The Visionary Creator of a Vegan-Friendly Jewish Summer Camp

The Jewish Veg Spotlight Shines On ... Isaac Mamaysky

If you think finding a vegan-friendly – or, better yet, a vegan-promoting – synagogue is tough, try looking for a vegan-friendly Jewish summer camp for your compassionate kids.

That would have been really tough to find. Until last summer, that is.

That’s when JVNA member Isaac Mamaysky, along with a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, fulfilled his dream of creating and operating a summer camp for Jewish children and teens.

Mamaysky’s Camp Zeke drew 180 campers aged 7-17 to a beautiful, lakeside site in the Poconos last summer, and even more campers are expected for the camp’s second season in 2015.

The camp provided a predominantly vegetarian menu with numerous vegan options at every meal. And the camp’s activities included a plant-based culinary program.

This is a sure sign that the Jewish Veg Movement is gaining momentum and, just as importantly, becoming mainstream.

Mamaysky was able to create the camp thanks to $1.5 million in grants from four major Jewish foundations – Jim Joseph, AVI CHAI, the Foundation for Jewish Camp, and UJA-Federation of New York.

JVNA sat down with Mamaysky to discuss Judaism, veganism and how they intersect at Camp Zeke.

JVNA: Camp Zeke is off to amazing start. Kol Hakavod to you!

Mamaysky: Thank you. It has been exciting how it has all come together.

JVNA: Please tell us a little more about Camp Zeke.

Mamaysky: We are a Jewish camp where kids celebrate healthy, active living. Camp Zeke is among very few camps that serve healthy, local, organic food and offer a predominantly plant-based menu. We offer lots of action-packed electives, like strength training, running, yoga, dance, Krav Maga, and traditional sports too. We also have a culinary-arts program where we teach campers how to make healthy plant-based foods. Recruitment has been incredibly strong and the community has responded really enthusiastically to this new concept in Jewish camping.

JVNA: You serve meat so rarely. Why not just make Camp Zeke 100 percent vegan?

Mamaysky: If it were a vegan camp, it would be tough to attract the numbers of campers we want to spread the message of healthy, active living. Although we are not a vegan camp, we are committed to being incredibly vegan-friendly and serving vegan courses at every meal.

JVNA: While we’re exploring these challenges, you state on Camp Zeke’s Website that “Reducing our meat consumption is one of the best ways to live in accordance with (Jewish) values.” Yet, you don’t specifically refer to veganism. Why not?

Mamaysky: We live in a world in which, for the general population, becoming vegan is inconceivable. It seems like such an extreme choice. It’s not, of course. The language on our Website, and the camp’s food program in general, is meant to make the camp accessible to the largest number of people while embracing our commitment to healthy and ethical living through plant-based nutrition.

JVNA: What do you see as the link between plant-based nutrition and Judaism?

Mamaysky: I certainly connect being vegan to my Judaism. The spirit of the rules of kashrut is to not cause harm to animals. And we now know it’s healthier to be vegan than to eat animal products. From an ethical standpoint, by eating animal products we’re supporting cruelty to animals.

As I understand the origin of the rules of kashrut, they were put in place at a time when animals were being fundamentally mistreated. At the time, it was probably impossible for people not to eat animal products. To take the laws of kashrut to their logical conclusion, we would be giving up animal products.

JVNA: Can you envision a day when Camp Zeke or another Jewish summer camp will be completely vegan?

Mamaysky: I think the day when many camps become vegan is on the horizon. I recently read an article – shared on JVNA’s Facebook page actually – saying that roughly 4% of Israelis are vegan. As that number grows and plant-based eating continues to gain traction in the Jewish community, I hope that more camps will adopt a plant-based diet. Nothing would make me happier than if that day came sooner rather than later.

JVNA: Amen.