Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Barbara Merino joined the Camp Newman Board as a liaison from the Women of Reform Judaism Pacific District Board.  Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is a graduate of California State University, Northridge, with many summers spent as a counselor at Camp Roosevelt in Idyllwild California.   She served as a Human Capital Manager with the Federal Government for 30 years.  Her volunteer work included 13 years on the board of Directors of Congregation Rodef Sholom, including two years as President.  Since retiring she has devoted most of her energies to the Women of Reform Judaism.  She was president of her local sisterhood and still serves on its board.  She has also been a member of the WRJ Pacific District Board for the last six years. Barbara’s daughter Susan adored Camp Swig as a camper, and spent one summer there as a counselor just before Newman was created.  Barbara is committed to making the Camp Newman experience available to all who seek it, and to making Camp Newman the best it can be. 

Daryl Messinger is the immediate past President of the URJ and a past chair of the Camp Newman Advisory Board. For the last three decades, she has actively participated in the Bay Area Jewish community in a number of leadership roles. She is a member of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation’s Endowment Committee, Executive Grants Committee and Board of Governors. In the past, she was president of the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto, an officer of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, and president of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills. She participated in the Peninsula Wexner program in 2000. Within the Reform Movement, Daryl chairs the Reform Pension Board and serves on the Union for Reform Judaism’s Oversight Committee with lay responsibility for the Campaign for Youth Engagement. Daryl retired in 2009 after a career that spanned investment management, investor relations and corporate communications. Daryl’s first involvement with URJ camps was over 40 years ago when she was a camper at URJ Eisner Camp in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in 1973 and then at Torah Corps at URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, New York, the following summer.

Daryl and and her husband, Jim Heeger, have two sons who are “bi-coastal” alumni of both URJ Camp Swig/Camp Newman (California) as well as URJ Camp Eisner (Massachusetts). Adam attended Camp Newman for five summers and Camp Swig for one, and Robbie attended URJ Eisner Camp in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, as a counselor and song leader. Daryl and Jim reside in Palo Alto and are both Charter members of the Camp Newman Legacy Society for Living Judaism.

Born in Los Angeles (Ceders class of 1943), Frank spent 40 years in retail selling cameras then decided to retire and try his hand at real estate investments. He currently has some investments in Los Angeles and Arizona, primarily focusing on neighborhood shopping centers. Frank’s wife, Helen, works real hours and has an art gallery in Santa Monica. Frank was a SCFTY and NFTY officer in the early ’60s; he is currently a member of Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills and Stephen S. Wise Temple where he has served on the board. In addition to his work on the camp board, Frank serves as the Board Chair of UCLA Hillel, and is the Chair of the Committee for Jewish Camping on the Los Angeles Federation Board. Frank has worked for several years now focusing on the ages between Bar Mitzvah and marriage. His interest is making sure there is a Jewish future in America and Israel. Frank married Helen, “we dated for 18 years, and thought it was Chai time.” They have three daughters and two granddaughters, as well as two dogs. Frank is a Camp Newman Board Member, Charter Member, and the founding Co-Chair of our Legacy Society for Living Judaism.

Raised in a Conservadox home in Cleveland, Debra has been a family law attorney for more than 30 years and is the principal of the Schoenberg Family Law Group, a boutique family law firm in San Francisco.  She and her partner, Karen, together with their two kids, Benjamin and Mira, reside in Piedmont and are active in Temple Sinai. Both kids have attended Camp Newman for many years and as a result of their incredible experiences there, Debra is deeply committed to making Jewish camp accessible to all kids.

Debra has served on many not for profit Boards, has headed a number of successful capital campaigns and has chaired both Rabbinic and Cantorial search committees.  In addition to the Camp Newman Board, Debra currently sits on the Regional Council for the New Israel Fund, the Corporate Council for  Berkeley Rep as well as the boards for Temple Sinai, the San Francisco Bach Choir and Lava Mae.

