Summer Youth Experiences

an image of 7 campers at 6 Points Art Camp laying in a circle, each one wearing a colorful tie dye shirt

“I Wish This Had Existed When I Was a Kid:” 6 Points Creative Arts Academy

Jay Rapoport

March 10, 2023

When adults find out about my job as director of URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy, many of them say the same thing: "I wish that had existed when I was a kid!" I know how they feel.

Group of teens sitting on a wall in Israel

B'nei Mitzvah

A $3,250 Gift for Your B’nei Mitzvah Teens

Rachael Brill

December 8, 2022

We are excited to announce that, thanks to a generous commitment from RootOne LLC (seeded by The Marcus Foundation and powered by The Jewish Education Project), the certificate will now be worth $3,250!* We hope that this increased amount allows all Reform Jewish teens to travel to Israel as a rite of passage.

kids at URJ Camp Harlam wearing tie-dye t-shirts an joyfully spraying water on each other with a hose

Summer Youth Experiences

Summer 2022: Opportunities and Growth

Rabbi Rick Jacobs

August 4, 2022

Summer 2022 was full of opportunities and growth. We celebrated the joy and beauty of camp and Israel experiences, infused intention and meaning in our planning and programming, and enabled campers, summer immersive participants, and staff to create communities of respect and belonging.

Three Campers Jumping Joyfully into the Lake

Summer Youth Experiences

A Note About Camp

Ruben Arquilevich

July 12, 2022

We are now solidly in the middle of camp season and our 3,000 dedicated staff are working to ensure that our campers are enjoying the friendship, smiles, ruach (spirit), growth, and love that are all part of the camp experience, while also keeping everyone safe and healthy.

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.