The Cohen Camps are committed to building an inclusive, caring Jewish experience of belonging where young people thrive. Where children and teens gain friendships that last all year and forever. Where we joyfully celebrate our Jewish identity, amid spirited community and caring role models.
At Camps Pembroke, Tel Noar, and Tevya, belonging lives in every song, cheer, sunset, laugh, camp tradition, late-night bunk talk, grilled cheese sandwich, and hug. Belonging at camp becomes our life-long touchstone for confidence, leadership, togetherness, and Jewish connection.
Thank you for belonging
to the Cohen Camps family.
In this difficult year since October 7th, the Cohen Camps family has shared hope, solace, togetherness, and ways to help. We mourn the lives lost, including that of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l, a treasured participant in Dor L’Dor 2017. We pray for the safe return of the remaining hostages. And we long for an end to suffering and the rebirth of peace for all.
A Taste of
Summer 2024
campers
812
teens
106
counselors + staff
409
Summer 2024 starred love, growth, and sisterhood. We added programming with more culinary and STEM activities, a Color War with an Amazing Race, and a new, lakeside nature space for more fishing, fire-building, yoga, and outdoor cooking. In every shared meal, late-night cheer, and friendship walk, our hearts swelled with pride. We cherished moments of kindness and leadership—like the campers who stayed after the impromptu rain plan to help move benches. We hugged tight the alumnae who returned to celebrate 90 years. Each day we felt the strength and spirit that define our camp family.
What a summer! From celebrations in the renovated Outdoor Chapel to golf in the Dell, every day brought adventure and connection. Popular new programs included Culinary Arts (food art! shakshuka competitions!) and innovative Jewish Life + Learning electives for older campers (like pickle-making, hot topics, and Taylor Swift). Our Tikvah (hope)-themed Color War returned, complete with messy Mud Gaga. The 4th of July carnival featured laughter and fireworks over Sunset Lake. Bunks 8/18 emerged as true leaders, inspiring us all. Campers returned home with full hearts and endless stories.
Tevya Spirit shone. On the shores of Lake Potanipo, friendships deepened and new skills took root. We played pickleball, learned fire-building, and cheered each other on in the Banana Olympics. Every week, we embraced core values—like Leadership, Wisdom, and Inclusion—which campers and staff brought to life. Alumni reconnected to celebrate 85 years, and their generosity made possible the Cheri Lynne Levine Stage and a new makerspace. The summer’s last Shabbat filled us with pride as the oldest campers shared how they have grown in their years here.
This year, we journeyed through Portugal and Spain instead of Israel. Our teens felt Jewish history echo in Lisbon and Porto's ancient streets. In Belmonte, we learned about the Crypto-Jews who preserved their secret faith for centuries. In the Kadoorie Synagogue, we encountered resilience and survival. In a powerful evening in Porto, we heard from those impacted by the current war in Israel, deepening understanding and connection. Each moment added a chapter to the story of Jewish history our teens now carry with them.
Kadima teens learned, bonded, and worked with campers in their roles as CITs/CAs and Junior Counselors. Our teens earned certifications in tMHFA (teen Mental Health First Aid) and Cohen Camps Bullying Prevention. They learned from alumni in a Speaker Series about building wisdom and passions in life on the foundation of a camp counselor experience. At Tevya, they organized Casino night and Water Carnival. At Tel Noar, they taught the value of positive speech. At Pembroke, they recorded each bunk’s history in a time capsule. Together, they were positive role models all summer!
"This camp is everything to my daughter. She literally counts down the entire year until she is back. Camp Pembroke has played a tremendous role in her upbringing; I will be forever indebted. Her bond with camp friends is unmatched by any relationship at school. Her sense of belonging, community and Jewish identity is incredible. She is a confident, proud, loving Jewish teen thanks to all that Camp Pembroke has given her.
"Both of our children feel they belong to the greater community at Tel Noar: they are part of their age group, and also connect with all different ages throughout camp. This connection builds a confidence in them they carry throughout the year."
