Federation News

American Jews have created, perfected, and scaled the institution of overnight summer camp.
Now it’s time for Jewish Family Camp!
By Rabbi Miriam Burg, Jeremy J. Fingerman and Eric M. Robbins
This article originally ran in eJewish Philanthropy on September 5, 2019.

It was a Jewish trifecta when three passionate advocates for Jewish camp met on the shores of Lake Waloon this August to visit Camp Michigania, the 56-year-old family camp for alumni of University of Michigan. We were excited to see this legendary camp, explicitly designed and staffed for families, and considered the gold standard for family camp programing.

Camp Michigania isn’t fancy, yet it is deeply beloved. The cabins are basic, and all meals are held in a communal dining hall.  A mix of traditional sports, arts, fitness, and discussion forums keep adults and kids of all ages busy all day – or not!  You can opt out of events and just relax. We met families who’ve been attending for 30 years or more. We saw cars in the parking lot bearing Gania4 bumper stickers — which in Michigania-speak means, “We’re a 4^th Week Family” in Camp Michigania’s 11-week summer season. And we never saw a cell phone – only one building on campus has wi-fi.

While the three of us have different personal camp experiences, we’re absolutely on the same page about the immersive benefits of Jewish overnight camp. We know there is tremendous power in stepping away from daily life and returning year after year to the same place at the same time. So, we’ve informally joined forces to be advocates and evangelists for a new model of Jewish community-building and a serious communal investment in creating week-long Jewish overnight camps for families.

Rabbi Miriam Burg, whose family has attended Camp Michigania for 37 consecutive summers, is an educator and a long-time advocate for Jewish family camp. She recently co-created the Capital Camps Institute for Leadership and Learning to skill-up Jewish camp counselors. Her current priority is building and expanding Kibbutz Camp, as a new model for Jewish overnight camps for families.

Jeremy Fingerman is CEO of Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC). He spent formative summers at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and for the last ten years of his professional life has expanded opportunities across North America for more kids to experience Jewish camp – both day and overnight — including new specialty camps.  FJC has identified family camp as an important growth element of its strategic plan.

Eric Robbins is President and CEO of Jewish Federation of Jewish Atlanta and the former director of Camp Twin Lakes, a camp for children with serious illnesses and life challenges. Eric was shaped by his own 18 years as a camper and staff member at Camp Barney Medintz and is a founder of Limmud Atlanta, which adopts a multi-generational family camp model.

We all agree that family life in America is overscheduled and isolating. Digital devices distract and distance us. Epic traffic and long commutes chip away at family time. Moms, dads, kids, teens and grandparents desperately need to carve out more down-time and rediscover each other. A joyful, immersive Jewish family camp can be a restorative island of sacred time where we put our devices away, talk face-to-face, and simply have fun together.

Fingerman notes that while a growing number of Jewish camps run family retreats before and after the summer season, opportunities to attract a broader range of families would result from offering “vacations” throughout the summer.

Burg adds that the idea of a dedicated Jewish overnight camp for families is “wholly different and impossible to create by simply adapting kids’ camps to serve the needs of families. “Singing the same songs with our children that we sang when we were first at camp, having grandparents and grandchildren making s’mores together, are powerful memory-making experiences, unique to family camp.”

When Robbins, a former camp director, thinks about family camp he stresses that weekends don’t cut it the way a week does. “For every day away, the benefits are exponential,” he says. “Immersive, week-long opportunities for families are what we envision.”

Think about it — all that really ties Camp Michigania families together is the University of Michigan. Now imagine the power of week-long retreats where connections are rooted in Jewish wisdom and rituals. Where food and language, holidays and songs, and traditions are the foundation for friendships. Where Shabbat is the highlight of the week. Imagine a place where your sense of belonging comes from being on “Team Judaism” and the wisdom of nearly 6,000 years of tradition. What a nourishing way for families to engage with one another and build community!

Who better to create new family camp than us? From Catskill bungalow colonies to early Settlement House camps, American Jews – more than any other group – have created, perfected and scaled the institution of overnight summer camp. No surprise to us that Camp Michigania’s longtime director is Jewish, or that lots and lots of Jewish families attend year after year.

