Business & Professional

Camp To School

Tamarack's Geller leaving
to head Israel high school.

onah Geller, Tamarack Camps'
executive director since 2002,
is leaving the agency in the
fall. Geller, the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit's Berman Award
recipient in 2008, has been named CEO
of the Alexander Muss
High School in Israel
(AMHSI) — a U.S.-
based position.
Tamarack Camps
operates Camp Maas
in Ortonville, outpost
Camps Kennedy and
Agree, teen travel trips,
Jonah Geller
family camp programs
and year-round outdoor
education. Serving approximately 1,400
campers across five programs each sum-
mer, Tamarack Camps is one of the largest
and oldest Jewish camping agencies in

j

North America.
"Under Jonah's leadership, Tamarack
Camps has become nationally known as
one of the premier Jewish camping agencies
and one of the leaders in the network of the
American Camp Association',' said Shelley
Hutton, president of the Tamarack Camps'
board. "He has retained, nurtured and
developed an extraordinarily talented staff;
and we will be eternally grateful for his
vision, leadership and devotion to Jewish
camping and informal Jewish education."
Geller, who says his departure is bit-
tersweet, credited Tamarack for his candi-
dacy for the Muss position.
"I will miss Tamarack Camps on every
level:' he said. "I also understand that I
am only able to take this next step in my
career because of what I have experienced
and learned during my tenure with our
great agency."

Dave

•rir..•
'ftw-Coulter

for STATE SENATE

www.DaveCoulter.com

248-543-8984

Endorsed by: Oakland County Commissioner Marcia

Gershenson, Oakland County Commissioner Steve Schwartz,
Former 9th Congressional District Chair Debbie Goldberg,
Andy Levin, Hannan Us, and Harvey Bronstein (partial list)

-

We know Oakland County Commissioner

DAVE COULTER is the right leader to continue the

progressive legacy of Gilda Jacobs and transform Michigan."

Vote

August 3rd in the Democratic Primary

Paid for by Friends of Dave Coulter, 555 Leroy, Ferndale MI 48220

44

July 22 2010

iN

Geller, who became executive director
shortly after arriving in Michigan eight
years ago, will wrap up his Tamarack
responsibilities in the fall in order to assist
the organization with a seamless transi-
tion of leadership.
"I look forward to continuing to execute
our agency's goals over the next few
months, including the successful comple-
tion of our summer programs',' Geller said.
"I believe Tamarack Camps is poised for a
new era of leadership."
Hutton, who indicated that no other
changes in staff are expected, is confident
that Tamarack will find a quality succes-
sor executive director.
"We are also blessed with an enormous
depth of leadership from our Camp
Maas director, Lee Trepeck, our Associate
Director Debbie Landau, past presidents
and current board members:' Hutton
said. "We are uniquely positioned to
attract candidates of the highest caliber
to the position of executive director of
our agency."
During Geller's tenure, Tamarack
Camps experienced major improve-
ments in Jewish programming, facility
enhancements and staff resources despite
a struggling economy. The agency's "Send
a Kid to Tamarack" financial aid program
has increased its revenues from $37,000
in 2004 to $250,000 in 2010.

With help from Federation's annual
$550,000 allocation, Tamarack now raises
in excess of $1 million — the most of
any Jewish camp in the world — for its
scholarship campers, who this summer
number 53 percent of its total enroll-
ment.
Geller was instrumental in raising $2.5
million for Tamarack's recent capital
improvements, including an interior ren-
ovation of the Butzel Conference Center,
Camp Maas' dining hall, staff housing,
dance barn, horseback riding barn and
fencing, two inline hockey rinks and,
recently, its summer camp office and
four basketball courts. In June, Tamarack
hosted its Family Fun Day to kick off its
summer operations and more than 1,000
participants attended for the third con-
secutive year.
Geller was integrally involved in bring-
ing Israeli children to Camp Maas back
in 2002. This summer, in its ninth year
of the program, Tamarack is hosting 64
Israeli campers across two sessions.
Geller will continue his work with
Jewish youth as CEO of the Alexander
Muss High School in Israel, which pro-
vides eight-week educational experiences
for high school students in Israel. AMHSI
also operates trips for community
groups, adults and students.

New Lay Leaders
Robert Blum of Beverly Hills was
elected president of the Adat Shalom
Synagogue Men's Club, and Sherri Morof
of West Bloomfield will head the congre-
gation's Sisterhood for the coming year.
Other Men's Club leaders are: Senior
Vice President Joe Wener, Programming
Vice Presidents Joey Lebovic and
Larry Kaplan; Membership Vice
Presidents Mark Lempert and George
Dickstein; Treasurer Steve Woronoff,
Recording Secretary Michael Feldman,
Corresponding Secretary Gary Berman;
Trustees: Alan Chandross, Scott Cooper,
Jeff Cymerint, Brad Feldman, David
Flaisher, Timothy Francis, Gary Granat,
Maury Katzman, Marty Kaye, Gary
Morof, Aaron Pearlman, Ken Podell,
Neil Robin, Don Rudick, Harold Schiff,
Murray Sittsamer, Seymour Subar and
Lon Zaback.
Also elected to the Sisterhood
Executive Committee are: Ways &
Means Vice President Stacy Brickman,
Programming Vice President Tammi
Cooper, Membership Vice Presidents
Nancy Cutler and Kelly Goldberg,
Judaica & Gift Shop Vice Presidents
Debbie Supowit and Evva Hepner,

Jewish Education Vice President Lillian
Schostak, Corresponding Secretary
Ronna Hoffert, Recording Secretary
Cindy Babcock, Treasurer Shannon
Dickstein, Financial Secretary, Lisa
Betman, Gift Shop Treasurer Ruth
Zerin, Parliamentarian Rena Tepman,
Immediate Past President Norma
Dorman.
The following women will serve
on this year's Sisterhood Board: Jane
Anchill, Maria Pacis Biederman, Marilyn
Chandross, Amy Dickstein, Harriet
Dunsky, Kathy Finkel, Shula Fleischer,
Stacey Francis, Susan Greenblatt, Wendy
Heller Kippelman, Laura Katz, Kimberly
Kay, Beryl Levin, Karen Lewis, Leslie
Magy, Elissa Miller, Shelly Perlman,
Phyllis Pilcowitz, Karen Rosender, Lisa
Shiffman, Rita Sitron, Adele Staller,
Sheila Tyner, Hannah Monique Ulrych,
Carol Vieder.
Serving on the Advisory Committee
will be: Danie Allan, Marsha Baker,
Helen Bayles, Sheri Biederman,
Paulette Borin, Marilyn Feingold,
Micki Grossman, Roz Katzman, Bea
Kriechman, Sharon Moss Lebovic, Carol
Lifton, Esther Liwazer.

❑