Eden Village Camp is a co-ed

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

sleep-away organic farm

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

Putnam Valley, New York Putnam Valley is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 11,809 at the 2010 census. Its location is northeast of New York City, in the southwestern part of Putnam County.Putnam Valley calls itself the "Town of Lakes" ...

. It is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

sustainable-living "

farm-to-table Farm-to-table (or farm-to-fork, and in some cases farm-to-school) is a social movement which promotes serving local food at restaurants and school cafeterias, preferably through direct acquisition from the producer (which might be a winery, brewer ...

" camp founded by Yoni Stadlin and Vivian Lehrer, located on touching the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

, 50 miles north of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Culture of Kindness

Eden Village promotes a "Culture of Kindness" to the campers. Part of that culture includes a guideline on "Body Talk." Campers refrain from talking about others appearances, positive or negative. This concept gained a lot of press in the NY Times and the Today Show. Commonly misconstrued as a strict rule at camp, body talk is a guideline that serves as an image-based break for campers and allows them to attempt communicating in alternative ways. The goal is to limit bullying, social cruelty, and an inflated focus on image during the campers time at Eden Village.

History

Eden Village Camp was founded in 2006 by Yoni Stadlin and Vivian Lehrer. Their aim was to create a sleep-away camp based on the Jewish tenets of social justice, spirituality, and environmental stewardship. In 2010, the Jewish Week recognized Yoni and Vivian as two of the “36 under 36” (the 36 most influential Jewish leaders under the age of 36). Yoni holds an M.A. in Informal Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and directed the 92nd Street Y's science and nature day camp for two years. He is a veteran educator for the Teva Learning Center, the country's leading Jewish environmental education program. The founders received a $1.16 million Incubator grant from the

Foundation for Jewish Camp The Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC), formerly known as the Foundation for Jewish Camping, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving North America. It serves as an advocate and resource for nonprofit Jewish camp professionals, lay leaders, families and oth ...

in September 2008, as one of five Specialty Camps supported by FJC and the Jim Joseph Foundation. The Incubator Grant provides mentorship and funding for Eden Village Camp for five years. The camp opened to campers for the first time in the summer of 2010, and now has over 400 campers per summer. Stadlin left Eden Village in 2022.

Affiliates

Eden Village Camp is sited on land owned by the UJA-Federation. In addition, Eden Village Camp is supported by the

and the Jim Joseph Foundation. Eden Village is an independent camp and is not affiliated with any one denomination of Judaism, instead aiming to create a diverse Jewish community. Though the camp is heavily influenced by the teaching of the

Jewish Renewal Jewish Renewal () is a recent movement in Judaism which endeavors to reinvigorate modern Judaism with Kabbalistic, Hasidic, and musical practices. Specifically, it seeks to reintroduce the "ancient Judaic traditions of mysticism and meditation, ...

movement and its founder, Rebbe

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi Meshullam Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (28 August 1924 – 3 July 2014), commonly called "Reb Zalman" (full Hebrew name: ), was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement and an innovator in ecumenical dialogue. Early life Born Meshullam Za ...

.Se
"Welcome to the Gendler Grapevine"
about that. Also, people such as Shir Yaakov and the alike have held leadership positions in the beginning of the camp, and have a lasting influence on it.

References

External links

EdenVillageCamp.org

The Teva Learning Center
{{Coord, 41.412512, -73.865343, display=title Jewish summer camps in New York (state) Jewish Renewal