good morning and welcome to mosaic. i am rabbi eric weiss and honor to be your host this morning. we are about to have a

wonderful conversation about jewish camping. throughout the country, religious communities have a conversation about how to educate their youth and members of their community to a jewish identity or to a religious identity and camping another camp. which in hebrew means what? >> it means earth. >> urban earth, as the name of your organization . >> we are hoping to remind people that we are still on earth even in a city. >> let's ask a basic question is start with, what is jewish camping? >> i think jewish camping secures a jewish future. because when children go to jewish summer camp and may get grounded in a jewish community. that in that part of their part of their identity they are more likely to grow up they want to participate in jewish life as an adult. for me, growing up, i did not live in a big jewish community. a summer camp was the first place where i felt like surrounded by other jews.

it is normal to be jewish and it is also cool and fun to be jewish . summer camp gave it to me and i see it with 70 children it is a place they feel comfortable with their identity and positive about it. >> it is a residential summer camp experience . >> it is a sleep away camp , residential camp experience right outside of yosemite national park. >> we are based in berkeley and we are in urban model for a camp. >> between the two of you , the ways in which you go about your programming, how is it that you sort of understand the difference between the way somebody might belong to a synagogue or be involved in the local community but come for a more immersive , intense focus to experience whether it is a residential experience at one

of the programs that they have. >> we have a broad spectrum of how people identify with being jewish. we have campers who are not jewish and we have campers who like to eat bagels. but that is the only jewish thing they do. we also have campers who are actively involved in synagogue life keep kosher at home or celebrate shabbat every week and we have everything in between. when people come to tawonga we try to meet them where they are out. we are pluralistic and nondenominational only say commented from our buffet of jewish offerings . some people can connect with the food and some with the music and prayers or the other traditions. some people with the values. there was a lot of different ways to connect with judaism. and that is one of the strengths of the immersive experience. there is something for everyone. >> how would you think about that with yours ?

>> we have an interesting model. we are in an urban model and it is the camp that is accessible to many kids. we see kids that have different kinds of backgrounds and different levels of observance can really focus what connection is on camp. because we are on a farm can have a biocentric focus and and have a jewish experience without filling their having some sort of experience that is designed by somebody else. and they can let their guard down occur next through farming and taking care of animals and building with mud and i think that experience of being a child is the foundation to a positive jewish experience. >> we will take a quick break and come back in a moment. back to 'mosaic'. join us in just a moment.

good morning. welcome back to 'mosaic'. i am rabbi eric weiss and honor to be your host this morning. we are having a wonderful conversation about jewish camping with becca, camp director at camp tawonga , and the camp director at urban adamah. welcome back. we were talking about the various ways

in which your programs work and it seems like nature is a really common theme in the context of jewish life . i am wondering if you can talk a little bit about what that is at each of your places. how does that work with you? >> nature is a pretty central part of our experience on a farm. even though we are on a city. and it allows us to re-we leave the earth-based elements of judaism. 1/ and a lot of our ethics have to do with the environment and showing the harvest. we get to remove those pieces that in many ways armand jews have not -- urban jews's have forgotten about. it is fun. it works for kids and works to create community. and it is a powerful and positive experience of feeling that you are doing real things that are meaningful when you work with

the earth and help others and see that your efforts have a product that benefits those that you care for. >> and how does it work with camp tawonga? >> similar to urban adamah we highlight joyous judaism in nature. camp tawonga we are unplugged and it is screen free. kids have an opportunity to see the stars at night and here the frogs and hold a frog in their hand and we have a farm as well. through that, and we go to yosemite national park to backpacking trips. through those experiences in nature, i hope kids fall in love with nature and come home and aspire to be better stewards of the natural world and to make this connection between judaism and nature. they really do get together. >> it is wonderful. let's get down to basics. becca, how does somebody contact camp tawonga and how does somebody make a choice about where to register and what are the choices that people have about the different sessions during the summer . >> we would encourage people to visit our website. and you can

see that we have a range of summer programs. we have programs at camp that are one week, two weeks, three weeks or 2 1/2 weeks. we also have programs on the road we call quests. where our teams go on a car camping road trip and do multi-sport adventures like rock climbing , kayaking, white water rafting. and backpacking. and we have family camps which are four-day weekend programs . through the spring and fall for families to experience the camp. they can visit our website or call us at our office . we are there to answer questions about what would be the best fit for the child. >> before we get to urban adamah, what is the youngest age camp you take at camp

