Sponsored by Camp Tawonga and produced by J.’s branded content studio.
When Becca Meyer, the CEO of Camp Tawonga, was growing up, attending camp in the summer was the way she gained a sense of belonging in the Jewish community.
“It was the place where my Jewish identity was affirmed in a way that I never experienced anywhere outside of summer camp,” she said. “After camp, I thought, this is my tribe, these are my people.”
Jewish sleepaway camps have a long tradition of fostering a community that promotes the freedom to openly practice Jewish customs and rituals, without the pressure to conform, which has historically been the experience of many Jewish people in the American diaspora. During a delicate time for Jewish identity in America, Meyer said, Camp Tawonga has become ever more dedicated to creating a safe, joyful, and inclusive Jewish community.
“Being in a place where you feel like you belong because you are a Jewish kid and are surrounded by Jewish community makes it feel normal to be Jewish, makes it feel cool to be Jewish, and makes it feel good to be Jewish,” said Meyer.
Nature, independence, and adventure
Camp Tawonga has operated since 1925. It is located next to Yosemite National Park, about four hours from the Bay Area. Its focus is on a loving, inclusive Jewish community that gives children a chance to gain self-confidence, explore their spirituality, and discover the truest versions of themselves. Tawonga’s four-part mission fosters high self-esteem, enduring community, tikkun olam, and positive Jewish identity. This philosophy guides the camp’s programs, including how counselors support campers to become leaders and how staff are trained to champion inclusion.
For Noga Firstenberg, a lawyer and mom of two, Camp Tawonga is all about engaging with other Jewish families in an out-of-the-box and joyful way. She and her spouse attend Family Camp with their children each fall, and then usually spend their summers with family in Israel. They decided not to travel to Israel this summer and instead will send both their children to Camp Tawonga. “Most of the Tawonga experiences are outside, are in nature, and we love that,” she said. “We’re not quite in Israel, and that is sad, but I’m very excited for them to be in a beautiful, loving, joyful Jewish environment.”
Lifelong friendships
Campers’ connections through their experiences often last a lifetime, and these connections knit together a greater sense of Jewish community through the generations. JoAnne Forman, who works as one of the on-site therapists at camp over the summer, began going to Tawonga as a camper when she was eight years old, and now her children also attend camp.
“You just automatically fit in,” she said. With this foundation, she believes children gain independence and learn to navigate and build their social identities through the friends they make. In supporting campers through this experience, Forman often talks about the summer she attended camp with three friends and truly bonded with them.
“We lived in these rustic cabins and often would push the boundaries as young kids do, but it was always in a safe space,” she said. Forman remains close friends with them, and for the first time last fall, the four friends went back for Women’s Weekend, where girlfriends can unplug, tap into nature through hikes, creative workshops and dance, and enjoy delicious food. “Almost 40 years later, the four of us are still friends,” she said.
For Donna Friedman Meir, a New York City transplant, Tawonga anchored her family to the Bay Area Jewish community when they moved out West when their children were young. The camp’s deep roots, mission, and code of ethics that focus on nature, spirituality, and community made their family feel a strong sense of place and, she said, tapped them into “l’dor vador,” which means “from generation to generation” in Hebrew.
“I have always been incredibly impressed with how thoughtful and intentional Tawonga is about everything they do,” she said. Her daughter will be on staff for the first time this summer, and her son will be a counselor in training after working as a counselor during Tawonga’s B’nai Mitzvah retreats.
Not only did camp help her children connect with a Bay Area generational tradition, she said, it also gave them the opportunity to develop important social and emotional skills. “It’s all about your cabin and collaboration and thinking and acting and working as a unit,” she said. “At Tawonga, you get to be whoever you are, and you are celebrated for whoever you are.”
Everyone is welcome
Camp Tawonga has expanded its offerings in the last decade to include year-round Bay Area programming, such as a two-year b’nai mitzvah program, and new events, namely inclusive weekend programs at camp for families and adults. In addition to a sleepaway camp for 2nd- to 12th-graders that includes arts and crafts, cooking in the garden, swimming, campfires, boating, and archery, there are teen leadership programs and family, adult “affinity space,” and weekend offerings for adults and families, including for LGBTQ+ families and Jewish Families of Color.
“Tawonga’s loving counselors are truly our special sauce,” said Meyer. “I love getting to witness when a counselor supports a child who is hesitant at first and scared to be away from home. After a couple days of attentive care, I see that child laughing, smiling, and having the time of their life, and they return home with greater confidence and self-assurance.”
In the last two years, Tawonga has built more cabins and offered more embedded sessions to serve more kids this summer than at any point in the past.
“Kids need Tawonga this summer more than ever,” said Meyer. “We welcome everyone to this journey that can last a lifetime.”