
FUN
A Joyful Life Changing Experience

GROWTH
Personal and Social Empowerment

INTERACTION
Social
Networking

CHALLENGE
Coping with Challenges and Discovering New Worlds
Village map

Entrance to the village
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Performing Arts Center
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Sports Center
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Pool
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The wall of friendship
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Archery compound
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Adventure Park
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horse riding
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Petting zoo
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Residential pavilions
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Mediclab
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Dining Room
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Shed
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Arts Center
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Camping
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The round building
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Administration
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Administration
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Bathroom
19 of 20 20Parking
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Entrance to the village
1 of 20
2
Performing Arts Center
2 of 20
3
Sports Center
3 of 20
4
Pool
4 of 20
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The wall of friendship
5 of 20
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Archery compound
6 of 20
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Adventure Park
7 of 20
8
horse riding
8 of 20
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Petting zoo
9 of 20
10
Residential pavilions
10 of 20
11
Mediclab
11 of 20
12
Dining Room
12 of 20
13
Shed
13 of 20
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Arts Center
14 of 20
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Camping
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The round building
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Administration
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Administration
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Bathroom
19 of 20 20Parking
20 of 20Activities and complexes

Adventure Park
Jordan River Village’s adventure park is the only one of its kind in Israel to be completely accessible to children in all physical conditions, including those in wheelchairs! It’s four elements include: zip line climbing wall ropes course, and elevated obstacle course This is one of the most loved activities camp-wide because it challenges campers while focusing on fun, teamwork, and trust.

Ceramics workshop
Painting, decorating and firing ceramic items. Creating new items and working with clay.

Wood Burning
Working with wood burning pens, allow our campers to draw on wood by engraving.

Cooking workshop
Campers discover their inner chef and learn about eating & nutrition while cooking in the Village’s modern kitchen. With workshops including challah making and fondant creations, campers are able to build culinary skills, learn about healthy foods, and most importantly, have fun. Families also participate in cooking workshops at Family Weekends.

Archery
Learning target shooting at an Olympic style archery range and experiencing the exhilaration of shooting and hitting the target.

Kite making
At the center of campus is a beautiful kite installation—an inspiring landmark which highlights the idea that for our campers, the sky’s the limit. At each session, campers participate in kite building workshops— where they build, decorate, and fly their creations.

Parties
We hold nightly social activities. Counselors use this time as an opportunity to help campers make friends, experience their silly side, be part of a group, and participate in new activities. Regardless of ability, everyone can take part in this fun.

Photography and computers
Campers take and edit photos in order to reflect and keep a reminder of their camp experience. They will create presentations and videos that will be screened during the week of activity and on the closing night.

Music
Our music workshops allow campers to express themselves. The program is built around actively making music through improvisation, composition, performance, and singing. We also have a special “opti-music” system that utilizes interactive light beam technology to give children with limited mobility the ability to make music through their movements.

Theater
Through improvisational exercises, campers are able to enjoy a world of "make-believe" while expressing emotions and bonding as a group. Each session also includes a talent show which takes place in our fully accessible, state-of-the-art 300-person theater. These shows are a great opportunity for each camper to stand out and shine. Since these activities don’t require physical props, the activities are appropriate and accessible for all ages and physical conditions.

Sports
Sports activities at the Village challenge our campers while providing friendly competition, team building experiences, and an opportunity for all to experience success. Our sports activities are designed for campers to be recognized for the accomplishments, and empowers the campers to feel confident. Many of these activities take place in our state-of-the-art gymnasium.

Camping
Often for the first time, campers experience nighttime camping activities: a bonfire, cooking outside, and more.

Horses
Campers love our horse program where they can visit, pet, ride, and groom these large animals. Campers with intense physical limitations are able to participate by using a specially modified carriage where the seats and reins enable each child to feel like they are driving the horse around the corral, while allowing the instructor to direct the horse’s movements.

Arts & Crafts
Campers take pride in being creative with clay, paint, and wood. Our art & crafts center includes pottery, woodwork, arts & crafts, tie dye shirts, and jewelry making studios.

Juggling
Learn the art of juggling using balls, hula hoops and sticks.

Evening activity
Each night we host an evening activity with the entire Village ending the day with another highlight. We host group competitions, sing-alongs, dance parties and evenings with a guest artist.

Bedouin tent
A large and spacious hospitality tent, which allows for communal activities, campfires and various night activities.

Sports hall
Our state-of-the-art gym supports both group and personal sports activities to encourage fun, bonding and a sense of personal success.

Theater
Our state-of-the-art theater enables our campers to put on full-scale "professional” productions in a 300 seat house. The theater includes costume and dressing rooms as well as a light box and full sound system.

