Camp Tawonga

Specialties

Camp Tawonga is the warm, welcoming Jewish summer camp where you belong. Located at the doorstep of Yosemite National Park, on the middle fork of the Tuolumne River, on 160 acres in the Stanislaus National Forest, we have been leaders in Jewish camping since 1925.

Campers ranging from 2^nd-​12^th grades can attend summer sessions at our Yosemite location, or can choose one of our Teen Adventure Quests that travel throughout Yosemite, California, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest.

Teens can also apply for leadership programs, like staff in training or Tawonga’s Teen Service Learning trip to Israel, a four week trip combining service, travel, and learning.

Tawonga also offers popular Family Camp weekends — four days of quintessential camp fun for the whole family including campfires, sing-​a-​longs, hiking and more.

Financial assistance and first time camper grants are available.

History

Established in 1925.

Camp Tawonga is a residential Jewish summer camp located a few miles west of Yosemite National Park. For more than 80 years, Tawonga has brought children and families together in nature through its wide array of programs. Tawonga’s mission focuses on building positive self-​esteem, creating a cooperative community, a partnership with nature, and fostering positive Jewish identity. The camp operates as a non-​profit service of the Jewish community and is affiliated with JCC movement camps.

Meet the Manager

Jamie S.

Manager

A Tawongan since 1990, Jamie Simon loves being the Camp Director at Camp Tawonga. She has worked with the agency for fifteen years in various capacities. She has a B.A. in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies from Sonoma State University. Jamie previously worked as the Prevention Education Director at United Against Sexual Assault in Sonoma County. In this role, Jamie traveled the country speaking with students and parents about sexual health. As Tawonga’s Camp Director, Jamie was a fellow in the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Executive Leadership Institute and participated in the Bureau of Jewish Education’s Shofar Fellowship. She also served as co-​chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Leader’s Assembly, a national conference for Jewish camp professionals. She loves working with youth, spending time with her friends and family, and is an avid fan of the San Jose Sharks.