Camp Kinderland
Encyclopedia
Camp Kinderland is a summer camp
located in Tolland, Massachusetts
for boys and girls aged nine through sixteen. The camp's motto is summer camp with a conscience since 1923. The main topics of the curriculum are: equality
, peace
, community
, social justice
, activism
, civil rights, Yiddishkeit
, and friendship
. Campers may stay for four weeks in July, three weeks in August, or all seven of the offered weeks. There is also a two-week session available for first-time campers in the youngest group.
, a leftist Jewish
fraternal organization, in 1923 in Hopewell Junction
, New York
. Camp Kinderland, along with the rest of the left wing of the Workmen's Circle, split off in 1930 and created the International Workers Order
and became the official summer camp of the Jewish section of the IWO. In 1954, the IWO was shut down and its assets liquidated by the government, which had determined that it was a Communist organization. At that time, Camp Kinderland became an independent corporation.
While the registration process did not discriminate in favor of Jews, a large majority of campers were Jewish. While campers came from around the US, many were from the New York area
, especially Brooklyn
, where there was a kindershule, or secular school that teaches Jewish history and culture and progressive values (similar to the dozen Workmen's Circle Shuln) associated with the camp.
social values through its cultural program. It is anti-death penalty, pro-labor union, and generally socialist. Every year it holds the Peace Olympics, where camp is evenly divided into four team
s, each representing a movement or nation that the camp's directors feel is advancing the progressive cause.
. Many alumni of the camp remain committed to various socialist and anti-war causes, sometimes under the Kinderland banner.
(Contains a brief mention of shules.)
Kinderland's musical tradition is the subject of the blog, "Kinderslice Music," written by KassaNostra on blogspot.com.
Camp Kinderland is the subject of the film, "Another Camp is Possible," produced and directed by Katie Halper.
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
located in Tolland, Massachusetts
Tolland, Massachusetts
Tolland is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 485 at the 2010 census, making it the smallest town in Hampden County by population. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Tolland formerly had a popular "Black Fly Day"...
for boys and girls aged nine through sixteen. The camp's motto is summer camp with a conscience since 1923. The main topics of the curriculum are: equality
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
, peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
, community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
, social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, activism
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, civil rights, Yiddishkeit
Yiddishkeit
Yiddishkeit literally means "Jewishness", i.e. "a Jewish way of life", in the Yiddish language. It can refer to Judaism or forms of Orthodox Judaism when used by religious or Orthodox Jews...
, and friendship
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
. Campers may stay for four weeks in July, three weeks in August, or all seven of the offered weeks. There is also a two-week session available for first-time campers in the youngest group.
Founding and history
Kinderland was founded by members of The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter RingThe Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring
The Workmen’s Circle or Arbeter Ring is a Yiddish language-oriented American Jewish fraternal organization committed to Social Justice, Jewish Community, and Ashkenazic Culture...
, a leftist Jewish
Jewish left
The term "Jewish left" describes Jews who identify with or support left wing, occasionally liberal causes, consciously as Jews, either as individuals or through organizations. There is no one organization or movement which constitutes the "Jewish left," however...
fraternal organization, in 1923 in Hopewell Junction
Hopewell Junction, New York
Hopewell Junction is a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 2,610 at the 2000 census...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Camp Kinderland, along with the rest of the left wing of the Workmen's Circle, split off in 1930 and created the International Workers Order
International Workers Order
The International Workers Order was a Communist Party-affiliated insurance, mutual benefit and fraternal organization founded in 1930 and disbanded in 1954 as the result of legal action undertaken by the state of New York in 1951...
and became the official summer camp of the Jewish section of the IWO. In 1954, the IWO was shut down and its assets liquidated by the government, which had determined that it was a Communist organization. At that time, Camp Kinderland became an independent corporation.
While the registration process did not discriminate in favor of Jews, a large majority of campers were Jewish. While campers came from around the US, many were from the New York area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
, especially Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, where there was a kindershule, or secular school that teaches Jewish history and culture and progressive values (similar to the dozen Workmen's Circle Shuln) associated with the camp.
Social Values
Camp Kinderland promotes progressiveProgressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
social values through its cultural program. It is anti-death penalty, pro-labor union, and generally socialist. Every year it holds the Peace Olympics, where camp is evenly divided into four team
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
s, each representing a movement or nation that the camp's directors feel is advancing the progressive cause.
