A Camp for Everyone!

URJ Camp Kalsman is a camp where everyone feels at home. We strive to make every camper’s experience nurturing and fulfilling, and we do so by making sure that every child feels welcomed and supported.

What happens at a URJ Camp?
Camp is fun! Our campers enjoy engaging activities and programs, develop life-long friendships, and live with a super-star staff that acts as role models, living Jewish values-not just teaching them. When you entrust your children to us, they will experience what it is like to live in an immersive Jewish community. This complete immersion allows children to see the world through a Jewish lens, giving them a fuller appreciation of the richness of Judaism and strengthening their Jewish identities along the way. They live the Jewish values of Rachamanut (compassion), Kavod (honor and respect), Derech Eretz (civility), G’milut Chasadim (kindness), Tikkun Olam (repairing our world), and so many more! And we know they’ll take these values home with them at summer’s end.

What if my family isn’t very involved in Jewish life?
Campers come to us from a variety of Jewish backgrounds. Some children come from families who are very involved in their synagogues attending Shabbat services regularly, and some do not. Some children attend Jewish Day Schools, and some attend Religious School only once a month or not at all if their families are unaffiliated. And everyone in between! We help our campers learn what they don’t know, and embrace what they do know. Living in an immersive Jewish community offers all of our campers the opportunity to strengthen their Jewish identities while learning more about Judaism.

Camp Kalsman is a welcoming community for interfaith families who have made Jewish choices for their children, including Jewish overnight camp. We welcome children from a variety of backgrounds, and know they will quickly mesh into one community.

What if my camper needs extra support while at camp?
During the months before camp, members of our Special Needs Committee contact parents for additional information, so we can begin to prepare for the camper before he/she arrives and ensure a successful summer.  Camp has inclusion staff on site to work with campers who might need extra support and to work with the staff who will be caring for them. As necessary, our inclusion staff stays in touch with parents throughout the summer.

When can I see camp?
We encourage families to tour camp during the summer so they can see Camp Kalsman in action! Tour dates will be posted on our website in the spring.  In the fall we offer tours and family days.  And we have an open house for registered first-time campers and their families in the spring.  During the off season, families are welcome to tour any weekend we have a group at camp and a resident director who can show you around.  If our tour dates don’t fit into your schedule, you can contact the office.