Overview
Our week-long session is a wonderful introduction for younger or first-time campers, as well as a great way for busy families to fit CSS into complex summer schedules. Campers sample the wide variety of daily activities offered in our longer sessions and have the special experience of spending a Shabbat at camp. All of our counselors are specially trained to understand the needs of first-time campers. Sign up for one, or multiple week-long sessions! Note: Campers who have previously attended a one-week session are strongly encouraged to attend a combo or three-week session.
Combo sessions pack an entire summer of fun into two weeks! This option is perfect for new and returning campers alike. Combo sessions lay the foundation for many years of enriching camp experiences at Schechter! Sign up for one or multiple Combo sessions.
Experience everything Schechter has to offer in this exciting 3-week session! Campers enjoy a variety of daily activities, innovative evening programs, fine arts instruction, sports, an overnight camping adventure, and so much more! Through interactive and creative Judaic programming, campers explore their own Jewish identity, while building their commitment to tikkun olam (repairing the world) and kehilla (community). Sign up for one or multiple 3-week sessions!
Oded means to encourage or invigorate, and our highly acclaimed leadership program is designed to do just that. As Odedim, teens are given the tools and opportunities to challenge themselves, inspire their peers, and earn the love and admiration of their campers. The program offers a balance of camper experiences and counselor experiences. As participants are guided through this important transition, they gain the skills needed to become future Jewish role models and leaders. Many Odedim return to camp to work as staff in subsequent summers. To promote a close-knit team, the Odedim live together in the Huppin Oded Village, sleeping in yurts. They also spend four days on an outdoor adventure at Mt. Rainier National Park. The Oded program is truly a hands-on training program, as the participants plan programs, lead services and activities, create an Oded Project, and share responsibility for a cabin of campers. As Odedim, these teens learn to look at leadership and life through a Jewish lens. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate of community service hours.
Note: Acceptance into the Oded program is not automatic. Candidates must complete an application prior to formal acceptance.
The CSS Gesher Israel Trip will be run in partnership with Roots Israel ; a joint program of Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI) and Jewish National Fund (JNF). CSS campers will learn all about the history, land, and peoples of Israel, take tiyyulim (day trips) throughout the country, earn community service hours, work with refugee children, plant trees, herd sheep, spend time at the beach, and much more! You won’t believe how much excitement and adventure can fit into one month! Gesherim will also enjoy a few days at CSS before heading off on their Israel journey. And they will end their program with one last Shabbat at CSS!
activity highlights
Our daily chuggim (activities) are enriched with Jewish content and values. All camp programming is designed to instill a sense of derech eretz (respect) and kehilla (community). Additionally, we run camp-wide limmud (learning) events, where we take a deeper dive into Jewish historical events or texts.
1-3 grade campers will experience all of the classic camp activities as a cabin while at camp. 4- 10 grade campers have the privilege of choosing their chuggim (activities). 4-10 grade campers get to try out a number of different chuggim and participate with campers from other cabins.
Our staff members work hard throughout the year and during staff week to prep and pre- plan activities that will be fun and dynamic.
Sample Chuggim
New chuggim are created each summer, according to the talents of various staff members. Sample chuggim include:
- Hiking
- 9 square in the air
- Spike ball
- Israeli Scouts
- Swimming
- Drama
- Arts & Crafts
- Dance
- Jewmba
- Musical Theater
- Mountain Biking
- Teva (Nature)
- Giant Swing
- Boating
- Basketball
- Football
- Soccer
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Archery
- Guitar lessons
- Music
- Yoga
Featured Chuggim
Aqua Park
Jump, play, swim, and slide all over our aqua park, located right in the middle of the beautiful Lake Stampfer! Aqua park activities are always supervised by lifeguards and lifejackets are required.
Lawn Sports
From soccer to football, our gorgeous lawn is perfect for all your sports needs!
Zip Lining
Our zip line course is made up of five platforms and four zips and travels right over the amphitheater and the lakeside field. Gliding through the trees will give you a perfect view of camp and Lake Stampfer!
Living at camp
Learn all about what’s it like to spend a summer at Camp Solomon Schechter!
Our Location
Camp Solomon Schechter’s spectacular 175-acre wooded facility located near Olympia, WA features a private lake, river, miles of hiking trails in pristine forests and wetlands, and outdoor adventure courses (ropes course, zip line, giant swing and climbing tower).
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Frequently Asked Questions
Sending your child to Camp can be confusing and difficult. At Camp Solomon Schechter we do our best to make the process easy and painless.
View All FAQsEach of our beautiful, clean, rustic cabins at Camp Solomon Schechter holds 8-14 campers and at least two counselors. All cabins are equipped with a bathroom and shower inside, and a porch area for shoes and wet clothing. Our Yurts have communal bathrooms and showers. There are cubbies in each cabin where campers can unpack their clothing, allowing for a tidy and sanitary living space. The cabins are cleaned daily by campers and staff. If you are interested, you will be able to fill out our online form for tutoring once your camper is registered.
Camp Solomon Schechter’s policy of inclusion means that we try to accommodate as many campers as possible, but our programming is not specifically geared towards campers with special needs. We are happy to discuss your child’s specific needs to see if we would be the right fit! Campers unable to readily communicate with other campers and staff, toilet and groom themselves, or move about the cabin without assistance will need to provide their own integration aide to assist them during Camp. It is up to the parents to find and secure the needed 24-hour integration aide for their camper with special needs. Your local Jewish Family Services is often a good starting point.
We recommend registering your children for camp in the fall, as many of our sessions could fill up by winter. You can register here.
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Family Camp
Pack up the car and come experience a special Shabbat with the Camp Solomon Schechter family! CSS Family Camps, supported through the generosity of Marvin & Mary-Lynne Reiner, are the perfect getaway, whether you’re checking out the facilities before that first big summer, reliving those old camp memories, or just coming to see what the kids are always raving about.
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Bissel of Schechter
A Bissel of Schechter is a two-night Shabbaton for rising 1st-5th graders. Prospective and returning campers are invited to come down to camp to meet our amazing camp staff, play gaga, create art projects, sample a variety of sports activities, braid challah, celebrate Shabbat, eat in our dining hall, sleep in our comfortable cabins, and sing and dance the night away! A Bissel of Schechter packs the magic of camp into two days!
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