Many Jewish parents choose to send their children to "Jewish" summer camp. But ask them, or even camp directors, to define a Jewish camp and you will hear a number of answers.

"Some say a Jewish camp is any place that has Jewish campers," says Steve Eller, director of Beth Tfiloh Camps. The private, non-profit camps Airy and Louise, for example, are known as Jewish camps because they were chartered for Jewish children 73 years ago and cater almost exclusively to Jewish campers. However, while they have Shabbat services and are "Kosher-style," parents who want their children to have a strong Jewish camping experience will send their kids elsewhere, says executive director Ed Cohen.

"When others say Jewish camp, they mean a place where their children can have a very intensive Jewish experience," Steve Eller adds. "Basically, parents have to know what they mean by Jewish camp.

"No one camp is perfect for everybody," Mr. Eller continues. "As value-laden as religion is, parents have to know what their relation to Judaism is."

To Mr. Eller, a Jewish camp might encompass seven aspects:

• General programming
• Special programming
• Staffing
• Dietary considerations
• Hebrew language
• Israeli culture
• Campers themselves

In terms of programming, says Mr. Eller, a Jewish camp such as Beth Tfiloh will try to incorporate Jewish content into as many areas of camp life as possible. "Judaism is not a subject as much as an atmosphere," he explains. "It affects all of our programming, from using Hebrew words to identify our groups and different camp sites, to having a treasure hunt and searching for the missing afikomen instead of a pot of gold."

When it comes to camp crafts, Jewish campers will learn about kosher outdoor cooking, while activities such as music and dance lend themselves especially well to a Judaic or Israeli theme.

"Adding a Jewish or Israeli element doesn't change the nature of the activity," says Mr. Eller. "Our major intent at camp is still recreational and educational. It just complements the camping experience."

Mr. Eller notes that staffing a Jewish camp presents a unique situation. "The staff at Beth Tfiloh, for example, is primarily Jewish," he observes, "unless the skill is more important than being Jewish. I'd rather have a highly skilled physical education instructor who is not Jewish, than a moderately skilled teacher who is Jewish. There aren't a lot of Jewish phys. ed. teachers around, so I do hire non-Jewish instructors."

Camp Milldale, operated by the Jewish Community Center of Baltimore, an agency of The Associated, is another day camp in Baltimore that considers itself a Jewish camp. Like Beth Tfiloh, Camp Milldale uses the Hebrew language to name the children's bunks and identify camp sites, incorporates Shabbat programming into its Friday afternoon activities, brings in visitors from Baltimore's sister city in Israel, Kiryat Gat, and emphasizes Israeli culture, such as folk dancing, songs, and the history and geography of Israel.

According to camp director Debbie Zylberberg, the campers also start each morning not only with the Pledge of Allegiance, but also with the singing of Hatikvah (the Israeli national anthem). In addition, the staffers stress such Jewish themes as charity by having the students from time to time bring in an extra lunch to be sent down to a shelter for the needy.

In an effort to make the campers' Jewish experience even more complete, this year camp staff from Milldale and Beth Tfiloh will meet with representatives of the Council on Jewish Education Services to learn how to expand their Jewish content.

"We think this is important," says Ms. Zylberberg, "because we have non-Jewish staff members, and we also have Jewish staffers who might not know as much as we should if we're going to teach our campers."

Parents who are looking for a residential Jewish camp also have a number of options throughout the country, including Habonim D'or Camp Moshava, located just outside Bel Air in Harford County.

"We're a camp that teaches Jewish values and Israeli culture," says Rachel Glaser, camp manager, noting that the camp's philosophy is one of labor Zionism.

Catering to children from 9 through 16, Camp Moshava is run as a kibbutz. "There are a lot of cooperative activities here, so the children learn to share and take responsibility," says Ms. Glaser. That includes daily chores such as planting, carpentry, sign painting, and kitchen duty.

"Our goal is to develop a sense of community among campers and staff, just like a kibbutz," Ms. Glaser explains.

The camp also has a Jewish staff, a Kosher kitchen, and emphasizes Israeli culture and Jewish values in all its programming. "The Judaic and Israeli aspects permeate the camp on an informal basis," says Ms. Glaser.

Perhaps surprisingly, Camp Moshava's young residents come from a variety of religious backgrounds, from the "very liberal to the very traditional," from those not involved at all Judaically to kids from day schools and congregational schools.

"For some of our campers," Ms. Glaser observes, "this is the only Jewish involvement they have. That's why it's important to us to give them a positive Jewish experience and to teach them Judaically."

According to Lenny Silberman, a consultant on camping services to the national Jewish Community Centers Association (JCCA) in New York, the Jewish experience provided at Beth Tfiloh, Milldale, and Moshava, is part of a national trend. Of 17 communally sponsored Jewish overnight camps (out of 30 in the United States) that responded to a 1993 JCCA survey, all reported that they had a Jewish educator or rabbi on staff.

Mr. Silberman says an "interesting phenomenon" is going on. Most camps have Jewish staff, Jewish programming, and Jewish daily activities, such as saying a blessing before meals and afterwards, and having a Jewish word for the day. The best learning is accomplished, Mr. Silberman says, when the Jewish staff members "just walk around camp, talking to kids informally gives the children a different perspective."

"It can't be a Jewish camp today without this element," Mr. Silberman says. He also believes that it can't be a Jewish camp without an extensive Shabbat experience.

"There clearly needs to be a difference in the day, from Friday afternoon preparations for Shabbat to Saturday evening Havdallah." The programs, activities, even leisure time, he says, must point to Shabbat as a special time of the week.

That is an important bonus. Harvey Finkelberg, the executive director of Fresh Air Society, which runs the Jewish Camp Tamarack in Detroit, believes that the Jewish events trigger the strongest response from campers.

"Years later," he says, "our former campers tell us about our Shabbat, Havdallah, or Tisha b' Av program they experienced."

Steve Eller of Beth Tfiloh Camps sums up the Jewish camp experience by saying, "It's one place in the Jewish community where kids can mix in a positive way with other Jewish youngsters from a variety of backgrounds – Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, even unaffiliated. They get to learn about each other and have fun in a Jewish atmosphere."

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This article originally appeared in the Baltimore Jewish Times.