As advocates, our next step is to create a prototype of the Jewish family camp we want to see. We know we’ll have to train staff to meet the special requirements of family programming. We know we’ll need to find a beautiful and accessible site somewhere that will work for all ages. But we also know American Jewish families have never needed it more!

If you’re interested in paddling along with us, please get in touch.

I’ve heard lots of wise folks say that your checkbook register — or to be more modern, your monthly e-statement — is the document that says everything about your values and priorities.

I agree.

And that’s why, at a time when “boutique” philanthropy and direct, person-to-person giving are ascendant, I want to make the case for the ancient Jewish model of collective philanthropy that benefits the whole. In our time, it’s the Jewish Partners Fund of Federation’s Community Campaign.

Community philanthropy is sacred in the Jewish tradition, and the custom of asking individuals for a set amount “per head” dates back to the second temple period. The sum of a half shekel was an offering that everyone, rich or poor, was asked to give so that all were equal in observing this mitzvah.

The call to find meaning and purpose in community and to serve others has driven the Jewish people to be exemplars of generosity, opportunity and justice. You’ll see generosity, justice and more when you take a look at Federation’s “checkbook register.” The report, viewable online, documents our values and priorities and details all the things your Campaign dollars do for our people in Atlanta and around the world.

The Jewish Partners Fund of the Community Campaign is about the collective impact that happens when many “shekels” work together.  Through Campaign, Federation and its partners launch Jewish journeys and educate all generations. Through Campaign we welcome all Jews and their loved ones to engage meaningfully with our community. Through Campaign we rise up to help ensure that no one falls through the cracks.

And . . . this year, thanks to an anonymous donor, for new or increased gifts to the Jewish Partners Fund, those dollars will be matched 1:1 up to $100,000.

If you have particular community interests, Campaign 2020 makes it possible to target additional projects. Through Targeted Philanthropy you can support PJ Library, Jewish Overnight Camping, and AgeWell Atlanta, a collaborative partnership that helps older adults and caregivers navigate the aging process. The Jewish Innovation Fund is yet another giving option to help advance new ideas and startups that support Jewish life in Atlanta.

I believe it is a fundamental privilege, unique to the Jewish people, and virtually encoded into our DNA, to prioritize the needs of the community. Last year communal generosity hit a milestone as Federation reached $19 million in philanthropic giving. Having surpassed the previous year by $1.5 million, we have set an ambitious goal of $20 million for Campaign 2020. I know we can do it, but only together.  I am so proud of all the ways we bring Jewish possibilities to life, and I urge you to make our dynamic, welcoming and caring Atlanta Jewish community your priority by giving generously to the Jewish Partners Fund of the Community Campaign.

Most of my “superpowers” come from having been a camper and staff member at sleepaway camp.  I’m totally serious.

Over eighteen summers at Camp Barney Medintz I learned countless “soft” and human skills that have benefited me my whole life.  And because it all happened so seamlessly and joyously at camp, I didn’t even realize how much I was learning.

At Camp Barney Medintz I learned how to really be a friend. When you live in a bunk with 12 other guys, you learn how to get along with, and eventually, how to love people who aren’t exactly like you.

I learned how to be leader. At the age of ten I put myself in charge of coordinating our cabin at clean up, cookouts, and even sneak outs!

I learned how to make my bed. Admiral William H. McCraw, a Navy SEAL, wrote a book called Make Your Bed: Little Things that Can Change your Life…and Maybe the World. He calls bed-making the way to start your day with a task completed. I agree!

I learned how to be a better communicator. As a camp counselor, I had to be sensitive to all the voices and opinions in my bunk.  I had to evaluate each kid’s maturity level and respond appropriately. I couldn’t lose my cool. Sometimes I had to be a disciplinarian, sometimes I had to be as diplomatic as King Solomon. Learning this as a teenager set me up for a lifetime of good listening.

I learned about hard work. Being on the kitchen crew, helping turn out three meals a day, and cleaning up after hundreds of kids, taught me everything about showing up and pulling my weight, even when the work is tedious. To this day I consider mastering the kitchen’s Hobart dishwasher one of my greatest accomplishments.

