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A Message from Camp Mountain Chai's Founding Fathers...
Dear Jewish Community Friends,
As a child, there was never a question about where my friends and I fit in the overwhelmingly Jewish community in which
we lived. Everyone we knew went to the same community Hebrew school and celebrated Jewish life together. We were what we
were raised to be and we were, more or less, comfortable with that.
Watching our grandchildren and the grandchildren of close friends, we see too many kids without a natural affinity for all
"things Jewish". They are not dunked into the Jewish world in the same way we were as children. Their choices are greater;
their lifestyles are part of the American salad bowl.
We discovered a number of years ago that Jewish camping has an impressive track record for promoting Jewish life, values and
culture. Kids are placed in an environment that is warm and friendly; they are exposed to Jewish "stuff" in a manner they
readily accept.
Where formal programs struggle for a child's attention, camp's informal approach succeeds - it is welcomed and loved.
We watched two grandchildren of a personal friend who entered camp with virtually no religious background, as they helped
conduct a Friday night Shabbat service. These boys loved the experience and it had a lasting impact on them.
We established Camp Mountain Chai to replicate these life changing experiences with hundreds of children every year.
As a result of their time at camp, these young people discover that Jewish values and culture are important enough for
them to take home.
We founded Camp Mountain Chai with the expectation that this camp would be a great asset for San Diego, a builder of its
future Jewish community.
It has proved to be more successful than our hopes.
The dream of San Diego's very own Jewish camp was so strong that we made a commitment to borrow funds for the initial
operation to be repaid at a later time. In the risk/reward consideration, the reward was compelling. This summer, 301
children attended summer camp. Another 500 children attended Shabbatonim weekends during the year. In all, we touched the
lives of over 800 children and their families in a significant way.
Now it is time to retire our debt and implement our capital construction plans. Our dream of a vibrant San Diego Jewish
camp has become a reality.
I hope you will join us in this fundraising campaign and share in our great adventure in Jewish continuity.
With deep gratitude for your support,
Ed Samiljan
on behalf of Todd Kobernick, Jack Bark
and the Camp Mountain Chai Executive Committee
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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