Camp Kinder Ring facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Camp Kinder Ring |
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Front gate to Camp Kinder Ring (2006)
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| Location | Hopewell Junction, New York |
| Coordinates | 41°36′20″N 73°44′23″W / 41.605487°N 73.739687°W |
| Type | Jewish summer camp |
| Established | 1927 |
Camp Kinder Ring is a special summer camp in Hopewell Junction, New York. It's a Jewish summer camp that doesn't make money for its owners. The camp is approved by the American Camp Association, which means it meets high standards for safety and fun.
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History of Camp Kinder Ring
Camp Kinder Ring started in 1927. It was founded by a group called The Workers Circle. For many years, the camp and The Workers Circle worked together. However, in September 2023, they decided to become separate organizations. Both the camp and The Workers Circle now operate on their own.
Many families have loved Camp Kinder Ring for a long time. Some families have had four generations attend the camp! The name Kinder Ring means "Children's Circle" in Yiddish. This name was also used for a short magazine in the 1920s.
What Camp Kinder Ring Offers
The camp is located near the Catskills mountains in Dutchess County, New York. It's about a mile from the town of Beekman. Camp Kinder Ring offers many exciting activities for campers. These include sports, arts and crafts, and fun activities on the lake. Campers also learn about Jewish traditions and culture.
The camp is set up with separate areas for boys and girls. Each side has its own team of staff members. There are head counselors and assistant head counselors for both boys and girls. The camp also has eight smaller groups, called divisions. Each division has a group leader and several counselors.
Camp Traditions and Games
Camp Kinder Ring has many special traditions that campers look forward to every summer. These include a fun carnival on July 4th. There's also "KR of the Week/Year," which celebrates campers. Another tradition is "Behind the Scenes."
A special evening tradition is the all-whites shtiller ovnt. This Yiddish phrase means "silent evening." Campers wear white clothes to celebrate the start of the Sabbath on Friday evening. At the end of the summer, candles are floated on Sylvan Lake. This symbolizes the end of another great camp season. Popular Jewish singers, like Rick Recht, also visit the camp. New events are added every year to keep things exciting.
Traditional Camp Games
- Maccabean Games: These games are held every year in the first half of the summer. Campers are divided into two teams. The teams are named after important Jewish people from history. For four days, the teams compete in different challenges. The main goal of Mac Games is to encourage team spirit, teamwork, and fun, not just to win.
- Olympics: The Olympics are held every year in the second half of the summer. Campers are split into teams named after two different countries. They compete against each other for four days. Just like the Mac Games, the focus is on team spirit, working together, and having fun. The Olympics include some of the most famous events at camp. These are the Rope Burn, the Decathlon, and the Triathlon.
- Torchbearer: This special tradition started in 1971. Being named a Torchbearer is a great honor at Camp Kinder Ring. It shows a camper's strong love and dedication to the camp. During the opening ceremony for the Olympics, past Torchbearers return to camp. They help pass on this honor to a new Torchbearer. Every summer, one camper is chosen as the Torchbearer. This person lights the Olympic flame, just like in the real Olympics.
Well-Known Alumni
Many people who became famous attended Camp Kinder Ring. Here are a few:
- Dean Blandino (born 1971), a former NFL official and now a sports analyst.
- Barbara Boxer (born 1940), who was a U.S. Senator for California.
- Bill Freiberger, an Emmy-nominated television writer.
- Adam Schefter (born 1966), a well-known NFL reporter for ESPN.
- Lawrence S. Wittner (born 1941), an American historian who was both a camper and a counselor.
Camp Kinder Ring in Books
Camp Kinder Ring is mentioned in many books about Jewish culture in America. Some of these books include Raising Reds (1999), The Lower East Side Remembered and Revisited (2009), Children's Nature (2010), Yiddishkiet (2012), and The Remembered and Forgotten Jewish World (2018).
The camp also appears in personal stories, called memoirs. These include The Way Home (2006), Goy Crazy (2006), and Working for Peace and Justice (2006).
See also
- Camp Boiberik
- Camp Kinderland (a camp that separated from The Workers Circle)
