SEPTEMBER 2026

Seventeen-year-old Ethan S. has spent eight summers growing up at Camp Wise. Along the way, he gained independence, tried new activities and connected more deeply with his Jewish identity.

“At my school, there isn’t a very large Jewish population, so I can always count on camp to be my home away from home,” says Ethan, a junior at Mayfield High School. “I have lifelong friends from camp who are like family.”

Ethan’s summers were made possible through JFSA’s Summer Campership Program. The program serves Jewish children ages 9 through 17 whose families are unaffiliated with a synagogue and whose children attend public, charter or secular private schools. Many face financial or other circumstances that make a Jewish summer experience difficult to access. Since 2012, the program has helped 369 campers from 252 families attend approved Jewish overnight camps and high school summer programs.

“When he was little, it was hard for him to be away,” Ethan’s mother says. “But over the years, camp became something he couldn’t wait for. He loved the activities, sports and friendships. This summer, he even traveled to Poland and the former Soviet Union, where he experienced our family’s heritage firsthand.”

“Children leave for camp filled with nervousness and excitement, never imagining how deeply those weeks will affect their lives,” says Lorna Chernomorets, JFSA’s Camp Outreach Coordinator. “They return with a close-knit circle of Jewish friends, a stronger sense of who they are and a deeper connection to the Jewish community.”

For some children, camp is their first opportunity to be surrounded by Jewish peers. For others, it is a chance to simply be a child, away from challenges at home. JFSA works with each family to prepare their child for a successful summer. Support extends beyond tuition and transportation. First-time campers receive a duffle bag filled with bedding, towels, toiletries, a fan, water bottle and other essentials.

Funding from the David and Inez Myers Foundation supports camp fees, travel and camp kits, along with BBYO opportunities beginning in eighth grade. Year-round outreach programs are also held during the school year to keep the families connected to Judaism, and each other. The outreach programs highlight Jewish holidays, provide volunteer opportunities, and allow the families to reconnect.

JFSA volunteer Leslie Holtz has helped prepare the travel and camp kits for eight years. “All three of my children went to summer camp, and I know how meaningful that experience can be,” she says. “It is so fulfilling to pack the duffle bags and know these children are headed for an amazing summer. All they have to do is add their clothes and go.” This year, Holtz and JFSA prepared kits for 20 first-time campers.

For Ethan and his mother, JFSA has become family. “Lorna is like family,” his mother says. “I’m so grateful for everyone who has helped Ethan through the years.” Ethan adds, “I don’t know what my summers would have been without Jewish overnight camp—and I wouldn’t have Jewish overnight camp without the Campership Program.”