Farash Foundation launches pioneering Jewish youth initiative

The Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation has unveiled a first-in-the-nation initiative aimed at making a formative Jewish youth experience accessible and attractive to all. Officials estimate spending approximately $16 million over the next nine years on the program, though the goal is to keep it going for much longer.

Dubbed “Project Campfire,” the program will provide full scholarships—or “camperships” —to Jewish children in the Greater Rochester area, enabling them to attend Camp Seneca Lake at no cost. By removing financial considerations and barriers, the foundation seeks to ensure that the Jewish summer camp experience, widely recognized as critical in fostering Jewish identity, is available to every eligible child in the community.

To participate in Project Campfire, children must identify as Jewish and be in rising grades three through 10. They also must reside in Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Livingston, Orleans, Genesee, or Yates counties for more than half of the time and attend school within one of these counties. Qualifying campers will have the full cost of one session at Camp Seneca Lake covered by their “campership.”

Founded in 1928, Camp Seneca Lake aims to provide children with a joyful atmosphere for personal exploration and building a sense of Jewish community. Situated on the west shore of Seneca Lake and featuring a wide array of recreation and athletic options, the camp is about an hour’s drive from Rochester. It is operated by the Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester.

Overnight summer camps have long been important to American Jewish communities. They were first formed in the early half of the 20^th century as places where Jewish children from cities—where most Jews lived—could enjoy nature, and where recent immigrant children could have experiences that would help them become Americanized.

The popularity of these summer camps really took off in the wake of World War II, as many Jews joined the middle-class migration into the suburbs. With many now living as cultural minorities, and increasingly assimilating into broader society, Jewish leaders worried about the dissipation of Jewish traditions and identity. Overnight camps became a favored solution, offering a chance for children to be immersed and surrounded by Jewish friends and activities.

A 2021 Pew Research poll found that about 40 percent of all American Jews had attended such summer camps as children. For many, their camp experience created a lifelong connection, with former campers often participating in alumni groups and sending their own children to those overnight camps. Not surprisingly given its long history, Camp Seneca Lake is considered to have a particularly strong and loyal alumni network.

Since last year’s Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and in the context of increasing rates of antisemitic incidents across the U.S., overnight Jewish camps are once again an area of increased focus as places where Jewish children can comfortably explore their identities.

The Farash Foundation initiative represents the most wide-ranging and bold effort to bolster an overnight camp, potentially becoming a model for other communities.

“The legacy of Max and Marian Farash is such that they cared about the future of the Jewish community in Rochester,” says Jennie Schaff, CEO of the Farash Foundation. “By investing in the Jewish youth of today, our foundation aims to provide the magical experience of Camp Seneca Lake while also fostering generations who will celebrate their Jewish identity and build a strong foundation for their Jewish future in Rochester.”

Alex Zapesochny is publisher of the Rochester Beacon and a board member of the Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. Submissions to the Letters page should be sent to [email protected].