MINDY AND ALAN SCHALL

Mindy and Alan Schall live in Livingston, NJ with their four children-

Emily, Sophie, Brandon and Zoe.

Mindy’s first summer at Camp Ramah was in 1988 when she began Cochavim (1st year Nitzi). She enjoyed

eight wonderful summers as a camper and culminated her Ramah journey in Israel on Seminar. Mindy loved

every summer at Camp and some of her closest friends to this day are a part of her Ramah family. Alan started Camp as a Bogrim camper in 1988, and after his years as a camper came back on staff for several summers — first as a counselor, and then as a part of the Al Hagova program, which he helped grow and expand.

 

Both Mindy and Alan have created life long friendships and memories at CRB. They are delighted to

now have two children enjoying the same Ramah experience (Emily, Gesher 2020, and Brandon, Gesher 2024).

 

Camp holds a very special place in both of their hearts and their dedication to keeping up the facilities in Camp, raising needed funds for improvements as well as scholarships, and sharing the Ramah experience with others is unwavering. Alan serves on the CRB Board of Directors, and has been Camp’s Facilities Chair since 2016.

 

Mindy and Alan are both also very involved in the Golda Och Academy (GOA) school community. Alan serves as Vice President of the GOA Board of Trustees and Mindy as one of the GOA Parents’ Association Presidents. Alan also serves as the President of their shul, Etz Chaim, and both are supporters of many other Jewish organizations, including Yad Vashem, Israel Bonds and Federation.

 

JEFFREY SHLEFSTEIN

Jeffrey grew up in Brooklyn, New York and started attending

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires in 1979 at the young age of nine for eight weeks (when Nitzanim was counted twice). His sister Debbie joined him at CRB that summer, and soon after their brother Steven joined them. Jeffrey is married to Dr. Julie Weiser-Shlefstein who also attended Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, three years ahead of Jeffrey. While they didn’t “officially” meet at Camp, they are pretty sure they passed each other on the paths around Camp, and CRB was a topic (and an “Oh My!”) on their first date!

 

Jeffrey and Julie have three children: Joshua (Gesher 2017), Rachel (Gesher 2019), and Sarah (Gesher

2024), who all attend the Schechter School of Long Island, and are active in USY. All of the Shlefsteins (including Jeffrey and his siblings) go by a variety of camp nicknames, including “Shlef,” “Shleffy,” and “Shlefer.”

 

Jeffrey has served on the CRB board and finance committee for six years. All in all, Jeff and Julie’s family have been associated with CRB for over 40 years. In addition to his volunteer work at Camp, Jeff also serves as the President of Shelter Rock Jewish Center, finance committee member of the Schechter School of Long Island, past-Audit Chairman and past-National Board Member of USCJ. In his spare time, Jeff is a CPA and partner at Withum Smith and Brown.

 

 

ALUMNI LEADERSHIP AWARD

 

REBECCA KAHN

Rebecca spent nine of her most memorable summers at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, both as a camper and staff member. She learned to swim in the agam, play basketball on the chain courts, and sing off-key in the chadar.

 

During these summers, Rebecca formed a strong love of machaneh which shaped her career and future involvement in Camp, where Rebecca served as President of the Alumni Association for four years. She has also served on the Strategic Planning Committee, the Director Search Committee, the Development Committee and the Labor Day Weekend Planning Committee. Rebecca is a second generation Ramahnik. Her mom, Rhonda, was there the summer Berkshires opened, and her father Richard spent a summer on swim staff. Her brother Zachary, sister-in-law Jordana and sister Ilana all attended CRB.

 

Rebecca graduated from Tufts University in 2003 and has an M.A. in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from the NYU Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. She is the Director of Field Expansion at Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) where she works to increase the number of children attending Jewish camp across the country, by developing meaningful connections between the Jewish community and the diverse field of overnight Jewish camps. In her position, she oversees FJC’s flagship program, One Happy Camper, partners with local Jewish federations and foundations to support camp initiatives. Rebecca also works with camps to expand capacity through interest-free loans and FJC’s Competitive Edge program to help traditional camps launch specialty tracks. Additionally, Rebecca is part of the leadership team developing FJC’s strategic plan.

 

Rebecca feels so honored to be honored by the place that has shaped and defined her. She looks forward to her continued involvement in Camp and to watching Ramah perform its magic for generations to come.