tawonga and go see what age? >> for the summer can programs retake children who are entering second grade . all the way through entering 12th grade. roughly 7 to 17. for our family camps, all ages are welcome from itty bitty babies to grandparents. >> and urban adamah? >> we have a cam season that runs for nine weeks every summer and the first three weeks are for ages three to five. in the next six weeks are for ages five to 12 and we also have a teen program this summer and it is exciting. something that is unique about our program is that kids live where that camp is . the get to come back year-round for community celebrations, group programs and they can bring their school to the camp, to the farm if they would like for a field group. bring their family. their experience at camp extends and help them have a place-based experience in where they live . >> each of your websites have different things about costs and all the different ways in which somebody enters that

experience. can you talk for folks to understand what your scholarship framework is so people will understand that there are different options for how to fulfill that obligation . >> at camp tawonga we give about $500,000 in scholarships which are for camp and that is need-based. we ask families to provide us with their household income and some other information to help us figure out how much aid we can ward. there is also some options such as, one happy camper. pj goes to camp, and other programs. and some synagogues have partnerships where they will subsidize the cost of camp and help families send their kids to camp . we list of his options as well is making monthly payment plans on our website under financial options. >> wonderful. >> something to keep in mind about urban adamah, we don't have as many numbers as a

sleep away camp. we have about 60 campers per week. what we give away is about $9000 every summer , which is more proportional to how many campers we have. it is need-based and we also help people see other opportunities in the community for help. >> wonderful. believe it or not we have come to the end of our time together. we will take a break and say goodbye, but we will welcome two to people as we continue this wonderful conversation about jewish camping.

welcome back to 'mosaic'. i am rabbi eric weiss. we are joined in the next two segments by rabbi mason the camp director a can't newman and lindsay newman who is the camp director, or the program manager at another camp. welcome. let's jump in and

tell us about your respective camps. >> camp newman is one of 16 camps run by a residential summer camp and we offer programs throughout the year for elementary school on up through high school. and everything we do is based around our mission of inspiring a love of judaism and we do that through a philosophy of care, creating a holy community through accepting every person who comes your gates and learning to love through role modeling and making many friends and see each and every person who comes through is made in the image of god unique and special. >> we should say that in the jewish community, what we might think of as a corporate distinction, they are different movements. one is the reform

movement and that is what camp newman is affiliated with. the reform movement in jewish life. >> correct. >> lindsay. our camp is a multi-jewish summer camp . we are based in marin county. we are place for jews of racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds to come together as jews as well as teaching about jewish communities all around the world through experimental education. each day, we are traveling virtually to a new country learning about the jewish community through art, cooking, dance and the like. is also a place to explore identity both jewish and otherwise. >> there is a big word that is called intersectionality which is , we understand have people have diverse identities and i am not sure if this the current language but in the

jewish community we are not just white, but of many different ethnic cultures. is that part of the experience that your camp. it is jewish and -- >> yes. it means and every tongue. and that intersection piece is everything that we do. we are recognizing that people along with their jewish identities have many other many identities with racially and ethnically and otherwise. we strive to create a space for people to bring their whole selves to the table and a jewish space to bring all those parts of themselves. >> just getting down to some concrete details. what is the range of your camper and how do people contact camp newman and how does all of that work for somebody who wants to come and participate.

>> we are traditional jewish summer camp with arts and sports and nature and hiking and overnights and others things . during the summer welcome campers entry third grade and entering 12th. and all of our staff is in college and older. during the year we run camps for three different weekend programs for elementary school kids. a couple for middle school as well and a number of high school programs . we are running our first early childhood family camp as well this summer. this october i'm sorry. you find out about all that and more on our website. we can call us. to talk to someone about any of his options about financial aid, about rates and dates and best placement for campers during our summer sessions . and more. >> you mentioned one little program that maybe we should let people know about witches pga library which means pj stands for, pajamas and it's a reading book program the people can sign up for within the jewish community for newborn

babies through i think toddlers. >> also through six and seven years old. pj goes to camp is also a scholarship program run through the same organization. and we are one of a number of camps where pga library supplies camps for nine through 11-year-olds. and the mission is to open up the world of jewish books to families which may not otherwise know about jewish books that exist. >> a wonderful example of a different kind of collaborations and cooperation that the jewish community has in particular around jewish camping. lindsay. can you give us a sense of the range of campers and who comes to camp be chol lashon. >> we are campers that range in age from eight to 18 and we are slightly smaller camp that some of the others that have been here today. we are also , much more of a family feel where all eight to

