Henry S. Jacobs (HSJ) Camp
Encyclopedia
URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp is a summer camp
run by the Union for Reform Judaism
(URJ), serving the Deep South
(Alabama
, Arkansas
, Louisiana
, Mississippi
, Western Tennessee
, and the Florida Panhandle
). Since 1970, Jacobs Camp (a.k.a. HSJ) has been providing summertime recreational and cultural activities for Jewish youth.
The camp is one of 13 camps owned and operated by the URJ, the organizing body for Reform Judaism
in North America
. Jacobs is a non-profit camp, affiliated with the Mississippi Camping Association. It is accredited by the American Camp Association
.
decided that their children should have a Jewish communal experience that they could not receive at home. A summer camp was established where these small-town children could meet each other in a Jewish environment. However, the camp organizer soon realized that they would be unable to raise enough money to build a camp on their own. They contacted Celeste Orkin from Jackson
, Mississippi
.
Mrs. Orkin was an important leader for the state’s Jewish youth, and she quickly became excited about the prospect of a camp, helping to start the Camp Association of Southern Temples (CAST). Orkin was the driving force behind significant fundraising for the camp's construction, but it was still not enough. She recognized that, despite the leaders’ best efforts, Mississippi Jews alone could not put together the necessary funds, so she called her friend Henry Switzer Jacobs for help. Jacobs was a long-time youth worker, organist and religious school director at Temple Sinai in New Orleans, Louisiana
. He quickly got much of the “big city” energy of New Orleans behind the camp idea. In the early 1960s, Jacobs called upon Rudi Scheidt of Memphis
, Tennessee
for more help. Scheidt, in turn, suggested that the leaders of CAST call Julian Allenberg to galvanize the Memphis community.
In perhaps the most important innovation in making the camp happen, Julian Allenberg developed an idea he called “Fair Share” which called for each congregation in Mississippi
, Louisiana
, Arkansas
, and West Tennessee
to commit to giving an amount of money proportional to the number of families (members) in the congregation—all of it whom, it was felt, stood to benefit from the camp’s existence. The Fair Share System forced the communities to raise the necessary money as well as created community support for the camp. By 1968, the money had been gathered and the land for the camp was purchased.
The property in Utica, Mississippi
was originally purchased for $100,000. Construction began in 1969. The gates of Jacobs Camp officially opened the summer of 1970. Jacobs did not live to see the camp. He died of a nervous system disorder in 1965. In honor of his efforts and memory, the camp was named after him.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, some changes were made at the camp. Fitness
was also added to the schedule in the late 1970s, and the Berman Center, a gymnasium, was built in 1985. Horseback riding was removed from the activity offerings, and the daily schedule went from six activity blocks to five activity blocks per day. In 1988, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (now part of the Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
) was built.
The Olim program was added to Jacobs Camp in 1989, and the Talmidim unit went from two four-week sessions to one six-week session.
After the summer of 1999, Macy Hart (originally from Winona, Mississippi
) ended 30 years as Director of Jacobs Camp to focus full-time on running the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Mississippi
. He was replaced by Jonathan “JC” Cohen (originally from Tupelo, Mississippi
), who had been a dedicated camper and counselor at Jacobs in the 1970s and 1980s. The daily schedule and unit set-up were modified a couple of times in 2000, 2001, and 2002 in an effort to improve the specialty programming at Jacobs. For example, the concept of the Talmidim Intensive first appeared in 2000. Also, in 2002 Talmidim went back to being a four-week, regular-session program and entering 10th graders experienced the six-week Chalutzim program for the first time.
Beginning in 2007, Jacobs Camp set out to place itself on the cutting edge of Jewish informal education
by fully integrating its Jewish education
al program into its recreational offerings through the launch of its Specialty Camp Programs: Sports, Arts, Digital Media, and Adventure Camp.
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
run by the Union for Reform Judaism
Union for Reform Judaism
The Union for Reform Judaism , formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations , is an organization which supports Reform Jewish congregations in North America. The current President is Rabbi Eric H...
(URJ), serving the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
(Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Western Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and the Florida Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
). Since 1970, Jacobs Camp (a.k.a. HSJ) has been providing summertime recreational and cultural activities for Jewish youth.
The camp is one of 13 camps owned and operated by the URJ, the organizing body for Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Jacobs is a non-profit camp, affiliated with the Mississippi Camping Association. It is accredited by the American Camp Association
American Camp Association
The American Camp Association , formerly known as the American Camping Association, is a 501 nonprofit that serves the United States. It is an association for camp owners, camp professionals and others interested in summer camps and similar camp programs.ACA runs an accreditation criterion for camps...
.
