good morning and welcome to mosaic. i am honored to be your host this morning. that communities across the country think a lot about the future and how to educate their young people to live and make the world and their community a better place. one of the ways in which that question is answered is by the immersive experience of camping. we would like to invite you into a conversation with rabbi allie fishman who is the camp director of camp newman and the associate director of camp to wonka what is jewish camping and

want you just jump in. this is 1925. that's the 94th year. . the kids come up for the first few weeks of summer. would get them to come to camp towanda . camp newman is going into our 72nd summer. we are located on the theast ba have a campsite in santa rosa and unfortunately that was pretty devastated by the fires last year.

we are in and in between space right now, but on this beautiful campus. we have many kids and staff members joining us all summer and hopefully it will be one of the best summers they will have in their life. >> who comes to camp newman and camp towanda? >> for our traditional summer camp programs, kids as young as six or seven and through age 17 can come. the programs change. we have more leadership development programs that they get older. we get kids throucond, thd to 12th graderough the end hool. we al run xtof family programs. get campers of all ages from newborns up to grandparents that will come with their families. those are four day

programs. we have all kinds of people at camp towanda . >> we run programs in the summer. we have a one week session, a two week session, three weeks and 4 weeks for children to choose from from fourth grade to 11th grade. the juniors and seniors can come for an eight week long session. those are focused around different community events. we also have the counselor training program. then, in addition, we serve a lot of staff who come in the summer. we have about 130 staff members with us who help us build and create this american -- amazing experience for the summer. >> our community is so diverse.

both of you are jewish camps i'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about how you are a jewish camp. >> we want to provide a low barrier to entry. one slight difference between our camps is that we are not affiliated with the movement. we are non-denominational. we really try to make sure there is a welcoming and accommodating experience for someone who is maybe not jewish or this may be the only jewish thing they do all year. then we also have campers that this is one aspect of jewish life. we try to infuse jewish content into all the different kind type -- all the other activities and specifically some jewish education and

learning programs at camp. we try to infuse that into the general community. it's not just jewish but this time. >> camp newman is affiliated with reform movements. we do all the things that erin talks about also. we have judaism in our day. we have blessings before and after meals. it is all about living in a jewish community. the kids have a special prayer that we sing together. everything we do have some element of judaism. like erin said, that is the only time they have during the year to be surrounded by people in the jewish community.

>> we are going to take a quick break and come back to continue this wonderful conversation in just a moment.

>> this is a picture of camp newman, what are we looking at? >> this is the end of session t- shirts. as you can see, there are

different activities that they get to do it camp. one thing that is so incredibly special about both of our camps , all of what we do is based around being a welcoming and opening community for kids and staff. you can feel at home in a jewish setting. >> wonderful. welcome back. we are in the middle of a great conversation about camp and the jewish world. let's talk a little bit about what an immersive experience really is for a person coming to a campus session. lots of us have an understanding of camping. a lot of us don't. what is it about this experience that makes a difference? >> i think that one of the special things about going to

camp is that you get to leave behind the things that were at home and the things that were worrying you are weighing on you during the school year or regular activities that you take part in. you get to immerse into this fun community that really is built around becoming a better person and getting to know people these are lifelong friendships. you can explore new kinds of activities like different kinds of art that you may not of done before or sports or singing or slack lighting or any of the different things that we offer at each of our camps and to build small communities within bigger communities within our whole camp community based on how we haven't sectioned off. you can get to just know a different bunch of people. you have staff mom -- members

who are college kids and role models. they can guide you through this time that can be difficult for kids to navigate all of the things that are going and then -- in their lives. it is a special place where they get to be their authentic self.>> can you talk about the way that you work with these diversities at camp towanda? we are jews of colors, we are interreligious and international and we are in every class. where people might be in their own neighborhood, other when they go one a vacation or come to camp, then at camp you are in a place where you meet jews that are different from you. you might meet jewish people who are your next-door neighbor.

>> that is such a good question. it is so vast. it touches on the beauty and the challenge of what we are doing in camping. the first thing that i think of is that one of my beliefs is that the solution to a lot of the challenges is made harder in this era by technology. there is a certain leveling aspect. wherever kids are coming from a pack one back. they live in a cabin with 11 other kids, 12 kids living together. they come from different places. they are forced to be face to

face. they confront similarities and differences. that immersive aspect of an overnight camp, like ours, if you join a sports team, think about this, you could have a lot of different people on your team. at camp it is 24/7. within a day or two you have equaled a whole season of being on a sports team in terms of the amount of time and connections that can happen. then multiply that out by up to four weeks. you get in deep with people. amazing growth and discovery happened then. >> that's fantastic. we will come back in just a minute and continue this conversation. we'll be right back with more news, weather and sports. you're watching kpix.

