Social Justice
At Tavor, the value of social justice is central to everything we do. We act on this value by educating about injustices in society, and our power to change them. We believe in a more just world!
Inclusion of Interfaith Families
Camp Tavor strives to create an inclusive Jewish community, where families of all kinds, including interfaith families, feel comfortable, affirmed, and fully included.
At Tavor, we provide opportunities for chanichinot (campers) to share their Jewish practices from home and engage with a variety of new Jewish experiences at camp. Our community members come from a wide range of religious and cultural communities. We ask community members to not make assumptions about the ways in which others are Jewish or practice Judaism, but instead to learn from each other and our rich and varied histories.
Racial Justice
Like the broader Jewish community, the Tavor camper cohort is becoming more racially diverse. We celebrate the experiences and histories that make all of our campers who they are. To create a welcoming space for campers of color, our tzevet members receive diversity training that includes: understanding child development and how children build race consciousness; how to create and implement effective racial equity-focused programming and other age-appropriate educational content; and facilitation skills to ensure that campers of color are not responsible for doing the work of educating their peers about race and racism.
Past programs have allowed campers to explore topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement; the Potawatomi peoples on whose ancestral land Tavor now resides; the school-to-prison pipeline; immigration policy; and Judaism as the foundation for being an anti-racism advocate.
LGBTQIA+
Tavor embraces and affirms campers, staff, and families of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. Children and staff are encouraged to challenge gender stereotypes and express their true selves in a safe, understanding, and accepting environment. In addition to the traditional boy and girl housing and bathrooms, we also offer all-gender housing and bathroom options.
Habonim Dror is a camping industry leader in gender-inclusive practices. Our innovative efforts in using non-gendered Hebrew at all our HDNA camps has also been highlighted in a Washington Post article.
Pronouns
Tavor uses the practice of identifying the gender pronouns that each member of our community uses during introductions and as we get to know one another. By doing this we create more comfort and safety for community members of all gender identities. For more information on terminology (including pronouns) from Keshet, “a national organization that works for full LGBTQ equality and inclusion in Jewish life,” please visit the Keshet website: https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/whats-in-a-pronoun/