Back at the lake and canteen: Jewish campers express relief just 'getting to be kids again'

(JNS) - The countdown started weeks ago, and it's finally time for many to return to sleep-away camp after a year of lockdowns, Zoom school, and separation from friends and family amid a worldwide pandemic.

"I'm so happy! It'll be so nice to see everyone," said 14-year-old Eliana Menasha, who calls herself a "full-on camper" and noted that "last year was kind of hard."

While camps in parts of the South and the Midwest have been operating for several weeks now, most Jewish camps in the Northeast and West Coast welcomed campers the week before the Fourth of July and this week. While many things...