Accessible playground
Playgrounds designed to provide recreational opportunities for children of all ages and abilities. Playground features include ramped play equipment, ground level play features, accessible swings, and wheelchair-accessible equipment.

Swimming pool
Campers in each session enjoy group activities, water sports, and free-swim time, in northern Israel’s only indoor hydrotherapy pool. We specially designed our pool to include: a gradual ramp with a full railing that allows people with various limitations to enter the pool independently Temperature-controlled water to ensure warmth and safety water wheelchairs

Petting zoo
Campers play with a variety of small animals enabling them to care for other living creatures. Our petting zoo is a special haven where children go to take care of and play with a variety of small animals. Each of the animals are selected by important medical criteria to ensure the children's' safety and well-being. The zoo also has a small vegetable garden.

Table games
Campers have an opportunity to play air hockey, ping pong, billiards, foosball and arcade games.
Sessions for children
Weeklong sessions
The Village welcomes campers in three types of disease specific sessions: our flagship week-long sessions, family weekends, and sessions of children with disabilities who come to the Village with their schools—including their teachers and aides.
1. Hosting independent children and teenagers aged 9-18 who cope with chronic diseases or life-threatening diseases (see List of Diseases) for 4-5 days of session at the Village. These free sessions take part during the summer holidays and during recognized Israeli school vacations.
Each session is free of charge and begins when campers are picked up by bus and brought to the Village. The Village offers transportation from five points throughout the country.
Once at the Village, campers are welcomed with singing and dancing. Each child is then assigned to a group with counselors that accompany them to each program and activity including sports activities, crafts, social activities and more (see list of activities). The counselor-to-camper ratio is 1 counselor for every 2 children.
In addition, The Village has a 24-hour professional Medical Center (Medi Club) where medical staff provide oversight and care.
Participation in a session at the Village is conditional upon completing the registration forms and obtaining a medical approval from the Village’s staff.
Sample Weekly Schedule at the Village
A link to the initial registration for a vacation for independent children
* Submitting a preliminary registration form allows you to check your eligibility for a session. If you receive a preliminary acceptance, the Village team will contact you for further registration.
Coordination and Registration Department
Phone: 04-6608997
Email: rishum@jrv.org.il
Family Weekends
2. Families Sessions – Weekends for sick children with their family
These sessions are for families with children ages 5 – 18 who are living with medical conditions that require constant supervision. These free sessions, which occur Thursday afternoons thru Saturday night welcomes approximately 18 families (including parents and siblings younger than 18) who have at least one child living with similar medical conditions.
The weekend includes individual activities, parent groups, and shared family experiences. Activities include sports, arts & crafts, adventure park, challah preparation, Kabbalat Shabbat and more.
Although our 24-hour medical center (Medi-Club) is available to the parents, please note that the parents take on the full medical responsibility for their children.
Participation in a family weekend is conditional upon completing the registration application and obtaining a medical approval from the Village’s staff.
Sample Family Session Itinerary
A link to initial registration for families
Coordination and Registration Department
Phone: 04-6608965
Email: rishum@jrv.org.il
Ministry of Education sessions for special needs
Sessions in Partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Education
Because of a partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Education, Jordan River Village is now able to work directly with special needs schools across Israel providing multi-day field trip in a unique, safe, fun, and enriching experience. All at no cost to the school or the family.
The activities at the Village are suitable for students in the following categories:
• Mild Developmental Disorders
• High functioning Autism
• Learning Disabilities
• Behavioral Disorders
• Mental Disorders
• Schools based in hospital wards
• Therapeutic and post-hospitalization boarding schools
These sessions take place at the Village during the school year and last 3-4 days. Each session is for 64 students aged 9-21 who are accompanied by their teachers and para-professionals. During the session, students participate in a variety of activities and workshops with Village counselors, social evening activities, games, and more.
In advance of every session, the Village meets with the school’s staff to discuss and plan appropriate programs and activities for the needs of these students.
Sample Educational Session Schedule
Coordination and Registration Department
Phone: 04-6608960
Email: mirit@jrv.org.il
The medical center
Jordan River Village invites children coping with chronic, genetic or life-threatening diseases, children with disabilities and children with special needs, for overnight camp experiences that is built around happiness, laughter and joy, and to forget, even if it is only for a few days, the limitations that they deal with each and every day. In order for the parents to feel comfortable when sending their child to the Village, we commit ourselves to providing the optimal medical support both for the children’s ongoing treatments, and emergency care if needed. Our medical center – known as the Medi-Club – at the Village includes everything necessary to provide proper medical care.