this is a picture of camp

towanda what are we looking at? >> here are some cabins. in the front you can see the link -- lake we have in camp and some of the beautiful trees and the forest of the mountains.>> welcome. >> this is wonderful. i am honored to be your host today. we are talking about camp newman and camp towanda. we ended by talking about issues of diversity and inclusion. can you talk about that on the camp newman perspective? >> yes. this is what all of our camps are trying to do. creating an open environment. camp newman, everything we do comes back to what we call our philosophy of care. we build community and model acceptance and role modeling for everyone. we treat each person as if they were created

in the image of god. this is something we highlight throughout the summer. we make sure that our kids and staff really know that this is supposed to be a community built for everyone. that means everyone in the bay area. anyone who is interested in having one of these jewish experiences, we want to be able to be open and be the place where we can be welcoming and make people feel comfortable. sometimes that means that you might feel different from the other kids around you but we are doing as much as we can. we have talked about how we could we -- how we could be doing more and we will to be as inclusive and open as possible. plate -- these places is your

home. >> we spend a lot of time talking about how the next generation will feel confident and competent about making the world a better place. we want them to be better fuming -- human beings and citizens of the world. being inclusive and welcoming our building blocks of people feeling that confidence and competence. i wonder if you could talk a little bit about the ways that you think this is handled through the perspective of your program and through the vision. how do you see the effects that confidence building and competence building out there in the world beyond a camp session? >> i think camp is supposed to be a version of the world as we want it to be. it is this place that you go way to for part of your summer. if we do our job, as people in

charge of running these camps, kids are going to get a vision of the best possible version of society. they get a chance to feel the best possible version of themselves. when the session ends i take it as my responsibility to tell the kids that they don't -- this was not just for them to have for 3 weeks. they need to go out and to work out differences with other people with dialogue and communication. those skills, starting with feeling good about yourself. take a stand for who you are and what you believe in. then think about what does it mean to live in community and how do you take that home, to school, to your own communities during the many weeks that you are not at camp. >> that is something special that happens at camp.

you can work things out with people face to face. you are forced to interact without screens in front of you. you can take the time to get to know people deeper so you can accept them who -- for who they are. the goal is to take all this learning and go home. the next time they encounter an issue, whether it is them that needs to be included or someone else who they can be including better at school or whatever it is, the things that we see anecdotally and from stories that parents and kids send in and all the things that we hear is that the things they learned during their time at camp and uppi ings tt they do in their lives outside of camp. that is a beautiful thing that they can take that and bring that into their world the other

nine months of the year. >> for any of us who work in a faith community, we are role models and we give and we teach. we also receive and grow. i'm wondering, before we take our break, can you just reflect a little bit about how, actually these values have influenced you even as you do this work as citizens of the world? >> i think curiosity and wonder are for me, the things that i get to experience every summer with the kids and staff. i can see somebody really connect to prayer for the first time or understandt being able to sustain that through their eyes, that

sustains me. it is something beautiful that we do in our work. >> i am like a poster child for summer camp. i went to camp towanda as a kid. it was my summer job in college and now i am a director. i don't know what my life would be like without camp. i for sure no that i probably would not be as confident as i was without all the love and foundation i received from role models and still to this day. i also think about the experiences of going out into nature and into the wilderness and the avenue that opens up for spiritual reflection and spiritual moments. our planet is in need of a lot more people that value spending time outdoors and know what it means to be a steward of the earth. i get all of that from my experiences at camp.

i think also, just being able to be with the group and know my role and went to step up and when to step back and let other people be in charge.>> thank you. were going to take a quick break and we will be right back in just a moment.

good morning and welcome back to mistake. i am honored to be your host. we are in the middle of a wonderful conversation about jewish camping. let's let people know some logistic things like how do people register, when you start, what kind of sessions you have? >> we started yesterday -- registration yesterday. it is exciting to be open. we have many different length -- length of sessions that kids can come to. we offer a variety of scholarships. we always want to make sure that anyone can get

to camp no matter the financial situation. our registration is open in southern california. we have cytec and a sports camp down there as well. both of those camps are open and ready to accept kids in the summer. >> this is november and registration has begun in november? >> yes. we go until we fill up. there can be a latecomer but we tried to make space for them. >> when does camp start? >> we put get -- begin until june 16 and go until august 7. >> wonderful. >> we will be starting registration for midecember. people who are interested can visit our website and get information about different sessions starting with second graders all the way up through

high schoolers. we have sessions between one week and 3 weeks. and we make sure that people are not turned away because of any financial situations. we have scholarships. we are happy to help families cover camp fees. we start also on june 16 and we run through august 13. >> he might be important to underline, with the diversity of our community, there is a lot of economic diversity. our local jewish community federation has a camp sponsorship as do each of the camps. nobody should be shy about registering because of financial constraints.

>> yes. when there is a promotional event we make sure that everybody knows that we never want money to be the reason why a child can't attend our camp. the camps in the bay area and all over the country are met -- dedicated to making that true. pick up the phone and call us. we will make it work, no matter what it is. >> so for both of you the youngest camper is seven? >> we are eight years old. >> can you talk a little bit about the kind of programs that you have? some people have traditional summer sessions and you have themed sessions for the weekend? >> yes. we have family camps before and after the summer and summer in the spring and summer in the fall. one that just celebrated 20 years -- years is at albee gtq

family camp. >> very good. thank you so much for being with us. we encourage you to go to summer camp and check them out. thank you for being with us on mosaic. we'll be right back with more news, weather and sports. you're watching kpix. mrs. walker. michael vasquez! come over here. i've heard such good things about you, your company. well, i wouldn't have done any of it without you. without this place. this is for you. michael, you didn't have to... and, we're going to need some help with the rest. yo worke hard to achieve so much. perhaps it's time to partner with someone who knows you and your business well enough to understand what your wealth is really for.