[1][2] Achvah was founded in 1927 at Averne, Long Island by Samson Benderly,[3] then director of the New York Bureau of Jewish Education, as a summer camp for members of his Kvutzah fellowship program.
The Dalton Plan-inspired program, which at its height included about fifty members,[4] brought together a select group of graduating high school students for Jewish study and leadership training.
Along with sports, music, and dramatics, Achvah's curriculum included Hebrew debating clubs and reading circles.
[8][9] With the onset of the Great Depression, and the dissolution of the Kvutzah in 1932, Achvah opened up as an ordinary summer camp to all Jewish elementary and secondary students.
It ceased operating entirely in Hebrew, and began focusing on informal Jewish and Zionist education in place of formal study.