastic prevention program in the world.

My work has taken me all over the world pushing for and structuring initiatives for ethics of Tikkun Olam and I have been lucky enough to meet people from every walk of life. I’ve even met with government ministers and industry leaders about national recycling policies to advise them on what needs to change based on what I have seen first-hand.

The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated to all of us how interconnected we all are. This is something I have given a lot of thought to, particularly in an environmental sense. Waste plastic from the west litters coastlines of developing countries causing pollution and harming the communities who make their livelihoods from the ocean.

95% of plastic packaging loses its material value, equivalent to $80-120 billion annually, after one time use. With programs like Prevented Ocean Plastic in place collection of these waste plastics can help support people living in poverty, by providing a reliable income, while helping clean up the natural environment and protect oceans from plastic pollution.

Humans of Young Judaea Spotlight: Dan Elbaum

“Your name is Jacob Kotsis and you are a Greek Jew. You lost your entire family in the Holocaust. Tonight, you are going to sneak into Palestine.”

I was actually a fairly pampered 11-year-old and from a northern suburb of Chicago, but I nodded solemnly and took my little cardboard identity card.

I was at Camp Young Judaea-Midwest. My fellow campers and I were participating in an activity that would make Jewish history come alive. We hid in the mud from our “British” counselors’ patrol, we joined the Haganah, and we ended the day singing Hatikvah and dancing. As we returned to our cabins, we were a lot dirtier, a little smarter, but most importantly, we had had an amazing time.

Today, as the CEO of The Jewish Agency for Israel in North America, I am sometimes asked what inspired me to dedicate my professional life to the cause of building connections between Jews and Israel. Perhaps not surprisingly, there is more than one factor. Yet I do know that it was at Camp Young Judaea where Judaism and Zionism came alive for me for the first time in a way they had not before. Israel was no longer just a country that my parents talked about every night; it was exciting and fun, and I had a personal connection to it.

I often think about my time at CYJ as I work with my colleagues at The Jewish Agency to deepen the bonds that Jews feel to the state of Israel and each other. Through our many programs, including providing Shlichim (Israeli emissaries) who serve as counselors at CYJ and other camps, and immersive experiences, we touch over 1.2 million Jews a year.

The Jewish Agency is on the ground in over 60 countries finding innovative new ways to strengthen the relationships between Israelis and world Jewry, ensuring our shared heritage unites us and that the Jewish story continues. We also facilitate Aliyah, helping any Jew who wishes to move to Israel to do so while simultaneously working to ensure that Jews around the world are safe and secure in their home countries. We make sure there is no need for other Jacob Kotsises to try to sneak into Israel.

The work The Jewish Agency does is meaningful and makes a difference. But CYJ taught me that it must also be fun. I am incredibly grateful to CYJ for teaching me that lesson. And this summer my daughter will go to CYJ for the first time. I can’t wait to hear about her experiences and the lessons she learns there. I know they’ll have a huge impact on her too.

Dan Elbaum is a former CYJ Midwest camper (1986-89). He is currently the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Head of North America and President and CEO of Jewish Agency International Development (JAID).

Humans of YJ Feature: Eli Saper

I remember the moment that I discovered that I could make a difference in the world by growing organic food. I had just finished exploring and connecting with the people of Israel during Year Course. Surging with a renewed connection to Judaism and Israel through its nature, I found myself out of place starting university in a strange land. I knew that I needed to take action to do something deeper that would change the world. My years in Young Judaea taught me that we need to care for our land and for each other. I made the decision to leave school and learn sustainable agriculture in Israel. That year changed my life forever.

My wife and I officially made Aliyah in 2012 to reconnect with our Jewish agricultural roots and fulfill our dream as pioneers.  Six months ago our family garden expanded into a small local farm, Havat Iyar.  By using organic and permaculture techniques, we are respecting and caring for the natural ecology of the land.  We started selling vegetables to neighboring communities and we are expanding to plant a large medicinal herbal tea section.

Our goal is to promote healthy lifestyles and spiritual growth by enriching people’s connection to the land.  It is not enough to just come here (to Israel); we are meant to heal the land and to allow ourselves to be healed through it.  We are creating a space where people can grow by working together and experience first-hand the incredible life force manifesting through the earth.

Young Judaea instilled the values that made me who I am today.  Growing up in the movement taught me to be who I am and go for my dreams.  It is up to us as individuals and as a collective soul, to deepen our connection to the land and in turn, discover who we are and who we can become.

