Crane Lake Camp’s Leadership Team is devoted to making every camper’s summer memorable, safe, and life changing. Our team is a group of highly trained individuals adept in tackling the many idiosyncrasies that come with each respective area at camp. The diversity inherent with each member and their inspiring lifestyles gives Leadership Team 2018 a unique personality that will shape Crane Lake into a home-away-from-home for all who choose to spend their summer in “The Bubble!” Meet our directors and the rest of our staff by clicking on the in-text links!
Listed below are the members of Crane Lake Camp’s Leadership Team 2018:
Avery Mason, Co-Olim Unit Head – Avery recently graduated from William Paterson University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and plans on pursuing a career in animation! Throughout the year he worked at a synagogue in River Edge, New Jersey and taught a variety of classes ranging from art skills to Holocaust history. He has been returning to camp since Lower Bonim (11-12) and is very excited to work alongside his friends, mentors, and past counselors to make this summer the best it can be.
Barnett Goldman, Summer Assistant Director – Barnett was born and raised in Commack, NY and currently lives in Westwood, NJ with his phenomenal wife and two beautiful children. During the school year, he wears a diverse array of hats (other than fatherhood and being a husband). He teaches 4th grade and coaches high school soccer while also finding time to work as the Youth Director for Temple Avodat Shalom. Additionally, he teaches at the Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies on Sundays. Lastly, in Barnett’s free time, he enjoys playing and watching sports. Oh, and he also dabbles in photography.
Calvin “CJ” Gibson, Athletics Director – Traveling all the way from Miami to West Stockbridge is no bother to CJ because this will be his 10th summer at Crane Lake Camp. During the year he motivates young athletes to work hard in his job as a High School Baseball and Softball Coach. Additionally, he allocates his evenings towards coaching at a youth baseball program for underprivileged kids who otherwise would not have the opportunity to play ball at a competitive level. CJ is especially excited to continue inspiring campers and staff to become better versions of themselves.
Candice Lee, Kitchen Manager – Candice is from Lynnfield, MA and has been coming to camps in the Berkshires since she was young. She has been working as a cooking instructor, manager, and chef for 10 years all over the world. She started her career by operating a private kitchen and cooking school in Beijing, eventually traveling and working in places such as NYC, Sydney, Traverse City, and Las Vegas. This will be her 4th year at Crane Lake Camp and her passions for sharing the many experiences she has with trying different food culture and working in food education, makes her the perfect fit for the job.
Carol Clopper, Camper Care Coordinator – Carol is from Long Island and her educational background includes special education K-12, elementary education, and early childhood education. She is especially thrilled that one of her children will be joining her in the bubble, as well as her husband who will be on faculty during second session. Her Olim ’17 child will be spending the summer at URJ Kutz Camp, while her oldest child will be spending their summer at home with her ‘favorite’ child – the family dog Sammie. During the year she works at a local farm, plays board games with her family, and loves to knit (when she can).
Cory Hermann, Co-Machon Director – Cory is returning to camp for her 18th time! Although she loves helping aspiring counselors become strong CLC staff members (and has done so for 9 years), she also spent 5 years on faculty and an additional 5 years as a camper and staff member back in the 1980’s. Cory’s job allows her to observe the significant growth made by each respective camper, Machon, and staff member that comes through camp. During the year she lives in Baltimore with her husband, Barak, and their three boys. She works as the Family Engagement Specialist and Music Specialist at the JCC, and is a family educator and song leader at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation.
Darcy Golding, Nitzanim Girls Unit Head – Darcy is from London, England and she can’t wait to see everyone. Darcy has previously served as a general counselor, swim instructor, and Camper Care Assistant at Crane Lake and is looking forward to the new challenge of being a Unit Head for our youngest campers! After a year off from camp, coming back for her 5th summer is an absolute treat; she looks forward to receiving a 5 year sweatshirt and warm hello’s from old friends.
Ian Simpson, Head Song Leader – Ian is returning to Crane Lake Camp for his 3rd summer! Outside of camp he works as a professional song leader for many Reform congregations throughout Massachusetts including synagogues in Worcester, Newton, Lexington, and Needham as well as the Rashi School. Ian is entering his senior year at Worcester State University as a music major studying jazz guitar and classical voice. He cannot can’t wait to come back to his favorite home-away-from-home in order to inspire and enliven the music that plays an enormous role in CLC’s unique and special community.
