Celebrating Years

Since we first opened…

Camp Havaya has been, and continues to be, a refuge for thousands of kids to experience individual growth, explore their Jewish identity, and be part of an incredibly accepting and diverse community. Explore this page to see what we’re planning throughout our anniversary year and join us in celebrating this important milestone!

You helped us fund our
Fund for the Future

Thank you!

We’re thrilled that we have exceeded our goal for the Fund for the Future! The generosity of our donors has made this (and so much else!) possible, and we are beyond grateful.

Adam Beach

Alan & Suzanne Saposnik

Amanda Feder

Anita Platt

Anne-Marie Nolin

Arielle Cohen

Arkady & Ella Serebryannik

Aviva Kosansky

Bacine Newberger

Barbra Bailey

Brian & Elana Shaw

Brian Peters & Judith Caplan-Peters

Brianna Spatz & Brian Blumhof

Carol & Jack Feder

Carrie Weaver

Current Havaya Family

Dan Rome & Cindy Shulak-Rome

Deborah & Louis Flancbaum

Elana Marcus

Goldman, Sachs & Co. Matching Gift Program

Hannah Maia Frishberg

Jennifer Kaufman

Jessica Emerson-McCormick

Carol Hirsh Blechman & Joel Blechman

John & Kayla Niles

Judy & Mark Spatz

Judy J. Berman

Julie Cole

Julie Sissman and Phil Richter

Karey Solomon

Lani & Harold Moss

Lenore & Isadore Sborofsky Philanthropic Fund

Lisa Stanton

Lorie Trachtenberg

Louis & Lori Plung

Marilyn & Roger Price

Maris and Jesse Krasnow

Marla & Nicole Izbicky

Melissa Crow & Victor Katz

Michelle Lewin

Miriam Eisenstein & Carol Stern

Myrna Sameth

Nancy Eraca

Naomi & Peter Allemann

Naphtali Joseph

Noa Shapiro-Franklin & Jonathan Marx

Patti Greenberg

Paul Solyn

Rabbi David & Betsy Teutsch

Rabbi Isaac Saposnik & Jeanne Calloway

Rabbi Jeffrey Eisenstat & Rabbi Sarah Messinger

Rabbi Rebecca Richman & Joshua Davidson

Rex Smith

Richard Grinspun & Caryn Gottlieb

Richard Horwood

Ricky & Debra Kurzman

Robin Copeland

Sally Schuster

Sara & Allan Crimm

Sarah & Andy Kaplan

Sarah Cohn

Shepard & Samantha Moore-Berg

Simone Padron-Glass

Steven & Jody Shapiro

Tamar Crystal

The Abrams & Glimer Family 

Valerie Glassman

Vickie & Irving Korey

Yael Steinitz

Yona Diamond Dansky & Howard Dansky

Special Thanks To Our Peer Fundraisers!

Amanda Feder

Athena Shapiro

Brianna Spatz

Carla Naumburg

Carol Hirsh Blechman

Evie Edwards

Jenny Ferentz

Jillian Best Adler

Jonathan Marx

Julie Cole

Mia Blitstein

Micah Fenner

Nicole Izbicky

Oren Steinitz

Rabbi Alanna Sklover

Valerie Glassman

View Donor List

It’s never too late to celebrate! Make a donation in honor of our 20th Anniversary and you can help us dream and grow for the next 20 years … and beyond!

We’ve raised $200,000+

Twenty Years
By the Numbers

38

states and provinces our campers and staff come from

422

Havaya Israel alumni

912

Shabbat Unplugged performances

92,400

donut holes eaten

107

havdalah spirals formed

30,360

BunkNotes received

$1,830,528

awarded in financial aid

401

international staff members from
24 countries

∞

friendships made and strengthened

Our story
The History of Camp

We picked out some highlights from the last 20+ years and we want to hear your stories, too! If you’re a former camper or staff member and you haven’t yet filled out our Alumni Database, please take a few minutes to share your memories with us.

1992

First national gathering of Reconstructionist teens convenes, led by Rabbi Jeffrey Eisenstat and Marilyn Price.

1997

JRF Education Commission creates a Youth and Camping Committee with Rabbi Jeffrey Eisenstat, RRC student (now Rabbi) Jason Klein, Rabbi Jeffrey Schein, and Betsy Teutsch

2000

Camp JRF officially launches at the JRF Convention on November 2.

Larry and Rabbi Ruth Smith are hired as first Co-Directors of Camp JRF.

2001

26 teens attend weekend retreat at Camp Henry Horner in Ingleside, IL.

Rabbi Jeffrey Eisenstat is hired as JRF Director of Youth and Camping.

2001

On September 27, the Jewish Reconstructionist Camping Corporation (JRCC) is incorporated, with Sam Kelman z”l as President and Daniel G. Cedarbaum z”l, David Nerenberg, Stanley Newman, Rabbi Jeffrey Schein, Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow, and Judy Wortman as first Directors.

2002

Camp JRF opens for its first summer at Camp Henry Horner, with 39 campers and 13 staff.

2004

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation provides a grant to kickstart a capital campaign to purchase our own campsite.

2005

After looking at dozens of camps over the past three years, JRCC purchases Camp Pocono Ridge in South Sterling, PA.

2006

281 campers join us for the first summer on the Aaron and Marjorie Ziegelman Campus -- our own home in the Poconos.

2007

Havaya Israel (then called the No’ar Hadash Israel Experience) launches as a capstone experience for campers.

2008

Rabbi Isaac Saposnik becomes Executive Director.

2014

Multi-award-winning Eco-Village opens, increasing enrollment capacity by nearly 30%.

2015

With an eye towards growth and capacity building, we are accepted into the first cohort of Project Accelerate.

2017

Foundation for Jewish Camp, with funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation and AVI CHAI Foundation, makes a $1.4M grant to open a new arts-focused camp on the West Coast.

2017

Having talked about it for years, we choose a new name and tagline -- Camp Havaya: Be you, boldly.

2020

In the midst of a global pandemic, camps across North America aren’t able to open. We go virtual – and our families and supporters step up in all sorts of amazing ways to help us joyously reopen the following summer.

2022

Join us as we
celebrate 20 years!