Reform Camp in Northern California Gets $4M Grant for Conference Center

By Josefin Dolsten November 2, 2016

— The Reform movement will open a conference center at its Northern California camp location as part of an initiative to enhance Jewish life in the area.

Camp Newman received a $4 million grant, its largest gift ever, from the Koret Foundation, which promotes civic and cultural institutions and Jewish community in the Bay Area. The Union for Reform Judaism will dedicate the Koret Conference Center on Saturday at the camp in Santa Rosa.

The center will allow the sleepaway camp, which serves children entering grades 3-12, to serve more than 13,000 people annually — more than triple its retreat usage.

“With the Koret Conference Center at Camp Newman, our vision is becoming reality — a premier year-round retreat setting for Northern California Jewish organizations, families, and individuals to connect with each other through immersive Jewish experiences,” said Ruben Arquilevich, Camp Newman’s executive director.

The camp has raised $20 million to enhance Jewish life in Northern California; its goal is over $30 million.

Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren

We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.

With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.

Become a member today and you'll directly support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief