Administrators at Jewish sleepaway camps say they discourage campers from getting frisky with each other. But former campers tell a different story, of counselors who turned a blind eye or even gently egged their campers on. The unspoken subtext, they say, is Jewish continuity. Like a PG version of Taglit-Birthright Israel — during which Jewish somethings are known to fall for each other while they fall in love with Israel — Jewish summer camps acquaint adolescents with their religious tradition, but also with each other. Many former campers say they had their earliest romantic episodes at camp, paving the way for adult relationships with other Jews. Today, hooking up at camp is a hallmark of the American Jewish youth experience. Michael, 24, a former counselor who for privacy reasons asked that his real name not be used, recalls a camper who asked him for an extra 10 minutes of hill time to be with her boyfriend on his birthday; he obliged. Jonathan Hess, 19, a former camper and counselor there, recalls a post-Sabbath tisch, an after-dinner social gathering. Even so, there is evidence that individuals who go to Jewish sleepaway camp are more likely to marry within the faith. Camp administrators, meanwhile, see the hookup culture as hindering the Jewish sleepaway camp experience.
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