I learned to be brave, to try new things. Ana and I recently had a little dispute over whether or not there was a rope tied to the boat when we went tubing at Camp Barney, or if we just held on to the skiing handle. (I think there were two ropes.) Either way, having a boat pull you on the lake was a thrill that took courage for a little kid. There were plenty of other scary things that I found the freedom to try, and even to fail, at camp.

I created my first network. As a kid from Pittsburgh, attending Camp Barney was my introduction to Jewish Atlanta. The kids I met at camp and the staff members who believed in me, became my Atlanta Jewish mishpocha (family). It’s no accident that one day in Pittsburgh, I literally dropped out of my local college, drove to Atlanta and registered at Georgia State and made this city my home.

I am grateful for all these profound moments of growth that shaped me into the husband, father, and community leader I am today. For all the kids who are having a blast at overnight camp this summer, someday you’ll discover, as I did, that camp teaches deep and lasting life lessons.

I’m so proud of Federation’s ambitious plan to send more of our kids to Jewish overnight camp.  This year Federation allocated $866,961 in scholarships and grants to give kids the immersive, incredible experience of camp. That included:

• 593 unique campers went to camp
• 368 One Happy Camper incentive grants of up to $1,000
• 49 camps participating in the scholarship program

Camping is one of three targeted philanthropies for the upcoming 2020 Community Campaign. If your kids or grandkids are having a summer of personal growth, Jewish learning and sheer fun, I hope you’ll think about making a targeted gift to the fund. Your generosity is an investment in lessons that will last a lifetime.

Following a rigorous national search, I am thrilled to announce that Christy Butler Eckoff will be joining Federation as Chief Foundation Officer and Managing Director, Atlanta Jewish Foundation (AJF). Filling this important position with the right person has been a priority of mine and it’s a transformational opportunity. AJF is the centerpiece of Federation’s goal to be Jewish Atlanta’s Philanthropic Champion. By giving our donors world-class philanthropic advising to help them grow their assets, AJF has incredible potential to do great things in Atlanta.

Christy Eckoff comes to us from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta where she was Managing Director, Philanthropic Counsel.  In addition to solid credentials in law and taxation, Christy is a superb relationship builder and will be an excellent fit to work with donors and fundholders. As our Managing Director she enters with a bold mandate to make AJF the go-to place for planned giving, asset management and Jewish generosity. The Federation board has set ambitious goals for AJF.  It currently manages $328.5 million in assets and we hope to grow that number to $1 billion under management over the next decade.  Here are three reasons why I know we’ll get there.

Reason #1:  AJF already has a solid foundation.  In addition to advising and serving individual donors, AJF is the advisor and custodian of Jewish community resources.  Eighteen Jewish partner agencies, day schools and congregations already invest with AJF, and this year three new community partners came on board. Donor-Advised funds grew by 20% this year as well. And, on behalf of the community, the AJF has helped secure more than 200 letters of intent with an estimated value of over $13.5M in after-lifetime commitments through the LIFE & LEGACY program.

Recently, Mark Silberman, Helen Zalik and I completed a two-year Jewish leadership cohort sponsored by PRESIDE. Through that program Federation became eligible for a $250K matching grant that has been earmarked for Atlanta Jewish Foundation.  We’ve already raised 75% towards the match from our donors, enabling us to invest $1M into Atlanta Jewish Foundation right now. The grant will amplify AJF as an asset-based revenue stream that ensures our ability to fund Jewish community priorities and help donors actualize their Jewish dreams.

Reason #2:  Total Philanthropy is up. Federation grew total philanthropy this year to $19 million — a $1.3 million increase over the previous year. At a time when annual campaigns around the country are generally flat, that’s a sign of health.  I’m also optimistic about the future because Atlanta is a vibrant center of innovation and entrepreneurship where Jews already play an outsized role. Our organizational culture of creativity and generosity matches the culture of the community, making AJF ripe for philanthropic investment.  I believe that by building current and new relationships and providing superb customer service, AJF will raise its visibility in the wider community and be a compelling option for investment.

