Henry S. Jacobs Camp - Camp History

Camp History

In 1970, the camp's first summer, there were 93 campers in two sessions (roughly 30 in Session I and 60 in Session II). The early years featured two units. In 1977 a third unit was added. In 1979 the units were renamed Garin, Maskilim and Talmidim. In addition to naming the units, 1979 featured the first Maskilim Mitzvah Day and the introduction of the first Maskilim cheer ("We are, we are, Maskilim!").

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, some changes were made at the camp. Fitness was also added to the schedule in the late 1970s, and the Berman Center, a gymnasium, was built in 1985. Horseback riding was removed from the activity offerings, and the daily schedule went from six activity blocks to five activity blocks per day. In 1988, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (now part of the Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life) was built.

The Olim program was added to Jacobs Camp in 1989, and the Talmidim unit went from two four-week sessions to one six-week session.

After the summer of 1999, Macy Hart (originally from Winona, Mississippi) ended 30 years as Director of Jacobs Camp to focus full-time on running the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Mississippi. He was replaced by Jonathan “JC” Cohen (originally from Tupelo, Mississippi), who had been a dedicated camper and counselor at Jacobs in the 1970s and 1980s. The daily schedule and unit set-up were modified a couple of times in 2000, 2001, and 2002 in an effort to improve the specialty programming at Jacobs. For example, the concept of the Talmidim Intensive first appeared in 2000. Also, in 2002 Talmidim went back to being a four-week, regular-session program and entering 10th graders experienced the six-week Chalutzim program for the first time.

Beginning in 2007, Jacobs Camp set out to place itself on the cutting edge of Jewish informal education by fully integrating its Jewish educational program into its recreational offerings through the launch of its Specialty Camp Programs: Sports, Arts, Digital Media, and Adventure Camp.