our activities
All of our specialty activities offerings are divided up among six areas:
Adventure
- Alpine Climbing Tower
- Animals
- Archery
- High Ropes Course
- Hiking
- Indoor Climbing Wall
- Low Ropes Course
- Mountain Biking
- Nature Study
- Outdoor Climbing Wall
- Outdoor Camping
- Outdoor Living Skills
- Tower Swing
- Zip Line
Performing arts
- Comedy
- Dance
- Improv
- Just Dance
- Music
- Scene Writing
- Songwriting
- Stagecraft
- Theater
STEM
- Build-Destroy-Build
- Computer Programming
- Cops and Robbers
- Digital Photography
- Ham Radio
- Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Making
- Photoshop
- Radio Station
- Robotics
- Stop Motion Animation
- Video Production
- Volcano Making
- Wacky Science
- Website Development
aQUATICS
At the Pool
- Water Features
- Swimming
- Pool Basketball
- Pool Volleyball
- Pool Parties
- Instructional Swim
- Free Swim
- Aquaclimb
At the Lake
- Beach
- “The Blob”
- Canoeing
- Fishing
- “The Iceberg”
- Kayaking
- “The Obstacle Course”
- Paddle boarding
- Paddle boating
- “The Rock-It”
- Swimming
- “War Canoe”
- Wet Willie Slide
sPORTS
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Disc Golf
- Flag Football
- Frisbee Golf
- Gaga
- Gatorball
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Kickball
- Lacrosse
- Matt Ball
- Physical Fitness
- Ping-Pong
- Quidditch
- Running
- Soccer
- Softball
- Sproutball
- Tennis
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Volleyball
- Weight Lifting
- Yellowball
- Yoga
- Zumba
VISUAL ARTS
- Arts & Crafts
- Ceramics
- Collage Making
- Fence Painting
- Friendship Bracelets
- Landscape Painting
- Mixed Media
- Pottery
- Tie-Dye
- Weaving
- Wet Darkroom
Cooking
- Challah
- Cookies
- Birthday Cake
- Cupcakes
- Scones
- Jewish Holidays
- Baking Skills
- Nutritional Learning
- Mindfulness through Baking
Specialty Camp
Maskilim and Talmidim campers choose one Specialty Camp in which they will participate all summer long, developing advanced skills and having a great time. Campers spend two hours every morning in their Specialty Camp and engage in Jewish discussions tailored to their specific specialty. Campers pick their Specialty Camp during the registration process, but do have the opportunity to switch into another Specialty Camp during the first two days of their summer session. To the right are Specialty Camp options and some activities that are typically offered in each Specialty Camp.
Adventure
Campers will have opportunities to work together on the challenge course, learn survival skills, and participate in high ropes activities.
Performing Arts
Campers engage and create a variety of performance based art including: dance, drama, and music.
sports
Campers will spend structured time developing skills in a variety of sports. Each specialty camp group will have choices including: basketball, soccer, football, ultimate frisbee, and more!
STEAM
Campers will learn and engage in real world activities from the science, technology, engineering, and math fields.
Visual Arts
Campers create individual and collective pieces of art as well as developing new skills in a variety of mediums.
Jewish Living
The mission of the URJ Camping System is to enrich and transform lives by strengthening Jewish identity, teaching Jewish knowledge, instilling Jewish values, and cultivating lifelong friendships within a vibrant and fun community of living Reform Judaism.
Educational Goals
- Jewish Identity. Campers and staff will develop a strong Jewish identity and sense of self, where they feel comfortable in both Jewish and secular settings and utilize Jewish knowledge and values to guide life choices.
- Jewish Knowledge. Campers and staff will devleop and use a Jewish lexicon that encompasses Reform Jewish ideology, ritual, liturgy, history, Hebrew and Israel. Campers and staff will also make Torah real and meaningful in their personal lives.
- Jewish Values. Through education, modeling and personal experience, campers and staff will choose to live a life inspired by Jewish values.
- Friendships and Community. Campers and staff will build a safe and sacred Jewish community that nurtures personal growth and healthy and enduring interpersonal relationships.
- Reform Jewish Living. Camp will serve as a laboratory for Reform Jewish living, providing campers and staff with opportunities to explore Jewish practice and articulate personally meaningful means of expression.
