The URJ has been bringing Israeli counselors to camp for many years. Their presence offers several valuable benefits to the camp program.

What happens when you take six Jewish teens and six Catholic teens to Israel? This was the very question that Roger Tilles and the late Fr. Tom Hartman hoped to answer in 1988 when they organized Project Understanding.

A common sentiment among Jewish-affiliated teens seems to be, after your b'nei mitzvah, religious school is over, right? Sure, you might come back for confirmation in a few years, but there's no real reason to stay involved. You're Jewish. You know that, your family knows that, and your friends know that. Staying involved is kind of a waste of time. Right? Actually, no. Even if you've had your b'nei mitzvah, there are benefits to staying involved with your Hebrew School and your religious education.

My children have learned so much, and have taught me so much, about what it means to be a mensch, a good person, from their summers at Camp Harlam.

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.

But I need your help to ensure that every student can access mental health care, no matter where they live.

As my sophomore spring was coming to a close, I was preparing to return to Harlam for my third summer on staff and first on the Leadership Team.

There are many things you could do with your summer, so why come spend it at a Reform Jewish summer camp? Well, it's the best summer job you could get, with the perfect combination of skill building, responsibility, and fun!