It’s a full-circle moment for Capital Camps, originally featured on the front page of the Washington Jewish Week in 1988 marking their inception.
Capital Camps, described as the “premier Jewish community overnight camp in the region,” is a summer camp and retreat center in the Catoctin Mountains of Pennsylvania. Its founders envisioned a Jewish summer camp in the ‘80s, and that mission remains strong 37 years later.
“Truly, I think what’s so special about Capital Camps is that community aspect, getting to do a little bit of everything and getting to be in an immersive Jewish community that is fun and high-energy and celebratory,” Ilana Kornblatt, the assistant camp director, said.
Campers are divided into villages based on age group and stay together in cabins — there are about 400 campers at camp at a given time. The camp provides a leadership training program for high school juniors and seniors to be leaders-in-training and counselors-in-training.
Capital Camps offers sports including archery, lacrosse and flag football, ropes courses, an aquatic center, a lake and an arts program including ceramics, theater, singing and dance. Activities become more elective-based as campers get older.
In addition to traditional camp activities, campers celebrate Shabbat on Fridays and “special days” such as Maccabiah — color war — and Israel Day. Campers learn the Jewish value of tikkun olam by tending to the farm animals and garden at the Solot Family Farm.
“[We] really embed those Jewish values through everything that we do, whether that’s a cabin program focused on responsibility and community, or a village-wide program focus, which is an age group focused on social justice, learning different Jewish values like being there for one another and being part of that community,” Kornblatt said. “The Jewish values are really infused into everything we do in a really wonderful and fun way.”
Capital Camps leaders are focused on community inclusion and mental, emotional, social and spiritual health. They have a full-inclusion model, meeting the needs of campers with disabilities.
Kornblatt said the number-one aspect of Capital Camps is its celebration of Jewish identity and community.
“Camp is such a fun place to experience Judaism,” Kornblatt said.
