BB Camp’s Rothstein picked for leadership program

By DEBORAH MOON

article created on: 2009-04-01T00:00:00

The Foundation for Jewish Camp named Rachel Rothstein, associate director of B’nai B’rith Camp, as one of the first participants in its Yitro Leadership Program, part of FJC’s ongoing effort “to bring top-level executive management practices to Jewish overnight summer camps and develop camp experiences that shape and secure children’s Jewish identity for the future.”

Made possible through a grant from the Avi Chai Foundation, the program provides workshops and seminars to full-time assistant and associate camp directors to develop role modeling skills and help second-in-command staff members imbue all aspects of their leadership with an enriched sense of Jewish values, ethics and culture, and sense of connection with the global Jewish community. The program began March 29.

BB Camp Director Michelle Koplan was one of the 19 inaugural graduates of the FJC’s Executive Leadership Institute, a 14-month program designed to teach camp executives the leadership, management and business skills required to lead camps in the 21st century, while weaving in Jewish values and ethics.

Now Rothstein will be part of the first companion program for assistant and associate camp directors.

“I’m very excited to be part of the first cohort,” said Rothstein. “Michelle was part of the first cohort for executive directors. This is the next step … to create a cohesive team ready to improve camps nationally.”

Koplan said she believes having two professionals complete such programs will enhance the professionalism of BB Camp, along with other Jewish camps nationally.

“Besides myself, my associate director will go through this program to make camp stronger,” she said. “While ELI concentrated on leadership and management, Yitro focuses more formally on leadership in a Jewish context.”

Kopan said FJC has worked very hard to increase Jewish camps’ image as professional agencies that contribute to Jewish life and Jewish communities.

Though Rothstein attended BB Camp for four summers as a youth, she said she did not follow the traditional path of moving on to counselor positions as a teen before becoming a camp professional.

“I found camp later on,” she said. “I fell back into it between college and grad school and fell in love with the work.”

Rothstein has a bachelor’s degree in family and human services from the University of Oregon. She received a second bachelor’s in Hebrew letters and a master’s in education, focusing on experiential education, from the American Jewish University, formerly the University of Judaism.

The Yitro fellowship targets assistant and associate camp directors who have worked full time in their positions for at least one year.

“The power of the Jewish summer camp experience lies in the connection that children make with their own Jewish identity, and with the larger Jewish community, that lasts a lifetime,” FJC CEO Jerry Silverman said. “This program, through a process of education, mentorship and self-analysis, gives our senior camp leaders a broad, in-depth understanding of how they can make the impact of this experience truly exceptional.”