Controversy Erupts Over Canceled Camping Trip Tied to Israel

A prestigious private school has called off a much-loved camping trip for its students, igniting anger among parents. Prospect Sierra School, a K-12 institution located in the East Bay, has ended its long-term partnership with Camp Tawonga, a Jewish summer camp that has been operating for a century, primarily due to its connections to Israel.

This decision came after several parents and students expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as Tawonga’s “alignment” with the Israeli state. As a result, the school canceled its yearly middle school camp, which typically takes place near Yosemite.

The camp, which has employed shlichim—young Israeli representatives post-military service—did not comply with requests to make any political statements regarding the ongoing Gaza war.

Administrators at the $42,000-per-year Prospect Sierra sent a memo to seventh- and eighth-grade parents back in January, asserting that visiting the camp was adversely impacting students’ “identity security.” Principal Nisa Frank acknowledged in a message that the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza heavily affects many within the school community.

In her message, Frank noted, “While our partnership with Tawonga Camp has brought joy over the past three years, we find it essential to listen to and respect the lived experiences of our students.”

This decision has reportedly left some families astonished and has created divisions within the tightly-knit school community. Jewish families, in particular, feel that the decision is an unfair attack on Jewish institutions and conveys a troubling message to students.

Since the cancellation, the school has been working to mend the situation, collaborating with the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) to support affected families and provide “Jewish Cultural Literacy” workshops for school leaders and board members.

The JCRC stated that they have been actively engaging with the Prospect Sierra community to address concerns from Jewish families who feel marginalized and are urging school leadership to reconsider its policies on identity, inclusion, and anti-Semitism.

However, some parents feel the attempts at reconciliation have not fully succeeded. A Jewish parent expressed in a letter that similar arguments resurfaced during the restoration process, tying Tawonga to broader Middle Eastern conflicts, and expressed discomfort with Jewish-Israeli identified spaces and symbols.

What was originally just a camping trip has now evolved into a focal point in America’s culture wars, leaving students stuck in the middle.