Henry S. Jacobs (HSJ) Camp

The URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp is the Reform Jewish Movement's summer camp serving the Deep South: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Western Tennessee, and the Florida Panhandle. Since 1970, Jacobs Camp has been providing a caring Jewish community that builds young people. Our camp program has a profound impact on our campers. The opportunity to live as part of a close-knit community and develop new skills, assisted by a dynamic and enthusiastic staff, coupled with Jewish values and the development of one's Jewish identity result in the experience of a lifetime.

The URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp is one of 13 camps owned and operated by the Union for Reform Judaism, the organizing body for Reform Judaism in North America. Jacobs is a non-profit camp, affiliated with the Mississippi Camping Association, and accredited by the American Camp Association.

History

The Henry S. Jacobs Camp story begins in 1954. In that year, a group of Jewish parents primarily from the small towns of the Mississippi Delta decided that their children should have a Jewish communal experience that they couldn’t get at home. These moms and dads decided that the best way to achieve this goal would be to establish a summer camp where their small-town kids could meet each other in a Jewish setting.

The Jewish leaders from the Mississippi Delta worked furiously to make their dream come true. But it soon became clear that they would be unable to raise enough money to build a camp on their own.

To help the process succeed, the Delta folks called up Celeste Orkin from Jackson, Mississippi. Mrs. Orkin was a very 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, or “CAST.” Mrs. Orkin was the driving force behind raising a lot of the money toward building the camp, 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 a friend for help. Henry Switzer Jacobs got involved in the fundraising process after speaking to Mrs. Orkin about the project. Mr. Jacobs was the 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.

It was now the early 1960s. The Delta Jews, Mrs. Orkin, and Mr. Jacobs poured their hearts and souls into making the idea of a Southern Jewish camp a reality. They did not know exactly how much money they needed to build a camp, or exactly how to build a camp; they just knew they needed to gather as much money and popular support as possible in order to be successful. After much hard work, Mr. Jacobs came to see that raising the money would require a region-wide effort, so he called upon Rudi Scheidt of Memphis, Tennessee for more help. Mr. 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, Mr. Allenberg came up with 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.

Unfortunately, Mr. Jacobs did not realize his dream of seeing the camp open. He died of a nervous system disorder in 1965. In honor of his efforts and memory, the camp was named after him.

The Early Years

The property in Utica, Mississippi was originally purchased for $100,000, and construction of the new camp began in 1969. The gates of Jacobs Camp officially opened the summer of 1970. The first summer had 93 campers in two sessions (roughly 30 in Session I and 60 in Session II).

The early years featured two units (named ‘Unit One’ and ‘Unit Two’). In 1977 a third unit (named ‘Unit Three’) was added, and 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!").

The 1970's & 1980's

The beginning of the 1980's called for some changes around the camp. Horseback riding was removed from the activity offerings and the daily schedule went from six activity blocks to five activity blocks per day. Fitness was also added to the schedule in the late 1970s, and the Berman Center, a gym, was built in 1985. In 1988, the Museum of 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.

Jacobs Today

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 passed the torch on to 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 tweaked 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 4-week, regular-session program and entering 10th graders experienced the 6-week Chalutzim program for the firsttime.

Beginning in Summer 2007, Jacobs Camp set out to place itself on the cutting edge of Jewish informal education by fully integrating its Jewish educational program into its recreational offerings through the launch of its Specialty Camp Programs.

"Sports Camp": Sports camp offers good sportsmanship, quality instruction, fun and safety. With the right balance between competition and just having fun, sports camp enables every camper to be comfortable joining in, while promoting teamwork and skills development. Winning is great, but our goal is that every camper walks off the field or court with more friends and self-confidence. Along with a daily workout, campers have the opportunity to learn and practice with quality instruction in either a team sport (e.g. baseball/softball, basketball, soccer) or individual sports (e.g. golf, tennis) track. The goal is for campers to develop competence and proficiency in the area of their choosing, whether their intention is to compete outside of camp, or simply to have a good time while they’re here.

"Arts Camp": Arts Camp at HSJ is a unique opportunity for campers to express themselves creatively through either a Performing Arts or Fine Arts track. Performing Arts Camp allows for campers to hone their acting, singing, dance and writing skills. Campers will develop their skills in each of these important disciplines through fun and challenging curricula. Jacobs Camp’s young performing artists will get the chance to practice their skills, and often see their own original work performed in front of live audiences regularly. Campers who choose the Fine Arts track will learn and practice the fundamental skills and concepts used in creating visual art. Activities emphasize creativity as an integral part of the art process, and teach the importance of art as a means of personal expression.

"Digital Media Camp": Digital Media camp allows campers to put your mind, hands and heart to work. Through active, engaging, hands-on work, campers have the opportunity to learn, experiment, create, and design – and in doing so, express themselves in a range of ways digitally. Computers are at the heart of the program, as campers get to work with radio, video, digital photography and more to produce amazing digital content that will be accessible year-round through Jacobs Camp's website. Working through these various media, campers will be empowered to not just use this technology with confidence, but to understand how technology can make our world a better place.

"Adventure Camp": Adventure Camp is for campers who are looking for action and adventure in the great outdoors. Our unique program teaches campers teambuilding, cooperation, and outdoor living skills. It lets kids practice group dynamics, while building even stronger bonds of friendship – all while having fun! Our Adventure Camp – which will include challenge course activities, outdoor camping, mountain biking, archery, boating on our new lake, and more – will allow campers to accomplish tasks they may never have thought themselves capable of under the supervision of an expert staff committed to campers’ enjoyment, personal growth, and safety. Every adventure activity is designed to build self-confidence, teamwork, and trust by working together to conquer new challenges in a completely safe environment.

Chairs of the Jacobs Camp Committee

Celeste Orkin (C.A.S.T.)
Julian Allenberg
Jerry Tanenbaum
David Grishman
Steve Orlansky
Earle Schwarz
Rich Lewis (1997-2001)
Larry Orlansky (2001-2003)
Joel Yuspeh Ashner (2003-2007)
Louis Good (2007-2011)

Directors of the Henry S. Jacobs Camp

Rabbi Solomon "Sol" Kaplan (1970)
Macy B. Hart (1971-1999)
Jonathan "J.C." Cohen (2000-present)

Assistant Directors of the Henry S. Jacobs Camp

Earle Schwarz (1976-1978)
Amy Dover (1978-1980)
Patsy Goodman (1981-1983)
Elizabeth Kaplan (1983-1984)
Linda Orlansky (1984-1986)
Michele Feldman (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)

Jacobs Camp is the best place in the whole entire world.

ee also

[Jewish Education

Summer Camps

Union for Reform Judaism

External links

Henry S. Jacobs Camp [http://jacobs.urjcamps.org]
URJ Camps [http://urjcamps.org]
URJ [http://urj.org]

Camp Contact Information

URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp
3863 Morrison Road
Utica, Mississippi 39175
(P) 601-885-6042
(F) 601-885-6269
www.jacobs.urjcamps.org
[e-mail]