Development
In 1954, a group of Jewish parents primarily from some small towns of the Mississippi DeltaMississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
decided that their children should have a Jewish communal experience that they could not receive at home. A summer camp was established where these small-town children could meet each other in a Jewish environment. However, the camp organizer soon realized that they would be unable to raise enough money to build a camp on their own. They contacted Celeste Orkin from Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
Mrs. Orkin was an important leader for the state’s Jewish youth, and she quickly became excited about the prospect of a camp, helping to start the Camp Association of Southern Temples (CAST). Orkin was the driving force behind significant fundraising for the camp's construction, but it was still not enough. She recognized that, despite the leaders’ best efforts, Mississippi Jews alone could not put together the necessary funds, so she called her friend Henry Switzer Jacobs for help. Jacobs was a long-time youth worker, organist and religious school director at Temple Sinai in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He quickly got much of the “big city” energy of New Orleans behind the camp idea. In the early 1960s, Jacobs called upon Rudi Scheidt of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
for more help. Scheidt, in turn, suggested that the leaders of CAST call Julian Allenberg to galvanize the Memphis community.
In perhaps the most important innovation in making the camp happen, Julian Allenberg developed an idea he called “Fair Share” which called for each congregation in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, and West Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
to commit to giving an amount of money proportional to the number of families (members) in the congregation—all of it whom, it was felt, stood to benefit from the camp’s existence. The Fair Share System forced the communities to raise the necessary money as well as created community support for the camp. By 1968, the money had been gathered and the land for the camp was purchased.
The property in Utica, Mississippi
Utica, Mississippi
Utica is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 966 at the 2000 census. It is the location of the URJ Henry S...
was originally purchased for $100,000. Construction began in 1969. The gates of Jacobs Camp officially opened the summer of 1970. Jacobs did not live to see the camp. He died of a nervous system disorder in 1965. In honor of his efforts and memory, the camp was named after him.
Camp history
In 1970, the camp's first summer, there were 93 campers in two sessions (roughly 30 in Session I and 60 in Session II). The early years featured two units. In 1977 a third unit was added. In 1979 the units were renamed Garin, Maskilim and Talmidim. In addition to naming the units, 1979 featured the first Maskilim Mitzvah Day and the introduction of the first Maskilim cheer ("We are, we are, Maskilim!").In the late 1970s and early 1980s, some changes were made at the camp. Fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
was also added to the schedule in the late 1970s, and the Berman Center, a gymnasium, was built in 1985. Horseback riding was removed from the activity offerings, and the daily schedule went from six activity blocks to five activity blocks per day. In 1988, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (now part of the Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, formerly the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, is a non-profit Jewish organization based in Jackson, Mississippi that provides a variety of educational, cultural and religious services to underserved Jewish communities throughout...
) was built.
The Olim program was added to Jacobs Camp in 1989, and the Talmidim unit went from two four-week sessions to one six-week session.
After the summer of 1999, Macy Hart (originally from Winona, Mississippi
Winona, Mississippi
Winona is a city in Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,482 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County....
) ended 30 years as Director of Jacobs Camp to focus full-time on running the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. He was replaced by Jonathan “JC” Cohen (originally from Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
), who had been a dedicated camper and counselor at Jacobs in the 1970s and 1980s. The daily schedule and unit set-up were modified a couple of times in 2000, 2001, and 2002 in an effort to improve the specialty programming at Jacobs. For example, the concept of the Talmidim Intensive first appeared in 2000. Also, in 2002 Talmidim went back to being a four-week, regular-session program and entering 10th graders experienced the six-week Chalutzim program for the first time.
Beginning in 2007, Jacobs Camp set out to place itself on the cutting edge of Jewish informal education
Informal education
Informal education is a general term for education outside of a standard school setting. It can refer to various forms of alternative education, such as:* Unschooling or Homeschooling* Autodidacticism * Youth Work...
by fully integrating its Jewish education
Jewish education
Jewish education is the transmission of the tenets, principles and religious laws of Judaism. Due to its emphasis on Torah study, many have commented that Judaism is characterised by "lifelong learning" that extends to adults as much as it does to children.-History:The tradition of Jewish...
al program into its recreational offerings through the launch of its Specialty Camp Programs: Sports, Arts, Digital Media, and Adventure Camp.
Chairs of the Jacobs Camp Committee
- Celeste Orkin
- Julian Allenberg
- Jerry Tanenbaum (1972–1982)
- David Grishman
- Steve Orlansky (1987–1991)
- Earle Schwarz (1991–1997)
- Rich Lewis (1997–2001)
- Larry Orlansky (2001–2003)
- Joel Yuspeh Ashner (2003–2007)
- Louis Good (2007–2011)
- Danny Mansberg (2011-)
Directors
- Rabbi Solomon "Sol" Kaplan (1970)
- Macy B. Hart (1971–1999)
- Jonathan "J.C." Cohen (2000 - )
Assistant Directors
- Earle Schwarz (1976–1978)
- Amy Dover Neistein (1978–1980)
- Patsy Goodman (1981–1983)
- Elizabeth Kaplan Applebaum (1983–1984)
- Linda Orlansky Posner (1984–1986)
- Michele Feldman Schipper (1986–1988)
- Danny Mansberg (1987–1989)
- Jeffrey Rips (1990–1992)
- David Danziger (1992–1995)
- Adam Millman (1995–1997)
- Julius Weiss (1996–1999)
- Michael Danziger (1997–2000)
- Anna Blumenfeld (2000–2003)
- Michael Ruby (2003–2005)
- Abram Orlansky (2005–2009)
- Scott Price (2007–2009)
- Gary Brandt (2009 — )