What's the Jewish Experience Like at CYJ?

As a pluralist camp, CYJ-Texas is invested in making camp available to the whole Jewish family. To that end, we make efforts to accommodate campers with more traditional customs.

What are the religious practices at camp?

We're home to the largest kosher kitchen in the Southwest, with two separate kitchens (milk and meat) and all kosher products. We say Hamotzi and Birkat Hamazon at each meal, and require all male campers and staff to wear head coverings during meals and services. On Shabbat, we don't use electricity, write letters, or do artwork.

Do campers have to participate in Jewish programming?

Yes — all campers are expected to participate in our daily morning prayers, Shabbat practices, and activities with Jewish educational components. In classic CYJ fashion, these programs stay fun, interactive, and accessible to everyone. Each group has its own Jewish theme and educational activities — so fun, campers don't even realize they're learning.

What does Shabbat look like at camp?

Shabbat has its own rhythm, and it's a time everyone looks forward to.

Friday night: the whole camp dresses up in their nicest "camp clothes" — sundresses or skirts and tops for girls, a nicer shirt and shorts or pants/jeans for boys — for a Shabbat service together as a camp community, followed by dinner complete with chicken soup, potatoes, and chicken.

All Shabbat meals: campers can sit wherever they'd like, so they can enjoy the weekend with a friend from another group, a sibling, or a cousin.

Saturday: we offer a variety of services to fit different comfort levels and traditions — experiential options like yoga or a nature walk, an egalitarian service (the traditional YJ service), and an Orthodox minyan.

What principles guide the Jewish programming?

Our programs tie back to four core Jewish principles. Though our campers represent the whole spectrum of Jewish upbringings, we believe these principles appeal to any denomination of our tribe:

• Unity: All Jews are part of one family

• Education: We only gain by learning more — about each other, about the world, and our people

• Righteousness: We should all continue growing as ethical and moral people, in whatever way we define that

• Service and Leadership: Every single person who comes through CYJ has the power to make a real difference in the world

Will my camper feel comfortable if their practice is different from ours?

We've made deliberate choices in our programming to make everyone feel comfortable and supported. That said, everyone will end up doing something they're not used to — no one's Jewish life is identical at home and at camp.

We think that's great. We love when our campers try new things, and we support putting the unity of our family above our differences. It's one of the many things that makes CYJ an awesome place to grow and connect.