Meet Our Summer 2016 Staff!

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 We have an amazing group of Rashei Eidot (unit heads) this summer!

Naomi Segal- KallahNaomi Segal

Naomi is so excited to return to camp this summer as the Rosh Eidah of Kallah! Naomi first came to OSRUI in 2001 as a Kallah camper and then biked around Lake Michigan in 2008 on Tour La’Agam. Now Naomi is back and excited to return to Kallah and OSRUI, which have both always held a special place in her heart.

As a native of Chicago, Naomi fell in love with Judaism through NFTY and many kallot at OSRUI. After serving as the President of the NFTY-Chicago Area Region in high school, Naomi lived in Israel for a year on the URJ’s gap year program, Shnat Netzer. As a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Naomi is pursuing a degree in Jewish Studies and International Studies. When Naomi is not studying, she can usually be found at Hillel planning social action and Israel programs for her peers, or working with the awesome teenagers in the youth group that she advises at Temple Beth El. After graduation this spring and camp this summer, Naomi plans to move back to the Chicago area and work as a Jewish professional.

Naomi is looking forward to being back in Kallah once again! She is especially excited to celebrate Shabbat at camp, go on great tiyulim (field trips), and swim in the breicha (pool)! Naomi looks forward to welcoming all of the Kallah campers to OSRUI, and helping to make the summer of 2016 the best summer yet!

Sara Splansky will be assisting Naomi as s’ganit of Kallah

Emily Rothstein – Kibbutz HaTzofim

Emily Rothstein Emily is so excited to be returning to camp this summer as Rosh Eidah of Kibbutz HaTzofim. A native of New Jersey, she spent 5 summers as a camper at URJ Camp Harlam before she journeyed across the country to OSRUI and has been there ever since. This is Emily’s 8th summer at camp and 6th year on staff. Emily spent the last four years (with the exception of a semester abroad in Israel as a Nachshon Project Fellow), at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studies Nonprofit Management and Jewish Studies. After graduation in May, she plans on pursing an MBA and a Master’s Degree in Jewish Nonprofit Management.

Emily is looking forward to being downstairs in the Butz once again to enjoy the refet (farm), gan (garden), and the most ruach (spirit). She loves swimming at the breicha (pool), putting on OSTOCK (Oconomostock, the all-camp talent show produced by Tzofim Gimmel), and singing by the medurah (campfire) on Saturday folk night. She can’t wait to continue traditions like High Sock Thursday and Fiesta Friday, while building new and exciting Tzofim traditions this summer. Emily is counting down the days until summer 2016 begins!

Dylan Singer will be assisting Emily as s’gan of Tzofim.

Becky Dolinko Becky Dolinko – Gesher

Becky is so excited to be returning to OSRUI this summer as the Rosh Eidah of Gesher! This will be her 11th summer at OSRUI and her 6th summer on staff. Becky has been fortunate to be either a camper or staff member in every eidah at camp, but there is a special place in her heart for Gesher.

A a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Becky is currently student teaching and taking classes to work towards her degree in Elementary Education. After graduation this spring and camp this summer, Becky hopes to move back and teach in the Chicago suburbs.

Becky loves everything about camp, but she especially enjoys swimming at the breicha (pool), celebrating Shabbat, tiyulim (field trips), and all-camp events, such as the Gesher Carnival! Becky also loves that in Gesher, there are many opportunities to make a difference in the community and grow as a leader. Becky looks forward to welcoming all the Gesher campers to OSRUI, and to help make summer 2016 the best summer yet!

Abby Miller will be assisting Becky as s’ganit of Gesher.