Eli Saper is a former CYJ Midwest (2001-2003) and Tel Yehudah (2004-2005) camper and attended Machon (2006) and Year Course (2007-2008). 

Humans of Young Judaea Feature: Sindy Wayne

When COVID-19 hit and I witnessed the economic impact and the corresponding rise of people facing food insecurity, I began volunteering at the Newton Food Pantry, helping to prepare bags of produce for distribution to clients. Despite Newton’s image as an affluent suburb, too many of our neighbors struggle to put food on their tables. During that time volunteering, I learned about Newton Food Pantry’s desire to start a supplemental food resource for the community. In January, I agreed to take on the role of volunteer coordinator.

The Newton Community Freedge, a free outdoor refrigerator and pantry is open 24/7 for all and is a collaborative effort between individuals, organizations, and businesses in Newton, MA. Based on the operating principle of “take what you need, leave what you can”, this volunteer-run initiative opened on 3/14/21 and is being led by the Newton Food Pantry (an all-volunteer run organization) in collaboration with teams of volunteers from organizations across Newton.

As the volunteer coordinator, I set up and manage all of the processes and procedures for volunteer teams to monitor, clean, and stock the Freedge, including picking up donations from local restaurants and businesses. In addition, I manage social media and marketing to encourage individuals in the community to contribute food to the Freedge and to encourage users to take advantage of this new supplemental food resource.

My lifelong passion for social justice and activism and the skills that I use to lead and mobilize others in both my volunteer and professional life are a direct result of having grown up in Young Judaea (Central States participant and Mazkirut, camper and staff-member at CYJ Midwest and Tel Yehudah, and year in Israel with my Young Judaea kvutzah on Machon L’Madrichai Chu’l). In particular, my high school summers at Tel Yehudah fueled my desire to “repair the world” and helped me gain the knowledge and skills to put my desire into action. I am honored to “pay this experience forward” by currently serving on the Tel Yehudah Board of Directors.

Sindy Wayne is a former Central States Mazkirut (1977-81), CYJ Michigan Camper (1976-78), Tel Yehudah Camper (1978-80) and has served on the Tel Yehudah Board of Directors since 2015.

David Weinstein
Director, Camp Tel Yehudah
Chug Yo-Ya 1978

Growing up in New Jersey Young Judaea and attending Tel Yehudah in the 1970s and 80’s, I was raised on Mel Reisfield. In Alumim. I took copious pages of notes in those little spiral notebooks while sitting on the floor of the Machon moadon as Mel taught us about the moral code the Jewish people introduced to the world.  We learned about “not holding back the wages of the worker” and “not to put a stumbling block in front of the blind.” At 13 years old, this was our introduction to social justice and social activism.  And he taught us a love of Jewish history, Jewish peoplehood and Israel.  His sichot were bombastic, passionate, irreverent and unforgettable to this day.

These days I am often baffled when I hear so many Jews talk about a tension or dichotomy between loving Israel (people, land and state) and caring about the rest of the world, as if we can only contain one of these truths at a time.  That’s not what we learned from Mel and in Young Judaea.

In his speech at Tel Yehudah for the 100^th anniversary of Young Judaea, Mel said:

“We are inner directed Soviet Jewry, Ethiopian Jewry. But we’re outer directed also. We care about others. And when those people came to me and said Mel, look at what you guys are doing. You’re activists. Social Action. Can you help us? This is the March of Dimes. There are kids with Polio….How are we going to get more people to give us money?  This is before the vaccine for polio. How about a walkathon? One of the first walkathons in the history of walkathons….Started by the Young Judaeans from this camp, Tel Yehudah.”

In these times, may we take Mel’s strength and wisdom to be both inner and outer directed.

Kate Nachman
Director of Year Course

In the zoom waiting room at Mel’s funeral, it did not say “please wait for host” it said, (translated from Hebrew) “wait to be let into the classroom by the teacher.” Among his many contributions to Young Judaea both in the US and Israel, Mel led field trips and taught Hebrew classes on Year Course. He would have approved of the waiting room message being in Hebrew and would have loved for his funeral to be considered a classroom. It is just like him to not let even death be a reason to miss a teachable moment.

It was never quiet in Mel’s classroom. Between his boisterous teaching style and the inevitable laughter around the occasionally unorthodox vocabulary in both his Hebrew and other classes, students not in his classes were frequently jealous of those who got to learn with Mel. I once snuck in to Mel’s Hebrew class to watch him teach.  I’d heard him drop some words my mother didn’t like on the occasional field trip and I’d been told it was mild in comparison to his Hebrew classes. My Hebrew wasn’t quite good enough back then but I had to know what all the fuss was about. He let me stay there for about half an hour before sending me back to my own classroom. I definitely learned some new words.

