Young Judaea
Our Mission
Camp Tel Yehudah inspires Jewish and Zionist youth from around the world to experience and embrace the diversity of the Jewish people in a joyful and diverse community while training them to become leaders who effect positive change for the Jewish people, Israel and the world.
Our Vision
Camp Tel Yehudah, the preeminent Jewish summer camp for teenagers, is a unique, vibrant and joyful community of diverse young Jews from all around the world. We identify profoundly with the Jewish people and therefore are deeply grounded in our commitment to Jewish pluralism. At Tel Yehudah, we create an uncompromised Jewish and Zionist experience where our chanichim (campers) live holistically within the rich context of Jewish values, culture and time.
Our dynamic programs of experiential education, activism and leadership development build strong Jewish identities grounded in commitments to Jewish learning and pluralism, Israel and social responsibility. Our continually diverse and specialized set of programs enables our chanichim to explore areas of personal interest all within the context of a community built on Jewish values and respect for our social and physical environment. Through all of our programs, we prepare our chanichim to become committed, educated, active members and leaders of their communities now and in the future.
Core Values
At Camp Tel Yehudah, our values are more than ideas — they’re lived every day by our chanichim (campers) and tzevet (staff).
In a world that often feels noisy, divided, and digital, TY offers something different: face-to-face connection, communal joy, and individual growth.
Guided by our four core values — Build Community, Value Individuals, Amplify Joy, and Deepen Curiosity — we help Jewish teens discover who they are, strengthen their connection to Israel and the Jewish people, and develop the confidence, empathy, and respect they need to thrive in the world beyond camp.
Build Community | להקים קהילה | L’hakim Kehila
At Tel Yehudah, chanichim and tzevet don’t just join a community — they build one.
Free from screens and surrounded by peers who care, they create deep friendships, celebrate pluralism, and discover what it means to belong to Am Yisrael, the Jewish people, across backgrounds, borders, and generations.
They learn that building community means treating each other and our shared home at TY with respect, care, and responsibility — and understanding that true community depends on leadership, participation, and a shared sense of social responsibility for one another and for the world.
Value Individuals | לכבד כל בן אדם | L’chabed Kol Ben Adam
Every chanich and tzevet member at TY is seen, heard, and valued for who they truly are.
In a culture that often pushes teens to compare or conform, our camp celebrates individuality and reminds them that every person is created b’tzelem Elohim — in the image of God.
Respect for each individual — their story, their boundaries, and their voice — is what makes our community strong and sacred.
By honoring pluralism, we affirm that there are many authentic ways to express Jewish identity, belief, and belonging — and that each voice enriches our shared experience.
Amplify Joy | להפיץ אושר ושמחה | L’hafitz Osher V’Simcha
Joy isn’t just an outcome at Tel Yehudah, it’s a practice grounded in gratitude and respect for one another and for our environment.
Through music, rikud, friendship, learning, and the beauty of Shabbat, our chanichim and tzevet experience the deep, contagious joy that has sustained the Jewish people for centuries and continues to thrive in Israel today.
TY teaches that joy is built on appreciation — for people, for places, and for the moments we share.
Deepen Curiosity | לעודד סקרנות | L’oded Sakranut
At TY, curiosity isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about asking more and better questions.
Chanichim and tzevet learn to explore ideas, challenge assumptions, and listen with respect to perspectives different from their own, including about Judaism, Israel, and Jewish life around the world.
In a pluralistic community where multiple truths coexist, they discover that curiosity — rooted in mutual respect and open dialogue — leads to growth, empathy, and understanding.