Hugo Illing, Lake Director – Hugo is from Oxford, England, however he has lived in Thailand for most of his life. He is studying Outdoor Education at Liverpool, John Moores University and training to become – you guessed it – an outdoor instructor. During the year Hugo volunteers for a company which utilizes creative expressive therapy in sessions for the elderly and people with special needs. This will be his 3rd year at camp after spending two summers as a sailing instructor. His love for the waterfront speaks to his goal for “making the lake the best place for campers to chill”.
Isaac Moore, Nitzanim Boys Unit Head – Isaac has been at camp for 3 summers. Previously, Isaac worked as a sailing instructor at the lake and was a counselor for the Nitzanim unit. Back home, Isaac works for his local council as a pensions assistant in the UK. Other than his professional commitments, Isaac enjoys traveling and being outdoors.
Jake Rudolph, Director of Digital Media – Jake from Trumbull, CT – home of the Golden Eagles Marching Band and “frozen yogurt places that always go out of business.” Currently, he studies Political Science and Communications in the honors program at the University of Connecticut. Apart from his academics, he is a tenor for Extreme Measures A Cappella and member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) fraternity. This will be his 12th summer at Crane Lake Camp, however instead of coaching baseball he decided to take on a different role to “spice things up”. He is super excited to get to work and try his best to convey the joy that comes with a summer at CLC through our blog and social media.
Jeremy Levine, Deputy Program Director – Jeremy has been part of the Crane Lake community since he was 10 and – of course – he is incredibly excited to be back as Deputy Program Director! During the non-camp parts of the year, he is a graduate student in Composition and Rhetoric at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and has the privilege of teaching an introductory writing course. Jeremy admits that this opportunity gives him more excitement than it probably should. “Writing is fun” and anyone who thinks otherwise would probably receive a thorough lecture from Jeremy explaining exactly why they are wrong. His favorite things about camp are breakfast burritos, campfires, weird evening programs, Maccabiah, and the song about the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea.
Jessie Petrak, Bonim Girls Unit Head – Jesse grew up in Los Angeles, California but moved to Bellingham, Washington three years ago to attend Western Washington University and obtain a dual endorsement in special education and elementary education. She is super excited to be an inclusive classroom teacher in her future. During the year she works for a program called Compass 2 Campus which brings college students into Title I schools to help students graduate and pursue their goals. Summer 2018 will be her 4th summer at camp and she is excited to be back in the bubble!
Jessica Wake, Director of Outdoor Education – Jess is from Scotland and has been at camp for 6 summers now, as an animals instructor and Outdoor Education Director. Jess claims her job at home is designed for the sole purpose of paying the bills so she could get back to camp for the summer of 2018. Literally 10 for 2!
Jessica Greenwood, Ropes Director – Jess recently finished a Theatre and Performance degree at the University of Bristol. She’s lived in Bristol for her whole life, but will be moving to Edinburgh where she hopes to pursue a masters in Festival Management. Additionally, she will be working on a “fringe festival” year-round. This will be her third year working at a US summer camp and 2nd year at Crane Lake.
Josh Feinberg, Lower Chaverim Unit Head – Josh is from Longmeadow, MA and works as a Spanish teacher at South High in Worcester, MA. Out of 13 summers, Josh has been able to work with kids in every age group. He is “wicked excited” to get back and see everyone and make new connections with new campers. A fun fact about Josh is that he completed three half marathons at CLC on a scooter! If you have any questions about that, he suggests that you ask him on the first day of camp.
Josh “Rosie” Rosenthal, Co-Olim Unit Head – Rosie is from Westchester, New York, but spent the last two years (minus the summers) traveling the world! Most recently, he has been in western Europe and parts of Northern Africa where he reunited with lots of old friends and made many new ones. This is going to be his 18th summer.
