Rabbi Allie Fischman
Camp Director
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
afischman@urj.org
Rabbi Allie oversees all of Camp Newman’s year-round and summer operations, and directly supports Camp Newman’s Associate and Senior Assistant Directors. She brings over 18 years of experience as a Jewish professional to this position. She believes in the power of Jewish camp to inspire a love of Judaism, allow campers and staff alike to believe in themselves, and to become their best selves.
A.C. Swedlove
Assistant Retreat Center Director
A.C. joined the team in August of 2021 as Assistant Camp Director. Prior to his time with us, he gained significant experience in informal Jewish education having spent many summers as a Sports Director, Logistics Manager, and Assistant Director for Camp Newman, 6 Points Sports Academy-CA, and Kutz Camp, respectively.
Ari Vared
Executive Director, CA Youth & Camping
Pronouns: He/Him/His
avared@urj.org
Ari Vared – a former Camp Swig and Newman camper, NFTY participant, staff member and camp director – is the Executive Director of California Camps and Youth. In this leadership role, Ari will help grow the impact and elevate the enriching experiences we provide to thousands of children and teens.
Ariel Kurland
Director of Development
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
akurland@urj.org
Originally from the Bay Area, Ariel is thrilled to be back home and joining the URJ West team. Prior to this role, she worked as a fundraising and marketing consultant for organizations focused on social impact, including non-profits, tech companies, and think tanks. Before that, she spent 5 years at BBYO working in fundraising and community engagement throughout the West Coast.
Aviva Symons
Assistant Camp Director, Staff Engagement
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
asymons@urj.org
Since 2003, Aviva dreamt of living “summertime forever” — and now that dream has come true! A Pittsburgh-er at heart, Aviva found her love of Judaism in the Pocono Mountains at URJ Camp Harlam. This passion grew at Muhlenberg College, where she majored in Jewish Studies and received her Prekindergarten – Fourth Grade Teaching Certification.
Casey Gore
Business Manager
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
cgore@urj.org
A former camper and counselor at Camp Newman, Casey is thrilled to be joining the West Coast team to support both Camp Newman and Camp Kalsman as the Business Manager. Prior to this role, Casey was a high school counselor and math teacher. She is passionate about building confidence and resilience in young adults – something that so many campers gain from their summer experiences.
Danny Robinow
Chef
Pronouns: He/Him/His
drobinow@urj.org
Danny is thrilled to return to URJ Camp Newman, for the first time since 2017, this time in the capacity of Chef Manager. Danny first attended Newman as a camper and then moved up through staff position before attending culinary school and beginning his career in food. He has cooked for every type of operation imaginable, from fine dining restaurants to movie/TV productions.
Ethan Prager
Development Manager
Pronouns: He/Him/His
eprager@urj.org
Jessie Shamout
Associate Camp Director
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
jshamout@urj.org
Jessie has been working in the field of youth and camping for over 15 years and attributes some of her most transformative experiences to Jewish camp. As a Southern California native, she spent her summers at Camp JCA Shalom in Malibu, then ventured across the country to attend URJ Kutz Camp. While new in this role, she’s excited to return to Porter Creek where she served as faculty for several summers while she was the educator at University Synagogue in Los Angeles.
Jordanna Flores
Director of Year-Round Programs
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
jflores@urj.org
Jordanna has been an Experiential Jewish Educator for 20 years. She earned Masters Degrees in Jewish Education and Jewish Nonprofit Management from HUC-JIR in Los Angeles and has worked in museum education, family camping, adult education and summer camping. Jordanna has served as the Director of Camp Alonim, the Director of the LA Area Melton School, the Assistant Director of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR LA and the Director of URJ 6 Points West, formerly known as URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech West.
Kim Press
Registrar
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
kpress@urj.org
Kim Press joined the year-round staff as Registrar in 2016, after volunteering at Newman during the summer for many years. Kim’s son Micah and daughter Jamie grew up at Newman between 2005 and 2017, so Kim was a Newman parent for a very long time! Kim and her husband Marc live in San Rafael and are very active members of Congregation Rodef Sholom. When Kim isn’t busy answering parent questions about registration, scholarships, and all things camp-related, she likes to run, row, bake, and read.
