Jewish summer camp is an immersive experience. That’s by design—most of today’s Jewish children come from intermarried families or live in areas that are largely non-Jewish. So, most grow up with a combination of more than one culture! That means that camp may be one of the few immersive experiences they have access to. And that’s one of the things that’s so great about it—camp is a place to put away their phones, breathe, and just be with their community.

And for those of us who are raising Messianic Jewish youth, it is so important to pass on the story of our Jewish heritage as well as the story of faith in Yeshua.

We could send our kids to traditional Jewish summer camp, as many of our staff attended when they were kids. The camp experience is formative—long-ago memories of dressing up for Shabbat dinners and singing for skit night still stick! But in traditional spaces, belief in Jesus is sadly often seen as the most un-Jewish thing you can do. We know that even today, kids who are being raised with a combination of Jewish heritage and faith in Jesus may not be understood in traditional Jewish camps.

Feeling ‘outside’ is the opposite of what we all want our kids to have in a camp experience.

Some of us have also attended Christian summer camps, and there are many good ones out there. But they can also be a place where our connection to being Jewish—and our desire to pursue faith in Jesus jewishly—can seem foreign to others. It’s a very real possibility that Messianic Jewish kids might feel like outsiders at one of the bigger Christian camps. And feeling “outside” is the opposite of what we all want our kids to have in a camp experience!

So, we’ve found a way to keep the timeless tradition of Jewish summer camp alive in our kids’ stories, while also creating a safe space for them to explore their faith in Jesus.

A Place to Be Both

Our youth know very well how to adapt to different environments. They’ve learned how to lean into one aspect of their identity or another depending on which group they are with. They know this because they so often have to do it.

But to have a week when you don’t have to—when you can be fully immersed in being both—that is the magic of camp! Our Jews for Jesus summer programs, Camp Gilgal (for ages 8–13) and Ma’oz (for ages 14–18) are places where belief in Jesus is embedded in the curriculum and in the daily routine. From morning services in the mishkan (tabernacle) to evening small-group prayers, children have the opportunity to celebrate their Jewish identity and learn more about following Jesus.

I (Rebekah) remember how it felt, as a teen, to be among kids like me for a time each summer. Having a week where I didn’t have to explain to anybody how or why or that it was even possible to be Jewish and believe in Jesus meant that I could let my guard down. I could relax for long enough to actually figure out whether I believed in Jesus. Camp provided a safe space for a week (sometimes more) to stop defending my faith and start just living it.

A Place to Begin

At Camp Gilgal and Ma’oz, we open the door for youth to have moments where their identity is integrated, even if it’s just moments. I (Ilana) remember a havdalah (closing of Shabbat) service when a young girl spontaneously said, “We sing about the fruit of the vine, and the vine is Yeshua. We need to hold on to him.”

And she was right. We hold on to Yeshua and the gifts he has given us—our identity, our faith, and our relationships with each other. As we guide children on their discipleship journeys, we find that they are learning their own lessons. And we often learn from them too!

We’ve seen campers begin to take ownership of their faith in the Jewish Messiah, get excited about learning Hebrew, and form friendships that last a lifetime. Camp is a place where your kids can get to know the One to whom they belong—and learn what it means to belong together too.