Our Leadership Team has been at camp for a week already, training and getting ready for our staff to arrive! Read on to learn more about the incredible individuals who will guide our camp community this summer…
Debby Shriber, Camp Director
Debby Shriber is proud to be the director of Crane Lake Camp. She’s been with URJ Camps since 2009 and has worked in the camping field for over 19 years. For 9 years she directed Camp Poyntelle Lewis Village, a JCC overnight camp in Wayne County, PA. Prior to that Debby was a day camp director. Since 2009 Crane Lake has built new facilities, significantly upgraded existing facilities, and seen a growth in campers and an increased retention rate of staff. Debby’s favorite parts of her job are being out and around camp with the campers and staff during the summer and getting to know camp families during the school year. Debby was raised in Worcester MA. As a teen, she was a very active member of NFTY Northeast and her synagogue, Temple Emanuel. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Debby completed the JCC Association Lechu Lachem Senior Fellowship and also served as a mentor for the Foundation for Jewish Camp Yitro Fellowship. During the school year, Debby and her family live in Fort Lee, NJ.
Sarah Lauing, Associate Director
Sarah joined the full time Crane Lake team in 2015 as Associate Director, after serving for four summers as Director of Jewish Life. Sarah came to Crane Lake originally in 2012 as Nadiv Educator in partnership with Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York City. As Director of Jewish Life, Sarah enjoyed integrating Jewish learning and values into the already amazing camp day of boating, playing sports, and ziplining. Sarah is thrilled to expand her role at camp and looks forward to continuing to build relationships with campers, staff, and families through our meaningful work. Sarah holds an MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College’s Rhea Hirsch School of Education in Los Angeles, and a BA in Religion from Middlebury College in Vermont. Sarah’s favorite camp event is Fight Song and her favorite camp meal is macaroni & cheese!
Brett Hausler, Assistant Director
Brett joined the full-time staff as Assistant Director in 2014 after growing up at Crane Lake Camp as a camper, general counselor, songleader, and unit head. Brett graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a BA in Social Thought & Political Economy and a certificate in Public Policy and Administration. His experience inside the camp setting includes participating in the Machon (Counselor-in-Training) program, Olim and Cornerstone Fellowships, which provide intensive counselor training, and the Roswell Klal Yisrael Fellowship, which brings together a global network of Reform leaders to create new models for Jewish and Israel engagement. Brett is also a FJC Yitro Leadership Fellow, which provides training for Jewish camp assistant and associate directors from a diverse section of resident Jewish summer camps. Outside of camp, Brett studied abroad in New Zealand, was an active member at the on-campus radio station by hosting a folk-rock music show, takes photographs for his small photography business, plays guitar, and officiates youth ice hockey in the winter months.
Barnett Goldman, Summer Assistant Director
Barnett is very excited to be returning to Crane Lake Camp for his second year and his twenty-eighth summer at camp altogether. During the school year, he is a fourth grade teacher in the Westwood Regional School District and a high school soccer coach. When he is not in the classroom, he is still teaching at the Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies and is currently finishing up his second Master’s degree in Education Administration. Of all the responsibilities and tasks that Barnett takes on, none is better than being a husband to his wife Erika and a father to two amazing children.
Wendy Brumberg, Camp Administrator
Wendy has been part of the Crane Lake community since 2001 and has held a range of jobs at Crane Lake. Some of the Crane Lake campers and staff remember her working with the llamas, as Logistics Coordinator, and now the Camp Administrator. Camp has always been a family affair for the Brumberg family; her son, Edward, attended Eisner for many years, and her daughter, Madeline, spent 12 summers at CLC. When not in camp, Wendy resides in Oceanside, New York and when not working, she loves to ride her bicycle, cook, and read. Wendy is pleased to have this extraordinary opportunity to get to know all our families!
Corey Cutler, Director of Development
Corey has led the fundraising efforts at Eisner and Crane Lake Camps for the past 10 years. Previously, Corey had a successful 15-year career in public relations and investor relations. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the State University of New York at Albany. In 2013, Corey received the “Development Professional Award” by JCamp180, a Harold Grinspoon Foundation program, recognizing his accomplishments in successful fundraising for Eisner and Crane Lake Camps. Corey attended Eisner as a camper and counselor in the 1980’s. He enjoys traveling, bike riding, yoga, the New York Mets and music of all types. A member of Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, Corey resides in West Orange, NJ with his daughter.