Lisa Kama
Administrator
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
lkama@urj.org
Lisa Kama began her journey with the URJ West Camps at Camp Newman in the summer of 2015, when she first came to camp to volunteer for a few weeks in the Welcome Center. As the years went by, she began spending more and more time at camp, until she joined the year-round team in the fall of 2021 as Administrator. Lisa grew up attending Jewish summer camps and never quite got enough of it, so being back at camp feels like the perfect fit.
Matt Ghan
Assistant Director of Retreat Services
Pronouns: He/Him/His
mghan@urj.org
Matthew is very excited to join the full time team as he started his camp journey as a camp. He is originally from San Jose and attended Chapman University studying Communications Studies. Prior to this role, Matt served on the URJ’s Camping & Immersives team supporting all of youth programs, including camps, NFTY and Israel programs. In his free time he enjoys cooking and traveling.
Martee Fischman
Retreat Center Director
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
mfischman@urj.org
Martee has been working on the full-time team for Camp Newman since 2017. As the Retreat Center Director, she oversees the year-round business at our Porter Creek home, combining her passion for hospitality and camping to create unique and exceptional experiences for all who visit our site.
Osmar Palafox
Facilities Manager
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Osmar has been part of the camp community since 2006 when he joined the maintenance team and, as of 2020, serves as the Facilities Manager. For almost two decades Osmar has cared for the buildings and grounds at camp as if they were his own. He also assists in construction projects, working with lay leaders as well as architects and builders. When not at camp, Osmar can be found working on side projects and spending quality time with his family.
Rachel Dubowe
Senior Assistant Director, Community Engagement
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
rdubowe@urj.org
Growing up in Southern California, Rachel was raised with a love of Jewish experiential learning and sunshine. She is a proud alumna of URJ Kutz Camp, URJ Camp Newman, and NFTY SOCAL. Rachel is a firm believer in the power of summer camp and credits an integral part of her Jewish identity to her summers spent at URJ camps‒where she spent significant time both as a participant and senior staff member, specifically in the realm of camper care and inclusion.
Rachel Mellman
Marketing Associate
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
rmellman@urj.org
After a few years away, Rachel is excited to be returning to the world of Jewish summer camps as the URJ West Camp’s Marketing Associate. Rachel began attending Camp Newman in 2007 and continued on through Avodah 2015 and CIT 2016. Owing to the transformative experience she had as a camper, Rachel continued her camp journey as a staff member in 2017-18 and an Avodah advisor in 2019.
Rachel K. Slaton
Director, Marketing & Communications
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
rslaton@urj.org
Rachel has been a part of the URJ West Camps team since 2016, as the Associate Director for 6 Points Sports – CA from 2016-2020 as well as for Camp Newman until 2022. She is excited to now be supporting both West Coast camps, Newman and Kalsman, as the Director of Marketing and Communications. Rachel earned Masters in Jewish Non-Profit Management along with a Masters in Public Administration from USC and following graduate school, worked for BJE: Builders of Jewish Education and American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Los Angeles.
Meet our Advisory board
The board forms the backbone of our camp. These dedicated volunteers give their time and expertise toward making Camp Newman the best it can be, working diligently to secure its future for generations to come. We are grateful for their support and leadership!
Marc 'Moshe' Dollinger, Board chair
Moshe journeyed to Camp Swig as a Kallah camper in the summer of 1975 and has been coming back to Camp Swig and Camp Newman ever since. In the early 1980s, he served as a madrich (counselor) and was the 1985 boys CIT advisor. In the late 1980s, Moshe returned as a Rosh Eidah. In 1995, Moshe came back to Camp Swig as educational director during Ruben’s first summer. Since 1995, Moshe has helped Ruben and the camp in any way he could. Most recently, he has been honored to serve on the camp board and is a Charter member of our Legacy Society for Living Judaism. Outside of camp, Moshe uses the name Marc and serves as the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University. He is the author of Quest for Inclusion: Jews and Liberalism in Modern America (Princeton University Press, 2000) and co-editor, with Ava Kahn, of California Jews (Brandeis University Press, 2003). He is currently the Academic Affairs Vice President for Lehrhaus Judaica. He has served as Vice President of the board, San Francisco Bureau of Jewish Education and is the past President of Brandeis Hillel Day School. Moshe is married to Marci, who ran Camp Katan in the summer of 1995. They have two daughters, Rebecca and Shayna.
