By Boris Kurbanov, Jewish Sound Correspondent
Sharing stories of its history, reuniting alumni, and looking to the future, Camp Solomon Schechter celebrated its 60th anniversary on Dec. 6 with a gala at the Hilton in Bellevue. The Tumwater-based independent children’s overnight camp was founded in 1954 by Portland’s Rabbi Joshua Stampfer, and has given approximately 12,000 children the time of their lives while offering them educational opportunities, independence, and deep connections with other young Jews, boosting their pride in their Judaism along the way.
Each summer, nearly 600 campers arrive on the camp’s 170-acre wooded grounds, about an hour’s drive south of Seattle, where they are taught valuable life skills. The forest environment provides the backdrop for the 2nd- through 7th-graders to cut loose and experience summer favorites such as swimming in the camp’s lake and paddle boating.
“We are unique in a time where there are so many Jewish organizations that are splintering, and in our case we are uniting,” said camp director Sam Perlin. “We have a pluralistic viewpoint in that we are trying to get kids to think on their own, to think independently.”
Camp Solomon Schechter has operated in Tumwater since 1968, after starting out with roughly 20 campers on Whidbey Island. Most campers come from the greater Seattle area, but many have made their way to Schechter from all across the Northwest. Perlin and his team have broadened their marketing outreach into Northern California, Las Vegas and even Israel, and regularly attract campers from the Holy Land.
The goal at Solomon Schechter, which is rooted in Conservative Judaism and whose motto is “Where Judaism and Joy Are One,” is for campers, who come from different denominations to interact with and get to know one another to appreciate what they have in common.
“The camp is so special in the way that it’s able to change lives and help kids learn how to grow as a person,” said Perlin, who took over as director seven years ago at a time when the camp was struggling financially. “We are raising this new generation of thinkers for tomorrow. We have to be able to figure out a way for young people to develop a narrative so they can feel good about themselves.”
Studies released in recent years have shown kids who attend overnight camps tend to benefit greatly from the experience. Dr. Michael Ungar, Ph.D., in the February 2012 issue of Psychology Today, noted that sleepaway camps “help children optimize their psychosocial development” and make for resilient, flourishing kids.
Perlin, whose experience includes working as an athletic director and basketball coach, and whose daughter attended Camp Schechter, agreed the experience impacts children’s development.
“When you go to day camp, you still get on the bus, you still go home to Mom and Dad and sleep in your bed, and you still get messaging primarily from your parents,” he said. “It’s very different when a 10-year-old girl is getting messaging from an 18-year-old woman, when that 18-year-old becomes your mother for three weeks.”
While campers form new relationships and get plenty of activity and fresh air at Solomon Schechter, they also gain a sense of belonging and build their Jewish identity. They build relationships not just with peers, but with mentors other than their parents, Perlin said. Camp counselors, he said, are in a great position to educate campers informally.
“Camp is more than just about the young people — it’s also about the young adults that work here,” Perlin said. “As a camp director, the staff members are like my campers. I see a lot of magic that occurs when a college-aged kid decides to give up their summer to come and help out.”
Perlin and his team recently won the “Impact in Technology” award during a conference in Agawam, Mass. for their success in community building and fundraising. That recognition was partly due to Solomon Schechter’s ability to connect with campers via social media throughout the year. When it’s time to go home at the end of the summer, the work isn’t over, Perlin said, noting the camp communicates with campers year-round via Twitter, Instagram and the camp blog. The camp also has a podcast.
“This camp could be a great catalyst for our future coexistence as Jewish people,” Perlin said. “I’m just the steward of this amazing community. This is like a jewel of the Northwest that so many people don’t know about, that so many people don’t talk about, that is raising the next generation. The camp has been here — and will continue to serve — as a response to Jewish life in the Northwest.”
At the anniversary celebration, Perlin and his team announced the camp’s new campaign and its new phase to update camp facilities, including the dining hall, sports and arts center, and the health center. The campaign — titled “M’Shisheem Ad Me’ah v’Esreem,” which means “from 60 to 120” — is based on the belief that Abraham lived until he was 120 years old.
“It’s a Jewish tradition to say ‘may you live until 120,’” Perlin said, “and since the camp is 60, we are saying to the community that it’s time to put our resources back into this very important place so that the kids in the future can enjoy what the camp has to offer, so that it’s here for another 60 years and can do its good, important work to help shape the next generation.”