Alison Simpson, Development Associate
Alison is proud to be the Development Associate for Eisner and Crane Lake Camps. Alison has been part of the Eisner and Crane Lake community since 2006, working on staff at both camps and accompanying a trip to Israel. Alison found Jewish camping after years of protesting overnight camp with her family, worried that she wouldn’t love it. Prior to working for Eisner and Crane Lake Camps, Alison spent five years working as a youth educator at a synagogue outside of Boston, MA with children in preschool through high school. Alison grew up in Guilderland, NY before attending the University of Vermont, where she received degrees in Geography and Political Science. Alison is passionate about sharing her excitement for Judaism and camping with others.
Kayla Gulotta, Bookkeeper
Native to Great Barrington, Kayla grew up just over the hill from the Eisner Camp. After moving to Connecticut to attend college at Quinnipiac University, Kayla decided to move back to the Berkshire’s to plant roots. In April of 2011, Kayla and her husband purchased a home in Sheffield. In 2013, Kayla had her first child and decided it was time to leave the Marketing field in search of a more family friendly environment (what better place than camp?). Kayla was hired for a temporary position in June of 2014 and was later offered the full time position as Bookkeeper in September of 2014. In her spare time, Kayla enjoys spending time with her family and cooking.
Clare Van Bohemen Hunter, Adventure Director
Clare is excited to be joining Crane Lake for her first summer camp experience. She has a background in high ropes and outdoor activities and can’t wait to be the first Ropes Director of the brand new high ropes course at camp! She is originally from New Zealand, but currently lives in the UK. She just finished her MS in Gender and International Relations. In her spare time, Clare enjoys hiking, baking, and volunteering for the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
Nino Hernandez, Arts & Crafts Director
This will be Nino’s 4th summer at Crane Lake Camp as the Arts & Crafts Director. He lives in the Philippines and is a professional artist. He also plays guitar, flute, percussion, as well as sings and writes songs. Recently, he recorded some music projects with local bands in his country. As a part time job, Nino teaches art at two different schools. His hobbies include playing ultimate frisbee, surfing, rock climbing, running and mountain biking.
Calvin “CJ” Gibson, Athletics Director
Calvin (CJ) is a high school baseball coach during the year in Miami FL, where he trains youth who are looking to better their baseball skills. This will be his fourth year as the Athletics Director and 9th year overall at camp. CJ hopes to provide the campers with the best athletic experience possible this summer.
Toby VanAken, Co-Kitchen Manager
Toby is originally from Sturgis, Michigan but currently lives in Kissimmee, Florida. He has five children and one grandchild. He loves camping and anything outdoors. This will be Toby’s first summer at camp and he will be one of the Co-Kitchen Managers. He loves working with food and eating it, too! During the year, Toby enjoys volunteering in the culinary program at his stepson’s middle school.
Candice Lee, Co-Kitchen Manager
Candice hails from Lynnfield, MA and has been coming to camps in the Berkshires since she was young. For 10 years, Candice has worked as a cooking instructor, manager, and chef all over the world. She got her start running a private kitchen and attending cooking school in Beijing. Since then, she has traveled and worked in places such as NYC, Sydney, Traverse City, and Las Vegas. This will be her third year as a Kitchen Manager at Crane Lake Camp. She has a passion for sharing her experiences with different food culture and food education.
Emily Sims, Digital Communications Manager
Emily can’t wait to spend her first summer at Crane Lake as the Digital Communications Manager. She is originally from Los Altos, California, but spent the last six months studying abroad in Barcelona where she had the incredible opportunity to travel all over Europe. Next fall, she will begin her senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she is pursuing a double major in Strategic Communication and Communication Arts with a focus in Radio, Television and Film. If she’s not posting on social media, you can find her doing yoga, hiking with family and friends, or baking cookies. She is excited for an incredible summer at Crane Lake and looking forward to sharing all the fun we’re having through our blog and social media platforms. Don’t forget to follow us to stay updated!
Peter “Brick” Abrikian, Drama Director
Brick is originally from Kingston, Jamaica. He studied Theater at Middlebury College (shout out to Sarah Jewish Life!) and likes to style himself as a full-time ‘thespian,’ though much to his dismay his passport says merely ‘actor’. When not being the Drama Director at Crane Lake (since 2014) he is an actor, director, playwright and part-time drama teacher. He has just moved back home to Jamaica after a year in Liberia with his wife Katherine. He jumped right back into the Jamaican theatre scene by joining the cast of the musical ‘Garvey’. He’s super pumped to be back at Crane Lake Camp for his 4th summer!
