Eden Village Camp

Eden Village Camp is a co-ed Jewish sleep-away organic farm camp in Putnam Valley, New York. It is a non-profit sustainable-living "farm-to-table" camp founded by Yoni Stadlin and Vivian Lehrer, located on 248 acres (100 ha) touching the Appalachian Trail, 50 miles north of New York City.

Mission statement

"Rooted in the Jewish vision of creating a more environmental sustainable, socially just, and spiritually connected world, Eden Village Camp is dedicated to providing campers with an incredible summer experience while empowering them to promote a vibrant future for themselves, their communities, and our planet." [1]

Food

Eden Village Camp serves food that is organic, local, kosher, and fair-trade. The campers occasionally assist chefs in preparing meals. Eden Village grows 2,000 pounds of organic produce on their farm to cook for meals.

Some of their additional suppliers include: Hudson Valley Fresh, Adirondack Creamery, Grow and Behold foods, Common Ground CSA, Arrowhead Mills Organic Flours, Bionaturae Organic Pastas, Bread Alone Organic Bakery, Eden Organics Beans, Grains, and Dry Goods, Frontier Organic Spices, Hepworth Farm: Milton, NY, Lucky Dog Farm: Hamden, NY, Muir Glen Organic Foods, Natural by Nature Dairy, Organic Valley Foods, Raw, Local Honey, Stonyfield Organic Yogurt, Sunspire Organic & Fair-trade chocolate chips, Taliaferro Farm: New Paltz, NY, The Farm at Miller’s Crossing: Claverack, NY, Wildwood Organics, Wise Organic Meats, Woodstock Farms Foods.

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.[2][3] 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.[4]

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 in September 2008, as one of five Specialty Camps supported by FJC and the Jim Joseph Foundation.[5] The Incubator Grant provides mentorship and funding for Eden Village Camp for five years.[6] The camp opened to campers for the first time in the summer of 2010, and now has over 400 campers per summer.

Activities

Eden Village Camp offers an earth-based focus to traditional overnight camp. Some of the activities include, farming, cooking, herbalism, yoga, wilderness skills, goat milking, arts and crafts with recycled items, guitar and drum lessons, boating, sports, Jewish learning, swimming, and bonfires.[7]

Affiliates

Eden Village Camp is sited on land owned by the UJA-Federation.[8] In addition, Eden Village Camp is supported by the Foundation for Jewish Camp and the Jim Joseph Foundation.[9] 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 movement and its founder, Rebbe Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.[10] As of Summer 2016 there is a bunk in camp named "Zalman" after him.

References
  1. Eden Village Camp Mission and Vision
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/fashion/no-body-talk-summer-camps.html?_r=0
  3. http://www.today.com/parents/summer-camp-enforces-one-awesome-rule-make-kids-feel-better-2D79610755
  4. http://edenvillagecamp.org/about-us/bodytalk/
  5. The Jewish Tribune: Incubator Grant to Help Start Jewish Specialty Camps Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, 13 January 2009
  6. The Jewish Week: Birthing New Summer Experiences, 14 January 2009
  7. http://edenvillagecamp.org/summercamp/our-program/
  8. New Environmental Camp Nearing Opening Archived 2010-07-07 at the Wayback Machine, 24 July 2009
  9. JJF Press Release, 31 January 2008
  10. See "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.

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