Summer Youth Experiences

Susan Zukrow Mackevich, zichronah l'vrachah
Early Childhood Education

The Susan Zukrow Mackevich Seeds of Compassion Fellowship Grows Connection between Early Jewish Education and Camp

Cathy Rolland, RJE
Rachel Margolis, RJE
 June 10, 2022
Sometimes an outsider’s perspective yields a beautiful question. Susan Zukrow Mackevich, whose second yahrzeit was April 27, provided that kind of perspective for us at the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism (ECE-RJ), and Chicago-area early childhood Jewish educators.

URJ Immersive Youth Programs and COVID Protocols

Together with our URJ Medical Advisory Team, and following the guidance of CDC, Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC), and American Camp Association (ACA), we have developed guidelines and protocols that preserve the camp experience, protect our camp communities, and use evidence-based best practices. We remain agile and responsive to the evolving COVID landscape, while simultaneously preparing for a meaningful and memorable summer camp experience. We are attuned both to the evidence-based protective benefits of some COVID mitigation measures AND to the operational and experiential drawbacks of others. This has been a complex and deliberate process of balancing many priorities.
Summer Youth Experiences
a tree with light behind it
Summer Youth Experiences

Taking a Breath for Life: the Union for Reform Judaism's Actions to Build Resilience

Ruben Arquilevich
 January 19, 2022
On Tu Bishvat we celebrated trees and a season of new growth. I've been doing lots of thinking about trees, as I frequently do, and the role they play in providing oxygen for the planet. At the Union of Reform Judaism, we provide oxygen to our communities by creating compassionate spaces for our participants to grow and thrive. We can respond to current and future challenges by fostering resilience that reflect our Jewish values.
eisner_camp
teens

A Summer of Healing, Happiness, and Hope

Ruben Arquilevich
 November 2, 2021
This past summer, our 15 URJ camps across North America and Israel programs provided the space where more than 11,000 children, teens and young adults could breathe free. Summer 2021 was clearly a summer of healing at our camps, as children returned to immersive in-person living, learning, laughing, crying, hugging where they can share their fears and dreams in a loving and accepting environment.