Chris Mason, Head Songleader
Chris is a professional musician, actively songleading in northern New Jersey. He grew up as a camper at Crane Lake and is excited to be returning home this summer after some time out in the world! In the last two summers, Chris has studied Indian classical music in Bhopal, India, and has shared American URJ-style songleading with a Netzer camp in the south of France.
Pam Hausler, Health Center Director
Pam is from the green state of Vermont. She is a school nurse for an elementary school for the 10 months that she is not at camp. For the other two months of the year, she enjoys her role as the Health Center Director. This will be her 13th summer at Crane Lake Camp. The best part of her job at Crane Lake is getting to know all the campers. She has seen so many of them grow up from 3rd and 4th grade to adulthood. She first came to camp because she wanted her kids to go to a Jewish overnight camp and decided to go with them! She loves the sense of Judaism at camp. She has 3 children. Her oldest daughter is a pre-PT student and will be working as a Rehab Aide in our local hospital this summer. She loved being at Crane Lake Camp as both a camper and a counselor. Her son Brett is the Assistant Director at Crane Lake Camp (a job that he loves) and her other daughter, Kenna, will be a general counselor. This place is truly their second home!
Lauren Chizner – Limud Director
Lauren lives in Dix Hills, New York (on Long Island) and this will be her 11th summer at Crane Lake Camp. This year, she will again be the Limud Director. She is the mom of three Crane Lakers: Jacob who spent 10 summers at Crane Lake Camp, Jed who will be in Israel with camp this summer, and Rachel who will be in Upper Chaverim. She is married to Rabbi Todd Chizner, the rabbi at Temple Judea of Manhasset. During the year, she is the Religious School Director at Port Jewish Center in Port Washington. She also runs an interfaith Israel program for Jewish and Catholic 11th graders on Long Island called Project Understanding.
Lauren Resnikoff, Assistant Limud Director/T’filah Coordinator
Lauren is excited to be returning to camp as the Assistant Limud Director/T’filah Coordinator. During the school year, she serves at the Educational Director at Temple Judea of Manhasset. She and her husband, Michael, are proud parents of Andrew (Rezi) – Olim ’09, Jenna – Olim ’12, Jordana – Olim ’17 and Theo, camp puppy ’13. Lauren has been a part of the faculty and Limud team since 2005.
Lisa Tenenbaum, Assistant Limud Director/Director of Israel Engagement
Lisa is the Director of Israel Engagement and Rosh Mishlachat. This will be her eighth summer as part of the Limud Team at Crane Lake Camp, but her 18th summer as part of the Leadership Team. It is her job to enable both campers and staff learn about Israel and to help them develop meaningful connections to Israel. She lives in Wellington, Florida with her husband Barry. They have an internet business, and she also serves as the B’nai Mitzvah tutor and Confirmation teacher at Temple Shaarei Shalom, the Reform congregation in Boynton Beach. Her three children are all Crane Lake Camp alumni who remain active and committed members of the Jewish community. Lisa is so proud and lucky to call Crane Lake Camp her second home.
Jess Wake, Outdoor Education Director
Jess is from from Scotland and this is her fifth summer at camp. She considers camp her home away from home and feels like she grew up at Crane Lake. Jess has worked in the Animals program for the past four years and is excited to expand her role in Outdoor Education this summer. She works in the hospitality industry but is looking to move into education once she returns home from America this summer. She is most looking forward to her group of campers being counselors for the first time this summer!
Pele Sichula, Pool Director
This will be Pele’s seventh summer at Crane Lake Camp (7 glorious, amazing, beautiful summers!). This summer, he has the pleasure of being the Pool Director again. During the school year he works for a company that runs after school programs for Northstar Charter Schools in New Jersey. He works with kids ranging from kindergarten to middle school. He invites anybody who wants to hear the most interesting story about how he ended working at Crane Lake Camp (and have a laugh!) to ask him.
Yaelle Nisinzweig, Program Director
Yaelle is so excited to be spending her chai (18th) summer at Crane Lake Camp! Starting in Nitzanim, she has grown up at camp and this summer is returning as the Program Director. Originally from Connecticut, she moved to Boston for college, fell in love with the city and never left. During the year she is a special education teacher in Newton, MA and is getting her master’s in transitional leadership at UMass Boston. Many of her students call her ‘grandma’ because one of her favorite things to do for fun is crochet. She has also started running 5K races and cheering on most of the Boston sports teams. See you in the bubble!
Aimee Ratapana, Assistant Program Director
Aimee is from Manchester, England. She recently graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University where she studied Physical Education with the aims of becoming a teacher in the near future. This year she worked in schools and coached lacrosse at the two universities in Leeds. This will be her fifth summer at Crane Lake and she can’t wait to get her 5 Year Sweatshirt! The first three years she was a lacrosse coach, and this year she will be the Assistant Program Director for a second summer.
