Szarvas Summer Camp: Springboard to Becoming a Jewish Leader

Each summer, more than 1,800 Jewish children arrive in the small town of Szarvas for a program that is like no other: The Ronald S. Lauder/AJJDC International Summer Camp. The experience transcends the summer session, often launching them on a journey that shapes their lifelong Jewish identity.

Once a first opportunity for exposure to Judaism in the years following the fall of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Szarvas has become one of JDC’s most effective tools for nurturing a proud generation of young Jews and a strong Jewish future for the region.

Summer after summer, campers "come home" to Szarvas, eventually returning as counselors and ultimately becoming a family of camp alumni and a worldwide network of Jewish leaders. At the camp, they acquire the skills they need to integrate Judaism into their daily lives through every day camp activities, like swimming and arts and crafts. The joy of being at camp is the flame they carry with them, giving them the confidence and the commitment they need to preserve Jewish life in their communities.

And they begin with their families. Campers often inspire their parents’ first involvement in the Jewish community. For their grandparents, the singing and dancing learned at camp reminds this survivor generation of happier days and gives them hope for the future.

For Jewish youth from 23 countries across Europe and the former Soviet Union as well as the United States, Israel and India, the year is divided in two: the six months of expectation before camp begins and the six months of reliving the memories of the past summer. A world both physically and spiritually unto itself, Szarvas offers friendships that know no borders and a Jewish experience that lasts a lifetime.

Celebrating its fourteenth year this summer, the theme of Szarvas will be "Famous Jewish Figures".