OUR COMMUNITY
22 | JUNE 30 • 2022
D
esigned with Israeli
flavor and values,
Camp Kimama Half
Moon is set to welcome
its first year of campers in
the U.S. this summer. Just
opened, Kimama Half Moon
includes campers ages 6-17
who visit from both the U.S.
and countries worldwide.
Camp director Abby
Levine, who has worked
for numerous Jewish
organizations
throughout
her 25-year
career, says the
100-year-old site
that Kimama
Half Moon sits
on is nestled
deep in the
Berkshires, offering a scenic
retreat, including a lake, in
Massachusetts.
“It’s beautiful,” says Levine,
who joined Camp Kimama
in February and is based in
Charleston, S.C. “The camp
is about 40 acres and it’s just
a really nice, calming, clean
and good atmosphere that
we’re in.”
Kimama Half Moon
includes four sessions
and 25 activities, such as
photography, water sports,
arts and crafts, a skate park,
archery and traditional
sports, like soccer and
volleyball. It offers both day
camp and overnight options
for campers.
AN OPEN-AIR
EXPERIENCE
Levine says the site was in
good condition and came
with great history. To prepare
for its first summer, Kimama
Half Moon staffers have been
working around the clock
on renovations, painting and
resurfacing sports courts.
“We’ve freshened it up to
give it that Kimama flavor,”
Levine says, “that we wanted
to have.”
With Hebrew-speaking
counselors, Kimama
Half Moon will offer a
similar experience to its
international summer camps
in Israel, which launched in
2004 with the goal of making
connections between Jewish
children around the world.
Now, Kimama camps can be
found in numerous countries,
including Spain, Italy and,
most recently, the U.S.
The biggest challenge,
Levine says, has been
working around the timing.
“We bought a camp around
the first of the year, and
we planned to open for the
summer in June,” she says.
“It was our goal and our
challenge, but one that we
achieved to start our camp.”
At Kimama Half Moon,
Levine explains the day-to-
day experience leans heavily
on giving children a chance
to be in open-air nature
without any screens. It will
also incorporate an expanded
Jewish experience that Levine
says is through “an Israeli
lens.”
“We’re looking at
everything through Israeli
culture,” she describes.
“Campers will be exposed
to music, art, different
sports and food. We’re even
bringing in an Israeli chef.”
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
AFTER A PANDEMIC
In Kimama Half Moon’s
communal-like atmosphere,
campers will learn how to
build relationships and thrive
in nature — an experience
Levine says is more necessary
than ever.
“For the past two years
[during the pandemic], some
kids have gone to school,
some kids haven’t gone to
school, and some kids have
done a little bit of both,” she
explains.
“This is really the first
time in two years that kids
have a consistent opportunity
to be with each other in
an outdoor environment,
so Kimama is taking that
seriously because it’s our
responsibility.”
Bringing kids back to
the basics, Kimama Half
Moon will give campers an
opportunity to learn about
themselves and each other
in a direct way, rather than
through electronic screens.
It’s an experience Levine says
will be entirely bilingual,
Abby
Levine
Camp Kimama Half Moon welcomes
its first year of campers in the U.S.
Israeli-inspired
Summer Camp
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Campers are expected
from all over the world.