Shabbat onegs and s’mores. Fast and fierce friendships forged over campfires and color war. Jewish community like I had never experienced before.
My parents enrolled me at Mid Island Day Camp, a program of UJA partner Mid Island Y JCC, when I was 12. It instantly felt like home. I never wanted to leave.
And I haven’t, going from camper to counselor to division head to the director of Mid-Island Y JCC. Along the way, I convinced my then-boyfriend (now husband!) to join the sports staff for a summer. Today, he is a part of our leadership team, working alongside me each year. Now, our children are campers too.
Like me, my kids felt at home right away — including our eldest, Jackson, who’s neurodiverse and thriving in the inclusion program at Camp Adler, part of Mid-Island. At camp, inclusion isn’t treated as something extraordinary. It’s simply woven into the everyday.
For generations, UJA has helped make experiences like this possible for families like mine — creating spaces where children of all backgrounds and abilities can build Jewish identity and joy alongside each other. And they’ve invested majorly in the physical campgrounds too.
Summer is almost here. And your generosity helps make the gift of Jewish camp a reality for more people like me and Jackson.
Gayle Meigel is the director of Mid Island Day Camp, a program of UJA partner Mid Island Y JCC.