FAQs

The majority of our campers are from Maryland, Virginia and D.C. We also have campers from many other regions in the U.S. from California to Florida and all along the east coast.

Camps Airy & Louise is an independent Jewish organization, which means regardless of your family’s Jewish identity, you’re welcomed into our community. We have campers and families who are Jews of color, queer, interfaith, and more. Here are some additional ways we celebrate Judaism at camp:

• Our meals are served Kosher-style.
• Each camp comes together on Friday night and Saturday morning for Shabbat Services led by campers and staff, using our Camps Airy & Louise prayer books.
• At Camp Airy, we wear white shirts and kippot are optional for services. At Camp Louise, we wear all white Friday evening and Saturday morning.
• Each week, we focus on a ‘Middah of the Week’. This is a positive value that we highlight and recognize some campers for showing. Middot include friendship, empathy, teamwork and similar traits.
• Each summer we recruit and hire a group of Israeli counselors, Shlichim, who come primarily to be bunk counselors. They are able to share a unique perspective on global Judaism with our campers and staff.
• Many of our “homegrown” counselors practice various levels of Judaism at home.

All campers follow a daily schedule of both bunk-based assigned activities and personal choice activities. Younger campers are intentionally provided a schedule with a wide variety of activities, so that they get exposure to many new things at camp. Some campers don’t know they’ll end up loving a new activity until they try it alongside their bunkmates in a positive and encouraging environment, like we have at camp!

As campers get older, their schedule slowly shifts towards having more personal choice activities. Senior and Trainee campers have the ability to sign up for Clinics or Workshops which are multi-day in-depth sessions designed for campers who really want to develop more advanced skills in the chosen area.

Camps Airy & Louise get together about once per week and sometimes more, with special events like a carnival. Campers of the same age group at Airy & Louise may go on an out-of-camp trip once per session (fun activities, such as bowling or roller skating), and also have a dance or two in camp during their session.

A typical bunk has between 12-16 campers, and most bunks have 3 counselors. Our oldest and most independent campers, our Trainees, may have 2-3 counselors depending on the summer and number of campers.

Staff come to camp from a variety of sources. Some of them are “homegrown” meaning they grew up at camp and are incredibly enthusiastic about giving back to the community that helped raise them. Many homegrown staff participated in our three-year “Trainee” program in high school, which provides general leadership skills as well as insight into how to be an excellent counselor and role model at camp.

Other staff members are referred to us by current counselors, or through international hiring agencies. We typically hire staff each year from Israel, the U.K. and the rest of Europe, and sometimes from other continents like South America, Australia, and more.

All staff are of high school graduate age, and undergo intensive interviews, background checks, and training in the months and weeks leading up to camp.

We offer a diverse, balanced, and kid-friendly menu. Breakfast on most days includes staples like eggs, cereal, milk, yogurt and fruit. There will also be rotating additional items like pancakes, waffles, bagels, french toast, hash browns, and more!

Lunch and dinner may include meals like grilled cheese and tomato soup, pizza, chicken nuggets, varied sandwiches and wraps, hamburgers and hot dogs, pasta dishes, stir-fries and more! We offer fruits and vegetables at all lunches and dinners, in addition to our salad bar.

Lunch and dinner also always offer a plain pasta station with butter or margarine or red sauce on the side, and a peanut butter* and jelly station. Nut-alternative butter is available too.

All meals are served Kosher-Style. This means we do not serve pork, shellfish, etc. or serve meat and dairy together. Some products we serve may not have a hechsher.

We are proud to be able to accommodate most alternative diets, like vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. We can also support most campers with a variety of food allergies.

*Peanut butter at the PB&J station is the only nut product served at camp.

We do not offer a visiting day; however, there will be lots of updates available for parents on a regular basis, including daily photos, weekly director’s blogs, and a few emails from Division Heads and Unit Leaders sent to parents each week. We are taking great care of your children while they are with us, and it will be very exciting to reunite with them at the end of the session!

Yes. We are proud to uphold the values of our founders, Aaron and Lillie Straus, who decided that no camper should ever be denied a Jewish camp experience due to financial hardships. For more information or to apply for a campership, visit our Financial Support/Campership page.

In most Camp Airy bunks, there is a connected bathroom with sinks, stalls and urinals. Our younger campers live in these types of bunks. The showers at Camp Airy are in separate buildings, with every four bunks sharing a shower house. Older campers sleep in bunks that use a nearby bathroom/shower house instead.

At Camp Louise, every bunk has two showers, two toilets, and two sinks as part of the bunk.

Both camps have public bathrooms throughout camp as well.

Laundry occurs weekly at both camps. Counselors help campers during designated times to properly pack up dirty clothes and unpack clean clothes after they return.

Right here! There is one packing list for each camp, and it includes everything a camper needs to bring to camp. The packing list applies to all sessions.

At Camp Airy, each camper gets a bunk bed, a drawer underneath, a cubby, and space in a storage closet for larger items. In the older bunks, campers get a set of drawers, closet space, and room under the bunk beds.

At Camp Louise, each camper gets a bed, shared space underneath the beds, a set of drawers, and shared closet space.

Safety is at all times our top priority, and sometimes accidents happen. If it’s a scrape, a bee sting, upset stomach, or most anything else, campers and staff can see our team of doctors and nurses at camp. We are proud to say both camps have medical teams 24 hours per day, every day of the summer, which exceed the standards set by the American Camp Association (ACA) and Maryland Youth Camp Safety Act (MYCSA) statutes.

Our camp gates are staffed by armed security from our partner Defender One, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, all summer long. Security staff and other supervisors regularly make surveillance rounds throughout camp, including at night.

All camp staff have digital IDs on their phones, which expire at the end of each summer. ID scans are required on entry and exit from camp. Other camp guests are screened by security staff and approved by the camp directors upon entry to our grounds.

We train for and perform drills with counselors and campers for emergency situations each summer.

We are, for the most part, a “screen-free” camp. Campers may not bring cell phones, tablets, smart watches, gaming systems, or anything that connects to the internet or has games on it. One of the best parts of camp is getting to “unplug” and focus on all of the amazing activities and people surrounding campers on a daily basis.

We do recognize that music is an important and fun part of some camper routines. We do allow screenless music players and headphones at camp.

Some campers bring approved rechargeable items like fans, flashlights, screenless music players, etc. There are outlets in every bunk, but not one for every camper to always have access to. Battery powered devices and extra batteries are best! Campers share outlets, and typically everyone is able to charge all of the things they have to charge. Some items, like hearing aids, may get priority access to outlets.

Camp communication with your child is best managed by writing letters. There’s nothing like receiving a good old-fashioned handwritten letter at camp! You can also use the email feature in our family portal, Camp InTouch. The email will be printed and delivered with the following day’s mail. Campers do not have access to make or receive phone calls. If the need for urgent communication arises, please call our office at 410-466-9010, or contact your child’s Unit Leader or Division Head by email. You’ll receive contact information as soon as each session starts.

At the end of each session, every family is sent home with a unit directory, containing contact information for all of the campers in their child’s unit (grade) at camp. There is an opt-out option, so there is a chance some campers may not appear in the directory.