HashomerHatzairis a
Progressive Zionist Youth Movement and specializes in youth-led experiential Jewish
education.
Based on the values of equity, community, and social responsibility,
our camps and year-round activities encourage youth to shape their communities and find personal
relevance in Judaism, Jewish peoplehood, and Israel.
Our motto for our flagship program, Camp Shomria, is Jewish Youth:
Redefined. We believe that youth have ain their community
- to ask questions, push boundaries, and shape their world. In each
generation, Jewish youth must take ownership of their heritage and
redefine what it means to be Jewish - in America and toward Israel.
In 85 years, more than one million youth have attended educational programs at our camps, seminars and
events.
Major Peulot (Activities): Under the banner of Camp Shomria, our Summer Camp, Winter Camp, and two weekend retreats to our campgrounds in Liberty, New York, have served thousands of families for more than 65 years.
Monthly Seminars: Our educators run day-long or overnight programs for youth ages 9-15.
Programs in Jewish day and supplementary schools:
We work closely
with principals and parents to develop appropriate curricula. Our
trained staff implement programs using our engaging educational
techniques. We can also help schools develop innovative programs
designed to keep post- Bar Mitzvah youth actively involved.
Israel Programs: Including our five week counselor
training program, our year-long pre-college program, and ten-day trips
to Israel over winter break, there are many ways for Jewish youth to
connect with Israel through HashomerHatzair and Camp Shomria.
PROGRAM GOALS
To create a supportive, consistent, and accepting community of youth.
To engage youth with their Jewish identities and practices in ways cognizant of their need to play, to feel accepted by their peers, and to come to conclusions on their own.
To nurture leadership instincts and to cultivate the desire to make significant positive change in the world.
To introduce youth to progressive Zionist values of equality, peace, and social justice.
To introduce youth to Israel: its language, history, and current social issues.
HISTORY
HashomerHatzair, the initial Zionist
youth movement, was
founded in Eastern Europe on the eve of the First World War. Many Jewish
youth, affected by the process of modernization which had begun among Eastern
European Jewry, sought a means of maintaining their Jewish identity and
culture outside the stifling barriers of the shtetl and of Orthodox
Jewish life.
