Our Nonprofit Mission
Since 1935
The Cohen Camps 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.
We are a community of positive role models who help our youth explore their Jewish identity and experience the joy of their Jewish heritage. Our campers and counselors leave camp determined to sustain Judaism and the Jewish People, and are committed to contributing responsibly to their world.
How We Operate
As nonprofit 501c3 organizations, the Cohen Camps are managed by professional leadership and a Board of Trustees. Tuition supports the year-round and summer costs of creating a fantastic Jewish camping experience. Donations play a critical role, providing scholarship assistance to 1-in-4 camp families and supporting counselor professional development, major facility enhancements, and more. Contributions to camp are tax-deductible as allowed by law. We are grateful to every camp family and every donor for your partnership in this nonprofit mission.
Two nonprofit names.
One organization.
The Cohen Camps are set up as two independent nonprofits which operate together as a single entity.
Each camp maintains its own financial records. That’s why all payments and donations go through one of the camps—into its appropriate nonprofit—rather than “The Cohen Camps” generally.
- Camp Pembroke, located in MA, operates under
Eli and Bessie Cohen Camps of Massachusetts, Inc., with Tax ID 04-6003680 - Camp Tel Noar and Camp Tevya, located in NH, operate under
Eli and Bessie Cohen Camps, with Tax ID 04-6152862 - Gifts to “The Cohen Camps” get split proportionally among all three camps.
“Cohen Camps Foundation”?
Alumni from 1965-2006 may recall that the organization was called the “Eli and Bessie Cohen Foundation.” This was never an endowment to fund the camps. In fact, it was the opposite. During those years, camp tuition generated funds which were then donated to support Jewish organizations in the US and Israel. Since 2004, all funds received by the camps—tuition, donations, and any other sources—get invested in the camp experience at Pembroke, Tel Noar, and Tevya. Changing the name to “The Cohen Camps” in 2006 confirmed this switch.
