Diversity at Eden Village

Judaism is so personal, which is why we intentionally create space for individual connection at Eden Village. It’s simple: we give our campers choice. We are delighted to accept your camper wherever and however they show up, and we build our Jewish community with no assumptions about campers’ previous Jewish background or knowledge. We have families who are Shomer Shabbat, and we have families who have never celebrated Shabbat before. Eden Village has a supervised Kosher kitchen, a Mashgiach, an eruv, and daily opportunities for Shacharit and Mincha. We also teach our campers all of the rituals and prayers we sing, translating and transliterating anything in Hebrew. Our earth-based approach to Jewish practice connects campers to their Jewish spirituality through gratitude and joy. Learn more about our vibrant Judaism.

We accept you and your family as you are. Many of our staff, campers, and families hold beautifully diverse LGBTQIA+ identities. While this is not a focus of our camp program, we ARE focused on making camp the most welcoming and inclusive space we can, and our campers can feel it. We do this by:

• Supporting each community member to be in housing that most aligns with their gender identity, including offering an all-gender bunking option for most ages.
• Training our staff to use language that doesn’t assume gender identities.
• Creating private places inside the bunk for anyone to change clothes.
• Providing activity choices that aren’t centered on gender.
• No Body Talk: The way we look and dress is not a focus at camp. We are much more interested in who a kid IS. Learn more about our “No Body Talk” guideline.

We strive for our camp community to look like the broader Jewish community. We know that Jews hold many different racial identities, and our goal is to support everyone in feeling like their Jewish and racial identities can go hand in hand. In order to create an environment that fosters this, our staff participate in anti-racism trainings that teach them how to recognize and interrupt microaggressions as they may arise. We are striving for a world in which everyone feels comfortable and empowered to be their fullest selves, and we are working to get there through the learning, reflecting, and growing necessary to cultivate a culture of racial equity.

Our campers and staff come from so many socioeconomic backgrounds. We are proud to offer nearly 25% of our budget on financial aid every year, and we are committed to helping fund camp for at least one session per summer for every child that wants to attend camp. We have never turned away a camper for financial reasons! We would love to talk to you about it. Reach out to us at camperships@edenvillagecamp.org or call 845-809-0080. Learn more about our Camperships.

We are also careful to avoid moments of “haves and have nots” in the bunks by:

• Prohibiting care packages
• Not having a camp store
• Making sure that all campers have access to the same things once they’re at camp
• Not talking about clothing or appearances (learn more about “No Body Talk”)

We are proud to support neurodiverse and neurotypical campers at Eden Village. We will work with your therapists, teachers, and home team to make a support plan before camp for your camper to have a successful summer. We accept a limited number of campers into our 1-on-1 Kruvim program where we will provide a full-time shadow to your camper at no additional cost.

We also have something called the “Lev Squad.” Lev means heart in Hebrew, and we have a squad whose only job is to tend to the hearts of each individual camper! If your camper is having a hard day or needs some extra love and support working through an anxious moment, our team of mental health, social, and emotional wellness experts are available around the clock. We’ve got fidget toys, crosswords, comic books, and love on hand for anyone who needs it, and we stay in close contact with our camper’s families, creating a true partnership with you to ensure your camper has the best experience possible.

Camp can be a loud and busy environment sometimes, and we know that can be hard for some of our campers with sensory sensitivity. We have noise canceling headphones for anyone who may need a break from the hustle and bustle of our joyous (and sometimes raucously joyous) community.

Just like everything at Eden Village, we put a lot of intention into our food program. Our food is all consciously sourced, certified organic, from scratch, and kosher. We have a salad bar with extra offerings at each meal (not just salad!), and we always serve equally delicious gluten free and vegan meals.

• Got an allergy? We’ve got you covered. Please contact us to discuss how we can keep your child safe.
• Got a discerning eater? We will make sure they never go hungry by putting out a pasta bar about 10 minutes into every meal.
• Got a snacker? There is always fruit, rice cakes, and nut butters available at any time of day.