abc7ny.com/post/greenwich-parents-object-school-trip-site-due-camps-israel-ties/19945414/
When parents send their children to school-sponsored field trips, they expect an environment focused on connection, learning, and inclusive community building. The 4-day annual Outdoor Classroom trip for Central Middle School (CMS) students is meant to be a landmark experience—a chance for sixth graders to connect with nature and form lifelong friendships outside the classroom walls.
However, last March during a promotional video highlighting last year’s trip, some parents noticed CMS students participating in activities in facilities featuring prominently displayed Israeli flags and yellow ribbons.
Inquiry into the camp’s website and socials found that URJ Eisner Camp in Great Barrington, Massachusetts is not a politically neutral space for a public school-sponsored trip.
Eisner Camp is an institution with a specific mission. Beyond its private summer camp activities, publicly available records show ties to programs associated with Israeli military training, such as youth military orientation (Gadna) experiences and military-focused educational programming.
Private organizations have the right to champion their own identity, mission, and affiliations. But public schools have a different obligation: to ensure that school-sponsored events remain inclusive, politically neutral, and safe for all children regardless of their cultural, religious, or political backgrounds.
A group of parents formally brought these concerns to the District in May 2026, requesting an alternative venue for upcoming school trips. The request was denied, and they later learned that Western Middle School would also use this same location.
When a location change was taken off the table, they requested the foreign flags be removed or covered during Outdoor Classroom, but they were given no guarantees.
Placing middle schoolers in a facility with foreign military iconography and affiliations raises legitimate concerns about physical and emotional security. Eisner Camp programming promotes connections to Israel and their military while the findings of genocide by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, among many others, are in the public domain.
These concerns have a significant human-rights context which warrant consideration for student well-being and equal participation. All students should feel safe and included.
Outdoor Classroom partners with several suitable facilities across the Northeast. Greenwich parents urge the Administration to secure removal or covering of political and foreign military symbols for this year's trips, and to change venues in the future through a policy of neutrality for venues.
We ask parents to reach out directly to the Superintendent asking them to vet locations and programs in the future and only choose locations that are neutral, and a safe location for all students.
Concerned Greenwich Parents