"As long as we have been sending our kids to Tevya, we have always said that what makes it special and unique (and what we truly value) is the culture around friendship, confidence, and respect. Our son comes back from camp feeling amazing about himself and the relationships that he has fostered."
"The Dor L'Dor experience is hugely important in forming lifelong friendships and Jewish community that extends beyond camp. It gave my son confidence in making new friends and going out of his comfort zone."
"I feel like I belong at camp because Tel Noar is a very welcoming community. Throughout the year, I stay in touch with my camp friends and can't wait for the summer. Kadima showed me a different sense of belonging at camp, as I was able to see another side of how camp works, take responsibility, build memories, and form bonds with staff."
Alumni/ae
Celebrations + Reunions
Reunion guests
855
alums worldwide
6K+
of donors are alums
36%
Friends, Friends,
we will always be...
Hundreds of Tevya alumni and their families gathered to celebrate all that camp has given us for 85 years: friends, memories, Jewish identity, and a forever home on Lake Potanipo.
Hundreds of alumnae reminisced with song, dance, and yes even coffee cake. We swayed in the Pine Grove, banged on the tables, lined up for flag, and walked hand-in-hand through camp.
Philanthropy makes all the difference for scholarships, facilities, programs, counselor professional development, and more.
unique donors
1199
2x last year!
generous gifts
2038
2x last year!
first-time gifts
411
5x last year!
$1,000+ donors
74
1.7x last year!
You enhanced security
by stepping forward to meet the big, urgent, and unanticipated need for more gates and fences, radios, outdoor cameras, expert training, and overnight patrols. Thank you!
of camp families received financial assistance from The Cohen Camps, thanks to your generous donations.
Families who received scholarships say...
"Oh my goodness, receiving financial assistance was hugely helpful in making my daughter's "best summer ever" a reality. The extra financial help for camp meant so, so much to us. Thank you! Seriously, thank you."
"The Cohen Camps funding was essential to my child being able to participate in DLD. She simply would not have been able to go without the generosity of Cohen Camps donors. DLD feels like the pinnacle of the camp experience and it would have been devastating to her to miss it."
"It means the world! Not sure if it would be possible to send the kids at all without it, and certainly not possible to send them full summer. And it’s the highlight of their year."
"There are so many kids who may not get to experience what it’s like to sing, laugh, and bond with other Jewish kids if not for these scholarships, including our kids. It is so important and so very much appreciated. Thank you."
2024 Donor Honor Rolls
Gifts in Fiscal Year 2024
(October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2024)
We have tried to list everyone correctly! If you would like your listing to appear differently, please email development@cohencamps.org.
Leadership Gifts
Camp Pembroke
Camp Tel Noar
Camp Tevya
Cohen Camps
Tzaddikim (Exceptional Leaders): Our Challenge Match Partners $85,000+
JCamp180®, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and its Forward Together matching challenge
Three camps, three lakes, and another magical summer.
From the President
Dear Cohen Camps family,
The success of Summer 2024 BELONGS to YOU, the campers, teens, staff, families, alumni, and friends of Camps Pembroke, Tel Noar, and Tevya.
Thanks to your energy, caring, and partnership, young people get to cultivate friendships, Jewish identity, and lifelong community. To discover their voices and become confident, compassionate leaders. To connect with the people and culture of Israel. To feel they belong in every song, every cheer, every skill, every tradition, every day.
We hope you have found inspiration and your own sense of belonging in this 2024 Cohen Camps Impact Report: a snapshot of how you have shaped our nonprofit camps, and how deeply we appreciate your support.
Jonathan
Jonathan Cohen, Third-generation President, The Cohen Camps
To enrich children’s lives by encouraging Jewish youth to be comfortable and confident in themselves so that they can connect positively with others and the world they live in.
The Cohen Camps have earned a Platinum Seal of Transparency! This means you can see our nonprofit goals, metrics, and achievements—and donate with confidence: