Summer FAQs

At Greene Family Camp, we take a great deal of pride in hiring only the very best, most competent and energetic people to serve as part of our camp team. Our staff, who are comprised of college, graduate and rabbinical students, as well as professionals in various fields, provide a stable and caring home for campers all summer long. While many have grown up at Greene Family Camp, others join us from across the country and around the world – all bringing their own special gifts to share.

YES! When you send your child to URJ Greene Family Camp, they will make friends that may well last a lifetime. We promise we will provide a nurturing and fulfilling experience.

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, great role models, great activities and programs, values not just taught but lived, friendships, and responsible adult role models.

When you entrust your child to our camp, he or she 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 good values home!

Shabbat is a big event at camp. The entire camp comes together as one on Friday evening for blessings, dinner and song. 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 GFC 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 MY CHILD FEEL EMBARRASSED IF HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO DO SOMETHING JEWISH?

Greene 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.

WILL IT BE A PROBLEM IF MY CHILD HAS 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.

WHEN MY CHILD RETURNS HOME, WILL SHE BE UNCOMFORTABLE 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.

YES!

As part on the Union for Reform Judaism and the Audacious Hospitality effors that our movement encapsulates, we believe that we will be a stronger, more vibrant Jewish community when we fully incorporate the diversity that is the reality of modern Jewish life. We believe that there is more than one authentic way to be Jewish and acknowledge that our diversity is an essential component to making our communities whole.

Jewish populations such as Jews by choice and those exploring Judaism, Jews of Color, LGBTQ+ Jews, Jews who live with physical, mental, or intellectual disabilities, multiracial families, Jews who are unaffiliated and uninspired by Jewish communal offerings, and the evolving needs of interfaith and intermarried couples and families, are all an integraml part of our growing community. 

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.

During the course of the session, your child will have many opportunities to learn and develop new skills. In almost all cases, the camp supplies the necessary equipment and supplies to participate. In particular instances where your child is seeking mastery of an activity, he or she may desire their own special equipment; please be selective, and remember that the Camp is not responsible for loss or damage of personal items.

Every camper will receive a GFC T-shirt on the first day of camp and a GFC tie-dye shirt to create during the session. You can also purchase all sorts of apparel, from t-shirts to water bottles on our online store!

The clothing list is based on a ten-day supply. We attempt to do all campers’ laundry at least once each week – every five to seven days. Laundry is done by bunk. Each bunk separates their laundry into darks and whites and sets it on the porch for pickup. The laundry is then washed, dried, folded and returned to the bunk later in the day for sorting by the campers and staff. All clothing and other belongings must be clearly marked with the camper’s full name. This may be done with a laundry-marking pen, or sew-on or iron-on labels.

Greene Family Camp is proud of our kitchen and the food that we serve. Our initial menu was developed through a menu survey. It is reviewed annually by camp staff and parents. Menus are also reviewed annually by a registered dietician for calorie count, healthfulness and balance. The menus are also available prior to the summer on our website for review by parents and friends. If you have any questions about the food at camp and our ability to provide for a camper’s specific needs, please email gfc@urj.org and we will call you, write back to you, or refer you to our Dietician. 

If you camper is attending the full 3 1/2 week session, they get to rank preferences for upper- and lower-camp activities. Activities are divided based on their location at camp to help minimize walking time during the heat of day. Campers get new activities each week.  On Saturday afternoons and many evenings, campers get free time called Chufsha to choose their own activity across camp.  Our older campers also get to choose a Gadol, an activity that they focus on throughout the summer.  At the end of the session, campers get to present a project from their Gadol session.

For our Machar Bonim campers, they are exposed to a variety of activities throughout their time at camp.  

Birthdays are fun celebrations at camp. We present a birthday cookie-cake sing a birthday song. Feel free to send a birthday present or package. Please do NOT send birthday cake or other treats.

We do not offer any visiting days throughout the summer. We invite families to experience camp together at Family Camp. 

Campers cannot leave camp at any time without the permission of the Camp Director. Arrangements are made at the discretion of the Director for special circumstances such as family weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs.