Camp Be’chol Lashon
Camp Be’chol Lashon is a multicultural Jewish leadership camp that teaches about global Jewish diversity, builds community leaders, and inspires a love of Judaism.
Founded in 2009, Camp Be’chol Lashon (CBL) is held at Walker Creek Ranch in Petaluma, one hour North of San Francisco. Campers ages 8-18 come from all over the United States and around the world, with leadership opportunities for ages 15-18.
See the joyful experience of CBL on our new 2024 video (10 min.), in addition to the 2023 AP News article and DannyNewTV’s Instagram. Everyone is welcome and no prior knowledge of Judaism is required. Please contact us at camp@globaljews.org with any questions.
Thank you for a wonderful summer. CBL has been instrumental in building a tremendous amount of pride in Sylvie’s Jewish-Black-Mexican identity — and a capacity to balance that pride with an instinct for inclusiveness.
Paula, Berkeley, California
Register for camp now!
Dates
Session 1: July 13 – 20
Session 2: July 20 – 27
Session 1 & 2: July 13 – 27
Rates
Please contact us with any questions.
Why Camp Be’chol Lashon?
Camp Be’chol Lashon (CBL) is the only summer camp focused on Jews as a multicultural people. Be’chol Lashon means “In Every Language” because Jews are a multicultural people who live around the world.
While all children are invited to be part of a global Jewish community, CBL provides ethnically and racially diverse Jews with an opportunity to be the majority rather than the minority, and to see themselves as an integral part of the Jewish people.
We see our campers as future leaders. Since many are in the position of being spokespeople and educating others about their Jewish journey, we want them to be prepared and feel supported.
We encourage all campers to see their multiple identities as an asset, allowing them greater tolerance and understanding of complexity. Our goal is to foster cultural competence, giving campers the skills to successfully navigate life as proud Jews and global citizens.
Camp Activities
Outdoor
Fun
Each day campers spend a significant amount of time in nature. They are free to explore all that Walker Creek Ranch has to offer. Campers participate in a variety of sports, like basketball, soccer, kickball, 9-Square, and Gaga every morning. In the afternoon campers head to the Turtle Pond for swimming, kayaking, canoeing, or to just relax on the dock. These activities promote cooperation, health, and most of all—fun!
P2P
Passport to Peoplehood
Camp Be’chol Lashon’s innovative curriculum, Passport to Peoplehood (P2P), raises awareness about the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of Jews around the world. P2P centers on the reality of Jews as a global multicultural people, engaging in the history and traditions that define each unique culture, as well as recognizing the shared values that connect all Jews. Each day campers use their “passports” to “travel” to a different country to encounter the history and culture of the Jewish community in that region. Campers learn experientially through art, music, dance, and cooking, highlighting inclusion, diversity and connection.
Arts
& Crafts
In addition to learning about geography, history and traditions, P2P contextualizes Jewish diversity through engaging, hands-on experiences. Using dance, music, art and cooking, along with a variety of media, the Camp Be’chol Lashon travel-the-world approach allows campers engage creatively with the sights, sounds, and flavors of other cultures. Our art room is the heart and soul of Camp Be’chol Lashon, a place where we not only experiment with a variety of materials and techniques representing Jewish cultures around the world, we also often listen to music, talk about popular culture, and explore questions about identity.
Music
& Dance
Our experiential activities offer each learner the chance to engage in the manner that suits them best. Students tend to learn more quickly and retain more information when the subject matter pertains to them personally, and the act of doing makes learning personal. In addition to enhancing their knowledge and skills, the personal nature of experiential learning engages the students’ emotions, so it becomes real to them and they are better able to relate.
Cooking
Jewish cuisine reflects the regions in which they live. According to “The Book of Jewish Food” by Claudia Roden: “Jewish food tells the story of an uprooted, migrating people. There is really no such thing as Jewish food. Local regional food becomes Jewish when it travels with Jews to new homelands. It is possible, by examining family dishes, to define the identity and geographical origin of a family line.”
Shabbat
Making Friends
Camp Be’chol Lashon brings campers of diverse experience and backgrounds together and facilitates deep and lasting friendships. We focus on individuals’ stories and their value to the collective, encouraging conversations and celebrating differences between people as an asset, providing the ability to see oneself as part of a complex multi-faceted community where race is one of many distinguishing factors.
Counselors
Our diverse Camp Be’chol Lashon staff foster global Jewish identity development in a safe, nurturing environment. A more expansive vision of the Jewish people coincides with the worldview of younger generations of Jews who have increased access to technology, and for whom being Jewish is one of many identities. Campers develop Jewish friendship circles and build a deeper connection to Jewish life through diverse programming that reflects the multiple identities of contemporary Jews.
Videos
Camp Be’chol Lashon
Camp Be’chol Lashon’s mission is to offer a safe, nurturing, challenging overnight Jewish camp experience for children of racially and ethnically diverse Jewish families and those who want to be part of a global Jewish community.
Jewish kids of color attend inclusive summer camp
In California, a summer sleepaway camp serves as a haven for Jewish children of color. These campers have the shared experience of often being seen as outliers. But at Camp Be’chol Lashon, they celebrate their differences together.
(AP Video: Jacquelyn Martin)
Diverse Jewish Voices: Satya
Satya, age 16, discusses the sense of belonging that she feels around other diverse Jews at Be’chol Lashon programs, contributing to her positive identity development as a young Jewish leader.
Diverse Jewish Voices: Jonah’s Bar Mitzvah
Rather Be – Camp Be’chol Lashon Cover
Camp Be’chol Lashon campers perform a cover of “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne.
Running Man Challenge – Camp Be’chol Lashon
Camp Be’chol Lashon is a multicultural Jewish leadership camp that teaches about global Jewish diversity, builds community leaders, and inspires a love of Judaism.
Be’chol Lashon: A Global Jewish Community
Jews are an amalgam of many peoples and origins include a multitude of languages, nations, tribes, and skin colors. Learn more about Be’chol Lashon’s pluralistic and multicultural expressions of Judaism.
Camp Be’chol Lashon 2020 In Review
Camp Be’chol Lashon was online in the summer of 2020 during Covid.
Be’chol Lashon DVD: In Every Tongue: A Story of Eternity
This music DVD was co-created by Be’chol Lashon, the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, and the Israel Center of San Francisco with the Idan Raichel Project in 2008. It celebrates the racial and ethnic diversity of the Jewish people, focusing on the multiculturalism of Israel. It features the Idan Raichel Project, one of the most popular performing groups in Israel today, blending modern and traditional music in Hebrew and Amharic, to tell about the journey of Ethiopians to the Jewish homeland.
Judaism and Race
JUDAISM AND RACE challenges the stereotype that all Jews are white by presenting personal stories of people struggling to reconcile multiple identities as Jews of color.
Passport to Peoplehood – Be’chol Lashon Educational Resources
Passport to Peoplehood is a collection of educational resources developed by Be’chol Lashon that raises awareness about the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of Jews around the world.
Camp BL Counselors
Our summer counselors are young JOCs, many of whom were campers themselves.
Claude
Ella
Jeremy
Jonah
Jordan
Josh
Kahlai
Kenya
Naomi
Satya
Sylvie (CIT)
Josiah (CIT)
Asa (CIT)
Press
Summer camp in California gives Jewish children of color a haven to be different together
– Jacqueline Martin, AP, 2023
Why You Probably Won’t Have Racial Microaggressions At This Jewish Summer Camp
– Rachel Wisniewski, NPR, 2021
Prayer, and Bug Juice, at a Summer Camp for Jews of Color
– Samuel G. Freedman, The New York Times, 2011
FAQ
Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about Camp Be’chol Lashon. Please contact us if you have other questions.
Usually I would say I want to go to Camp Be’chol Lashon to see all my old friends, but to be honest they are not friends…they are FAMILY! I can’t wait to go back this summer.
Camp is a place where my Jewish girl of color gets to share hair tips and styles, be comfortable in her skin, learn about other multiracial Jewish experiences and be fully accepted for all that makes her unique.
Camp Checklist
Please see the Camp Forms page with the registration, medical and camper forms:
- Registration – To register your camper(s), please fill out and pay a $400 deposit per camper.
- Medical Information – Please fill out medical information and anything else you would like us to know before camp starts.
- Camper Information – Please have your camper(s) fill out before camp starts.
Q&A
Are out-of-state campers welcome?
