Summer Day Camp at the J
The JCC offers Camp Ruach, a unique Jewish day camp experience open to first through eighth graders; Camp Tikvah, an inclusive day camp experience for children on the autism spectrum; and a leaders-in-training program for teens. Summer day camp at the J is open to children and teens of all backgrounds, cultures, and religions.
The community has voted Camp Ruach a “Mountain Xpress Best of” summer camp every year since 2014!
CAMP RUACH REGISTRATION BEGINS MARCH 1!
Click Here for the 2021 Camp Ruach Brochure
Click Here for the 2020 Camp Ruach Podcast Episode
Countdown to Opening Day of Camp Ruach 2021
Find your friends at Camp Ruach and Camp Tikvah!
The JCC campus includes a 25-meter pool for daily free swim and swimming lessons with certified instructors as well as a natural outdoor pavilion for outdoor games. Throughout the summer, campers participate in cooking, crafts, nature expeditions, gardening, music, team building, weekly Shabbat celebrations, and field trips. Campers enjoy many unique Camp Ruach traditions, including our exciting Maccabiah Games, Wacky Water Olympics, Ruach Scavenger Hunt, Seth Olson “You Can Make A Difference Day,” and our Ruach Relay!
Camp Ruach
Whether they are here for one week or the whole summer, Camp Ruach campers come away having grown and changed, carrying a newfound sense of confidence. Here, everyone is celebrated! Feeling valued and supported, campers become strong, confident community members while gaining new abilities and having fulfilling experiences. Our energetic Camp Ruach staff work and play with our campers to ensure that they feel safe and nurtured as they have the time of their lives!
Camp Ruach is for all rising 1st – 9th graders.
Contact Daniel “Tuxedo” Smedley or 253-0701 ext. 107 for more information.
Camp Tikvah for Children with Autism
Camp Tikvah is the only autism inclusion/integration summer day camp of its kind in Western North Carolina. Tikvah enables children on the autism spectrum to enjoy the fun and community of Camp Ruach. Here, campers participate in an individually monitored and highly structured program. Each one-week session runs interwoven with Camp Ruach, and enables these awesome kids to participate in as many peer activities as are individually appropriate.
Camp Tikvah is for children with autism ages 6-12.
Contact Daniel Tuxedo Smedley or 253-0701 ext. 107 for more information.
Leaders in Training & Gesher+ Programs
Due to Covid-19, we have made the hard decision not to run our LIT program for summer 2021. The health department is still recommending that camps avoid group mixing, for both staff and participants. Since the LIT program consists of teens learning together and also working in the various groups throughout the summer, it is not feasible under the current restrictions.
Camp Ruach won’t be the same without our LITs. However, we still wish to provide opportunities for high schoolers. Starting this summer we’ll extend the fun of Gesher to include 9th graders in Gesher+!
Gesher+ campers will spend half of their day doing all the fun Gesher activities they know and love. The rest of their day will include more autonomous and peer-led opportunities. Participants will experience trainings and discussions geared towards building healthy communication and leadership skills. They will get to practice planning and implementing activities, while having the freedom to express themselves.