Reason #3:  There’s untapped wealth in Atlanta. You’ve likely heard that the next 20 years will see the biggest generational wealth transfer in U.S. history as the “Silent Generation” and Baby Boomers pass along nearly $48 trillion in assets to their heirs and charities. This impending transfer of wealth is a huge opportunity for AJF.  With our deep understanding of Jewish community needs and the organizations that are addressing them, AJF offers donors a competitive advantage over commercial funds and advisors. We can help our donors manage their investments wisely and at the same time, help them express their highest philanthropic priorities.

I spent a few days in Pittsburgh last week. This was not a visit to see family or friends. I was a participant on the 23^rd annual Atlanta Leadership, Involvement, Networking, Knowledge (LINK) trip which hand selects 110 Atlanta leaders to travel together and learn about change from other cities. This year, LINK visited my home town of Pittsburgh with an agenda to explore places where Pittsburgh has done transformational and important work:

• Driving Innovation: The City/University Partnership
• P4 Equity Measures: The Hazelwood Green Site
• The Hill District: Preserving Cultural Legacy and Fighting for the Soul of a Community
• Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Cultural District
• Building Welcoming Communities Through Interfaith Relationships

How surreal, 35 years later, to return to the city I so eagerly left as a young adult, to live in Atlanta and be part of building a city that was rising like a Phoenix in the south. The Pittsburgh I left was a city in decline where opportunity was rare, and where I never felt I could be part of shaping its future. The Atlanta I came to was growing, optimistic, risk-taking and had a Jewish community that I immediately felt a part of.

Here I was, back in this city which has become the envy of many cities around the world. A city that has transformed its economy from steel manufacturing to education and medicine, a city that has a vibrant arts community, that is a tremendous sports town, and that is embracing sustainability and a vibrant food culture. I also came back to a city that still has vital neighborhoods intertwined by great parks, and yes, an incredible Jewish community that in spite of experiencing the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history is only getting stronger and more connected.

Along with Bill Bolling, one of my long-time mentors and the former CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, I was asked to lead a session on making Atlanta a more welcoming community through relationships. Our panel was able to engage with leaders in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic communities who were all involved in Pittsburgh’s response to the tragedy at Congregation Tree of Life.

What they told us was that the relationships they had built before the tragedy was what allowed them to respond with such love and impact. All of us on the trip agreed that one of Atlanta’s great strengths is its network of faith groups. But we all agreed that the network could and should be stronger. From my vantage point, as a leader in the Jewish community, it was a reminder that not only do we have work to do across faiths, we also have a lot of work to do inside our own community.

We started some of that work over a year ago when many of our Jewish community leaders traveled to Israel together to build relationships and experience Israeli innovation.  It was a tremendous start. And even though Jewish Atlanta is spread out and doesn’t have the close, cohesive neighborhoods of a Pittsburgh, we have a growing population and an enviable infrastructure of synagogues, schools and organizations. Our assets are incredible.

Now we need to summon the will to reach across our ecosystem to demonstrate what welcoming looks like. We need to show up in force in the Atlanta interfaith community as participants and stakeholders. As Jews, we can be community models of social justice, generosity and resilience.

It took a trip back to my Pittsburgh neighborhood, 35 years later, to reconnect with the urgency of becoming more welcoming to our own people, while making Atlanta more welcoming to all. I will need help from all of you, and I know that together we can make it happen.

It’s impossible to ignore the fact that antisemitism is on the rise around the globe. Fears once seen as “Europe’s problem” were stoked anew when the world’s oldest hatred found its way to my hometown of Pittsburgh this fall, and more recently as local incidents aroused concern in Atlanta.

The situation is concerning, but at Passover I remain profoundly joyful. My optimism rests on the incredible freedom we enjoy as Jews in America.

Our freedom is expressed in the abundance of creative and traditional Passover seders happening here in Atlanta. There’s the Downtown Seder at City Winery that brought musicians, artists, Jews and non-Jews together. There are women’s seders, hunger seders, sober seders, even a Unity seder where Jews and Muslims break matzah together. Once again at Ramah Darom, hundreds of families from all over enjoy communal seders and a chance to learn and explore Jewish life with top scholars and rabbis.

At my seder we used The Hartman Institute’s haggadah, A Different Night, and we have a tradition I love of writing our names and the date on the inside cover. It’s how we chronicle the names of our “tribe” and remember the ones no longer with us.

