The highlight for me of the Jewish Funders Network conference came at a standing-room only dinner hosted by the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Presentations by Amy Sales on Limud by the Lake Revisited and by Jeremy Fingerman on Camp Works, demonstrated how far the field of Jewish overnight camping has come and the success camp has in building community and identity for young Jews. How did this happen? The research makes it very clear. The field of overnight Jewish camping has seen such incredible growth over the last ten years because a number of funders, namely the Marcus Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and AVI CHAI, all recognizing the value of camp, invested in that value. Now there is a true story of success to share with and inspire others.
Arnee Winshall who closed the dinner, summed it up perfectly – “Imagine what we can do if we applied those same lessons to Jewish education writ large.”
Just imagine the story we can tell then.
Deena Fuchs
Director of Strategic Partnerships
AVI CHAI concluded its general grant making on December 31, 2019.