A Cleveland native, Dan is an alumnus of Beachwood High School and the College of Wooster, where he earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Music Education – Public School Emphasis and Physics. He received a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from CWRU’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
Dan developed a love for Judaism and Jewish community and music in his youth at The Temple -Tifereth Israel and as a camper and staff member of the URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute in Zionsville, IN. He was a member of the year-round staff at URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa, CA and on faculty at URJ Greene Family Camp in Texas – supporting campers and mentoring counselors for more than 15 summers.
Dan decided to pursue the rabbinate while working as Program Director at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple where he led overnight retreats at Camp Wise Retreat Center. He was ordained in 2016 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, where he also earned a master’s degree in Jewish Education.
“I am looking forward to collaborating with staff, campers, volunteers, alumni and community partners to honor the 115-year history of Camp Wise with an eye toward the future of Jewish camping,” said Dan. “As a lifelong learner, I am excited to have the opportunity to strengthen Camp Wise and identify opportunities to keep the program relevant and progressive for the next 115 years.”
As a value-focused leader, Dan brings a culture of care and compassion to Camp that will build on the strong foundation of camp being a welcoming community where all constituent groups can find community and build their own Jewish path.
Dan and his wife Rachel (a Jewish educator), along with their three children Eitan, Judah and Benji, are ready to begin this next journey of their lives as they come home to Cleveland. Dan enjoys playing trombone, guitar and banjo and is excited to bring these talents to the Camp Wise community.