As a ben chorin (free person) at Passover, I can express my Judaism without constraint. Yet I also know that I am never “free” of memory, or of the responsibility to care for my people, particularly when their freedoms are at stake. That is the precious gift America bestows on all of us.

Have a sweet and meaningful Passover!

It’s Adar, the month when the Talmud says our joy increases. I’ve now lived in Atlanta for fifteen years and they really have been full of Jewish joy with weddings, b’nai mitzvah, Shabbats, baby namings, holidays, Israel@70, plus hundreds of conversations and encounters with you! At Federation we talk a lot these days about creating more Jewish places and being a radically welcoming community. Atlanta has been all that and more for me. Looking back on fifteen years, I thought it was time to share my own idiosyncratic list of welcoming Jewish events and places that fill me with joy. So here, in alphabetical order, are ten beautiful Jewish Atlanta places, events, and things I love.

Atlanta Havurah
About six years ago, a group of mostly Intown and Decatur families formed a havurah (fellowship group) to share Shabbat and the high holidays, lifecycle events, and learning. Some of us were already members of synagogues, and some of us were not. What we had in common was a wish to create an interactive, family-friendly worship experience that drew from the best of Reform, Reconstructionist and Orthodox traditions. The Atlanta Havurah drew us close and continues to give our kids and our families a joyous place to be Jewish.

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
The month of February can be a slog, but not in Jewish Atlanta. We have the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival make the month fly by. For 21 days we get to binge on incredible films from around the world, all presenting a unique Jewish take on life. I love the mad scramble to order tickets online, and the conversations that happen when we stand on line waiting to go into the theatre and run into friends and neighbors. AJFF makes Atlanta feel like a small town. It’s a treasure.

Atlanta Jewish Music Festival
How incredible is it that Atlanta has a Jewish film festival, a book festival, and a music festival? My friend Russell Gottschalk created AJMF right out of Emory University, and in less than 10 years he turned it into an engine for fresh, unexpected and vibrant Jewish music. Russell’s vision for AJMF was to engage the whole community, which he did with teen open mic events, and concert venues in synagogues, coffee shops and clubs. Now, under a wonderful new director, Joe Alterman, AJMF is still innovating and building new audiences and expanding my mind about what Jewish music can be.

The Breman’s Bearing Witness Series
Atlanta’s small and dwindling Holocaust survivor community is precious to all of us, and The Breman Jewish Heritage Museum’s Bearing Witness series brings honor to them. The series features Holocaust survivors, all Atlanta residents, who share their personal stories of survival, endurance and resilience. I never fail to be inspired by the optimism that still shines through as they bear witness to one of darkest periods in modern history. As someone who works at the Selig Center, it is a joy to see the lessons of the Holocaust come to life for new generations when school groups visit The Breman on a daily basis.

JKG B’nei Mitzvah
Full disclosure: my wife, Ana Robbins, is the Founding Director of Jewish Kids Groups (JKG). That said, I dearly love JKG’s unique approach to bar and bat mitzvah. As a different kind of Hebrew school, JKG has a different take on bar and bat mitzvah. At JKG, bar and bat mitzvah is a two-year program of small group study that culminates in a group B’nei Mitzvah event. The kids come of age as a close group, learning together and doing individual projects. Some families choose to have a conventional synagogue service with Torah-reading; others, who are not members of synagogues, craft their own personalized experience or take the group option. How cool that this model started right in Atlanta.

Kiddush Lunch at Congregation Shearith Israel
What can I say? Congregation Shearith Israel is my shul and I love it. Kiddush lunch at Shearith Israel is a delicious reward for coming to services — the place where my Intown village joins together for fellowship, schmoozing and fressing (Yiddish for eating). Want to know who had a baby, who got engaged, whose parents are moving to Atlanta? You find out everything at kiddush. Shearith Israel has had some ups and downs, but today it’s bursting with young families and newcomers, thanks to our dynamic and caring rabbi, Ari Kaiman. For me, Shearith Israel is the essence of community.