rabbi steven chester
Rabbi Steven Chester is a Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Sinai in Oakland, CA. Rabbi Chester retired in 2011 after 22 years on the bimah and 40 years in the rabbinate. Before coming to Temple Sinai in 1989, Rabbi Steven Chester served congregations in Jackson, Michigan (where he also served as prison chaplain for the Jewish prisoners of the State of Michigan) and Stockton, California. He has taught Hebrew at Jackson Community College, Bible at Spring Arbor College and Bible and Judaism at the University of the Pacific, where he was named Adjunct Professor in the Religious Studies Department. Rabbi Chester received a B.A. in History from UCLA (1965), a B.H.L. from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles (1967), a M.H.L. from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati (1971), and an honorary doctorate from HUC in 1996. He was ordained in 1971. His Rabbinic thesis was “Eli Wiesel: Rebbe for our Generation.”
Rabbi Chester is married to Leona. They were married in 1969 and have two children, Adam and Shira. Adam and his wife Keng are the parents of Rabbi and Leona’s granddaughters, Anna and Abigail. Rabbi Chester has been bringing Anna to Camp Newman since she was in preschool, and in 2015 plans to bring Abigail for the first time. Rabbi Chester is a proud member of the URJ Camp Newman board.
bruce cohen
Bruce Cohen grew up in Orange County, CA, and attended Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton. As a youth he was a song leader, and a member of his temple youth group and SCFTY. Bruce was a camper (1977-79), CIT (1980), and Counselor (1981-82) at Camp Swig. Currently, Bruce is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of CH Consulting Advisors, a boutique strategy consulting firm. After studying at UC Berkeley and the University of Sussex in England, Bruce received his B.A. with highest honors from UC Berkeley in Political Economy. He started his career at Bain & Company, before moving to private equity for a few years. Since completing his M.B.A. at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, he has accumulated more than 30 years of consulting experience to private equity firms and corporations in consumer/retail industries. He is a senior advisor to his clients focused on due diligence and developing strategies to support profitable growth. His clients include private equity funds, manufacturers, distributors, operators, and retailers. Bruce is a member of Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco. His wife Robyn is a yoga and fitness instructor. Bruce enjoys running the hills of Marin with Tamalpa Running Club, skiing, and watching all of his sons play college baseball. His sons, Zachary, Joshua, and Benjamin all enjoyed their own summers at camp.
Barry Cohn
Coming Soon!
marci dollinger
Marci’s first summer at Camp Swig was as the Camp Katan Director in the summer of 1995. She is married to Marc (Moshe) Dollinger, a long time Swig camper, who encouraged her to experience the joy of camping for herself. After that glorious summer in the mountains of Santa Cruz, she was hooked. The Dollinger family, including daughters Shayna and Rebecca, enjoy spending time at Camp Newman whenever possible. Marci is honored to serve on the scholarship committee of Camp Newman and on the camp board. Outside of camp, Marci loves to spend time traveling and visiting with family and friends. She is a newly retired teacher of Brandeis Marin day school and the proud Mom of two grown daughters. She volunteers in the community and serves on the boards of Jfcs and AABGU, is an alumnus of the Wexner Heritage program and looks forward to leaving a legacy of camping to future generations.
susan donner
Susan Donner began her involvement in URJ Camping at Camp Swig in 1971 as a camper in Giborim. She was then a camper every summer culminating with being a CIT in ’79 and a counselor in ’80. Her passion for camp led to her father Conrad Donner’s membership on the Swig board in the ’70’s and ’80s. She and her husband Eric are also Charter Members of our Legacy Society for Living Judaism and their children Noah and Eliana are multi-year Camp Newman campers. Susan works as a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in private practice in Woodland Hills, CA. She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and a faculty member at the New Center for Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles. Susan graduated from Harvard University, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine, UCLA’s Adult Psychiatric Residency, Cedars-Sinai’s Fellowship in Child and Family Psychiatry and the New Center for Psychoanalysis. She is a past president of the Southern California Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists. She is a past and current member of national committees on Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis. Susan and Eric have been married for 23 years. Eric is a business attorney and partner at Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton in Los Angeles. Their son Noah will be starting college at Rensselaer (RPI) in New York in the fall and Eliana will, of course, be at Camp Newman this summer.
