“We sow the seeds of light to bring out the best of our noble selves.” (Psalms 97:11, adapted)
Jewish Camping
We Support Jewish Camping
Temple Sholom feels an obligation to support Jewish camping, long regarded as the best builder of positive Jewish identity.
Summer Camp Scholarships
Please know that we never want cost to be a barrier. Temple Sholom provides financial support and generous incentive grants for attending Jewish camps including OSRUI through a standing scholarship commitment. Contact rachel@sholomchicago.org by December 31 to request assistance.
Additional resources for Jewish camping and scholarships, both for new campers and now also $1000 for those attending 19+ nights for the first time, can be found at www.jewishcamp.org. Many camps also offer their own scholarships and they are often the best place to start.
If you have not yet decided on a camp for your children, we suggest trying OSRUI. For new OSRUI campers, Temple Sholom is happy to split the cost with you of OSRUI’s 5-day Kallah Atid trial session in August for rising 2nd-4th graders. OSRUI also offers scholarship applications on their website with a December 31 deadline for fall enrollment.
OSRUI & URJ Camping:
URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) Camp OSRUI (Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute) strengthens our youth programming by providing an extension of our reform youth culture, as well as an amazing setting for our Temple Sholom retreats and summer experiences. OSRUI is special to our clergy and educators who serve as summer faculty, and we hope that your family will consider it as “Sholom away from home” for you and your children. OSRUI is supported by all reform synagogues in the region to connect our youth to each other, building an extended Midwestern Jewish community. We are also proud that our Reform Movement offers Sports, Arts and Sci-Tech Specialty Camping experiences.
Summer programs at OSRUI are offered for children entering grades 2 through 12, range in length from 5 days to 7 weeks, and focus on specific areas of interest including Kibbutz life, the arts, Hebrew immersion, outdoor challenge and more! Visit osrui.org for session details.
To learn more about OSRUI, please feel free to reach out to OSRUI Assistant Director Dylan Singer at dmsinger@urj.org or schedule a time to talk with him at the link below. If your child is not already attending another Jewish camp, we hope you will consider sending them to OSRUI this summer to learn, grow, and find a community that they can be a part of for years to come. Please make sure to sign up for camp soon as some sessions are already filling up!
OSRUI offers an array of opportunities to visit camp during the off season, from one-day programs to weekend retreats. A tour of camp is offered during each event. Visit osrui.org/family for dates and details.
We are happy to meet with you to answer questions you may have about OSRUI. We believe that every Jewish child should experience the magic of Jewish camping and are thrilled that OSRUI and 6 Points offer high-quality experiences connected to the culture of our Reform community at Temple Sholom and beyond!
“As a parent of campers at both OSRUI and URJ 6 Points SciTech Academy (and someone who met his future spouse at a URJ camp!), I urge you to consider giving your children this most wonderful experience. URJ camps have given my kids so much and set them on the path of leading vibrant and broad Jewish lives. Over the years, they have had experiences living in tents, dorms and bunks. They have water-skiied, blown things up using science, visited amusement parks with an eye on engineering, practiced Hebrew, made great friends and learned so much about themselves. URJ camping is a gift that we feel so fortunate to be able to share with our kids.” -former Temple President Jed Silberg
Temple Sholom
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