Two Camps in One! Michael-Ann Russell JCC and Temple Sinai of North Dade Join Forces

Dec. 9, 2014 - PRLog -- The Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center is known for its richly diverse summer camp program for ages 1 ½ - 15 years old.  Temple Sinai of North Dade is known for its enriching summer camp program for ages 2 -8.  Together, these two leading Jewish organizations have each been providing camping excellence to the North Miami-Dade and surrounding community since the 1970’s.

Today, these two neighboring institutions have combined forces to partner in serving the youngest campers, ages 2- 5 (entering kindergarten).  Beginning this summer, the JCC’s Camp Sol Taplin’s “home” for these young campers will be located on the 14 acre wooded Temple Sinai campus, where Camp Sinai campers of this age will join the Camp Sol Taplin program.

“By doing this,” according to JCC President and CEO, Gary Bomzer, “ we are furthering a lasting partnership that the JCC has developed with Temple Sinai throughout the years, including the joint venture of connecting our two campuses that are separated by the Oleta River, with the construction of the George and Lila Berlin Community Bridge and the JCC’s health and wellness facility and staff being utilized for the Jacobson Sinai Academy’s middle school’s health and physical education program.  This further expands our opportunity towards the creation of a North Miami-Dade Jewish community campus.”

Echoing these thoughts is Mark Weber, Temple Sinai of North Dade’s Executive Director, who noted, “the progression of this unique relationship between our two institutions is most natural, not only due to our physical proximity and the many shared members whom we serve, but also to strategically allow us to pool our resources to better serve our community.”

For Neal Buchholz, the JCC Camp Director, relocating Camp Sol Taplin’s early childhood age campers to Temple Sinai is “a real advantage to the program by allowing us to create a warm, intimate, nurturing, as well as secure environment in what we are calling our ‘Temple Sinai Village.’ Furthermore, Temple Sinai’s campus is most conducive for operating the Camp Sol Taplin program for its youngest campers with its age appropriate swimming pool, playground, athletic field, auditorium, and meeting and specialty rooms.”

Information about Camp Sol Taplin, which offers more than 25 different summer programs, may be obtained by visiting the JCC’s website at www.marjcc.org, or by calling the JCC’s Membership Services office, 305-932-4200, ext. 146/145.  Registration opens on Monday, December 15, and early registration discounts are available through February 27, 2015.

Temple Sinai of North Dade, founded in 1956, is a Community Nurturing Fuller Jewish Life and houses Jacobson Sinai Academy, which serves and provides an academically excellent secular/Judaic education since 1973.

The Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center located on the Sanford L. Ziff Campus, a beneficiary agency of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the United Way of Miami-Dade, has been providing social, cultural, recreational, health and wellness, and educational programming for ages 2 months – older adults, since 1976.