Limmud Atlanta+Southeast
I’ve written many times about Limmud Atlanta+Southeast, our immersive, inclusive, and multi-generational learning community that happens over Labor Day weekend up at Ramah Darom. Limmud runs 100% on volunteer power and is the template I love for Jewish engagement. The sessions are eclectic, from text study to making pita in an outdoor oven. We do yoga, share meals, hear great music, go hiking and just hang out. Everyone in my family, from teenage Sasha, to my uncle Bill, who is in his nineties, loves it. Limmud proves what can happen when you empower passionate people to create the programs they want, to their own specifications.

Israel Leadership Learning Journey
Of all my recent trips to Israel, last year’s Community Leadership Learning Journey was a standout experience. With support from a wonderful donor, we took a group of 70 Atlanta Jewish community leaders on a unique trip to Israel, not to be tourists, but to encounter each other. Our work on The Front Porch created a mindset to build bonds as community leaders, affirm and deepen our ties to Israel, and immerse ourselves in Israeli innovation. Through many deep and difficult conversations, we came to know each other and love each other. We returned with a commitment to continue respectful dialogue, to take each other’s calls, to assume the very best of each other, and keep our connections going. And we have! Our What’s App group continues, with weekly wishes for Shabbat shalom.

Shabbat on La Vista Road
Have you ever been in Toco Hills on Shabbat? Less than ten minutes from where I live, on any given Shabbat morning, you can witness a street scene that’s almost out of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Boasting at least seven congregations, from Reconstructionist to Orthodox, LaVista Road, the central street of Toco Hills, comes alive on Shabbat. Within the eruv (ritual enclosure permitting certain activities on Shabbat) families and individuals greet each other on their way to synagogue, walk home for lunch, and return again for Mincha and Maariv services. You’ll see kids racing down LaVista to catch up with their friends. You’ll see clusters of parents pushing kids in strollers, even men wearing long black coats and shtreimels (fur hat worn by some observant men), creating a glorious street scene that’s unique in all of Jewish Atlanta.

Sukkot at Oakhurst Garden
My beloved friend, Naomi Rabkin, z”l, was taken from this world too soon. Earlier this month we marked her first yahrzeit (anniversary of a death). When Naomi lived in Atlanta she not only managed Limmud Atlanta, she was the spark that created The Atlanta Jewish Food Alliance, the first Jewish community supported agriculture group, and the first public sukkah at Oakhurst Community Garden.  During Sukkot, Naomi turned Oakhurst Garden into a magical Jewish gan eden (garden of eden). She packed the week with potluck picnics, Sukkot sleepovers, and a Sukkot baking competition. For some Jews and their loved ones, it was their first ever experience of a sukkah and the wonderful customs of our harvest .

At the tail end of January we celebrated our local champions for inclusion at Jewish Abilities Alliance’s 5^th annual Power of One event. Over 350 people turned out to honor 31 Power of One award recipients and to kick off Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) in February. It was no surprise to me that so many of the honorees work at and support inclusion at our region’s Jewish overnight camps and day camps. Our camps are places where disabilities are not seen as obstacles, where bullying is never tolerated, and where all kids are liberated from the cliques and social rules that operate during the school year. In this way, camp is a sweet taste of olam ha ba, the perfected world we yearn for.

I got my first real glimpse of what inclusion looks like at Camp Barney Medintz when I worked in the kitchen. It was the best job I ever had at camp and it taught me what’s really involved in feeding several hundred campers and staff members three times a day — incredible focus and hard work! To see Scott Hyman, who is on the kitchen staff, honored for his leadership, competence and strong work ethic at Power of One, filled me with pride.

One of the most moving moments at Power of One was when Rachel Krigsman, a counselor at Ramah Darom, was honored for her support for Briah Margolias, a camper with special health needs and one of the most medically fragile children ever to attend camp. Little Briah came up on stage to give Rachel a hug and a bouquet of flowers, and then told the audience how her counselor made the camp experience wonderful for her. For Briah and the entire Ramah Darom community, this was a beautiful example of how true inclusion erases stigma and builds compassion.

In the City Camp counselor Brent Rogers was honored for his support of day campers with special needs. Lotem Eilon received an award for inclusion programs at Camp Coleman. And the 2019 Robyn Berger Emerging Leader Award went Sarah Scheuer for her inclusion efforts at MJCCA Day Camps.

