Learn more about this exciting new platform, where Reform congregational leaders connect with colleagues and peers who have similar concerns, interests and responsibilities.


Summer is just getting started, so why are we already thinking about what happens when it’s over? Like so many campers and summer program participants (and the adults who staff them), we want summer to last forever. At the same time, we know how much there is to look forward to when our kids and teens return from their summer adventures, bringing their unbridled enthusiasm for Jewish life with them into our congregations.
Here’s a sneak peek of five things to expect at the end of the summer:
As we look ahead to the end of summer, the High Holiday season, and the start of a new school year, I am eager for the bright future that awaits us: energized, passionate youth with a renewed thirst for Judaism returning to their families and congregations. The initial results of this year’s alumni impact study indicate that when our youth return home, they are three times more likely than before camp to say that “being part of a Jewish community” is an essential part of being Jewish. When summer ends, I look forward to releasing the full findings of the study and working with you, our congregational leaders, to engage these energized youth.
Wherever you find yourself this summer, take time to be part of the holy work of engaging with our young people and leveraging their enthusiasm to promote deeper, year-round engagement. (Learn how your congregation can support its campers – before, during, and after the summer.)
And of course, it is never too early to start thinking ahead! Use the quieter days of summer to think about how you can share these programs with your families now to help them start planning for their children’s experience in summer 2019. Request information about URJ Youth programs now to share with families in the fall.
In the meantime, we’re excited about all the incredible memories that will be made this summer! Subscribe to The Clipboard, our weekly summer newsletter, to get your weekly dose of inspiration and keep up with what’s happening in the Reform Movement’s summer programs.
Learn more about this exciting new platform, where Reform congregational leaders connect with colleagues and peers who have similar concerns, interests and responsibilities.
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