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At a UJF Program Development Committee meeting in 2001, Jodie Kaplan remarked that she was unable to find space for her children
in the popular California Jewish residential summer camps. In the ensuing discussions, committee members shared reports from
every corner of the Jewish world indicating that the "tripod of experiences" gleaned at Jewish day schools, on trips to Israel,
and at Jewish residential summer camps proved extraordinarily successful in promoting Jewish continuity.
A camp committee was formed to explore the possibility of establishing a San Diego Jewish community camp. Extensive research
detailed the success of Jewish summer camps in affecting measurable degrees of Jewish identification among children, including
increased participation in synagogue life.
Local focus groups revealed stories of families where husband and wife had met at Jewish camp. We heard about children returning
home from camp and asking their parents to light Shabbat candles. Campers who had never set foot inside a synagogue were leading
prayer services before the summer season had come to an end.
The informal approach to Jewish education at summer camps was succeeding - it was teaching children to love the experiences of
Shabbat, prayers, rituals and Jewish community. Kids who balked at attending formal Jewish supplemental school came to love the
same material when immersed in the informal, fun setting of camp.
It was clear that a Jewish residential summer camp serving the greater San Diego area would enable hundreds of our community's
children to benefit from positive, life-altering experiences each summer. The prospect of having an unprecedented impact on Jewish
continuity in our community was palpable.
In 2004, after careful consideration of the risks and benefits, the dedication of Ed Samiljan, Todd Kobernick and Jack Bark,
the "Founding Fathers", along with the generous support of several San Diego philanthropists, turned the dream of Camp Mountain
Chai into a reality.
In the summer of 2008, Camp Mountain Chai's third year of operation, over 300 children participated in a powerful Jewish
identity-building experience while having, by their own definition, "the times of their lives."
Camp Mountain Chai is an IRS designated 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, tax ID#91-2150831.
Donations and support are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
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