joe glass
Coming soon!
jim heeger
Jim Heeger, like his wife, Daryl, has been actively involved with the URJ camps for many years. Before becoming URJ Camp Newman Board Chair, Jim led the Master Plan Committee that developed the long-term vision for Camp Newman’s facilities and he chaired the Facilities Renovation Committee for the major renovations that preceded the Tubbs Fire. Jim has held a number of high tech senior management positions in Silicon Valley. He was President, CEO and Chairman of GreenRoad, an Israeli-founded technology company. Prior to GreenRoad he was President and CEO of PayCycle, held executive management positions at Adobe Systems and Intuit and was President and CEO of Fotiva. He earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and a BS in management from MIT.
Jim is active in the Jewish community in the Bay Area and is a Past President of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills and of Hillel at Stanford. He is currently serving as Vice Chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, Immediate Past Chair of Moishe House and current Board Chair of the San Francisco Jewish Federation. He is also a past officer of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Jim Heeger grew up in Sioux City, Iowa and spent his summers at Congregation Emanuel’s Camp Shwayder in the Colorado Rockies.
Jim and his wife, Daryl Messinger, 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 where he met another counselor Rel Friedman to whom he is engaged. Daryl and Jim reside in Palo Alto and are both Charter members of the Camp Newman Legacy Society for Living Judaism.
rabbi doug kahn
Rabbi Douglas Kahn is the Executive Director Emeritus of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council and the founder of BroadTent Consulting where he helps communities across the country on sensitive community relations and polarization issues. He joined the JCRC in 1982 and became Executive Director in 1989, a position he held until his retirement in June 2016. Doug serves on numerous boards including the Graduate Theological Union and the United Religions Initiative Foundation Board which he chairs, and most recently co-chaired with Michelle Tandowsky a national URJ Task Force to rebuild URJ Camp Newman, largely destroyed in a 2017 California wildfire. A fourth-generation San Franciscan and proud alumnus of Camp Swig, he has been honored by numerous organizations for his work.
Talia Kaufman
Bio coming soon.
eric klein
Coming soon!
Mimi Kravitz
Bio coming soon.
Raffi Krigel
Bio coming soon.
jen kurzrock
Coming soon!
Dan Kurzrock
Coming soon!
Samara Leader
Bio coming soon.
Barbara Merino
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
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.
Frank Ponder
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.
Gabrielle shabah
relli Siegel
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.
Naomi silk
deborah stadtner
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
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 stolberg
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 swartz
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
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.
Michelle tandowsky
Michelle has brought her background in Marketing and Business to 30 years of community involvement. Her driving passions are her love for her family, dedication to strengthening the Jewish community, and providing compassionate care for others so her work has been primarily in three main areas: Jewish communal organizations, healing/spirituality and education (both public and Jewish).
Michelle currently chairs the URJ Camp Newman board and serves on the URJ North American and Bay Area Jewish Healing Center boards. She also provides end-of-life spiritual care to those on hospice, is working on community building with various organizations and studies religion and spirituality. Through the years, Michelle has also served on the Peninsula Temple Sholom board and its Executive and Personnel committees, started (with her husband) a division of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, served on the Wornick Jewish Day School board of directors and was its first Middle School PTO chair, has held leadership positions on the parent advisory boards of all of her children’s elementary through high schools, and has been involved with AIPAC.
Originally from Detroit, Michelle got her business degree from the University of Michigan and then moved to California to work for Clorox, where she met her husband Keith. She and Keith have 3 adult sons, all of whom received religious school educations, were involved in temple youth groups (NFTY), traveled and studied abroad in Israel (EIE, now Heller High), and loved their summers at URJ Camp Newman. Michelle and Keith spend a good amount of time traveling, mostly to see their sons — and now a daughter-in-law, too — who are scattered around California and Europe.
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Debbie Tuttle Berkowitz
Bio coming soon.
Julie Waltzer
Bio coming soon.
leslie wasserman
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.
Advisory Council
Rabbinic: Rabbi Paul Kipnes, Congregation Or Ami (Calabasas, CA)
Medical: Gregory Hirsch, MD and Roberta Bavin, DNP, CPNP
Camping movement glossary
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.