The Team

Jason Goldstein, Executive Director

In 2014 Jason along with other camp alumni founded Jewish Camps USA. Jason is the executive director and has spent 9 summers at camp. Jason spends his year making sure that camp life continues and then supplies opportunities for staff around the world to go on a Jewish journey. JCUSA’s mission is to bring the diaspora to camp and give campers the chance to meet Jewish people from around the world. JCUSA’s programme focuses on each individual and Jason makes sure that he knows every person that goes to camp. Jason spends his summers visiting the camps we work with so our understanding of the each camps programme, culture and traditions will be right for each staff member.

Jason makes camp away from camp, the JCUSA family, a home for so many and supports our staff through the whole process. Jason says at camp you are the best version of yourself and it brings the best people in the world together. 

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Elana Goldstein, Director

Elana first went to camp in summer 2012 on the West Coast to Camp JCA Shalom in Malibu. She was part of the original English delegation that helped found Jewish Camps USA. Elana graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a BA(Hons) in Marketing in 2014. During the pre-camp experience, Elana supports all the JCUSA staff from around the globe personally guiding them through the JCUSA program. Elana works closely with our partners facilitating all of the J1 visas.

“From the outside looking in you can’t understand it, from the inside looking out you can’t explain it.”

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Maddie Buchi, Unit Head for East Midlands

Maddie is currently studying Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham. She went to camp in Summer 2019 when she spent 9 weeks at Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York. Maddie was a general counselor working with 7-10-year-old girls and will hopefully be going back next summer! Maddie has a strong passion for helping others enjoy themselves and make new friends in environments that may be new and unfamiliar to them. Maddie cannot wait to share her love for camp with other people which will hopefully allow them to have the same amazing experience that she did.

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Judith Pundick and Emily Press, Unit Heads for the West Midlands

Harry Rubin, Unit Head for London and the South

Harry is currently studying Business at Pearson College. Harry is the London and the South Unit Head. He went to Berkshire Hills in Summer 2019, he was a general counselor where he had a cabin of 12-13-year olds. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the kids grow and develop over the course of the summer. He is excited to be part of the JCUSA team and help to connect other Jewish students to camps and help give them the same amazing experiences he had.

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Laila Corin, Unit Head for the North

Laila is in her third year at the University of Leeds studying Sociology. She spent her summer at Camp Kingswood in Maine, Boston as a ropes specialist. Going to camp allowed her to create so many new and exciting friendships as well as making such a positive impact on her campers that will last a lifetime. Laila loved the sense of community at camp and being part of an extended family. Laila’s favourite memory of camp was participating in Colour War. Being able to see the whole camp come together and supporting each other was so special for Laila to see.

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James Lee, Rest of the World Unit Head

James is our unit head for the Rest of the World after spending the last two years as unit head for Leeds. Over the last two years he has had his love for camp grow even stronger through working for JCUSA and guiding applicants through the application process. He’s loved seeing his applicants come back from camp and talk about how amazing their summer was and how it’s changed their lives. James worked at Camp Mountain Chai for two summers and has had the most incredible time in the heart of the San Bernardino national forest. James was a Sports Specialist running all the sporting activities for camp and was then promoted to an assistant Unit Leader where he oversaw the evening programmes for the youngest age group (2nd -4th graders) during his second year he was assistant unit leader for the oldest campers (9th and 10th grade). The thing James loved most about camp was the 4-day trip to the Grand Canyon and Sedona where they went hiking down the Bright Angels trail of the Grand Canyon and to Devils Bridge in Sedona with 9th and 10th grade campers. James is currently a fourth year student at the University of Leeds studying Automotive Engineering and he loves all things sports, from football and Tottenham to Cricket and Formula 1.

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James Gordon, JCUSA Marketing Placement

James spent Summer 2019 at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, where he grew his passion of working within the Jewish camps industry. James has joined the JCUSA team with eager enthusiasm and is so excited to help others have the same experience that he had. James is in the JCUSA office this year and then plans to return to camp for another year!

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Josh Carr, JCUSA Israel Coordinator

Josh lives in Ra’Aanana, Israel. He went to Camp Ramah in the Berkshires in Summer 2019 and found his love for camp. Now he wants to give as many other students and post-Army the same opportunity at working at amazing summer camps in America. He was a general counselor for boys aged 10 and his favourite part of camp was getting to know the staff from all over the world. He is so excited to be supporting our Israeli staff to ensure you have the best summer of your life.

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Eden Abrahamov, JCUSA Australia Coordinator

Eden took a gap year in 2019 where she went to Camp Livingston in Indiana and is now studying Business, majoring in Marketing. She loved every aspect of camp where she made special friendships, tried new things and laughed all day. Eden is the JCUSA Australia Coordinator and can’t wait to help others experience this incredible opportunity too!

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