Torah to the People #10 - Anna Herman on Jacobs Camp and Jewish Camping

In this episode, Rabbi Jeff Dreifus speaks with Anna Herman. Anna Herman is the Director of Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, MS. Having grown up in Dothan, Alabama without a large Jewish community, Anna cultivated a strong Jewish identity and felt proud of her heritage. After being recommended to go to Jacob’s camp by a local Rabbi, Anna’s life was changed. This trajectory led her to Jacob’s camp, working for the Union of Reform Judaism in New York City, and back to camp again as Director.   Expect to learn how camp can help kids become more confident, build resiliency, learn interpersonal skills, connect to Israel and Israelis, and make enduring friendships. Rabbi Dreifus and Anna also discuss the grassroots fundraising campaign that launched Jacobs camp and the methods employed by Anna and her team to reduce camp costs so no child is turned away. Finally, this conversation describes the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on summer camp and what went on behind the scenes in order to have camp in 2021. The podcast closes with Anna’s enticing pitch for why families should consider sending their child to camp next summer, tune in to find out!   Registration for Camp: https://jacobscamp.org/register/     Thanks to Justin Drake for Audio Technical support.