In Camp Kimama’s international summer camps, you will see boys and girls in their teens from Israel, the U.S., Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. They dream of returning to sail off the shores of Michmoret Beach, training dogs at the foot of the Carmel Mountains, cooking with leading Israeli chefs and singing to the strum of acoustic guitars around a bonfire, the full summer moon glowing overhead.
It all started 15 years ago, when Camp Kimama Founder Ronen Hoffman contacted Avishay Nachon and Deddy Paz about partnering together to re-create the North American summer camp experience in Israel. They and a group of Israeli educators, counselors and shlichim (Israelis who served as emissaries abroad) came together and established Camp Kimama. A year later, the team was joined by Evan Muney, the camp’s “American partner,” who ended up falling so deeply in love with Israel, he soon after made Aliyah. Instead of establishing another traditional Israeli camp in a JNF forest, these die-hard summer camp devotees strove to build a powerful and exciting summertime adventure for youths from around the world in Israel.
In the years since Kimama’s launch, the camp has undergone much change and development to become one of Israel’s elite and enriching summer camps. “During the early years, we developed the product we now call Kimama,” Nachon says. “The message we aim to give across and what sort of atmosphere we create at camp. We looked to experienced camps in America and continuously learned, improved and upgraded the Kimama experience to one that changes youths lives for the better.”
Nachon ultimately chose to relocate to New York, to be closer to the camp’s client base and better develop Camp Kimama as a business in America. “America is where our audience is,” he explains. “The best way to communicate with this audience is to be here and live in the community, listen to their needs and provide a better service. And, as part of Kimama’s growth trajectory, we are currently working on developing camps for Jewish and Israeli youths in the New York area. It’s what’s best for the Kimama family.”
Bonds that last a lifetime
Today, Camp Kimama has become synonymous with a powerful and unforgettable summertime experience for thousands of youths. Kimama’s international camps create a world-wide web of interconnected youths, who bond in summer and forge deep friendships, as well as a sense of family and community. A new international Jewish youth group of sorts, active year-round and anchored in the heart of Israel. The bonds that form at Kimama in summer – last a lifetime.