Josh Squire, Co-Machon Director – Josh is thrilled to join the camp community for his FIRST summer at Crane Lake Camp. Though Josh is new to Crane Lake, camp has been and currently is a significant part of his life. In fact, his year-round position as the Regional Advisor for the NFTY New York Area Region provided him with opportunities for working closely with all URJ Northeast Camps. This summer he’s looking forward to refining his professional skills and working on self-development within the CLC community. On a side note, Josh is always down to chat about basically anything related to leadership, personal development, hip-hop, basketball, mindfulness, ‘trying’ to make art, and striving to live his best possible life.
Lauren Chizner, Limud Director – Lauren lives in Dix Hills, New York and this will be her twelfth summer at CLC. During the year she is the Religious School Director at Port Jewish Center in Port Washington, NY. Also, Lauren runs Project Understanding: an interfaith Israel experience for Jewish and Catholic teens. She is married to Rabbi Todd Chizner and the proud mother of Jacob, Jed, and Rachel. Jed will be joining her at camp this summer as a Machon and Rachel will be an Olim camper.
Lauren Resnikoff, Assistant Limud Director – During the school year, Lauren served as 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). Furthermore, her commitment to teaching Judaism with CLC’s Limud team began in 2005. Since then Lauren has taken a prominent role in revolutionizing the program into an awesome force which brings unprecedented ruach and quintessential Jewish learning to camp.
Laurie Rochlin, Camper Care Associate – Laurie is from Northern New Jersey. During the year, she is a Learning Consultant in a public school and has worked in education for over 25 years. Additionally, she volunteered to be the Youth Activities Liaison at her synagogue. With two children who grew up at Crane Lake, her youngest is following her to camp to become a counselor in training in camp’s Machon Program. This is Laurie’s eighth summer at CLC, three of which were in the 1980’s! She is very much looking forwards towards working with the diverse and intriguing personalities of all Crane Lake campers.
Lisa Tenenbaum, Assistant Limud Director – Lisa is proud to call Summer 2018 her 9th summer as part of the Limud Team. It is more noteworthy, however, that she has spent an astonishing total of 19 summers on Crane Lake’s Leadership team. It is her job to enable both campers and staff to immerse themselves in the holy camp community, to have meaningful prayer experiences, and to live a Jewish life all day every day. Lisa lives in Wellington, Florida where she and her husband (Barry) own an internet business. Additionally, Lisa serves as the B’nai Mitzvah tutor and Confirmation teacher at Temple Shaarei Shalom – a Reform congregation in Boynton Beach. Her three children are Crane Lake alumni who remain active and committed members of the Jewish community. All in all, Lisa is proud to be a staff member at Crane Lake and considers herself lucky to spend a summer in “the bubble”.
Meredith Griffith, Camp Social Worker- Meredith is honored to serve as the camp social worker during first session this summer. She lives in Atlanta, GA where she has a private psychotherapy practice. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with family, exploring hiking trails and waterfalls in Georgia, running, and reading. This is her first summer at Crane Lake Camp and she is excited about the adventures ahead!
Mwimbe “Pele” Sichula, Pool Director – This will be Pele’s 8th summer at Crane Lake. During the school year he works for a company that facilitates after school programs for charter schools in Newark, New Jersey. Some of his hobbies include cross-fit, critiquing movies, and enjoying fine food.
Nino Benjie San Jose Hernandez, Art Director – Nino is from the islands of the Philippines. As an artist, a major part of his life is focused around painting and occasionally playing music at local shows. Art is a part of him and his strongest motivation for returning to camp for his 5th summer as the Art Director for CLC. Back home he has a part time job teaching children about art, music and sports at schools in his neighborhood. Some of his hobbies include rock climbing, surfing, mountain biking, and playing ultimate frisbee on weekends.
Or Cohen, Photographer & Rosh Mishlachat – Or is from Maccabim-Reut, Israel. In just his 2nd summer at Crane Lake, Or will be the Rosh Mishlachat and a photographer devoted to catching the many wonderful moments during camp. He served in the IDF for 4 and 1/2 years as a lieutenant for the Artillery Corps. After high school, he volunteered with teenagers-at-risk in a boarding school for a year.