Evan Richter – TiferetEvan

Evan s thrilled to be returning to camp this summer as Tiferet’s rosh eidah! This is Evan’s 12th summer at camp and 5th summer on staff and he couldn’t be happier spending it in Tiferet. Evan is currently a junior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA (his hometown) where he is studying theater and recently returned from a semester abroad in Italy. Evan likes to spend his free time tap dancing, practicing his juggling, and hanging with his friends. When he is at camp, Evan loves to climb etgar (the 5-story Alpine tower) participate in all-camp events (like the Star Spangled Mesibah (party) produced by Tiferet Aleph) and eating Shabbat dinner with some of his closest friends! Evan cannot wait for the summer to start, and see all the amazing campers when they return.

Assisting Evan as s’ganit of Tiferet is Emily Greenberg.

Eli DansonEli Danson – Moshavah

Eli has been dreaming about becoming rosh of Mosh since he went on his first hiking tiyul (trip) in 2006. Now, at the ripe age of 23, he will be embarking on the tiyul of a lifetime, molding and shaping all of the Mosh chanichim (campers) of 2016. Eli spent eight years as a camper at OSRUI and will be undertaking his sixth summer on tzevet (staff) and fifth summer on Mosh staff. Every summer Eli looks forward to guiding all four tiyulim (hiking, biking, canoeing, and rock climbing) and watching the chanichim grow through their interactions with teva (nature). Eli also thoroughly enjoys his time at the breicha (pool) playing water basketball, mirkaz ivrit (Hebrew center) crafting Israeli treats, and grilling in Moshavah.

Away from camp, Eli was a collegiate swimmer at Carleton College specializing in the 200 butterfly and also played violin in the school’s orchestra. This past fall, after obtaining his degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry, Eli broadened his horizons and started a master’s program at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in exercise physiology. In North Carolina, Eli continues to bathe in the beauty of teva by frequenting the Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic Ocean. After obtaining his master’s degree, Eli will pursue his PhD in exercise physiology and hopes to have a career as a professor. Eli cannot wait for this summer to arrive and make both his dreams and the dreams of all the chanichim a reality.

Gaby Mintz will be assisting Eli as s’ganit of Moshavah.

Hila Zrihen – Chalutzim

Hila Zrihen Hila is so excited to be back at OSRUI for her 3rd summer, this time as Rosh Eidah of Chalutzim. She originally joined the staff as a counselor, after serving in the Israeli Defense Forces for two years as an emergency instructor and a commander. This fall, Hila will study biology at Ben Gurion University in Beer-Sheva.

Hila can’t wait to teach Hebrew all summer in so many ways, and tell the campers about Israel from her experiences. She loves the evening programs when the campers get to plan fun activities for the entire Eidah in Hebrew. She loves seeing them communicate in Hebrew and then feel so good when their friends understand them. Hila is looking forward to the summer of 2016 and hoping it will be a summer that she and the campers will remember for years!

Ethan Ehrlich will be assisting Hila as s’gan of Chalutzim.

Adam KazilskyAdam Kazilsky – Tour La’Agam

A Wisconsin native, Adam is finishing college at Winona State University in Minnesota. No stranger to camp, he remembers watching the first Tour La’Agam returning when he was a 2007 Gesher camper. The next summer, he signed up for Tour! Since then, he has made the trek around the lake an additional four times. After a bike tour across the country and a 16th place finish in the 2015 TransAm Bike Race, he can confidently blame camp for his passion of cycling and appreciation of the outdoors. He can’t wait to be a part of the life-changing experience known as Tour La’Agam, yet again!

Micah BrandhandlerMicah Brandhandler – Avodah

Micah is thrilled to be coming back to camp this summer as the rosh eidah of Avodah! This will be his 14th summer at camp and his 9th on staff. Micah has spent six summers working as a madrich (counselor), s’gan (asst. unit head), and  rosh eidah of Chalutzim and is looking forward to a to once again driving the tractor around camp. Avodah was his first job at camp and he has wanted to be rosh of Avodah ever since.

