ABOUT US
Our Mission
Camp Rodef Shalom fosters friendships, relationships, and community by providing fun and engaging experiences in a safe environment. By living Jewish values, we give our families opportunities to strengthen our Jewish connections.
What We Do
Throughout the summer, our campers are learning about good sportsmanship, teamwork, positivity, generosity, and enthusiasm.
We teach about the value of strong friendships and generosity instead of numbers and spelling. We teach adaptability and improvisation instead of facts and statistics. We emphasize character and joy, community and cooperation, respect and flexibility.
While we do have prizes for winners of some of our bigger events, even losing the week-long color war competition provides our campers the opportunity to cheer on others and to learn empathy, consideration, and resilience.
Our History
Camp Rodef Shalom was organized in 1976 by Rabbi Laszlo Berkowits, the founding Rabbi of Temple Rodef Shalom, with the purpose of helping children stay connected with TRS during summer months. A month-long program of sports, swimming, arts and crafts, music and dance was developed within the context of a Jewish social experience.
Flo Frey became camp director in 1978, with an enrollment of around 60 campers ages four through twelve. Flo was the creator of our camp song “On the Line” which we still sing at camp today.
Over the last 42 years, Camp Rodef Shalom has grown beyond what anyone could have imagined back in 1976. In recent years, in addition to our classic specialties of Sports, Art, Swimming, and Music, we have included Drama, Mad Science, Outdoor Adventures, and Cooking!
Year Round Staff
Megan O'Briant Camp Director
Megan O’Briant has worked at camp for the past 9 summers and is so excited to take on this new leadership role at camp full time! She attended University of the Sciences for her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology and East Stroudsburg University for her master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology. Her passion for the sciences served her well as head mad science specialist for several years. Megan’s favorite camp memory was of being Color War Captain. Megan loves Camp Rodef Shalom’s community and is ready to be the first line of communication for families and friends. In her free time, Megan loves spending time with friends and family, playing soccer and pickleball, and trying new shows (hit her up if you want to talk about survivor). Megan is also a huge board game nerd and is always down for a game night!
Camp Rodef Shalom is a day camp in the heart of Falls Church, Virginia with over 40 years of history. We are one of the largest day camps in the area!
With campers ranging in age from 4 to 13 years old, we offer a wide variety of activities and trips throughout the summer.
Main Session
Our 5-week Main Session provides campers and staff the time to build long-lasting relationships that carry on through their years as part of the community at Temple Rodef Shalom.
Bonus Week
Our 1-week Bonus Week is an optional week that can be added to Main Session or attended on its own.
Why worry about a different camp schedule every week?
Camp Rodef Shalom takes care of your whole summer!
Activities at Camp
Art
We offer a wide range of arts and crafts projects for campers in grades Pre K through 8. Projects range from decorating clay pots and painting, to friendship bracelets and lanyards!
Music
We love music at Camp Rodef Shalom! Music can be found all over camp, whether it is learning a new lyrics, singing and dancing in the hallway, or raising a shoe while singing “Chariot.”
Drama
Improvisation, pun-offs, acting, and puppet shows are just of the few activities you might view in the drama room. Our creative drama staff lead many different games and fun experiences!
Cooking
Over the summer, campers in grades 4-8 learn to make a variety of different and delicious recipes. In the past we have made pies, fruit kabobs, cookies, frittatas, and challah, all while learning about food and kitchen safety in a fun environment!
Mad Science
Campers love to experiment in a safe environment with fun and imaginative activities exploring concepts such as kinetic energy and trying new experiences like Magic Berries, which temporarily make sour things taste sweet!
Outdoor Adventure
Our outdoor adventure program helps campers explore the outdoors around Temple Rodef Shalom. Our experienced staff teach campers about animals, plants, and nature all around!
Sports
Sports play a vital part in our communal activity! Activities include, but are not limited to Gaga (Israeli dodgeball), soccer, hockey, dodgeball, frisbee, and obstacle courses, often with imaginative and unexpected variations!
Fun Fitness
Funtastic Fitness provides creative movement and sports development through games and activities such as
- Giant Parachute
- Jumbo Balloon Ball
- Rockets
- Obstacle Courses
- Wacky Relays
Why Camp TRS?
- Meet New Friends for Life!
- Water Park Wednesdays!
- Our Amazing Staff!
- Color War Week!
- Dress up and Theme Days!
- Come as Yourself!
- Friday Morning Song Session!
- Cool Off at the Pool!
- Exciting Guests!
- Start Every Day with a High Five!
What People Say
“We don’t know how you fit so many fun activities in each week!”
My daughter loves this camp and is already planning to stay long enough to become a counselor.”
“The counselors all took the time to understand my son and to interact with him in the best possible way.”
“The camp is so well run, communication with parents is great, and our kids had a blast!”
We love TRS!
We are proud to be part of the Temple Rodef Shalom family. Camp would not be possible without the support from the TRS staff and clergy.
Over the summer, we share (take over) the Temple building and its campus. Whether you hear the camp song and the sound of laughter, or see huge smiles and traces of glitter from arts and crafts, you can always find signs of camp throughout the summer!
Our Head Counselors and Head Specialists are college students or above, some of whom work in the Nursery School during the school year. They are supported by Assistant and Junior Counselors, who are high school students from our community.
Our Supervisors and Leadership Team are seasonal employees that help develop curriculum, manage camper behavior, train staff, and support families.
Many of our staff are former campers who have gone through our LIT (Leaders In Training) program during their camper years. It is our honor to continue shaping them into role models by teaching them maturity, patience, and responsibility, as well as resilience, levelheadedness, and resourcefulness. This is an on-going process.
Camp Rodef Shalom is part of the Temple Rodef Shalom umbrella. TRS is a thriving, vibrant, inclusive, diverse, tolerant, sacred, loving Reform Jewish congregation located in the Northern Virginia. Since our founding in 1962, we have grown into the largest Jewish congregation in Virginia, serving over 1,800 households.