Pamela Hausler, Health Center Director – Pam is excited to be working at camp for her 14th summer, having watched so many of the campers grow into amazing adults. People at camp know that Pam loves when campers drink water and do not wear flip-flops! She is a school nurse in Vermont during the school year. She has three kids that have had the pleasure of growing up at Crane Lake Camp. She loves to run around camp and see all the kids having a great time and looks forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
Peter “Brick” Abrikian, Drama Director – Brick is from Kingston, Jamaica and likes to style himself as a full-time Thespian. This is his fifth (yay sweatshirt!) summer at CLC and he is super excited to be chilling in the Rec Hall as the Drama Director for one more year. When not leading drama units and directing plays at CLC he is doing … well … pretty much that … at all times of the day. This past year, Brick taught at, and directed two shows for the American International School of Kingston while maintaining a presence on the professional Jamaican theatre scene (Stage Manager ‘Pressure Drop’, Actor ‘The Tempest’). Furthermore, he has more than twenty years of experience with summer camps as he grew up going to and counselling at Moorlands Camp in the cool hills of Manchester, Jamaica. Some of his hobbies include riding bicycles, enjoying wonderful food with friends, and playing creative miniature games (i.e. The Game of Things).
Sarah Loeser, Staff Engagement Coordinator – Sarah grew up in the Boston area and attended the University of Vermont. She majored in Early Childhood Education and eventually made the decision to move down to the New York area so that she could start working at an early childhood center. She has nearly completed her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education at Fordham University. While her pursuit for an advanced degree consumed the last couple of summers, Sarah is very excited to return to camp for her fifth year on staff and first year as Staff Engagement Coordinator.
Sarah Stein, Unit Head Team Leader – Sarah is so excited to be back home for her 13th summer at Crane Lake! She is looking forward to spending time at the lake, eating grilled cheese, and getting to know everyone on camp. Sarah is originally from Stratford, Connecticut. She studied Business and Anthropology at Brandeis University, and spent this past year working in Youth Engagement at Temple Shalom of Newton, MA. After the summer, Sarah is looking forward to moving to New York to become the Youth Director at Temple Israel of the City of New York!
Stella Raffle-Wax, Upper Chaverim Unit Head – Stella lives in Brooklyn, New York and recently graduated from Marymount Manhattan College. At school she studied Politics & Human Rights with minors in Gender & Sexuality Studies and Communications. Furthermore, she was the Vice President of MMC’s Student Government Association and President of the Dead Rabbits Society – Marymount’s sketch comedy team. From 2006 to 2011 Stella was a camper and worked as a General Counselor and a Drama Specialist from 2013 to 2017. She cannot wait to be back home for her 13th summer!
Suzanne Zulauf, Assistant Limud Director – Suzanne is very excited to be at camp this summer. Earlier in her life, she was a camper and became a camp counselor during her time at university. This will be her first summer at Crane Lake Camp and her decision was inspired in part by her son who has spent three summers in the Berkshires. During the year she lives with her family in Shanghai, China, but they normally call Virginia home. After a 10-year career of teaching elementary and middle school students, Suzanne currently works as a literacy consultant who helps schools implement learning structures conducive to improving the instruction process for reading and writing.
Valerie Fisher, Assistant Camper Care Coordinator – Valerie has been at camp for 13 summers. She is a Boston native who studies Human Development and Religious Studies at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. During her free time she likes to relax at the beach, go to her community’s farmers market, and volunteers at a middle school tutoring students in all subjects. Val believes this summer will be “the best one yet”.
Yaelle Nisinzweig, Program Director – Yaelle has called Crane Lake her home for 19 summers. Starting as a tiny Nitzanim camper, Yaelle will be reclaiming her title as camp’s Program Director. She finds joy in watching new and returning campers and staff engage in traditions and activities that make camp, camp. During the year she is a special education teacher in Newton, MA and lives in Boston. While she loves the city, her excitement revolves around spending another summer in the Berkshires.
Ziv Nadil, Bonim Boys Unit Head – Ziv was born and raised in Israel on a small Kibbutz. He served for 3 years in the IDF and volunteered for 1 year at a boarding school for homeless children. Since his release from the army, he worked at camp and spent a year traveling around the US and South America. This will be his second summer at camp and his first on Leadership Team!