Yes! CBL is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, but campers come from around the country and around the world. We personally accompany children to and from the airport. To inquire about transportation, please contact us: Camp@GlobalJews.org.
What should I do if my child has never been to camp and is on the fence about signing up?
We are happy to schedule a Zoom call with you and your child to ask questions and discuss any concerns. In our experience, this is a great way to get to know the counselors, make a reassuring connection, and generate excitement.
My child has never been to camp and doesn’t know anyone.
Every session has a mix of new and returning campers. Camp Be’chol Lashon is a welcoming space for everyone. We are a relatively small camp which allows us to pay careful attention to the emotional experience and identity development of each camper.
I’m worried my child will be homesick. How will you handle this?
We regard “homesickness” as a normal, healthy occurrence for children and refer to this as “missing home” to help differentiate the feeling from a sickness. Our staff members and veteran campers provide support since everyone has been through it. We encourage campers to bring items such as a stuffy, a book, a story or music to provide comfort and familiarity at night. Campers are allowed to bring their music to camp on an inexpensive mp3 player or iPod, NOT a cell phone. We STRONGLY recommend that your child leave expensive music players at home.
What if my child already goes to another summer camp?
Many of our campers attend multiple camps during the summer. We see CBL as a supplemental leadership camp focused on positive identity development in a multicultural Jewish context. For ethnically and racially diverse campers, being part of the Camp Be’chol Lashon network, makes them feel more secure about their Jewish identity and more comfortable in Jewish spaces where they may be the only or one of a few Jews of Color.
Is Camp kosher?
No. The food is kosher style, meaning we do not serve bacon or shellfish, nor do we mix meat and dairy. We also accommodate dietary restrictions such as vegetarian and vegan food options.
Camperships
National Camperships
• National Foundation for Jewish Camp / One Happy Camper
The goal of “One Happy Camper” is to incentivize participation in Jewish camps. We believe that every child deserves an opportunity to go to camp. In addition to One Happy Camper® Grants, there are many independent scholarships available.
Click here for more info.
Eligibility criteria varies from community to community. Click here to see if your community offers a One Happy Camper program.
• PJ Library Goes to Camp
PJ Library offers camperships to offset camp tuition for PJ Library participants, siblings, and alumni. More info
• BOLD.ORG
The world is full of incredible people who are an opportunity away from making a huge positive impact. By enabling anyone and any company to create targeted scholarships, fellowships, and grants, Bold.org unlocks that opportunity.
Regional/Local Camperships
• Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, The Peninsula, Marin & Sonoma Counties
The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, The Peninsula, Marin & Sonoma Counties provides need-based and need-blind camperships in the Federation’s service area* to attend any Jewish overnight summer camp. Click here for more info.
• Jewish Family and Children’s Services
Jewish Family and Children’s Services supports youth as well as families, who want their children to benefit from Jewish experiences. To learn more about funds available for summer experiences for Jewish youth, click here or contact Michelle Lamphere, Financial Aid Center Director for JFCS, at 415-449-1226.
• Jewish Free Loan Association
Jewish Free Loan Association provides interest-free, fee-free loans for Jewish summer camp. Families must live in LA or Ventura Counties. Click here (https://www.jfla.org) for more info.
• Local Jewish Organizations
Your local Jewish organizations, such as synagogues and Federations, may provide needs-based camperships for Jewish children to attend any Jewish overnight summer camp. Please reach out to them directly to inquire about opportunities.
What do campers do during the day?
Packing List
Cellphones
Please help your campers “Unplug” by leaving all electronics (including cell phones, laptops, tablets, and handheld game devices) at home! We encourage campers to take advantage of the opportunity to connect and build community with their fellow campers without the distractions of technology.
We believe that being at camp is an opportunity for your child to experience a world beyond home and a chance for you and your child to practice “letting go.” “Letting go” allows children to develop autonomy, independence, and a stronger sense of self. It allows them to make new friends, take responsibility for themselves and their bunkmates, problem solve, and mature a bit.
We recognize that some campers will be traveling to camp alone and will have their cell phone with them to keep in touch with parents during their trip. These campers will be able to call and/or text their parent/s to let them know they arrived safely. After arrival at camp, campers are required to give their cell phones to camp staff. The phones will be returned at the end of the session before leaving.
Letters
Contact Information
Press
Spread the Word
Click on the image above to view/download the camp flyer.