We welcome you to Camp Tawonga

Mighty glad you're here!

In just a few days, the first session of lucky children will be arriving at our beautiful camp on the Tuolumne River.   They will be greeted by the happy sounds of our staff singing "We welcome you to Camp Tawonga", the glorious sight of our towering pine trees, and the mouth-watering smell of a fresh and healthy dinner coming out from our brand new kitchen.

Like the campers, we the professional camp staff are so excited to be back up in the mountains.  This is when we get to pass on our love of nature and Jewish community to 1,200 terrific kids.

To keep up with our adventures at camp, please visit our blog by clicking here.  

In the bond of Tawongans,

Jamie Simon & Ken Kramarz

Dinner Is Served. Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks, too.

As Camp Tawonga ushers in its 86th summer season, we are also opening the doors to our beautiful,brand new kitchen. This undertaking has been made possible through the generosity of individuals and foundations who believe in Camp's mission and programs and who recognize the need to ensure Camp's physical infrastructure reflects the excellence of Camp's programs and services.

Through the community's generous support and staff and board members careful planning the Tawonga community will eat meals prepared in this state-of-the-art, modern kitchen for years to come.

Some of the enhancements this new facility offers include:

> Expanded food preparation and service space

> A baking center enabling staff to prepare and serve homemade breads and other baked goods

> A new dish room, separated from food preparation areas and allowing for more efficient clean-up

> Energy Star and environmentally friendly appliances

It Takes a Village

The Tawonga community is grateful and indebted to the individual and institutional funders who made this project possible. Without their support, Camp's new kitchen would have remained the

dream it was for the past 20 years. Generous donors and funders include:

• Harold Grinspoon Foundation
• Koret Foundation
• Leslie Family Foundation
• Ari Baruth
• Kate Bell and Steve Catechi
• Gail and Bruce Chizen
• Eleanor Coffman
• Heather and David Coffman
• Susan and Bill Epstein
• Myrna and Thomas Frankel
• Melinna and Steve Gershik
• Nicole and Keith Goldstein
• Lori Hilman and Neal Polacheck
• Sheila and Ned Himmel
• Mikiko Huang and Marshall Stoller
• Jane Kahn and Michael Bien
• Jennifer and Rick Kaufman
• Marla Kolman Antebi and Eric Antebi
• Cathy and Jim Koshland
• Julie and David Levine
• Justyn and Kim Lezin-Haveson
• Fern and Bill (z"l) Lowenberg
• Jacqueline and David Lowenberg
• Susan Lowenberg and Joyce Newstat
• Sydney Mintz
• Jamie and Mark Myers
• Brian Permutt
• Libby and Frank Silver
• Jane Sperling Wise and Brian Wise
• Jessica Stein and Matt Colvin
• Ilana and Skip Vichness
• Sharon and Josh Weinberg
• Ilene Weinreb
• Susan Wojcicki and Dennis Troper

Now, Let's Eat!

For more information about the Camp Tawonga Kitchen project, please call 415.543.2267.

Urban Jewish Farm Festival:

Grand Opening, June 19

Please join us on Sunday, June 19, for the grand opening of Berkeley's new Jewish urban farm! Urban Adamah is a new community farm and environmental educational center at the corner of San Pablo and Parker in West Berkeley. The Grand Opening, from 10:00 - 1:30, will feature diverse programs for kids and adults of all ages, live music, fabulous local food and guest presentations from author/urban Farmer Novella Carpenter and State Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, among others. To learn more and to register, please visit us here at: http://urbanadamah.org/June19/

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B'Naiture

Wilderness Torah's B'nai Mitzvah Nature Mentorship Program

Let Nature Guide You and Your Children Through this Important Rite of Passage

B'naiture is a two-year, experiential program for Jewish boys and girls aged 11 to 13 that uses nature as a vehicle to explore the transition from childhood to adolescence. Through bi-annual camping trips and bi-monthly Sunday gatherings in nature, this program weaves together nature skills, personal challenge, and non-parental mentorship with Jewish teachings and story to craft a personal, empowering coming-of-age process for Jewish youth. A parallel parent group explores how to best support their children at this critical time. This program supplements traditional B'nai Mitzvah education or serves the independent family journey.

B'naiture helps Youth:

· Develop a sense of their gifts

· Become more self-reliant

· Learn and practice core Jewish values

B'naiture Explores Life Questions such as:

· What does it mean to become a teenager?

· What does it mean to take on the mantle of Judaism?

· What is my relationship to nature and the world around me?

· What does t mean to join and serve the Jewish and human communities?

· How can parents best support their child's rite of passage and acknowledge their own?

To learn more, please visit www.WildernessTorah.org or contact Zelig Golden, Wilderness Torah Founding Co-Director at (510)590-1479.