Frequently Asked Questions
All campers and staff must be up to date on their immunizations and submit immunization records before the start of camp.
Moshava Ba’ir is located on the beautiful Ida Crown Jewish Academy campus at 8233 Central Park Ave, Skokie, IL 60076.
Moshava Ba’ir is for children entering kindergarten through entering 6th grade. Our program is carefully and thoughtfully developed to be age and developmentally appropriate for these ages across the board, from swim and sports, to chinuch, specialties and arts.
Campers at Moshava Ba’ir enjoy a rich and well-rounded experience. Each day will include daily instructional & free swim, sports (basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, football) specialties (music, dance, arts & crafts, baking, gardening, nature, fitness and more), and our unique experiential education program. All campers enjoy a full camp experience, and our tailored scheduling allows for more sports-weighted schedules for bunks that enjoy sports and specialty-weighted schedules for others.
Our goal is for all chanichim to enjoy the benefits of swimming every day. We are working diligently behind the scenes to establish a convenient and consistent way for this to happen. In the interim, chanichim will have the opportunity to swim twice a week at Godlfish Swim School. We are committed to keeping you informed and will provide updates as soon as any changes to the swimming schedule occur.
Our bunks range in size from 8-15 campers each, with at least 2 counselors per bunk. We have 3 Eidot. Eida Aleph is campers going into kindergarten and first grade. Eida Bet is campers going into second and third grade. Eida Gimel is campers going into 4th, 5th and 6th grades. Each Eidah (division) has its own division head ( Rosh Eidah). . Our Rosh Moshava (Head Counselor) and Sgan Rosh Moshava (Assistant Head Counselors) oversee the Roshei Edah. This camp structure allows each child to feel at home and cared for, while enjoying the excitement of being part of a big program!
Our bunks are separate gender, with the exception of campers entering kindergarten, which is co–ed.
Our counselors, or madrichim as we call them, are energetic and responsible teens who are currently in high school. They are selected for their enthusiasm and commitment to creating a positive camp experience.
Before our campers (chanichim) arrive, all madrichim participate in a rigorous and engaging training program. This initial training equips them with the necessary skills and knowledge to support and guide our campers effectively. Furthermore, their development continues throughout the camp season with weekly training sessions and daily feedback from experienced mentors.
Our madrichim are deeply aware of the significant and positive impact they can have on their chanichim. They are inspired to help campers grow in areas such as ahavat yisrael (love of Israel/fellow Jews) and self-esteem, fostering a supportive and enriching environment for all.
Our youngest group ( Kindergarten) have adult counselors ( Morahs) plus 2 high school counselors.
We believe that Moshava Ba’ir offers the oldest, strongest, best trained, and best supported madrichim of any day camp out there!
Each Eidah will take trips over the summer.. Examples of trips include Ultimate ninja, Legoland, Santas Village and Pirates Cove.On campus events include carnivals with blow ups, petting zoos, and concerts. One highlight of the summer for our older campers (entering 4th – 6th grade) is the opportunity to go on an overnight to Camp Moshava Wild Rose, Wild Rose, WI.*
Moshava Ba’ir offers an excellent sports program that includes baseball, basketball, soccer, football, hockey, volleyball, gaga and dodgeball.Every effort is made to ensure that sports activities are age and developmentally appropriate, and are structured to incorporate instruction, play, and competition. Our huge air conditioned gym means full sports even on rainy days!
As a Bnei Akiva camp, we love the sun, outdoors, and nature. Our beautiful campus features a baseball diamond, soccer and football fields, track and field, garden We are also uniquely well prepared for inclement weather, and our campers enjoy a full program of activities even on the occasional rainy or very hot day. The Ida Crown campus offers an enormous air conditioned gym including basketball courts, indoor hockey, soccer, and dodgeball.
Moshava Ba’ir is a nut–sensitive camp. The food that we serve contains no trace of peanuts or tree–nuts, and our policy is that any food sent along with your children to camp contain no nuts or trace of nuts. If food that contains nuts is brought by a child into camp, we will replace it with a nut–free equivalent.
At Moshava Ba’ir, we believe deeply in the unique Bnei Akiva culture of camping as a learning and growing experience. One important manifestation of this is the camp “Noseh” or educational program. Throughout the summer, our endlessly creative staff employ art, music, dance, and theater to re–create and re–experience powerful moments and places of our history. We have a daily “chinuch” activity that campers love, facilitated by an exciting and dynamic staff of young educators. In past summers, we enjoyed a camp-wide scavenger hunt for Shaul’s donkeys, we learned to make slings to fight Goliath with David, we met a real harpist and wrote our own Tehillim, we experienced a full-on archaeological dig, and we built a room-size Bet Hamikdash out of Lego with David Hamelech!
Our number one priority at Moshava Ba’ir is always the safety and security of your children. Ida Crown is located in Skokie on a quiet street. We control access to the grounds at all times. We are staffed by full time security guards (armed). In addition to the experienced camp professionals running the program and the many staff with CPR and First Aid training, we employ a full time nurse as camp health director for the summer.
Yes! Moshava Ba’ir is looking to hire excellent staff for multiple positions, including senior positions, counselors, specialty staff, and lifeguards. Please find the staff page to learn more or apply here.
Our application process is first–come, first–served. Once an age group is full, applicants are placed on a waiting list. In the event that space becomes available, spots in the program are allocated on a first come, first–served basis. When multiple applicants are in the same position on the waiting list, spots are allocated by lottery. In all cases, we will not cash an applicant’s deposit check if we cannot offer the applicant a place in the program.
