Policy Implications •
The camp setting is a microcosm of a Jewish community, which should be recognized by donors and communal leaders as “breeding grounds” for the development of communal leadership for coming generations. A program of camp scholarships in exchange for year-round intern volunteerism would be a wise investment from every vantage point – by synagogues, federations and Jewish social agencies.
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It is important to note that voluntarism and social service are not “grafted” onto the Ramah program, but grow out of a core set of Jewish values at Ramah. Other camps would do well to explicate their own set of Jewish values as a framework for social action. Otherwise these become simply another “activity” at camp.
H. Multivariate Analyses Synagogue Attendance and Attachment to Israel (Tables 5-6) Reflections While causation is nearly impossible to prove in this kind of social science research, multivariate analysis confirms what Dorph’s 1976 study found: Jewish camping, especially during the teen years, and Ramah in particular, positively affects religious behavior and belonging. Ramah reinforces positive Jewish family norms but also serves to empower teens to establish their own positive Jewish norms, even when family attitudes, beliefs and behaviors are not positively Jewish. Policy Implications
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It is rare to find a Jewish institution that can create an environment in which the next generation can internalize and take ownership of positive Jewish values and behavior. This study indicates that Jewish camping is such an educational community. It behooves donors and communities to reassess their priorities in educational funding and move Jewish-content camping higher on the agenda of continuity, survival, renaissance, or whatever it is currently called.
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If major donors continue to tout Israel as a key part of forming Jewish identity in the next decade, they need to reverse policy and give added weight and funding to the teen Israel experience for camp groups, which this study shows may be a key independent variable for increasing Israel consciousness, attachment and readiness for further involvement.