Reform’s Camp Newman ‘Mostly Destroyed’ By Raging California Wildfires
Image by Getty Images
By Dave Goldiner October 10, 2017
The Reform movement’s Camp Newman in northern California has been virtually destroyed by wildfires raging across the state.
The camp said on its Facebook page that most of the buildings at the sprawling facility in Santa Rosa had been destroyed and fires were still burning.
At least 10 people were killed and 100 were missing in the deadly round of fast-moving blazes. Some 20,000 people have been evacuated.
All the staff at the camp site were evacuated on Sunday, and the Torah scrolls were also rescued, the Bay Area’s J. The Jewish News of Northern California reported.
Image by Camp Newman
“We take great comfort in knowing that all of our staff are safe,” the Facebook post read. “We are so grateful to the first responders and firefighters who attempted to save our camp buildings.”
Camp Newman bought the site in 1997. A new $4 million conference center was opened there last year. The camp serves some 1,400 children every summer.
"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
