A Community of Belonging

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Eisner and Crane Lake Camps are proud of our affirming and inclusive environments. We strive for our camps to be safe havens where our campers and staff feel affirmed and celebrated for being their most authentic and best selves each summer, and all year long. We hope that our campers and staff strengthen their self-esteem, Jewish identity, and connection to the Jewish community through the supportive nature of our staff and programs.

We are committed to building vibrant communities rooted in Jewish values and bringing the transformative power of Jewish summer camp to every child and family who come through our gates. From our policies to our programs and camp norms, we strive to reflect our camps’ core values:

Kehillah Kedoshah – A Holy Community
We are a sacred community, responsible for one another.

V’ahavta L’reyecha – Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself
We should behave towards one another with love and kindness.

Hachnasat Orchim – Welcome the Stranger
Camp is a place of “audacious hospitality,” where all who enter are celebrated.

Yichut Atsmo – Personal Growth
Camp is a uniquely transformative opportunity for young people to take risks and grow, and our job at Eisner and Crane Lake Camps is to nurture that growth.

Our commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI)

We are committed to maintaining an inclusive and welcoming culture and community. In order for our Jewish community to be truly whole, we must recognize and embrace the diversity within it, ensuring that it reflects the identities of Jews from all backgrounds and lived experiences, and work collectively to make our spaces more equitable and inclusive.

In the Fall and Winter of 2020, our full-time professional team, a group of staff, alumni, and campers identified that Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion needed to become a more central focus to our current internal efforts for growth and change.  

In addition, in 2021, our entire camp staff participated in REDI training – a program we will continue to grow and improve.

Jews from Diverse Backgrounds

Crane Lake is part of the Union for Reform Judaism – as a Movement, we’re committed to Audacious Hospitality and creating welcoming communities where everyone is not just included, but celebrated. We believe diversity makes our Jewish community stronger and more vibrant, and that there is more than one way to be authentically Jewish.

We strive to engage more children and families who are often unrepresented and under-served in Jewish spaces, transforming our camp community into a space of belonging for all who wish to call it home.

Interfaith Families

Your child – any child from an interfaith family who is being raised as a Jew – has a place at our camp. For over 30 years, the Reform Movement has been at the forefront of the Jewish world ensuring a welcoming environment for interfaith families and their children. As Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs has stated, “Creating pathways for Jews and non-Jewish partners to create active Jewish homes is a blessing.”

WHAT HAPPENS AT A URJ CAMP? WHAT IS JEWISH LIVING?
Camp is fun! Our campers experience a great atmosphere, terrific activities and programs, values that come to life every day and friendships, all under eyes of our caring, responsible adult role models (some of whom either are children of interfaith families or themselves non-Jewish).

Your child, when entrusted to our camp, will experience what it is like to live in a completely Jewish environment. This complete absorption into the rhythms and calendar of Jewish living gives each child a fuller appreciation of the richness of their Jewish identity and heritage. They are taught the values of charity, justice and kindness. Experience has shown that they will bring these values home.

Shabbat is a big event at camp. The entire camp comes together, dressed in white as one family, on Friday evening, for dinner, worship, song and dance. Campers experience the fullness of a Shabbat celebration both spiritually and culturally.

Each child’s pride in their Jewish identity is nurtured, while respect for those of other beliefs is also strongly encouraged.

WILL MY CHILD FEEL ISOLATED OR DIFFERENT BECAUSE ONE PARENT IS NOT JEWISH?

Not at all. Many of our camp counselors themselves are wonderful products of interfaith marriages. Each child at Crane Lake Camp is valued as the unique individual they are, with the wonderful attributes they bring to our community. Each child is recognized as a full member of the Jewish community whether they have one or two Jewish parents.

WILL IT BE A PROBLEM IF MY CHILD HAD LIMITED OR NO KNOWLEDGE OF HEBREW?

No problem! Campers pick up Hebrew at camp in an experiential way, learning some basic Hebrew terms, Hebrew blessings and phrases. They enjoy showing off when they return home.

WILL MY CHILD FEEL EMBARRASSED IF THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO SOMETHING JEWISH?

Crane Lake is a place for your child to further their knowledge of Judaism in an experiential way. Every child who comes to camp brings a different skill set and knowledge of Jewish tradition and practice. They learn from us and from their friends at camp. This is a no-stress environment, where learning the levels of Jewish living is an enjoyable and natural progression.

WHEN MY CHILD RETURNS HOME, WILL THEY BE LESS COMFORTABLE WITH MY NOT BEING JEWISH?

Remember that many of your child’s counselors have experience with interfaith families – either their own, their relatives or their friends. We teach each child that the Torah mandates to honor thy father and mother. We emphasize to each child that this teaching is not based on the parent being Jewish – the teaching is based on honoring each parent. Your position as the child’s parent will continue to be sacrosanct. We will encourage the respect you are due as a parent, with no regard to your own religious beliefs.