If the classroom was quiet it probably meant that Mel was out back on the basketball court. Winning more often than not and teaching life lessons, Zionism and Hebrew in those moments as well. Mel walked back and forth from his home in French Hill to Beit Riklis every day and did not indulge the occasional bouts of laziness from the students. Throughout his teaching career with Year Course he expected his students and colleagues to show up prepared with a firm handshake, a thick skin, and a curious mind. In return he was always ready with an invitation to dinner in his home, a provocative question, and an off-color joke.

Long after retiring, when we’d ask Mel to tell his story to incoming Year Coursers, be honored at a ceremony of some kind, or even if he was available for a friendly visit, he was always willing.  The price of his participation in the educational or social visit?  A meal out at his favorite Jerusalem restaurant, Dolphin Yam, where a lesson in pluralism was waiting for anyone who might raise an eyebrow at the choice.

Words like “giant” and “legend” are not too big, they are too small to truly capture the influence that Mel had as an educator and mentor to so many of us in Young Judaea both in Israel and abroad. Those of us like Moshik Toledano, Adam Jenshil and myself who were his students or his colleagues (or both), Joel Srebrenick who grew up at TY and then Young Judaea Israel with Mel as an influence, Orit Segal who taught Hebrew on the same faculty with him, we all strive to carry his legacy forward.

Mike Berman
YJG Board Chair

On Wednesday I attended Mel Reisfield’s funeral in Jerusalem.  It was difficult and emotional for everyone to say goodbye to Mel.  Were it not for COVID restrictions, there would have been hundreds joining me in paying our last respects.  I felt like I was a Shaliach Tzibur for the entire Young Judaea Community.

The outpouring of condolences and sadness at the funeral and in our community conveys how deeply indebted we all are to Mel.  He was a giant and had a profound impact on thousands of young people over decades of dedicated work as an educator, leader and activist.  He was a role model for all of us.  The last gift that we can give to Mel is our resolve to continue on his path of working for Clal Yisrael, Zionism and Tikun Olam.  We are his life’s work.  May he live on through our continued dedication, hard work and accomplishments.  I am quite certain that he would be pleased and thank us for this this gift…and then he would shout a profanity, punch someone in the arm, and get back to work.

Yehi Zichro Baruch יהי זכרו ברוך

• The seven Young Judaea camps ran a wide array of innovative, virtual programming to keep kids connected throughout the summer. To learn more about the creative and courageous ways in which the camps responded to the pandemic and their exciting plans for summer 2021 please click here.
• Year-Round Young Judaea programming pivoted to virtual activities bringing together Judaean teens from across the country.
• Young Judaea alumni and families reconnected in monumental fashion through Chaverim Online, a platform connecting thousands of Judaeans around the world through engaging virtual content.
• Young Judaea Year Course welcomed 225 participants to Israel just twelve days ago – the largest group since Young Judaea became independent from Hadassah – kicking off a year of personal growth and unforgettable Jewish experiences.

• Our initial emergency campaign has already raised 90% of the goal set for December 2020.
• Families across Young Judaea camps donated just over $900,000 of tuition paid and many families rolled over their camp tuition to summer 2021, thereby reducing the financial impact of Covid-19.

“I was part of history. Just a Judaean from Kentucky and I became part of the history of Israel.”

On the surface Greta Rothschild feels like any Judaean, filled with love for the movement and commitment to the Jewish people, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find someone who was at Tel Yehudah listening to a live broadcast in the Beit Am of the rescue of the hostages at Entebbe; someone who just a few short years later, stood on Mount Sinai at sunrise during Year Course living at Ketura and watched the beginnings of land changing hands in the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty- Greta Rothschild’s memories of Young Judaea are some of the most covered events in world history.

