Rena Yehuda Newman, Julia Hegele: Judaism Unbound Episode 331 - Safety and Unsafety at Summer Camp
New Voices Magazine, a Jewish and justice-focused magazine by and for Jews ages 18-24, recently published an investigation -- written by Julia Hegele -- entitled "How Jewish Summer Camps Are Damaging LGBTQ+ Youth." The investigation shines a light on the experiences of LGBTQ+ campers -- now LGBTQ+ camp alumni -- who have for decades faced exclusion, emotional conflict, pressure, and trauma at their Jewish summer camps. It includes voices from a wide range of Jewish camps -- different geographic regions, Jewish denominations, and affiliations -- and also offers up potential strategies for reparative work moving forward. In this episode of Judaism Unbound, Hegele -- along with New Voices' editor-in-chief, Rena Yehuda Newman -- join Dan and Lex to discuss the investigation.
[1] Early in the episode, Newman references the SRE (Safety, Respect, Equity) Network, a network of organizations that work to “inspire meaningful change in Jewish workplaces and communal spaces by bringing people together to address gender-based harassment, discrimination, and inequity.” Learn more about the SRE Network at SREnetwork.org.
[2] At a few points in this episode, an earlier report in New Voices Magazine, entitled “How Jewish Youth Groups are Breeding a Toxic Sexual Culture for Teens,” is referenced. Read that investigation, written by Shira Wolkenfeld, by clicking here.
[3] To learn more about a Jewish summer-camp that has implemented all-gender cabins, see this article in the New York Times about Camp Tawonga, entitled “In an All-Gender Cabin, Summer Campers ‘Don’t Have to Hide.’” You can also head to this page on the Camp Tawonga website to learn more.
[4] A couple organizations come up in this conversation, that are working to build camp cultures that are safer for queer and Jewish youth. Learn more about Keshet’s work by clicking here, and explore Moving Traditions’ “CultureShift Jewish Summer Camp Initiative” here.
[5] Rena Yehuda Newman appeared on Judaism Unbound once before. Check out their bonus episode, created during their tenure as Judaism Unbound/New Voices Fellow, by clicking here: Bonus Episode: Pluralism of Necessity - Rena Yehuda Newman.