CAMP WORKS Survey Shatters Strategic Plan
April 1, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.
By Mike Neiman
As you may recall from our early post, the Foundation for Jewish Camp recently unveiled the findings of CAMP WORKS, a landmark study revealing the long term effect of Jewish camp on Judaism. From these findings, one of the most alarming findings was that only 6% of capable Jewish youth attend Jewish summer camp. Combined with other findings showing that camp alumni were more likely to attend synagogue, light Shabbat candles, visit Israel, contribute to their local Federation, and marry within the faith … this statistic was reason for alarm.
After the individual analysis of the CAMP WORKS study, community leaders from Herzl Camp, Camp Chi, Camp Ramah-Wisconsin, and OSRUI established a new strategic committee this April called the Fellowship Of Opportunistic Learnings of Summer. Their plan was simple: Increase global participation in the Midwest’s Jewish summer camps. Foremost on the agenda was the pooling of staff, resources, and facilities to build a single conglomerate entity that would support this movement. After minutes upon minutes of discussion, the decision was final.
Opening its doors this summer on the 75 acre “Summerfest” lot in Milwaukee, WI, will be a new Voltron (read “Power Rangers” for alumni born after 1985) of Jewish camping…
Development Director Holly Guncheon has already volunteered to transport all 25 newly built cabins to the Music Festival’s central fields. When asked how the billions of Capital Campaign donors would feel about this decision, she simply shrugged her shoulders and said “I mean, we said we’d have every camper in a new cabin this summer … but we didn’t say where.”
Additional consideration was made to move the Beit Chai as well, but at 11 years old, the committee concluded that this facility is already more outdated than the original iPhone. Camp Chi’s contribution is slightly more extreme, as they were able to petition the city of Wisconsin Dells to mobilize all amusement parks for a cross-state trek to Milwaukee. This summer, campers will be provided top notch Chug and Evening Programming at Familyland Park, Noah’s Ark and Marley’s Bar.
Ramah Wisconsin graciously offered its Blanche Lippitz Library, filled with custom Hebrew translated play scripts. When asked about the meager contribution, COO Benji Berman stated, “Come on guys! What would camp be without “Billy Elliot b’Ivrit?!”
The new organizational structure is still under discussion, as directors Anne Hope, Ron Levin, Jerry Kaye, and Rabbi Loren Sykes wait for the results of their 2011 NCAA Bracket winner to take the rightful place at the top. Unfortunately for Anne, she had Kansas winning it all.