It wasn’t always that monumental and historic, however. Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky there wasn’ta huge Jewish presence, but Hadassah was strong. So when a friend invited her to a YJ club meeting at age 12, she jumped at the chance. Immediately she knew this was the place for her, the place where she could grow and be herself.  Reflecting on her early days in Year-Round clubs and as a camper at CYJ Midwest (later a staff member) she describes herself as “captivated, involved and connected.” That connection stayed with Greta throughout her life, both personally and professionally.
It’s not rare to hear a lifetime Judaean speak with such pride in and affection for the movement, but it is incredible to see the actual effect of Young Judaea on a person. The leadership and programming skills she learned in YJ through the clubs, conventions and camps so deeply impacted Greta that they became the foundation of her entire career.  After 17 years as a Synagogue Education Director, and a nearly full time volunteer leader as the Region President of Chicago-North Shore Hadassah, it’s the YJ role models she had, the peer leadership and programming skills she learned, along with her Zionist commitment and strong identity that stand out in her mind. And like most Judaeans, her YJ friendships have become life-long along with the memories.

Though a lifetime spent in serving the Jewish community and the love of Israel and Judaism are central to Greta Rothschild’s experience in Young Judaea, it’s the sense of belonging and Tikkun Olam, she most values. “L’dor v’dor is so important to me; passing down those values, my love and passion for Eretz Yisrael and joyful Jewish living  to my children, that is incredibly meaningful. A recipient of scholarships for camp and Year Course, I feel Young Judaea has taught me the true essence of what it means to give back.”

Dear Young Judaea Community,

We at Young Judaea have been continuously monitoring the ever-changing situation as it relates to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic including guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as local Departments of Health here in the US, and government, health, and partner agencies in Israel.

We are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all of our participants, volunteers, and staff and our priority is always for their health and safety. First and foremost we send wishes of healing to all those in our community who are affected by this outbreak, whether they themselves are ill, have been quarantined, or are feeling the impact of the restrictions being put on us and our communities. To that end, please review important information about our programs and events below. Note that the situation is very fluid and we will communicate when any changes are made:

US Programs

Year-Round Activities

We have made the difficult decision to postpone all national and regional overnight events at this time. Given that health departments in each community are issuing slightly different guidance, we will determine whether to postpone local events on a case-by-case basis in consultation with local staff and volunteers. We have made this decision out of an abundance of caution and while we recognize that this may be disappointing, we are actively working to find ways to meet virtually and stay connected with one another until the health risks have been resolved.

We will follow up with information about specific events that have been postponed and provide information about credits for future Young Judaea events and/or refunds. If you have any questions about year round programs please contact Sandra Marks, Director of US Programs.

Summer Camps

Our camps are moving forward with planning for a wonderful summer as they monitor potential implications related to COVID-19 and are considering numerous initiatives to ensure a safe environment for all participants.

Young Judaea Global NYC Office

Our NY-based staff is transitioning to working from home and we are supporting their working remotely to ensure organizational operations continue.

Israel Programs

Year Course 2019-2020

As Israel’s quarantine policies continue to become more stringent, Young Judaea Israel staff are working around the clock to ensure that we comply with all governmental regulations while still providing our participants with meaningful programmatic experiences and academics through coordination with the relevant ministries and partner organizations. We are grateful to our students who continue to handle this fluid situation with good spirits and maturity, and are working together to create the best possible experience over the next two months.

WUJS Interns 2020

We are in regular communication with our WUJS interns in Tel Aviv and Haifa, making sure they are updated as quickly and comprehensively as possible regarding developing quarantine, travel, and public gathering restrictions. Our participants are being strongly discouraged from any private travel, and our staff are providing them with ongoing social support.

Machon and Amirim Summer Programs 2020

We know that applicants may be concerned about the implications of ongoing travel restrictions with regards to our summer Israel programs, Machon and Amirim. While we anticipate and hope that both Machon and Amirim will run as planned, we have decided to offer a refund for the registration deposit fee (if requested) and hope that doing so will help our applicants feel more comfortable when making the decision to register.

Year Course 2020-2021 and WUJS Fall 2020

We are continuing to plan for Year Course 20-21 and WUJS Fall 2020, and looking forward to welcoming our participants in Israel at the end of the summer.

Alumni Events

At this time many of our alumni programs and gatherings are being postponed or cancelled. We will continue to communicate any event updates. If you have any questions please contact Andi Lewittes, Director of Development.

Young Judaeans have always stepped up in challenging times- this is no exception. We will navigate these changes to our programs and prepare for what lies ahead as a community and having the resources to respond effectively and responsibly is key, so please consider making a donation to help us handle the many unanticipated costs we are incurring because of the COVID-19 situation. Your help will enable us to continue to offer our programs as broadly and as widely as possible. You can make your donation here. Thank you for your support during this unprecedented time

Please bear with us as we work through this rapidly-changing situation. And, most importantly, stay safe and healthy.

Simon Klarfeld

Executive Director,
Young Judaea Global