Engagement Initiatives
Russian-Speaking Jewish Outreach
Foundation for Jewish Camp is dedicated to supporting camps and local Jewish communities by increasing support for Russian speaking camper communities. Now, participating overnight camps are able to offer a $750 needs-blind incentive grant for first and second time Russian speaking Jewish campers. For campers to be eligible, at least one parent or the camper themselves must have been born in a country which was part of the former Soviet Union, including: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan, and consider Judaism part of their identity.
This program aims to:
- Increase participation of campers from RSJ backgrounds in Jewish camps across North America.
- Help camps develop and implement strategies for camper recruitment within RSJ population.
- Increase awareness and strengthen the understanding of the impact of Jewish camps amongst RSJ community.
For a list of participating camps, please see the parent focused webpage: jewishcamp.org/RSJ
While Jewish camps have demonstrated their effectiveness in fostering a strong Jewish identity and developing life-long commitment to Jewish community, Russian-Speaking Jews (RSJ) participate at lower rates in Jewish camping than their peers. Our One Happy Camper© data indicates that approximately 2-3% of the total recipients of the OHC grants are RSJs, which shows an opportunity for further growth
(assuming that RSJs comprise approximately 10% of the overall Jewish population in North America). FJC is dedicated to supporting camps and local Jewish communities in bridging this gap by raising awareness and support for camping within the RSJ communities, so that these communities will benefit from the impact of Jewish camp.
Download this toolkit which includes graphics, email templates, social media posts and more. Your camp can easily use these materials to promote the opportunity to interested families.
For more information about the RSJ program, please contact Yevgeniy Klig at yevgeniy.klig@jewishcamp.org