Politics
The camp's left-wing politics led it to be the place many red diaper babies were sent growing up, which caused it to be investigated during the McCarthy eraJoseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
. Many alumni of the camp remain committed to various socialist and anti-war causes, sometimes under the Kinderland banner.
Notable Kinderland Alumni
- Spencer AckermanSpencer AckermanSpencer Ackerman is an American national security reporter and blogger. He began his career at The New Republic and currently writes for Wired magazine's national security blog, ....
, progressive blogger - Chesa BoudinChesa BoudinChesa Boudin is an American progressive writer and lecturer, focused on Latin American issues. A Rhodes Scholar, he graduated from Yale Law School in 2011.-Early Life and Family:...
, author, activist and Rhodes Scholar - Lawrence BushLawrence BushLawrence Bush is the author of several books of Jewish fiction and non-fiction, including Waiting for God: The Spiritual Explorations of a Reluctant Atheist and Bessie: A Novel of Love and Revolution....
, editor, Jewish Currents - Jules DassinJules DassinJulius "Jules" Dassin , was an American film director, with Jewish-Russian origins. He was a subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, and subsequently moved to France where he revived his career.-Early life:...
, noted film director - Max KellermanMax KellermanMax Kellerman is an American boxing commentator and sports talk radio host based in Los Angeles. He currently appears as a color commentator on HBO World Championship Boxing and HBO Boxing After Dark and as of January 3, 2011, is hosting a midday talk show on 710 ESPN radio in Los Angeles.Prior...
, sports commentator - Michael KlonskyMichael KlonskyMichael Klonsky is an American educator, author, and political activist. He is known for his work with the Students for a Democratic Society, the New Communist Movement, and, later, the small schools movement.-Political activism:...
, education policy expert - Eric Mingus, poet and musician, son of Charles MingusCharles MingusCharles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
- Suze RotoloSuze RotoloSusan Elizabeth Rotolo , known as Suze Rotolo , was an American artist, but is perhaps best known as Bob Dylan's girlfriend between 1961 and 1964 and a strong influence on his music...
, artist and teacher - Sol SternSol SternSol Stern is a senior fellow with the conservative Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor to its quarterly magazine City Journal. He is the author of Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice , and has written extensively on education reform...
, senior fellow, Manhattan InstituteManhattan InstituteThe Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is a conservative, market-oriented think tank established in New York City in 1978 by Antony Fisher and William J... - Marisa TomeiMarisa TomeiMarisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
, actress - Merritt WeverMerritt Wever-Early life:She graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, and then Sarah Lawrence College. She trained in acting in New York and has appeared in Brooke Berman's play, Smashing and in Cavedweller with Deidre O'Connell, both Off Broadway.-Career:...
, actress - Lisa Geduldig, comedian
- Zayd Dohrn, playwright
- Ben ShuldinerBen ShuldinerBen Shuldiner is an American social activist and educator. Upon founding the High School for Public Service: Heroes of Tomorrow in Brooklyn, New York, he became the youngest high school Principal in New York state history. In 2005, he received the Jefferson Award for "Greatest Public Service by an...
, 2006 Democratic candidate for New York's 19th Congressional District - Peter Rothberg, Associate Publisher for The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
- Rachel Meeropol, Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional RightsCenter for Constitutional RightsAl Odah v. United States:Al Odah is the latest in a series of habeas corpus petitions on behalf of people imprisoned at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The case challenges the Military Commissions system’s suitability as a habeas corpus substitute and the legality, in general, of detention at...
and granddaughter of Julius and Ethel RosenbergJulius and Ethel RosenbergEthel Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to their passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union...
. - Dia Sokol, filmmaker
- Gabriel Zimmerman, Director of Community Outreach for Rep. Gabrielle Gifford, murdered on January 8th, 2011
See also
Itche GoldbergItche Goldberg
Itche Goldberg was a Yiddish writer of children's books, poet, librettist, educator, literary critic, camp director, publisher, fundraiser, essayist, literary editor, Yiddish language and culture scholar, and left-wing political activist...
(Contains a brief mention of shules.)
Kinderland's musical tradition is the subject of the blog, "Kinderslice Music," written by KassaNostra on blogspot.com.
Camp Kinderland is the subject of the film, "Another Camp is Possible," produced and directed by Katie Halper.