Born and raised in Israel and moved to the USA in 2000. Relli grew up with clear Jewish identity but moving to the USA forced the family to find new ways to connect to the Jewish faith and what it means for them. Joined the reform community Relli and her family found a new modern connection to Jewish life and camp Newman has been an instrumental piece of it. Rellis children are campers at camp Newman and love it! Her commitment to camp comes with witnessing the importance of camp for her family. Relli is a floral artist focusing with focus on art as a healing power, a seeker of the truth as well as being passionate about building strong Jewish communities. To read Relli’s blog “A Parent’s Journey from Appreciating Camp Magic to Creating It” from when she taught Hagigah during Summer 2017, click here.

Deborah has a passion for serving the Jewish community. She serves on the Boards of Brandeis Marin, Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Jewish Community High School of the Bay. She is a member of the Executive Grants Committee for the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, as well as various other Federation committees. Deborah is a past president for the Osher Marin JCC and a past Board member for Congregation Kol Shofar. She has four kids, Joshua, Rebecca, Jonathan and Jacob. Jonathan and Jacob were campers at Camp Newman and Rebecca was a counselor for two summers. Deborah loves being an ambassador for Camp Newman and is a member of the scholarship committee. She lives in Marin, is married to Larry, and spent 20 years working in market research.

Larry Stadtner is the Vice President and Principal of Sierra Electric, overseeing their business development and sales efforts. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in business administration and with over 20 years of experience in the electrical field, Larry brings comprehensive knowledge to strengthening relationships through client advocacy. He is responsible for championing Sierra Electric’s capabilities in the Bay Area marketplace and directs the company’s strategic sales planning in an ever changing market place. Larry, who is married to fellow board member at Deborah, is a Camp Newman Board Member.

Sandy grew up in Skokie IL and as a teen attended summer camp at Camp Chi in Wisconsin. This experience caused her to want to provide the same for her children. After marrying her husband Scott, she helped him build his business before becoming a stay-at-home mom. Together they moved to southern CA before finally settling in Las Vegas in 1992. After getting settled, they joined Congregation Ner Tamid and became very active. Sandy served three years as Sisterhood president and was a Board Member with the Women of Reform Judaism. She is also a former Board Member of the JCC of Southern Nevada. In addition to various committee assignments, she currently serves as a Trustee on the board of Congregation Ner Tamid. When her children were old enough, Megan and then Ben began attending Camp Newman. Megan spent 10 wonderful summers including Avodah, CIT (2007), and finally staff. Ben has been attending for 8 years and hopes to be a staff member. When asked to join the Camp Newman board, Sandy gladly joined. The effect that Jewish summer camp has had on her children is profound. Sandy wants to make sure camp is available for all children who WANT to attend. Hopefully, one day her grandchildren will be able to attend Camp Newman. Sandy and her husband Scott are Charter members of our Legacy Society for Living Judaism.

Eliot, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, is currently President and CEO of Kitchen Culture. He is the Founder and former Chairman of Two Chefs On A Roll. Two Chefs is a premier private label food manufacturer serving customers across the US as well as internationally.

Eliot and his wife Gale (who is also a Camp Newman Board member) are a great example of “East meets West.” Gale grew up in Palos Verdes located in sunny southern California while Eliot is a native of Boston, Mass. While neither one is a Jewish camping veteran, they both fell in love Camp Newman, where their daughter Rebecca has spent the past 10-plus summers, including Avodah and CIT (2008), and as a counselor. Eliot, Gale and Rebecca are members of Temple Beth El and Center in San Pedro where Eliot is the immediate Past President. Eliot is a proud Charter Members of our Legacy Society for Living Judaism and is also a Member of the North American Board of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Gale Swartz is recently retired as a Senior Manager in Systems Engineering for The Boeing Company’s Satellite Development Center in. She specialized in Spacecraft Systems Engineering and Operations that is presently supporting the development of the next generation GPS satellite constellation. Formerly a Senior Manager at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, she began as a Senior Systems Engineer at TRW Space and Technology Group.

