Did you know the Camp Wise Team is comprised of teachers, social workers, outdoor educators, youth directors, experiential educators, and health professionals? They are also experts in s’more making, singing off key, tie dying, gaga, and so much more. Together they have over 100 years of Jewish overnight camp experience!
You can usually find Sean down at the lake most days where he waits his turn to go wakeboarding – a hobby he learned at camp! This will be his 7th summer with CW and his 25th summer at Jewish overnight camp. With a degree in Education and a Masters degree in Camp Administration, Sean has spent his professional career working with children. If his years as a counselor, supervisor, and assistant director have taught him anything, it’s that camp is a place where anyone can discover who they are and who they want to be. Sean is joined by his wife, Jenny (20+ years of Jewish camping experience) and daughter, Olivia (first year at camp)!
Andy Saltzman – Assistant Director
“I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” – Dr. Seuss. Andy is a true outdoorsman and his passion for the outdoors comes from his years as a camper at CW. After earning his degree in Political Science and Education from Bates College, Andy headed west to work in outdoor and environmental education. He’s been a backcountry guide in the Bighorn Mountains and field instructor of environmental science outside of Portland. But his favorite place in the world is in the woods at Camp Wise where you can find him teaching campers how to live off the land. This will be Andy’s 18th summer at camp and 3rd summer as the Assistant Director. That makes him a “lifer!”
Rachel Felber – Assistant Director
Rachel is better known as Felber or Felbs and she even has her own cheer at camp! Most days you will see Felber around camp with Coco, her amazing dog (a trained therapy dog too) and talking about her favorite activity at camp, horseback riding. This summer will be her 4th summer as the Assistant Director and her 13th summer at Jewish overnight camp. Felber has a wealth of experience working with children and teens since the early 2000’s through the camping world, both day and overnight camp, and through BBYO youth organization. She has a degree in Sociology from Clark University and her Masters from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences from CWRU. F-E-L… B-E-R… Felber! Felber!
Jon Hausman – Summer Assistant Director of Programming
Jon may only work with CW over the summer, but his impact cannot be measured. Hausman, as he is known at camp, has been a mentor for campers and staff members for 15 summers. Almost every supervisor over the past decade has been a camper or staff member of Hausman. Talk about an inspiration! During the year he works at The Temple Tifereth Israel as the Director of Teen Leadership and heading up their NFTY youth group program. Jon might be the only person we know who can still name every camp he has ever had while he was a counselor.
Josh “Chevy” Chefitz – Social Worker
Josh is in his sophomore year at CW, but you would never know it. He is a camp guy through and through and spent many years schooling his fellow campers on the basketball court. Josh is joined with his daughter, Adler and son, Sammie. As our Social Worker with a degree from Drake University in Psychology and a MSSA from the Mandel School of Applied Sciences at CWRU, Josh spends most of his time assisting our counselors in difficult situations or hanging out with campers who need a little TLC. His time spent at overnight camp as a camper and staff member have kept him involved with multiple camps over the years. We are happy that Josh chooses to call CW home!
This will mark Julia’s 12th summer at camp after a brief hiatus. After graduating from Harvard with a Masters degree in Education Julia became a Program Manager for City Year Boston where she supervised and mentored a team of 14 college-aged AmeriCorps members. This summer she moved back to Cleveland to pursue a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from John Carroll University. Once back in Cleveland she attended CW’s Alumni Weekend with old camp friends. That’s where fond memories of her Solel experience made her to realize she needed to be back at CW for another summer. We are thrilled to have Julia back at the home of happiness.
What started out as a summer job 21 summers ago has turned into a full time second career for Cathy. She has a BA from Washington University in St. Louis and taught for 30 years in both the Shaker Heights and Cleveland Height-University Heights school systems. Her career as an educator has influenced the lives of thousands of children as she worked with fourth-sixth graders and now with CW. Everyone might not recognize her in person, but will instantly know her voice. Cathy takes care of managing the office, answering the calls of parents, coordinating home hospitality for our international staff and so much more!