How we bring judaism in
Daily Schedule
Every day at HSJ is jam-packed with great activities, programs, and fun!
| Olim | Garin | Maskilim | Talmidim | Chalutzim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:15 | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast |
| 8:55 | Reetz Ratz | Reetz Ratz | Reetz Ratz | Reetz Ratz | Reetz Ratz |
| 9:10 | Pool | Chugim | Chugim | Specialty Camp | Cabin Hour |
| 10:10 | Unit Activities | Unit Activities | Pool | Specialty Camp | Unit Chugim/Kehillah |
| 11:10 | Kehillah/Cabin Hour | Pool | Kehillah/Cabin Hour | Chugim | Chugim |
| 12:10 | Nikayon | Nikayon | Nikayon | Nikayon | Nikayon |
| 12:45 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
| 1:45 | Rest Hour | Rest Hour | Rest Hour | Rest Hour | Rest Hour |
| 3:00 | Canteen | Canteen | Canteen | Canteen | Canteen |
| 3:15 | Lake/Mesibah | Kehillah/Cabin Hour | Specialty Camp | Kehillah/Cabin Hour | Unit Time |
| 4:15 | Prep for Dinner | Lake/Mesibah | Specialty Camp | Pool | Pool |
| 5:15 | Chofesh | Prep for Dinner | Prep for Dinner | Prep for Dinner | Prep for Dinner |
| 6:15 | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner |
| 7:00 | Evening Program | T'filah/Chofesh | T'filah/Chofesh | T'filah/Chofesh | T'filah/Chofesh |
| 7:30 | Snack | Evening Program | Evening Program | ||
| 7:45 | To Cabins | Evening Program | Evening Program | ||
| 8:00 | Cabin Prayers | ||||
| 8:15 | Lights Out | Snack | |||
| 8:30 | To Cabins | Snack | |||
| 8:45 | To Cabins | Snack | |||
| 9:00 | Cabin Prayers | To Cabins | Snack | ||
| 9:15 | Lights Out | Cabin Prayers | To Cabins | ||
| 9:30 | Lights Out | Cabin Prayers | |||
| 9:45 | Lights Out | ||||
| 10:00 | |||||
| 10:15 | |||||
| 10:30 | Cabin Prayers | ||||
| 10:45 | |||||
| 11:00 | Lights Out |
Glossary of terms
Wake-up: Sunday through Friday, wake-up is at 7:30 AM (Saturdays, wake-up is at 9:00). Campers will wake up to the alarms set by their counselors, brush their teeth and get dressed. By 8:00, the campers are on their way to breakfast and an action-packed day!
Breakfast (all meals): Campers usually have a few minutes to socialize with each other in the breezeway before everyone sings Ha-motzi together and each unit is called into the dining hall for breakfast. Each cabin will head to their assigned table, where platters with enough food for the entire table will be waiting for them. Each cabin will then enjoy a hearty breakfast, family style. When it is time to clean up, everyone helps get the table cleared quickly, and we sing the Birkat Hamazon together.
Reetz Ratz: After breakfast, all of camp gets participate in fun games, listen to announcements, and watch staff perform skits that are designed to get everyone ready for the day to come. Campers are also encouraged to come up with their own Reetz Ratz segments with their friends!
Cabin Hour: Every day campers have at least one activity as a cabin together. This allows everyone in the cabin to try something new together from cooking to biking, and everyone is encouraged to give it a try.
Kehillah: Kehillah is Jacobs Camp’s hour of Jewish learning. Our amazing Jewish Life team and visiting faculty prepare age-appropriate lessons for each unit that teaches campers about Jewish values and mitzvot.
Nikayon: Back at the cabin, everyone first cleans their individual areas before moving on to their assigned activity for the day; whether it’s the toilets, the sinks, the showers, or another task, everyone is expected to do their part. Once Nikayon is over, cabins walk to the breezeway to line up for lunch together.
Rest Hour: Rest hour is a great time to relax and play quietly with bunkmates, read, or nap. On Sundays, Tuesdays & Thursdays, everyone takes time to write a letter home.
Canteen: After some nice rest, campers will excitedly head to the breezeway for Canteen, where they can choose from a variety of delicious afternoon snacks.
Mesibah: Mesibah is an hour of structured free time for an individual unit. During Mesibah, all campers in a unit are in one location together, with multiple activity options such as Just Dance, board games, reading, Legos, and more.
Chugim: Campers in Garin through Chalutzim get a choice each week what activity they want to try out whether that be calligraphy, net games, or cloud busting.
Prep for Dinner: Campers typically change out of the clothes they’ve been wearing all day, shower, and put on clean clothes to go to dinner.
Chofesh: Chofesh is free time where everyone in camp can hang out together. Popular Chofesh activities include ping-pong, gaga, swings, or throwing frisbees in the valley.
T’fillah: Most nights, camp participates in a short T’fillah service where everyone has the opportunity to appreciate and understand their Jewish identity in a beautiful camp setting. Each cabin also gets the opportunity to prepare their own T’filah service for the rest of their unit.
Evening Programs: No matter what it is, Jacobs campers throw themselves enthusiastically into every one of their unit’s exciting evening programs.
Bedtime: Campers make sure to shower every night as part of their bedtime routine. The cabin then gathers on the floor for cabin prayers, a time when the entire group shares about the day that is coming to an end. It’s a wonderful time for reflection before going to sleep and resting up for another great day at Jacobs!