I recently became aware of another ally for inclusion at camp, Atlanta couple Matt Bronfman and Ronit Walker.  They have been deeply impacted both by Ronit’s deceased sister, Naomi Walker, who because of her physical disabilities was unable to attend summer camp as an adolescent, and their daughter Kyra, who loves Camp Barney Medintz and has worked as counselor in their Chalutzim program for campers with special needs for the past two summers. Campers come to Chalutzim with a wide range of abilities, and the staff works closely with each camper to ensure a great experience. Their daughter observed some gaps in the program and felt it could be stronger. So, the family met with Federation and talked with us about ways to improve the program. Together we shaped a substantial gift to restructure the program and hire a director dedicated solely to Chalutzim. The gift will also support staff training and inclusion all year long and create a bridge between MJCCA day camps and Camp Barney.

Our camps are places that don’t merely pay lip service to inclusion, they model it! Let’s not forget that Camp Ramah Darom launched its Yofi program for Jewish families with children on the autism spectrum years ago. It has become a national model for inclusion in a camp setting. Our Jewish Abilities Alliance has reached more than 1,000 day camp and overnight camp counselors and staff through its trainings, so that these values of compassion, understanding and sensitivity endure all year long.

From my years as CEO of Camp Twin Lakes and directing the Isabella Freedman retreat center, to being a camper and a counselor myself, I’ve seen miracles at camp. What I saw at Power of One provided even more shining reasons why I’ll always be a camp guy!

Yesterday was my birthday, and as the years race by, my birthday always puts me in a contemplative mood. I’ve been thinking hard lately about our community’s commitment to Jewish education. Atlanta’s formal Jewish education landscape is remarkable with a range of excellent Jewish day schools and preschools, 40+ synagogues, learning opportunities at the MJCCA, organizations like Limmud, and one of the largest Melton School programs in the nation. Our informal Jewish learning landscape is also impressive, with JumpSpark Teen, Jewish day camps, overnight camps, PJ Library, Jewish Kids Groups, Hillels, BBYO, Birthright Israel, Jewish Student Union and more.

But inevitably I start to think about the thousands of Atlantans who identify Jewishly yet fall outside the education mainstream. They’re missing out on so much — and worse, they don’t even know what they’re missing! Synagogues, the MJCCA, and Jewish camp are not part of their Jewish experience, and their estrangement from Jewish learning makes them feel like strangers. Tragically, many don’t believe they’re “Jewish” enough to be accepted as learners. As a tradition that prizes learning and commands us to welcome the stranger, we have to do better!

I believe that our Jewish ecosystem gets exponentially stronger when Jewish knowledge increases. So I have to ask, what would happen if Atlanta leveraged its strengths, truly doubled down on Jewish education and made it a priority? How can we improve the quality and the delivery of Jewish education, both in congregational and non-congregational settings? (By the way, I also believe we need to tell a better story about the good things that are already happening here).

More pointedly, how can we re-imagine Jewish education for those who have not been exposed to it? How can we make after school Jewish education more compelling for those who have tried it and fallen away? And what can we learn from successful church communities that use mid-week family experiences (and serve dinner!) to educate and engage?

Looking inside our own ecosystem, what role can our day schools, camps and the MJCCA play to meet new learners where they are? What would immersive Family Camp experiences, with opportunities for family story-telling, look like? How can we create a through-line that connects Jewish education and experiences from pre-school through afterschool, and from camp to teen? These are some of the provocative questions we’re asking.

David Bryfman is a thought leader in Jewish education who has really shaped my thinking. He says that for Jewish education to be successful, it needs to have, at its core, a mission to make people happy. I love and live by that idea. If there isn’t joy in Jewish learning, it will not stick.

Right now at Federation we’re beginning to explore some of these ideas and dream about how we might catalyze new energy around Jewish education in Atlanta. We’re meeting with experts in education around the country to learn as much as we can about educational innovation. I’ll keep you posted on our thinking and our progress. And if you have a great idea that could expand our thinking and bring joy to Jewish learning, I hope you’ll give me a call.