Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center

Hazon's Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center sits on 400 acres of forest and meadows in the foothills of the southern Berkshires. Today, Isabella Freedman hosts organizational retreats, Hazon-run Jewish spiritual and environmental retreats, and private Jewish celebrations such as Jewish weddings and B'nai Mitzvah. Over 30 Jewish organizations spanning the denominational spectrum hold retreats at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, in addition to secular organizations. Isabella Freedman also hosts families across Jewish denominations for their popular Jewish holiday vacation programs, such as their yearly Passover, Shavuot, and "Sukkahfest" (Sukkot) retreats.

Originally incorporated in 1893 as the Jewish Working Girls Vacation Society, the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center was established as a summer camp offering Jewish working women, primarily immigrants in the New York garment industry, an affordable vacation. The camp paid for their vacation and reimbursed campers for lost wages. In 1936, the agency’s name was changed to Camp Isabella Freedman in honor of the philanthropist and board member.

In 1956, what was then Camp Isabella Freedman moved to its current location in Falls Village, Connecticut and instituted residential programs for Jewish senior adults, which have continued every summer since. In the early 1990s, Camp Isabella Freedman opened its doors year-round.

In 1994, Isabella Freedman developed the Teva Learning Center with Surprise Lake Camp, an innovative experiential learning program for Jewish elementary school students that combines ecology, Jewish spirituality, and environmental activism. In 2003, Isabella Freedman launched ADAMAH: The Jewish Environmental Fellowship, a leadership training program in which young adults live communally and engage in a hands-on curriculum that integrates organic farming and sustainable living skills with Jewish learning and living. In 2004 the Jewish environmental organization Hazon launched its New York Jewish Environmental Bike Ride from Isabella Freedman, and the organization has since hosted most of its annual fundraising bike rides from the site. In 2006 Freedman announced the planned merger of the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center and the Elat Chayyim Jewish Retreat Center. Six years later Isabella Freedman announced its planned merger with Hazon, and in 2014 the merger was completed. Adamah, Elat Chayyim, and the Teva Learning Center, all based at Isabella Freedman, also merged with Hazon in 2014.

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