Camp Achvah () was the first

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

-speaking summer camp in North America.

History

Achvah was founded in 1927 at Averne,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

Samson Benderly Samson Benderly (1876 – July 9, 1944) was a major figure in promoting Jewish education in the United States. He was born in Safed, Ottoman Palestine, and he later emigrated to Baltimore, Maryland, arriving on 23 September 1898. He studied medicine ...

, then director of the New York Bureau of Jewish Education, as a summer camp for members of his Kvutzah

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ship program. The Dalton Plan-inspired program, which at its height included about fifty members, brought together a select group of graduating

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students for Jewish study and

leadership training Leadership development is the process which helps expand the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles within organizations. Leadership roles are those that facilitate execution of an organization's strategy through building alignment ...

. The camp moved to a one-hundred-acre site in Godeffroy, New York, in 1929. Unique to the camp at the time was its immersive Hebrew environment, which resulted in high rates of fluency. Along with sports, music, and dramatics, Achvah's curriculum included Hebrew debating clubs and reading circles. The camp was also known for its mass pageants, including the dramatization of several tragic events in Jewish history for

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. With the onset of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, and the dissolution of the Kvutzah in 1932, Achvah opened up as an ordinary summer camp to all Jewish elementary and secondary students. It ceased operating entirely in Hebrew, and began focusing on informal Jewish and Zionist education in place of formal study. By 1936 Achvah had a population of over 500 children.

Notable alumni

* Bella Abzug *

Moshe Nathanson Moshe Nathanson (August 10, 1899 - February 24, 1981) was a Canadian musicologist, composer, and cantor who is known for promoting Jewish folk music. Nathanson's most notable work is ''Zamru Lo'' and the '' Hava Nagila''. Biography Early li ...

* Isaiah Zeldin

References

{{Authority control Defunct summer camps Educational institutions established in 1927 Jewish organizations based in the United States Jewish organizations established in 1927 Jewish summer camps in New York (state) Zionism in the United States

History

Notable alumni

See also

References