Gale and her husband, Eliot (who is also a Camp Newman Board Member), are a great example of “East meets West.” Gale grew up in Palos Verdes located in sunny southern California while Eliot is a native of Boston, Mass. While neither one is a Jewish camping veteran, they both fell in love Camp Newman, where their daughter Rebecca has spent the past 10-plus summers, including Avodah and CIT (2008), and as a counselor. Gale, Eliot and Rebecca are members of Temple Beth El and Center in San Pedro. Gale is a former Torah School Teacher and is currently the Vice President of Education, and sings in the choir. Gale is the is the chair of the Camp Newman Annual Fund, and both Gale and Eliot are proud Members of our Legacy Society for Living Judaism.

The Founder and President of JW Special Events, Julie is a Former Associate of the Capital Group Companies. As a Texas native, Julie was sent off to the Saratoga hills without knowing she would gain her passion for Jewish Camping. It all began when she was a Bonim camper at Camp Swig in 1990. For the next 8 summers, Julie continued to spend her summers as a Camp Swig camper. In 1999, she was a Camp Newman CIT. As she climbed the Camp ladder, she became a counselor, staff member and was the Assistant Director for 2 years. Her love of camp led her to become a Charter Member of our Legacy Society for Living Judaism. Julie has spent several years giving life to our Alumni Committee and serving as its Chairperson. Julie is married to Ben Waltzer and they live in Austin, Texas with their two future campers, Noah and Addison.

Leslie Wasserman found herself at Camp Swig-Newman while growing up in Dallas, TX. Ever since her first summer in 1998, she knew that both camp and California were home. Leslie currently lives in Los Angeles and works in the entertainment industry, applying both her attention to detail and forward-thinking skills to the casting of film and tv. She enjoys being on the URJ Camp Newman advisory board, where she Co-Chairs the Alumni Committee and sat on the Executive Director Local Selection Committee. She loves getting camp alumnae together for reunions in LA and serendipitously running into old friends on the street.

Richard Wasserman and his wife, Tina, have been involved in URJ Camping since their daughter, Leslie, a 12-year camp alum, told them that they needed to reorder their priorities toward camp. His deep involvement with camp has led him to become the Vice Chairman of our Advisory Board and Charter Member of our Legacy Society for Living Judaism.

Richard has been involved in the Reform Movement for twenty years having served as a Trustee of Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, Vice-President of Temple Emanu-El Brotherhood, Overseer and Vice-Chair of the Cincinnati Board of Overseers of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and is the Vice Chairman of the Camp Newman Board. Richard is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and managing partner of Dallas Allergy Immunology, a private medical practice and research center. Prior to opening his practice, Wasserman was Chief of Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Pediatrics at Southwestern Medical School where he directed a research lab, taught medical and graduate students, directed the Pediatric Training Program and had a clinic for children with primary immunodeficiency. After graduating from Hobart College he trained at Mt Sinai School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the City University of New York (Ph.D.), the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (M.D. and Cancer Immunology Fellowship), The University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (internship/residency/fellowship) and The Rockefeller University (fellowship in Immunology/Rheumatology). He has authored or co-authored more than 95 publications and supervised more than 100 FDA approved research studies.

Richard and his prom date, Tina, married two weeks after his college graduation. They both grew up in Conservative congregations and met at United Synagogue Youth events. Their children, Jonathan, 38, and Leslie, 27, were born in Dallas where the Wassermans have lived for more than 35 years. Jonathan is now a project manager for an international design firm and lives in Brooklyn. Leslie works in casting television and film in Los Angeles.