Information for the parents
The Medi-Club
The Village’s Medical Center (Medi-Club) is fully equipped and able to treat a wide variety of ailments and provide emergency care and ongoing medical treatment as needed. Alongside a kid-friendly waiting room and a nurses’ station, resides • two treatment rooms for regular service including state-of-the-art medical equipment • a trauma room for providing CPR and other urgent treatments • four rooms used for camper rest and supervision according to the child’s needs, • a nurse’s room and • a medication storage and distribution room. If necessary, medical staff can accompany campers with mobile medical packs to support campers during activities. If immediate hospitalization is necessary, the Village is a 7 minute drive to the area hospital and the Village central lawn is approved as a helicopter landing pad. Throughout their stay at the Village, our dedicated volunteer doctors and nurses provide campers with ongoing medical care—either at the medical center, at meals, in the bunk, or at activities—all performed in the most discrete way possible.
The medical staff
Alongside the team managing the medical center – Dr. Herzel Gavriel, the medical director and Zmora Zohar, the head nurse – and six permanent nurses on the medical staff, more than 80 doctors and more than 200 nurses have volunteered so far. We constantly continue recruiting many others, who have expressed their volunteering willingness and submitted their applications. Among the doctors who volunteered are heads of departments, unit managers and physicians with expertise in all areas of pediatric and emergency medicine, many of whom have years of experience working in emergency rooms, pediatric intensive care departments, oncology departments, and other pediatric departments. Thanks to an experienced and diverse team, we maintain first class medical care and assistance. The large and equipped medical center and the professional medical staff provide a response to any medical event such as: worsening of the child’s illness symptoms, injury, bites, shortness of breath, seizures, low blood sugar, stroke, heart attack, allergic reaction, etc. The medical staff makes efforts not to stand out in the Village area or to emphasize the medical issue in the Village experience. The distribution of medications is done quietly, during meals in the dining room and without the need to repeatedly go to the medical center.
Registration for Sessions
For every child registered for a session at the Village a medical registration application is filled by his /her parents and doctor to inform the medical staff of the details of the child’s illness, the necessary treatments, the physical and mental limitations and his/her special needs – weeks before their arrival to the Village. This enables proper preparation and the recruitment of the best team to work at the medical center, to ensure the safety of all those staying at the Village.

Diseases supported at the Village
JORDAN RIVER VILLAGE SERVES CHILDREN AGES 9-18 WITH A WIDE RANGE OF ILLNESSES:
Independent Sessions
During our flagship week long sessions, campers must be independent in their daily activities, study in mainstream schools, and must have a primary diagnosis of one of the below:
• Cardiac Disease
• Hearing impaired and deaf
• Chronic severe skin diseases
• Mild Cerebral Palsy (CP)
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Vision Impaired or blind
• Chronic Rheumatic Diseases
• Chronic Lung Diseases (CF or Bronchiectasis)
• Oncology patients (up to 5 years from the end of chemotherapy)
• Organ transplantation recipients (heart, kidney, liver)
• Burn victims
• Metabolic diseases
• Genetic blood diseases (thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia)
• Neurological syndromes (including: NF1, cerebral hemorrhage with neurological damage, polymyositis, Guillain Barre syndrome with neurological damage, cerebral infarction with minor neurological damage, and at the discretion of the Village medical staff).
• Epilepsy (six months with no tonic-clonic seizure).
• Permanent and irreversible orthopedic and skeletal injuries
• Life-threatening allergies (carrying an EpiPen injection)
• Kidney diseases and urinary tract disorders (GN, Nephrotic syndrome)
Family weekend sessions
For children aged 5-18 who are not independent in day-to-day activities
and that their situation necessitates nursing support and close family support
Family dysautonomia
Cerebral palsy (CP) not independent
Genetic Ataxia (AT)
Rare syndromes – orphan diseases
Unbalanced epilepsy
Cardiac (Heart defects, arrhythmia)
Dialysis patients and chronic renal insufficiency
Prader-Willi
Rett Syndrome
Tracheostomy non-ventilated patients and with a special confirmation. Limited number of night ventilated patients and at the discretion of the Village medical staff

Testimonials

Inbal Kahani, camper
I'm already waiting for next year more than anything else! Thank you for an amazing experience!

Tomer Franski, camper
The unique charm of this place, more than the activities, is the people, the counselors.