Micah is currently the general music teacher at an elementary school in Lemont, IL.  He is also a URJ Camp Service Corps Fellow at Lakeside Congregation in Highland Park, IL, where he creates camp programming and promotes camp year-round. In his free time, Micah likes to play ultimate frisbee, soccer, and sing.  Micah can’t wait for summer to arrive, when he will get to teach the very special art of plunging to a whole new group of Avodahniks!

Albert Marks – MachonAlbert Marks

Albert serves as OSRUI’s Senior Assistant Director, working with Jerry and Susan in all areas of running the camp, including staff recruitment, camper recruitment, coordinating our ambassador program in congregations, and programming.  During the summer of 2016, Albert will also head our Machon counselor-in-training program, and he cannot wait to help shape the next generation of OSRUI tzevet (staff)!

A native of Nashville, Albert attended Indiana University where he earned a B.S. in Biology and then went on to get his Master’s Degree in Education from National Louis University. He spent 4 summers at OSRUI – two as assistant sports director, one as rosh eidah of Kallah, and one as science specialist. Albert spent a year in Israel teaching science for the NFTY-EIE program and then served as Head of Math and Science at the Weizmann Day School in Los Angeles.  He currently lives in Milwaukee with his wife, Rabbi Rachel Kaplan Marks, who served as Machon rosh eidah for two summers; she is currently the assistant rabbi at Congregation Shalom in Milwaukee and an OSRUI faculty member.

Maayan Sharon – Rosh MishlachatMaayan Sharon

Maayan is thrilled to be back for her 3rd summer at OSRUI.  She was a counselor in Chalutzim for two summers, and is returning as Rosh Mishlachat.  The Mishlachat is our wonderful group of Israeli staff members and Maayan will oversee them this summer.  She looks forward to being there for everything the Shlichim (Israeli staff) will need and is planning many activities that are about Israel from different perspectives.  She’ll provide a glimpse of everyday life in Israel for each eidah.  Maayan will be attached to Chalutzim and will be working in the Mirkaz Ivrit (Hebrew Center).

Maayan served in the Israeli Defense Forces for two years as a social worker at the artillery battalion.  These days she is working at the Jewish Agency.  She can’t wait to return to OSRUI and start working to make this the summer one to remember!

And here’s a photo of Jerry and Susan with our 2016 Mishlachat!

Mishlachat rev

Madrichim

Kallah: Emily Acker, Joey Barr, Hannah Budwig, Hannah Gorin, Dylan Kahn, Zach Mellow, Jonathan Mishory, Will Rivlin

Tzofim: Josh Altshuler, Shira Brandhandler, Mabel Frank, Becca Gratch, Alyssa Horwitz, Nate Moncrieff, Gabe Pearlman, Benji Perez, Ross Schneider, Noah Segal, Raya Seidman,  Tome Sha’altiel, Jesse Siegel, Michelle Weil

Gesher: Maddy Chinn, Andrew Gertz, Jami Goldberg, Ari Goldstein, Mitchell Israel, Emily Nistad, Shemaria Straley

Moshavah: Jake Altman, Lily Booker, Anna Cohen, Maddy Frischer, Max Gendler, Ari Gershon, Ethan Goldish, Aaron Josephs, Claire Kreilitz, Jacob Letwat, Rebecca Lubar, Abby Manaster, Gabi Mintz, Rachel Mintz, Noah Robiner

Tiferet: Emily Dana, Alex Kopulsky,  Seth Ordiway, Leah Sherin

Chalutzim: Rotem Benkel, Anva Bergman, Adam Cicelsky, Menahem Habusha, Ryan Harris, Inbar Kahana, Natali Kazma, Amit Leiman, Ilia Levin, Lee Nafatali, Yuval Raz, Ella Steiner, Yuval Weiss

Tour L’Agam: Jesse Illian, Michelle Margolies

 

Specialists:

