Is there a more enthusiastic camper in the world than Ezra Fields-Meyer, a 17-year-old with high-functioning autism and a regular at Camp Ramah in Southern California? Not if you ask his father. Tom Fields-Meyer says his son's annual visit to the rural retreat in Ojai, 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is a much-anticipated opportunity for Ezra to spend time with all kinds of children in a fun and nurturing environment. "The four weeks he goes to Ramah and is away from us are really the four best weeks of his …More

The Israel Scouts program has a long and respected history. Founded in 1919, the scouts, known as Tzofim, were the first Zionist youth movement in Israel. Today, the program is as strong as ever, and in 1995 it extended to the US, with the Friends of Israel Scouts (FOIS). “Friends of Israel Scouts is a large organization with different programs, all aimed at connecting young Americans with Israel,” said Maya Avitan, director of Tzofim’s Israel Summer Camp program, known as Chetz …More

At Seeds of Peace, summer camp takes on a deeper meaning. The organization, founded in 1993, aims to bring together adolescents from diverse backgrounds and create a common bond. The campers, called “seeds,” then bring the lessons they learned back to their home countries. “It started with this idea of bringing young people from the Middle East together,” said Jennifer Lishansky, external relations coordinator for Seeds of Peace. “We began as a summer camp of 46, this year we have …More

Israel will play host later this month to one of the most prestigious youth science events of the year—Asian Science Camp. The camp is an annual gathering of pre-collegiate and college students, bringing together the world’s brightest for lectures and discussion with Nobel prize winners and top scientists. The gathering, which will take place in Jerusalem beginning Aug. 26, is often referred to as “genius camp.” Israel has the most number of youths participating this year, with 35. …More

British Jewry claims the International Olympics Committee denied the Munich 11 moment of silence three yeas before the London games. [Times of Israel] Paul Ryan is lauded by Republican leaders, but some Jewish groups are wary of the VP candidate. [Jewish Standard] The diaspora is undergoing a Jewish leadership crisis: retirement. [Algemeiner] A Jewish LA orchestra celebrates 18 years, its chai birthday, of making music. [Israel National News] South Africa’s Jews and government clash over cancellation …More

The Tal Law expires at midnight. [AFP] Follow Mitt Romney’s journey through Israel. [The Guardian] Officials in the Prime Minister’s Office deliver a letter from Knesset faction heads to Mitt Romney yesterday, urging him to support Jonathan Pollard. [The Jerusalem Post] The White House wants clarification on Romney's Jerusalem-capital comment, as do the Palestinians. [NECN.com] Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issues a statement applauding both …More

The number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank has crossed the 350,000 mark. [The Los Angeles Times] Iran accuses Israel of plotting the bus attack that happened in Bulgaria last week. [The Jewish Journal] A report shows that Mitt Romney’s trip to Israel will have little effect on the Jewish vote. [The Washington Post] Jewish families participated in a walkathon, carnival and barbecue benefitting the Friendship Circle ran by Chabad-Lubavitch. [Chabad] Five young adults were charged and three were jailed …More

The five Israelis killed yesterday in Bulgaria are identified. [ynet] Many Israelis are pessimistic about the country’s ties with Egypt. [Israel Hayom] A planned bomb attack on Jewish sites in Manchester was foiled over a domestic dispute. [The Washington Post] Israel releases one of the Islamic militant Hamas movement’s most senior members after six months. [The Washington Post] Hebrew University researchers reach a breakthrough that may help treat degenerative diseases. [The Jerusalem …More

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel would stop Syrian refugees from entering Golan Heights. [AP] Israeli officials told the New York Times that United States officials discussed whether or not Israel should move to destroy Syrian weapons facilities as part of a larger mission. [Haaretz] Nouri Mismari, Mummar Gaddafi’s chief of protocol, says that Gaddafi ordered his men to kill anyone who knew that his mother was Jewish. [The Times of Israel] About one-third of American Jews opt for cremation …More

Orthodox and Reform Jewish campers will hold a joint Fourth of July celebration. The Americafest celebration next week, which will bring campers from the Orthodox Camp Darom in Grenada, MS, to the Union for Reform Judaism's Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, MS, was made possible by a grant from the Foundation for Jewish Camp. The celebration will mark the first time the two camps have come together for an intercamp program day, and will include a Fourth of July parade featuring campers from both camps, an afternoon …More

Four new specialty overnight camps will be created in the second stage of an $8.6 million grant to the Foundation for Jewish Camp. The foundation's new grant cycle represents the second stage of the multimillion dollar grant jointly funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation and the Avi Chai Foundation. The latest grant was announced this week during the Foundation for Jewish Camp's Leaders Assembly in New Brunswick, NJ. The foundation is seeking proposals for the specialty camps. The new camps are intended to engage …More

“Jewish people love summer camp,” comedian Donald Glover, star of the NBC series Community says during a standup routine. “They all went to the same summer camp. Which is weird, because if I was Jewish I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near a camp.” Glover might find even weirder the ways in which some Jewish summer camps address the Holocaust. Camp Stone, a Zionist Orthodox camp in Western Pennsylvania, part of the Bnei Akiva movement, might be the most direct. It possesses an unusual …More