Tina Wasserman has a lifelong association with Jewish camping and youth groups. Growing up in a conservative synagogue she was involved in all aspects of the Jewish community and it’s regional youth group. She met her husband at a USY convention when they were in high school! Tina is the food columnist for Reform Judaism Magazine and the author of the URJ’s first comprehensive cookbook, Entree to Judaism. Because of the book, she is getting to meet members of Reform synagogues all across the country. She sees how important a sense of Jewish community is today to those congregants, and the necessity to foster that connection in our youth for the future. Jewish camping holds the key to enhancing this connection. This led her to becoming a Camp Newman Board member and a Charter Member of our Legacy Society for Living Judaism. Her daughter’s comment that, “Camp has had the biggest influence in my life…” initiated her involvement, along with her husband, in taking a closer look at the needs of Camp Newman. Visiting every summer from Dallas, gave Tina the understanding of what her daughter meant. Now, even though her daughter is out of college, Tina still makes the journey to work hard for the betterment of the camp and its campers. In past summers, Tina even taught cooking to campers and staff – Yummy!

Hilary Weisfeld spent ten years of her young life attending a Jewish sleepaway camp on the east coast, and credits that unforgettable experience with shaping her Jewish journey and identity. Her oldest daughter fell in love with Camp Newman in the same way – it becoming the largest part of her heart and soul – and through her, Hilary’s love of Jewish sleepaway camp reawakened. Hilary is so thrilled to be a part of the Camp Newman Board, to help inspire that camp love for current and future generations of Jewish kids.

Born and raised in New York, Hilary and her family moved to Silicon Valley in 2008 for “2-3 years max,” fell in love with the place and community and never left.

She graduated from Tufts University with a dual degree in Classical Studies and Art History, and spent the majority of her career working in Marketing, Publicity, Events, and the Arts.

After a 12-year hiatus to raise her two daughters, Hilary now works as the Quality Assurance Lead for a startup. She spends her free time volunteering for a variety of education, human rights and Jewish community organizations and serves on the Board of Directors of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto. She was a two-term Communications Director for her daughters’ school PTA, and can often be found navigating a game of four square gone awry during yard duty or organizing a school event for the Middle School Parent Committee on which she sits.

Hilary enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, running, seeing movies, and spending as much time as possible with her family. She lives in Los Altos, CA with her husband (who makes her laugh more than anyone on the planet,) their two amazing daughters (for whom she is so grateful,) and no dog.

Rabbinic: Rabbi Paul Kipnes, Congregation Or Ami (Calabasas, CA)

Medical: Gregory Hirsch, MD and Roberta Bavin, DNP, CPNP

As in all organizations, the Jewish Camping Movement has its share of acronyms and words that are camp specific.  Below are some of the more common words and acronyms that will help you understand both our history and current operations.

ACA– American Camp Association is a community of camp professionals working to preserve, promote, and improve the camp experience.

Advisory Board– A group of lay leaders who provide guidance, fundraising assistance and support to Camp Newman and its leadership.

Avi Chai Foundation– is a private foundation endowed by Zalman C. Bernstein that is committed to the perpetuation of the Jewish people, Judaism, and the centrality of the State of Israel to the Jewish people.

FJC – Foundation for Jewish Camp – a public foundation dedicated solely to the Jewish overnight camp movement.  Provides training and guidance to camps and financial assistance for campers.

Harold Grinspoon Foundation– established in 1993, is a philanthropic organization deeply committed to charitable giving, primarily in the Jewish world.

NAC – North American Camping – NAC is a unit of the URJ (formerly UAHC) that oversees the URJ’s 16 summer camps.  The NAC sets policies, provides funding for operational support and training for staff.  

NCCI – National Commission of Camp Institutes which was the forerunner of the NAC, this organization loosely oversaw the UAHC camps.

NFTY – National Federation of Temple Youth which was established in 1939 to serve the youth in Reform Congregations.

NFTYx– NFTYx is an open space for Jewish engagement, creativity, innovation, and community. Designed to support Reform Jewish teens in planning Jewish experiences for those within and beyond their social networks.

UAHC – Union of American Hebrew Congregations – established in 1873 as the umbrella group of Reform Congregations. (Now the URJ)

URJ – Union of Reform Judaism – the umbrella group of Reform Congregations.  Name changed from UAHC in 2003. Reform congregations throughout North America are members of the URJ.