Jewish Camp collection

The experience of summer camp has been an important part of the Jewish community for years. This collection brings together materials related to different summer camps throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. The first Jewish camp in Minnesota was Sophie Wirth Camp, located in White Bear Lake; it was open from 1911 to 1943 and was sponsored by the St. Paul Council of Jewish Women. As the first kosher camp in the northwest, children were sent to Sophie Wirth for learning the Jewish faith, but also for fun and recreation, and often for their health, as good nutrition was emphasized for underweight children. 16mm film footage from Sophie Wirth Camp in 1937 is hosted on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exFuge_1CmE. Council Camp begain in 1937 during the Depression. As a result of high unemployment rates, the government created the WPA program to build camp sites around the country, including a site in Hinckley, Minnesota. The Jewish Camping Program received permission to use the site on the condition that at least 1/3 of campers were lower income. Base fees had to be "reasonable" as well, and charges ranged from $2.75 to $3.50 a week.

The site lasted for 10 years, after which the goverment lease was terminated and focus was placed upon a site in Aitkin which became Camp Tikvah. Camp Tikvah, located in Aitkin, MN, was opened in 1947 with the assistance of the Minneapolis Jewish Community Center. Known for their sports and canoe trips, the camp served Jewish children until 1983. Herzl Camp in Webster, Wisconsin, was started by Harry Rosenthal and a group of St. Paul Jews in 1946 in an effort to create a Zionist camp that would emphasize Jewish tradition along with the usual summer camp experience. The camp, located on Devil's Lake, is still in existence. For more information regarding the history of Herzl Camp, visit their website at http://www.herzlcamp.org.