Aquatics Director:  Andrew Niemic
Aquatics:  Tristan Latzel, pool supervisor; Jack Watermolen, lake supervisor.  Staff:  Rachel Ajack, Sadie Bishop, Pauline Brown, Jenna Cichaki, David Dunkovich, Josh Durham, Nick Fuller, Alex GerencirGrayson Glazer, Grant Johnson, Daya Lustig, Brandon Niemiec, Camden Rockwell, Josef Schaack, Spencer Schmidt, John Schwalbach, Frank Seipel, Teresa Turco, Margo Wohlfeil
Art Specialist:  Ohad Sha’altiel
Art: Hannah Altshuler, Cam Barker
Rosh Chaverim:
Hannah Klegon
Chaverim: Carrie Muffler
Chanut: Catie Middleton
Cooking:
Hila Hollingsworth
Dance Specialist:  
Margalit Sha’altiel
Dance:
Morgan Cohen
Drama Specialist: Michael Goldberg
Drivers: Tom Frankiewicz, Gary Garrison
Etgar: Gal Adar, Sarah Stuckey, Blaire Weinberg
Health Center Administrator: Laurie Muffler
Horseback Riding Specialist: 
Nitzan Zfanya
Horseback Riding: Reut Amar, Ari Schlossberg, Noam Shapiro
Gear Masters: Jesse Ilian, Eidan Spilker
Inclusion Staff: Annie Azriel, Ben Goldberg, Debbie Kahn
Inclusion Intern: Josh Weisenfeld
Media:  Amit Elyasi, Anna Pozdaniakov
Merkaz Ivrit Director: Rachel Garber
Merkaz Ivrit:  Maayan Sharon
Music Specialist:  Aviv Kammay
Music:
Sarah Altshuler, Rafi Ellenson
Head Nurse: Paula Kaye
Nurses: Nina Black, Bill Boetcher, Amy Dolgin, Diane Firestone, Allyson Lippman, Susan Ross, Lauren Schmick, Eileen Sage, Lynn Seitzman, Cecily Zimmerman, Max Zimmerman
Office Administrator:
Danna Herbach
Photography:  Itamar Sibony
Camp Photographer: Mike Greenstone
Security: Joann Graewin, Mike Teofilo
Sports Specialist:  Jeff Gates
Sports:  Dan Beladev, Liat Blumenfeld, Nir Swisa, Stav Yeger
Rosh Teva:  
Peter Luck
Teva:  
Dan Antman, Ben Baren, Hannah Moser

Machon: Marissa Bachrach, Sam Barr, Sophie Berne, Rebecca Bloom, Josh Borin, Danielle Brockstein, Sophie Budwig, Mitch Cohen, Brian Crotty, Abby Dallet, Jaylen Fahey, Molly Fortnow, Zach Frischer, Corinne Gleenblatt, Alexis Hilton, Ashley Jones, Sari Lindner, Jacob Liu, Rena Newman, Kyle O’Day, Zeke Parsons, Benji Sagarin, Dan Scal, Elisha Serotta, Eli Straus

Avodah Aleph:  Jacob Bender, Jamie Berman, Sabrina Carter, Greta Cutts, Joey Cutts, Abigail Fine, Josh Goodman, Audrey Honig, Abigail Hunt, Leah Kuperman, Adam Major, Ben Manley, Emilio Moreno, Danielle Oberman, Daphne Oettinger, Matty Powell, Samantha Savage,  Zoe Wilhelmsen, Ben Yusen

Avodah Bet:  Hannah Coffey, Sam Cohen, Daniel Dodinval, Arden Floom, Lexi Floom, Jeremy Frewen, Lexi Friedman, Sarah Gamoran, Shayne Gelfond, Maya Goldbaum, Blair Haberman, Esther Haguenauer, Marnina Hornstein, Tamar Jacobsohn, Shelby Kasinski, Ilyssa Kossoff, Jake Leffel, Jake Lewis, Alex Loundy, Abby Mishory, Andrea Seiler, Ben Siroka, Hale Stolberg, Sydney Weisman

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