18-year-olds are together and we are living together and doing activities together. a lot of times for younger campers, that can help them feel more comfortable that they have older buddies to be with them i camp in for the older campers, many are coming back for a second and third year. they are taking on often leadership roles. and providing a comfortable space for other campers. you can sign up on our website. or call us. we would love to talk to you and get to know families who may be interested. and we also work with our camp families to find resources to help them come to camp, weather it is pga library or other resources in the community are raising funds to help. >> we will take a quick break and come back in just a moment

here on 'mosaic'.

- it's so fun to watch jessica in this space. - this is a look at those clouds right now in real-time, but let's head underneath this cloud layer and take a look at our rainfall... - [narrator] the virtual view studio, part of "morning edition." weekday mornings starting at 5 on kpix. good morning and welcome back to mosaic. we are in the middle of a conversation about jewish camping with the camp director at camp newman and the program manager at camp bechol lashon. welcome back. the

jewish community in the bay area is so diverse and we have so many different ways in which we have a both and, different kinds of experiences in the camping world for lgbt families. and lgbt youth and at the same time , they come to camp newman and camp tawonga and urban adamah and camp bechol lashon, is that an example of how you see the ways in which the multiculturalism exists around the community and jewish camping and also has particular ways in which folks identify in a project to give away say with camp bechol lashon come to camp bechol lashon. can you talk about your perspectives how you see jewish identity evolving , functioning in your respective arenas? >> we welcome around 1200

campers every summer and are campers come from all walks of life, all denominations. all levels of faith and observance. and our hope and goal when they come to camp newman is a find a place where they can feel at home. where they feel like they can be the best selves and they can be there jewish selves without any outside pressures. and they feel like they found a place where they have a family. we have groups of all the ones we mention. different races at camp . different family makeups at camp newman and when you are at camp, all of that combines to form this different family that we have at camp . we hear from campers who also go to camp bechol lashon or go to camp tawonga or urban

adamah, which allows them to find different kinds of family and find their place and where they fit and how they connect to different parts of the jewish community in that way. >> and from your perspective? >> i was a similarly. we have campers and families of many diffof racial and ethnic makeup. families formed by adoption, lgbt families, for a lot of our kids who are of color, especially, this camp is one of their only experiences where they are around the majority of people who look like them and have similar experiences to them. we also think of our camp as a supplemental camp that we are three weeks during a summer and a lot of our kids are doing other camps. like all the camps that were here today. we really feel like we offer an opportunity for our kids to see others who look like themselves and also role models who look like them. and

develop their comfort in expressing their jewish identity. >> it makes me think that jewish camping is one of the very few places where different kinds of people can come together and really form family and relationships and deepen what it means to be to be jewish and a human being. that is an extraordinary deliberate, world that gets created and because it is success of an residential or with urban adamah, continual. that impact on the way a person understands themselves as well as their community, with such great diversity, must give a lot of confidence to a jewish community sense of place in the world that everybody is welcome and even if somebody is different venue in some ways, that does not make them and other, it makes

them part of the family. morning from your perspectives, we don't have much time but what has been the impact that you are having on people , was they are not i camp or they leave camp, back out in the world in their other worlds that they live. >> i was in for a lot of our kids, especially jewish kids of color, they are experienceing both in invisibility of their experience as well as they may be highly visible in their communities. we see our camp is a leadership developing camp where we are helping kids to figure out how to tell their own stories and know when people are looking at them as leaders that they know how to embrace that our put up boundaries when they want to. >> we just have a quick moment , and how would you respond?

>> we have made a real push in response to the needs of our families of inclusion and whether that is things that you can see, or things you cannot see and supporting all the emotional, social, physical needs of campers while they are at camp to feel like they have a home and give them the tools to take what they have learned back to their community and hopefully carry their pride and identity they find a camp that come. >> thank you so much. get on the web and look up camp newman and camp tawonga, urban adamah and camp bechol lashon and make a wonderful choice for yourself this coming summer. thank you for being with us here on is a. -- on 'mosaic'.

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