A Community Letter from Ben Portnoy, Executive Director of the Cohen Camps: Thank you for all the kind notes and encouragement you’ve sent since we shared the news of Jonathan Cohen’s upcoming retirement. My goal looking forward to enhance what makes each camp special while fortifying our shared heart and mission: creating camp communities of life-long belonging fueled by Jewish values where youth, teens, and adults grow into their best selves.

From Renée Goldberg, M.D., Chair, Cohen Camps Board of Directors: I’m writing with deep appreciation to share some big news: this fall, after 21 years of leadership, Jonathan Cohen will step down as President and CEO of the Cohen Camps. Starting October 1, Executive Director Ben Portnoy will step into the top leadership role.

Our Israeli family’s love story with the “Cohen Camps Family” סיפור האהבה של המשפחה שלי עם “משפחת כהן קמפ” Guest post by Shira Dekalo, parent of three Israeli campers, one at each of the three Cohen Camps. פוסט אורח מאת שירה דקלו, אמא לשלושה חניכים ישראלים, אחד בכל אחד משלושת מחנות כהן. READ THIS POST […]

Dear Cohen Camps families, Every summer, the Cohen Camps welcome staff from Israel (shlichim) who play a vital role in our mission as Zionist camps. They come to us ready to embrace our camp culture just as we embrace them, enriching the community with their experiences and deepening our connection to Israel. Since October 7, […]

Dear Cohen Camps families, When I was a kid, my mom would prompt me to tell her about my school day by asking me to share three highlights, “not including lunch and recess.” As a parent of a toddler, I’m now on the other side of that question. I want to know everything he did […]

Shabbat Shalom from Barcelona! After a Shabbat visit to the Prado Art Museum and a spirited Havdalah Shira at a park in Madrid, it was time to begin the final week of our Dor L’Dor experience in Spain. We began the new week with a day trip to Toledo, about an hour from Madrid. Toledo […]

Shabbat Shalom from Sunset Lake! I hope this message finds you well. As we head into Shabbat following our first full week of camp, I wanted to share a little about the amazing week we’ve had and some of its highlights. As mentioned in our email a few days ago, this week’s focus has been […]

Summer 2023 has officially begun at Camp Tel Noar and the town of Hampstead has a renewed buzz about it. We kicked off the week Wednesday, dodging the rain during drop-off, only to find ourselves enjoying an afternoon of liquid sunshine while we unpacked, caught up with old friends, and introduced ourselves to new ones. […]

There is so much about camp that sticks with a person throughout the year and throughout their lives. Shabbat at camp is a time of reflection, community and spending time with friends in a slower-paced setting…nothing compares! We invited counselors from the past to write to camp about what camp means to them, and what […]

We love asking current and past staff members about their experiences at camp to gain some insight and perspective on what makes Tel Noar so beloved. They tell amazing stories of lifelong friendships, memories about gamedays and Color War, and fun anecdotes about living in chugs (our connected-style bunks) and being a part of a […]