Josh “Rosie” Rosenthal, Staff Engagement Coordinator
This will be Rosie’s 17th summer at Crane Lake! He’s from Westchester, New York, and his background is in education. Over the past four years, he’s taught at religious schools, edited a synagogue newsletter, served as the Director of Youth Engagement at Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains, NY, and been a machon, general counselor, lifeguard, Assistant Machon Director, and two-time Olim Unit Head at Crane Lake Camp. This summer, he will be the Staff Engagement Coordinator, taking care of our staff’s emotional needs so that everyone can have the Best Summer Ever (™). He’s spent this past year almost entirely abroad. After driving through the US and making his way all over New Zealand and down the east coast of Australia, he visited his good camp friend Nino in the Philippines! He also spent time in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. He loves that he’s lucky enough to see the world, and it’s a great way to catch up with all the international friends he’s made during his time at camp. There’s so much more to tell, but what’s most important to know is that he’s just really excited to be back at camp!
Liad Segev, Teva Director
Liad is super excited for her second summer at Crane Lake Camp! Last summer, she was a Teva specialist and a Nitzanim counselor. This summer, she is the Teva Director. She is 21 years old and from Israel. During the year she worked at a high-tech company and gave private lessons to students. In her free time, she travels and hikes, which she will continue to do in South America after camp.
Liam Carson, Waterfront Director
Liam is from St. Andrews, Scotland and this will be his fourth year at Crane Lake Camp! Following three years as a water ski instructor and last year as the Head Lifeguard, he will be the Lake Director this year and is super excited to have an amazing team behind him. During the year he is an Assistant Manager of Scotland’s Restaurant of the Year 2016.
Carol Clopper, Camper Care Coordinator
Carol is excited for her third summer in the bubble of Crane Lake Camp. During the summer she is the Crane Lake Camp Camper Care Coordinator, and during the rest of the year she is a preschool teacher. Her educational background includes special education K-12, elementary education, and early childhood education. She is married to Rabbi Jeff Clopper, an enthusiastic Crane Lake Camp faculty member. They have three amazing kids, two of whom are happy to call Crane Lake their second home.
Gabi Levin, Camper Care Assistant
Gabi is from Baltimore, MD, (Good morning, Baltimore!) but currently resides in New Jersey just outside NYC’s walls. During the year she can be found auditioning, performing and modeling in and around NYC, teaching kids theater, dance, and Hebrew classes, running three junior youth groups at Temple Sholom in Cedar Grove NJ, and babysitting. She is also involved with Hazamir Alum and Zamir Noded, both of which perform Jewish choral music and promote a love for Israel. In addition, she volunteers with her youth groups at Color-a-Smile and with various other organizations through J-serve. This is her very first summer at Crane Lake and she will be the Camper Care Assistant mending the broken hearts of our little friends.
Sarah Stein, Unit Operations Coordinator
Sarah hails from from Stratford, CT. She just graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in Business and Anthropology, and just began working as the Assistant Director of Youth Engagement at Temple Shalom of Newton in a shared position with the URJ! She is so excited to be returning home to Crane Lake Camp for her 12th summer, and 2nd summer as the Unit Operations Coordinator!
Rose Levenson, Nitzanim Unit Head
Rose originally hails from the sweet town of Hershey, PA, but now lives in Boston, MA. She is currently pursuing an MBA in Non-Profit Management and an MA in Jewish Professional Leadership at Brandeis University as a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar, successfully finding a program where she can study Jewish summer camps all year long! She also works as the Youth Advisor at Temple Sinai in Brookline. This summer will be her sixth at camp, and she is over the moon excited to be the Nitzanim Unit Head, supervising our youngest campers and their counselors. She is a certified spinning instructor, and by the time our campers arrive this summer, will also be a certified Zumba instructor! She can’t wait to meet you and share the magic of camp with you and your family.
Barak Ziv-El, Assistant Nitzanim Unit Head
Barak is 24 years old and from Tel Aviv, Israel. This will be his third summer at camp. After two amazing summers as a general counselor in Nitzanim this year he will be the Nitzanim Assistant Unit Head! He is super excited to take a break from law school and spend the summer at what he considers his second home, Crane Lake. During the year he volunteers at a middle school in a program called PERACH, where he teaches English. In his free time he loves watching movies, playing soccer and listening to all types of music. He can’t wait for the summer to start!
Avery Mason, Lower Bonim Unit Head
Avery lives in New Jersey and currently attends William Paterson University where he is studying to be an Animator. Throughout the year he works at Temple Avodat Shalom in River Edge, New Jersey where he runs camp-style programs and teaches 7th grade. This will be his 11th year at Crane Lake Camp, but his first as Lower Bonim Unit Head!
Josh Feinberg, Upper Bonim Unit Head
Josh is originally from Springfield, MA and a current graduate from Clark University with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a Master’s in Teaching. He will be teaching at Milford High School in MA for the upcoming 2017-2018 year. This will be his 12th summer at Crane Lake and his first summer as Upper Bonim Unit Head. In the past he has been a lifeguard and the Assistant Machon Director. His experiences at camp have taught him a lot about our campers and how to reach out to them appropriately to ensure that they will have an unforgettable summer.
Tara Levine, Lower Chaverim Unit Head
Tara lives in Astoria, Queens and is the Director of Youth Engagement at Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, New York. Throughout the year, she teaches 7th- 12th graders, plans and runs retreats, and helps implement family programming at the temple. This will be her second summer at Crane Lake, and she will be the Lower Chaverim Unit Head. She’s excited that many eighth graders from her job at Woodlands will be in her unit this summer and that she will get to spend time with kids/teens from all ages at camp. Tara is looking forward to being a mentor to her staff this summer and helping to make camp exciting and meaningful for campers and counselors!
Imogene Winkleman, Upper Chaverim Unit Head
Imogene Winkleman is incredibly excited to spend her first summer at Crane Lake Camp as Upper Chaverim Unit Head. Imogene works full-time on the URJ Youth Team as Regional Advisor for the New York Area Region of NFTY, spending the school year working with Jewish teenagers from New York City and surrounding suburbs. Imogene grew up at Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, NY, and spent her summers at URJ Camp Harlam, URJ Kutz Camp and on NFTY in Israel. Imogene graduated from Clark University with a B.A. in Psychology and Women’s & Gender Studies, where she oversaw Clark’s All Kinds of Girls mentoring program and worked as a Junior Youth Advisor for Temple Beth Elohim of Wellesley, MA. In her spare time, Imogene volunteers with NYC feminist nonprofits, including the National Organization of Women’s NYC Chapter (NOW-NYC), and enjoys exploring parks, biking, and playing her guitar.
Shahar Peled, Olim Unit Head
Shahar was born and raised in Maccabim, Israel, but currently lives in New York City. He served three years as a combat soldier in the Israeli paratroopers brigade. During the year he works as a year-round Shaliach (Israel emissary) at Temple Israel of the City of New York, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the URJ and URJ Crane Lake Camp. This is his 5th summer at Crane Lake Camp and his first as Olim Unit Head. He’s very excited for the summer and can’t wait to reunite with our amazing community.
Sam Han, Assistant Olim Unit Head
Sam is from Mamaroneck, in Westchester County, New York. He just recently Graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. This year he will be Assistant Olim Unit Head! This will be his 9th summer at camp! When he was at school he was a Resident Assistant for a building with over 200 people living in it! Because he just graduated, he will be taking a year off and traveling to Korea and the West Coast of the United States. He then will be applying to master’s graduate level programs for school counseling because it is his goal to become a high school psychologist!
Cory Hermann, Machon Director
This will be Cory’s seventh summer as Machon Director, although she has been at Crane Lake Camp a lot longer than that! She was a faculty member for five summers, and attended Crane Lake for five summers way back in the 80’s! She is the mother of three boys who attend Crane Lake. Jake (or EJ as he is known only at CLC) will be in Machon this summer, Zach will be in Olim for his 8th summer, and Jonah will be in Lower Bonim this summer for his 4th summer as a camper even though he has spent every birthday at camp so far! (He will be 11 on July 1st.) They live with her husband, Barak, in Owings Mills, MD, and can’t wait until camp is finally here. Cory is a Jewish educator, social worker, and songleader, and camp is the place where all that she loves to do merges with a place that she loves. She can’t wait to spend time with everyone back in the bubble!
Jeremy Levine, Assistant Machon Director
Jeremy is originally from Long Island, New York, but has lived in Worcester, Massachusetts for the past six years. He was a camper at Crane Lake from 2004-2008, then a Machon in 2010 and a general counselor for Olim from 2011-2013. After a few years away, he’s excited to return to Crane Lake as the Assistant Machon Director. Since that time, he’s graduated from Clark University and worked there for two years in the admissions office. In Fall 2017, he’s off to graduate school to study Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition. At camp, he loves the lake, song sessions, and weird evening programs.