A Community Built on ‘Yes’: Celebrating Nesher’s 30 Years and the Vision of a New Shul
Written By: Sam Aboudara, Interim CEO and Johnny Shlagbaum, Camp Nesher Director
Last week, generations of Camp Nesher alumni, staff, parents, and friends came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of a camp built with intention, shaped by values, and led for three decades by the same visionary director, Jeff Braverman.
The evening was full of joy and nostalgia, but just as much, it was a tribute to a philosophy that has guided Nesher since its first summer. Camp Nesher’s beating heart has always been the belief that every camper deserves dignity, belonging, and care. Again and again throughout the evening, people returned to the idea Jeff has taught for years: bein adam l’chavero – our responsibility to one another.
A Lesson That Became a Legacy
One of the most frequently retold stories of the night came from Nesher’s early years. The Cohen family approached the camp about enrolling their child with disabilities, Nathaniel Cohen z”l, something no other Orthodox camps were prepared to accommodate at the time. Unsure how to move forward, Jeff asked his supervisor for guidance. His answer was simple:
“Are you a camp for all Jewish children or not?”
Jeff said yes, even before he knew how the details would work. And that yes became a defining piece of Nesher’s identity. It set a precedent: at this camp, compassion would come before convenience. If a camper needed a place to belong, the answer would be “we’ll figure it out.”
That ethos has since shaped thousands of campers and staff members over the years, many of whom now lead lives of service, community, and Jewish engagement because they first learned what responsibility looked like at Camp Nesher.
Nesher’s Place in a Larger Ecosystem
Although this celebration was primarily for the Camp Nesher community, it also highlighted the unique role the camp plays within its parent organization, NJY Camps, one of the largest and most diverse Jewish camp networks in North America. Across the agency, NJY Camps serves children from various denominations and backgrounds, each camp with its own culture and strengths.
Especially at a moment when the Jewish community can feel divided, be it religiously, politically, or generationally, NJY Camps quietly does something countercultural. It brings people together who don’t always share the same assumptions or the same Jewish language, and it reminds us that we’re still capable of building something together. Nesher’s Modern Orthodox identity sits comfortably inside that wider ecosystem. It’s one of the places where you see that a community with different backgrounds and commitments can still pursue the same overarching goals.
That shared mission makes it possible for values to flow across denominational lines, and for an Orthodox camp to receive extraordinary support from leaders whose primary work has been in very different corners of the Jewish world. A perfect example is Bruce Tucker, former NJY board president, whose historic focus has been on NJY’s non-Orthodox camps. Bruce has been a major supporter of Beit Shmariahu, Nesher’s new shul project, contributing both materially and through his professional expertise. His involvement highlights what NJY Camps represents: distinct identities, shared purpose, and a belief that the Jewish future is something we build together.
A Quiet Moment Between Two Leaders
One of the most meaningful moments of the night didn’t happen onstage, but quietly off to the side. Paula Gottesman, NJY Camps board member and one of the most respected philanthropists supporting Jewish education and camping in New Jersey, met Amitai Dagan, who together with his wife Tanya, is leading the gift behind Beit Shmariahu, for the very first time.
Amitai, who is helping to build the shul in memory of his father, Shmariahu Dagan z”l, told Paula that part of his and Tanya’s inspiration to make such a transformational gift came from watching what she had done for NJY Camps over the years. Her generosity had created a ripple effect that reached them and will now reach generations of future campers.
It was a moment that captured the essence of Jeff’s teaching: one act of kindness leads to another. Leadership begets leadership. Values move through people long after words have been forgotten.
Honoring the Past, Preparing for the Future
The evening was filled with stories that reminded everyone how much Nesher has shaped its campers and staff. There were reflections from alumni who now send children of their own to camp, staff members who became educators and rabbis, and former bunkmates who are still as tight knit as ever.
But the celebration was also a look toward the future. The next major chapter in Nesher’s story is Beit Shmariahu, a spiritual home built on the same values that shaped the camp from the beginning. It will be a place for tefillah (prayer), learning, singing, and community. A place worthy of the generations who will gather there.
Like any major capital project, the path ahead will require coordination, patience, and collaboration. But the enthusiasm around the shul was palpable throughout the celebration. The community believes in the vision. The leadership is committed. The donors are energized. People want to help build something lasting.
Looking Ahead
What echoed throughout the 30th anniversary celebration, through every story, every hug, every laugh, and every emotional testament, is that Camp Nesher is more than a camp. It has been, and continues to be, a living expression of what happens when a community chooses to say yes to each other.
Camp Nesher is a place where bein adam l’chavero – our responsibility to one another, is taught by example. And it’s that belief, carried forward from the past 30 years, that is now shaping the next 30 and beyond.
To learn more about Camp Nesher’s plans for Beit Shmariahu, its new shul, visit https://campnesher.org/shul
