8th Night Memories – Friendships, Tikkun Olam, and a Solid Jewish Identity
How fortunate are we to be part of a special community that celebrates our shared religious, geographic and cultural heritage in such a unique and meaningful way? For over 50 years, Jacobs camp has been the thread that has woven all of us together into a beautiful...
Join Us on the Road to Welcome Home
Dear Jacobs Camp Family, Last year, the Jacobs Camp family celebrated our milestone 50th summer. We began 2020 on a road to the next chapter of our storied history. As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to detour from this path when we had to cancel in-person...
Goodbye 2020!
Good Bye 2020. I have never been someone who is a big on celebrating New Year Eve. But this year I am looking forward to saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming 2021! Though my celebration will be at home with my wife, Rabbi Eleanor Steinman, we will dance a...
RJ on the GO – Arts and STEM Activities
As schools wind down for winter break, we know that most of us are facing uncertain plans for the holiday season. While we’re used to offering incredible summer programming at camp, we’ve also been working with our partner URJ Camps to offer some exciting virtual...
7th Night Memories – The Miracle of Caring Enough
In her beautiful new podcast, Ha’Iggeret, former Jacobs camper, Shira Kaplan (of Alexandria, LA) raises a question I’d never considered and provides an inspiring answer that applies to the miracle of Jacobs Camp as well as it does to Hanukkah. You know the story. In...
6th Night Memories – Rededication
The definition of Hanukkah is Rededication which directly applies to our beloved Henry S. Jacobs Camp. As we are called to RE-dedicate ourselves annually, we all know that HSJ has done this miraculously for 51 years, and each of us is a proud point of light in that...
5th Night Memories – Susan’s Only Request: Jacobs Camp
As opposed to many of those Camp Chairs who preceded me, I did not became a member of the Jacobs Camp community as a camper or counselor. When I married Susan Phillips from Dumas, Arkansas in 1975 she agreed to live in New Orleans. That would hopefully mean that when...
4th Night Memories – Meeting the Love of My Life Outside the Dining Hall
My first summer at Jacobs Camp was first session in 1973 as a camper in Cabin 1. Little did I know that in 1979, I would meet the love of my life, Dub Ashner, on the road in front of the dining hall. We would grow up, get married surrounded by our Camp friends, and...
3rd Night Memories – The Feeling of Rolling Through the Gate on Morrison Road
After 50 years of magic-making, we can take pride in the fact that Jacobs Camp has thrived to an extent that surely exceeds the fondest hopes of the founding leaders and the congregations throughout our region who raised their "fair share" to ensure that the dream...
2nd Night Memories – “I Have Been Waiting for This Day All Year!”
I have been connected to the Camp on many levels over a span of 50+ year: I was President of SoFTY (now NFTY, Southern Region) and held a shovel when we broke ground for the first edition of the Camp born from the determination of Jewish leaders and funded by...