Oren and Tali, the parents of Eyal Ezer
We left him with you confident at heart and we got back a more confident child, empowered, enriched with experiences.
Registration
SESSIONS’ DATES 2018
Dates |
Description |
08-10/01/18 | Ministry Of Education* – Hearing Impaired students |
15-19/01/18 | Road to Recovery- Independent Palastenian Kids + parent |
25-27/01/18 | Family Weekend – Epilepsy |
05-08/02/18 | Ministry Of Education – Alon School |
15-17/02/18 | Family Weekend – PWS (Prader-Willi syndrome) |
20-22/02/18 | Ministry Of Education – Kishon school |
08-10/03/18 | Family Weekend – CP |
13-15/03/18 | Ministry Of Education – Afik Nehariya and Dolev school |
19-21/03/18 | Ministry Of Education – Shahaf (Abarbanel hospital) + Re’im |
26-29/03/18 | Passover Independent session – Diabetes (9-18) |
23-26/04/18 | Ministry Of Education -Rimonim Afula |
30/04-02/05/18 | Ministry Of Education -Danziger Kiriat Shmone |
29/04-02/05/18 | Hero’s Journey – Pilot |
07-09/05/18 | Ministry Of Education – Amlani + Rimonim (Arab School) |
15-17/05/18 | Ministry Of Education -Golani Beit Shea’an + Ilanot Nehariya |
24-26/05/18 | Family Weekend – Rett Syndrome |
29-31/05/18 | Ministry Of Education – Kfar Blum+ Gaon Hayarden |
04-06-06-18 | Ministry Of Education -Beit Ekshtein + Hagome schools |
02-05/07/18 | Summer session – General (9-14) – Registration |
09-13/07/18 | Summer session – Visual Impairment (9-18) – Registration |
16-20/07/18 | Summer session – Independent Palastenian Kids + parent – Registration |
23-27/07/18 | Summer session – General, Neurology – Registration |
30/07-02/08/18 | Summer session – Epilepsy – Registration |
06-10/08/18 | Summer session – Deaf/Hearing Impaired + Cochlear Implants (9-18) – Registration |
13-16/08/18 | Summer session – Hemophilia + General (9-18) – Registration |
25-28/09/18 | Sukkot -Transition Program – Young Adult’s Retreat –Registration |
04-06/10/18 | Family Weekend – CP – Registration |
09-11/10/18 | Ministry Of Education -Moshe+ Eyal schools |
18-20/10/18 | Family Weekend – children living with Tracheostomy Cannula – Registration |
23-26/10/18 | Ministry Of Education- Vision Impaired students |
01-03/11/18 | Family Weekend – CP – Registration |
06-08/11/18 | Ministry Of Education -Ziv Kishurit (Autism) Misgav Region |
15-17/11/18 | Family Weekend -VCFS Williams syndrome – Registration |
20-22/11/18 | Ministry Of Education – Dolev |
26-29/11/18 | Ministry Of Education -Shahaf |
03-07/12/18 | Chanukkah – Independent session – Diabetes (9-18) –Registration |
13-15/12/18 | Family Weekend – Rear Syndromes – Registration |
18-20/12/18 | Ministry Of Education – Galim school |
27-29/12/18 | Family Weekend – Intractable Epilepsy – Registration |
*Ministry of Education – children with special needs /physical disabilities (deaf, blind, handicap, kids coping with CP, kids with severe learning disabilities, etc.) |
COORDINATION AND REGISTRATION
Tel: 04-6608998/960
Email: efrat@jrv.org.il / rishum@jrv.org.il
Initial registration
Register for sessions at Jordan River Village
Jordan River Village is an overnight camp for children living with chronic, genetic or life threating diseases and for children with special needs. We provide free, medically-safe, unique and empowering experiences for campers through a variety of programs and activities. The Village is located in Israel’s Lower Galilee, near the Givant Avni community.
Session Types:
- Flagship Week Long Sessions – intended for children and youth aged 9-18, who are independent in their day-to-day activities, and attend a mainstream school. Sessions take place during school vacations and lasts for five days. Campers are assigned a session according to the type of illness and age.
- Family Weekends – Weekends for families of children coping with more serious illnesses, including children aged five and above who need daily assistance and guidance. These sessions take place over three days.
List of diseases that allow registration for these sessions.
Registration: 1. Complete the initial registration form – must be filled out for children who have not yet attended the Village. Filling out this form does not guarantee a slot at a session. 2. Receive an email to register for a specific session – this email will be sent to campers who have met our criteria 3. Receive a registration kit and forms by email – Applicants are required to submit all information and forms in order to proceed. 4. Registration Approval by the Village staff. 5. Confirmation by phone and email of acceptance/non-acceptance for a session.
* The registration procedure is complex and includes several stages as detailed above and does not guarantee participation in a session. Preference will be given to children who have not yet attended a session at the Village.
We encourage you to read about the Village on the website, register for one of the wonderful sessions at Jordan River Village and experience how fun and friendship are the best medicine!!!
For a list of diseases click here>
Initial registration for flagship weeklong sessions
Initial registration for family sessions
Initial registration is intended for children and families who have not attended a session at the Village yet.
Have you been to the Village before and wish to register?
CLICK HERE
For further details and registration information please contact:
Email: rishum@jrv.org.il
By phone: 04-6608998 , 04-6608960