Camper Care and Inclusion

Our Camper Care Team is composed of mental health professionals, social workers, and teachers that help children of varying abilities adjust to life at camp. We have found that campers with the following diagnoses can be successful at camp, with the right supports:

Autism Spectrum Disorders
Cognitive delays
Executive functioning delays
Mental health diagnoses, such as depression and anxiety
ADHD
OT/PT needs
Learning disabilities
Hearing loss

We work with parents, teachers, and other professionals on an individualized basis to determine if our program is appropriate for your child, and figure out the types of accommodations needed. Families work in partnership with our Camper Care team to ensure the camper’s success for the summer. This may include a more comprehensive intake, collaboration with professionals who work with your child, and maintaining regular communication throughout the off season as we prepare for the summer.

For more information, please reach out to Alyson Bazeley, Assistant Director of Camper Care and Enrollment: abazeley@urj.org

We’re proud to be a recipient of a Yashar Initiative Grant from the Foundation for Jewish Camp and the Weinberg Foundation, enabling us to enhance accessibility of our site and add services for campers and staff with disabilities.

LGBTQIA+

Crane Lake is proud to affirm campers, staff, and family members of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. Every child is unique and we want to learn more about your camper so we can ensure a safe space for them to be their authentic selves at camp.

We recognize that gender is a spectrum and each summer at Crane Lake:

We welcome campers and staff who are transgender and gender non-conforming.
We place campers in housing that affirms their gender identity and allows them to experience a sense of belonging in our camp community.
We offer all-gender community restrooms and use all-gender terminology whenever possible. For example, we have renamed our living areas as Hillside and Lakeside so that bunks do not need to be identified by gender.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE TRANSGENDER?
Some children are born into the body of a boy, but in their hearts and minds they are girls. Others are born into the body of a girl, but in their hearts and minds they are boys. Those raised as boys for the first few years of their lives make it increasingly clear at a very early age that they understand themselves to be girls. Likewise, those that are raised as girls for the first few years of their life made it increasingly clear at a very early age that they understand themselves to be boys. Their social development and patterns are aligned with other children of their age.

WHERE DO TRANSGENDER CAMPERS AND STAFF SLEEP?

A transgender camper or staff members who identifies as female will sleep in a girls’ cabin with campers. A transgender camper or staff member who identifies as a boy will sleep in a boys’ cabin with campers.

WHAT ABOUT PRIVACY?
Our transgender campers and staff may choose to be private about the ways in which they are different from other children their age. At camp, we teach all of our campers and staff to have a sense of modesty and to respect one another’s privacy. We will continue to reinforce this message. Our cabins all have stall showers, each with its own curtain. All toilets are in stalls with doors. We also hang a privacy curtain between the bathroom area and living space in each cabin. Outside the cabin, all of our public restrooms have stalls which enable privacy around camp. Every child and staff member thus has privacy when showering, changing and using the restroom.

WILL MY CIS-GENDER CAMPER BE SCARED OR CONFUSED?
Probably not, but if they are, help them understand that this is just one of many ways in which their friends may be different from them. Try not to assume that your kids will think this is weird or confusing. They may just accept it at face value and move on. It’s a good idea to ask if they understand and if they have more questions. As always, there are staff and resources at camp for your child to turn to in times of need.

WHAT DOES THE REFORM MOVEMENT SAY ABOUT TRANSGENDER PEOPLE?
The Reform Movement’s recognition of transgender rights dates back to 1978. The Movement has an explicit policy of non-discrimination regarding transgender people and has even developed blessings for the changing of gender. Through the years, the URJ has been a fierce advocate of LGBTQIA+ rights and equality both within the Movement and in the wider community through the resolutions of the Commission on Social Action and the work of the Religious Action Center. In November 2015, the URJ adopted a movement-wide “Resolution on the Rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People.” View the the full text

HOW DO I EXPLAIN TRANSGENDER CHILDREN AND GENDER VARIANCE TO KIDS?
One way to explain gender variant and transgender children/adults is to use the concept of gender being on a spectrum. Draw a line and on one end write male (or draw a male), and do the same for female on the other end of the line. Have your children list “typical boy” and “typical girl” behaviors, likes, characteristics, etc., and write them on either end. Think about the toy and clothing sections of Target! Describe how people tend to fall on the end of the spectrum that matches their body parts, but not always. You can locate, with your child, where on the spectrum some friends and family fall – what cousin is a tomboy, what male friend likes dolls, which girl friend is a “girly-girl” who doesn’t like sports, etc. Then you can say that some children have a boy’s body but inside feel far over on the female side, and some children have a girl’s body but inside feel far over on the male side. This also presents a teachable moment about gender roles in general, to teach children that there are many ways to be a girl and to be a boy.

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