36 Hours of Giving (Staging)
Make an Impact!
Be inspired. Make a gift. Seed the future.
Join us.
Over 36 hours, we’ll come together to make this our best summer yet – and to celebrate what makes Havaya so unique and how your support can have an immediate impact.
Our goal: $50,000!
Help us reach our goal and we’ll unlock a $25,000 challenge grant from The Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
So far, together
we’ve raised
Havaya is so much more than just summer fun!
Need a reminder of the long-lasting impact of your support?
Jacob’s Milestone
Jacob Oshins – who we lovingly call “JOshins” – will be celebrating his 20th year with us in Summer 2026. (WOW!) He has gone from participant on our first year of Havaya Israel to counselor to sports specialist to operations associate and now to Site Director. He is endlessly energetic, bringing ruakh (spirit) to moments big and small – from morning games on the basketball courts summer after summer to Israeli dancing on Zoom during the pandemic shutdown.
There is nobody who spends more time at Camp than him (he lives there all year!) or who cares more deeply about making sure the values and ethos of Havaya shine through all we do. Camp just wouldn’t be Camp without him!
Join us as we celebrate all that JOshins brings to Havaya! Because more than any 5-Year shirt, 10-Year sweatshirt, or 15-Year plaque, your 20-Year donation will be a tangible symbol of the myriad lives he has touched over the last two decades.
Mikael and Yinon’s Story
Listen to Mikael and Yinon’s Story:
We hear from parents all the time about the impact of Camp:
“I saw him growing independent at camp – learning new things, building confidence, and finding a place where he truly belonged.”
“He came back home more confident, more mature. He learned to trust himself, to be independent. It was amazing to see how much he grew in just one summer.”
What makes these particular notes so powerful is that they come from the parents of Israeli campers. For these kids, having what another parent called “a safe harbor and a joyful community during a very unsettled time” is life-changing. And it will be just as important this summer as it has been for the last two.
Your gift will help us give more than 20 Israeli campers and staff the respite and joy they so desperately need. And it will give all our kids the opportunity to build meaningful and lasting relationships with the worldwide Jewish community in a way they can’t in almost any other place.
Geffen’s Journey
Geffen is an outgoing, friendly, and social 15-year-old.
In August 2023, right after coming home from Camp, Geffen was diagnosed with leukemia. His family was thrown into a world of doctors, treatments, and endless hospital stays.
“Geffen’s camp friends were incredible,” his parents say. “They kept in touch with video calls, group chats, and playing games online together. We even had several out of state camp friends make the effort to come visit during this time. It was the kind of support that made all the difference.”
After months of treatment, Geffen’s parents weren’t sure he would be ready to go back to camp the following summer. But they “knew that Camp Havaya is more than just a place to have fun. It’s a place that nurtures resilience. It’s a place where kids support each other. Geffen wanted to be there, and his friends and counselors were there for him, just like they had been when he was in the hospital.”
The friendships, sense of community, and support were all crucial for Geffen’s recovery. More importantly, “Camp helped Geffen feel like a kid again, not just a patient. And that,” as his parents say, “is everything.”
Your generosity doesn’t just make the joy of summer happen – it helps build this culture of care, connection, and community for generations to come.
Amanda and Carol’s Experience
One of our first alumni and her mother, who joined our Board many years later, recently shared some of what makes Havaya so unique and how your support can have a long-term impact….
Amanda: I fell in love with the idea of camp as a kid, but it wasn’t until I got to Havaya that I found my camp. Havaya just takes the camp experience to the next level.
Carol: Yes! I’m a lifelong Jewish camper, but I joined the Board of Havaya because this is what camp is supposed to be like: really really fun and being Jewish at the same time, in an organic way.
Amanda: I owe a lot of who I am today to my experience at Havaya. And I want to make sure other kids can experience the same things I did. I’ve learned from my mom that the values of tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (making the world a better place) are part of how we live Jewishly, so donating to Camp is just a natural way to follow in my mom’s footsteps and support a place I love.
Carol: Havaya is small and I know how wisely our dollars are spent and what a real impact they have on our campers. We’re raising good citizens and future leaders – for the Jewish community and the world.
