Eight years ago, in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, the Suri Schwartz Jewish Experience Center opened under the auspices of the Jewish Education Program of Long Island.  With that, the dream of a permanent home for JEP-LI’s famed Camp Nageela for Girls and Camp Nageela for Boys was realized. Unlike any other summer camp in the region, Camp Nageela offers a meaningful Jewish camping experience for girls and boys who come from limited Jewish backgrounds. Children throughout the country attend Camp Nageela for the individualized staff attention, exciting and innovative activities, and especially for the beauty of living a Torah lifestyle for the summer months. 

 

In addition to its summer camps, JEP-LI, which was founded over twenty years ago, offers many programs throughout the year to help enrich the lives of Jewish children throughout Long Island. The staff, comprised mostly of volunteers, organize shabbatonim, learn one-on-one with interested youngsters and visit Hebrew Schools for special monthly programs.

 

Since its inception over fifteen years ago, Camp Nageela has experienced tremendous growth.  In fact, since the center opened its doors eight years ago, Camp Nageela has nearly doubled its enrollment to 225 participants this past summer.  Additionally, the center is booked throughout the year for kiruv training events and Torah learning programs, hosting weekly shabbatonim for day schools, yeshivos and various other communal organizations. 

 

Due to the enormous demand to enlarge these programs, the upstate campus was already in the midst of an expansion project to accommodate the increased enrollment and allow for its continued growth. However, on Thursday evening, December 4th, the Center suffered extensive damage as a result of a serious fire to its main dining hall. The dining hall, which was the only remaining structure on the site from the original purchase by JEP-LI, was the center of activity on the campus.

 

Although a devastating setback in many ways JEP-LI was not deterred. Restoration of the campus has already begun. Due to the Herculean efforts of the director, Rabbi Dovid Shenker, his staff and the board of the directors, this past Shabbos the Center was up and running providing an enjoyable shabbaton experience to this week’s group and the facility is expected to open for all of its upcoming events.

 

JEP-LI is very thankful for the efforts of its friends in the Five Towns who have responded with admirable generosity. Particular thanks to The Party Source of Lawrence, and its proprietor, Mr. Eli Polatoff, who donated chairs to the facility and to Mr. Glen Holman, who is spearheading an effort to replace the many books and seforim which were lost to the library.

 

But there is still much to be done. JEP-LI is poised to seize the moment and take this destructive event and turn it into an unexpected opportunity for growth and development. A newly refurbished dining hall will enable JEP-LI to meet the growing demand to carry .out its own programs as well as service other communal organizations. 

 

We ask you to join with us in partnership in this unique opportunity. To help in this vital endeavor, please contact the JEP-LI office at 516.374.1528 or visit our website at www.jepli.org for further information.

To see photos of the complex before and after the fire, go to http://gallery.me.com/highrez#100062

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