BB Camp is more reachable than you think, at 13% below the national average.

The Berkowitz family figured camp just wasn’t going to happen this year. It had already been a hard one. Dad lost his job when the economy turned, and Mom was working part-time. Between the two of them, the numbers didn’t look like there was enough room for Jewish camp. That changed once they opened their search beyond their hometown.

What Most Families Never Think to Ask

When the math on camp doesn’t add up, most families stop right there. They assume the camp closest to home is the only option, do the math on that one number, land on “we can’t,” and quietly let the idea go. No call, no application, no conversation.

Here’s what the Berkowitz family didn’t know yet: a camp clear across the country in the Pacific Northwest was already running 13% below the national average for Jewish overnight camps. Not a discount. Not a special circumstance. Just the price of camp at BB Camp.

Why BB Camp Costs Less, On Purpose

Affordability isn’t a side conversation at BB Camp on the Oregon Coast. It’s baked into how camp operates. Tuition runs 13% below the average weekly cost of Jewish overnight camps nationwide, and 19% below the average across camps in the West, on purpose.

“That didn’t happen by accident. We’ve built our entire pricing model around one question: who might we be leaving out? It’s a deliberate choice to keep camp within reach, because filling camp with kids matters more than a higher price tag,” states BB360 CEO Michelle Koplan.

Michelle adds that for families who need additional support beyond that everyday low tuition, financial aid is also available. In 2025 alone, 46% of BB campers received aid or grants. But the starting point at BB Camp, the actual sticker price, is already lower than what most families assume camp costs.

That’s exactly what changed things for the Berkowitz family. They didn’t need to apply for anything special or have a hard conversation about need. Once they stopped limiting their search to what was nearby, they looked at the number, and it was a number they could work with.

Camp Doesn’t Have to Be the One Down the Road

This is a mindset shift more than a financial one. When families think about Jewish overnight camp, they often default to whatever is closest to home. That makes sense. But it’s worth asking the same question families ask when their kids start looking at colleges: is the closest option actually the most affordable one?

Sometimes the answer is no. Plenty of families discover that a school several states away, or even across the border in Canada, ends up costing less than the option right in their backyard once you factor in tuition, aid, and overall value. Camp can work the same way.

BB Camp welcomes campers from across the country, not just the Pacific Northwest. A family in Ohio, Texas, or Florida shouldn’t assume the camp down their street is automatically the better deal. It’s worth comparing the full picture, the everyday tuition, the aid available, and what the experience actually delivers, before ruling out a camp simply because of geography. Camp, like college, is worth shopping for.

Why This Matters More Than One Summer

Researchers who study Jewish camp will say that when one child has an extraordinary summer, it doesn’t just shape that one child. It shapes the kind of adult they become, the community they build, and the Jewish life they carry forward for decades. Multiply that year after year, and the ripple becomes a lot bigger than a single week in July.

Dan Senor, who has spent a lot of time studying what makes Jewish communities resilient, has pointed out that camp isn’t just a seasonal stop on a kid’s calendar. It’s often the real beginning of a lifelong Jewish journey, the thing that sets the whole rest of the path in motion. The research backs this up in a very concrete way: 92% of parents say camp strengthened their child’s Jewish identity. That’s not a small ripple. That’s the whole pond moving.

A family assuming camp is out of reach, whether because of cost or because it isn’t in their home state, is missing out on something much bigger than they realize.

If the Number, or the Map, Has You Hesitating

If a parent is reading this and has already decided camp doesn’t fit, either because of the price or because BB Camp isn’t local to them, it’s worth a second look. Run the actual numbers. Look at what tuition costs here compared to camps closer to home. The Berkowitz family did, and found out they could afford it without needing to ask for anything extra.

And for families who do need additional support, that’s here too at BB Camp. BB Men’s Camp Association, Foundation for Jewish Camp, and Jewish Federation have generously provided grants so that as many kids as possible can benefit from a rich Jewish camp experience. These grants are available to all Jewish campers regardless of financial need. 

No family should have to hold back from sending their child to a summer that shapes who they become, and no family should assume camp isn’t an option just because it isn’t in their own state. BB Camp exists to make sure neither of those things gets in the way. A door that might otherwise stay shut, opens for a kid who’s going to remember this summer for the rest of their life.