100 Years of Camp Directors
As Camp Chi reaches our Centennial year, we commemorate our milestone with celebrations for our longevity, successes, and bright future. Many people had a hand in getting us to this point, 100 years in the making. A big part of the success of Camp Chi comes from the leadership we have had over the years. We want to take a moment to recognize and thank all those that worked, sacrificed, and created the Camp Chi we know today.
Only 11 people have held the title of Director of Camp Chi over its 100 year history. While access to some information has been limited due to Covid-19, with the help of some past directors and other leaders in Camp Chi, we were able to compile some information on those that guided Chi through the years. Here is the most complete list we were able to put together with names of Directors and their years at the helm, along with their Associate and Assistant Directors:
Years | Director | Associate/Assistant Directors |
---|---|---|
1921-1941 | Beatrice “Mother” or “Mama” Seman | |
1942–1950 | Mrs. Karent | |
1951-1961 | Bernie Scotch | |
1962-1966 | Sam Dooha | Jerry Witkovsky |
1967–1971 | Jerry Witkovsky | Burt Friedman |
1972– 974 | Burt Friedman | Marty Trachtenberg |
1975–1979 | Joe Wittenstein | Jerry Tatar, Sandy Loeb |
1980–1983 | Roseanne Krevitt | Ron Levin |
1984–2016 | Ron Levin | Harrell Wittenstein, Chuck Kahalnik, Jon Mussman, Mark Shapiro, Brad Finkel, Wendy Singer, Jamie Lake, Joelle Kelenson, Matt Weiner |
2017–2019 | Brad Finkel | Jon Levin, Joelle Kelenson, Louis Stromberg |
2020 present | Jon Levin | Joelle Kelenson, Kyle Kolling |
Beatrice “Mother” or “Mama” Seman was Camp Chi’s first director. Mama Seman was married to Phillip Seman, general director of the JCC, which at the time was called the Chicago Hebrew Institute. The “CHI” changed names to the JPI (Jewish People’s Institute) the following year, but thankfully the name CHI was kept forever for the camp.
Under her and others leadership, Camp Chi remained an all-girls camp until the 50’s, after a move from Loon Lake near Antioch, IL to our current home in Lake Delton, WI. In those early days, Jerry Witkovsky started his decades-long Chi involvement as a Unit Head during the first year boys were added to camp as campers. Jerry and Mort Schrag, still friends to this day, were the first male staff for Camp Chi boys. Jerry went on to hold many roles at Chi including Program Director, Assistant Director and then Director in the late 60’s and early 70’s. From there Jerry moved up to roles at the JCC in Chicago including JCC Executive Director for over 15 years. When asked the most important lesson for campers at Chi he said, “learning how to make friends”. Jerry also talked about a lesson he learned as staff about outdoor camping – “always leave your campsite better than you found it”. Jerry certainly worked very hard over 5 decades to leave Camp Chi much better than he found it.
Director Joe Wittenstein came to Chi from a small camp in Arizona called Camp Teva. Coming from a tiny 100-camper camp, covering 20-something acres to the several-hundred campers and acres of Chi was a significant change, but as Joe recalled a significant opportunity to make a much larger impact on Jewish Youth. Joe shared many fond memories of his time at Chi and being part of the history of the Chicago Jewish Community. Many of the memories Joe shared were about the people, the staff, the connections, the families and, of course, the campers. He also fondly recalled his first trip to Israel when he was Chi Director. Another significant aspect of his time was his family’s experience with Chi. One of his 3 children, Harrell spent many summers at Chi and went on to be one of our Associate Directors, a long-time director of camps and is still very involved in Jewish camping to this day.
Ron Levin directed Camp Chi for the longest tenure, oversaw the majority of the growth and a number of changes at Chi. Many of Ron’s fondest memories also center around the connections he made with the campers and staff through the years. Ron’s 3 daughters were raised at Chi and all spent many summers as campers and staff. Ron’s wife Fran also has a very strong love and connection to Chi, leaving her own mark on the Chi facility with the Franteen. The growth and expansion of Chi in many ways is thanks to Ron’s vision and constant effort to continually make Chi better, not just as a facility, but as an experience for the thousands of campers and staff that were part of Chi during his years. Beyond the physical improvements to camp, Ron is very proud of his efforts to use the facility growth to expand programming with the addition of both pools, ropes course, rock wall, aerial adventure, gym and many more program spaces during his tenure. Very important to him is the legacy of helping more campers being able to get to camp with the Ron Levin Summers of Tomorrow scholarship fund. Ron’s impact on Chi will certainly last for generations.
During Ron’s 37 years, a young camper named Brad Finkel arrived in the late 1980’s, and would stay with Chi for the next 28 years as a camper, counselor, eventually becoming the Associate Director and Director before moving up in the JCC to his current position as the Chief Operating Officer. Brad focused a great deal of effort in the areas of camper care and working to make Chi a leader in the camping industry. Working with Keshet and with support of Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Yashar Initiative, Brad helped take great strides in inclusion and making Chi a more welcoming place for campers of all abilities. The entire Finkel family has been involved with Chi for many years. Rachael Finkel, who Brad brought to Chi in 1994, stayed through 2020 as a member of the leadership, and just recently took a role in JCC Chicago’s Financial Resource Development department. Their children were both raised at Chi, with their son now a staff member and their daughter eager to begin her 6th year as a camper (after many years as a staff kid.)
Current Director Jon Levin followed his brother Ron into a career in camping. He too has been involved in Jewish Summer Camp since the 70’s and was director of Camp Pearlstein, Camp Interlaken, and Emma Kaufmann Camp. The entire Levin family are long time camp people, with both parents of the Levin brothers working at Camp Seneca Lake, where both Ron and Jon and their siblings were campers or staff. Sister Marilyn Levin spent more than 30 years in camp food service. Jon also spent summers as staff at Chi in the 80’s and early 2000’s before returning in 2018. Having Ron as a brother gave them both the opportunity to share their experiences over the years and now gives Jon a valuable resource to help shape the start of the next 100 years of Camp Chi.
As we celebrate all the hard work of all these individuals, we know more than most that it takes a village to make camp successful. Our directors have been surrounded and supported by passionate volunteers, dedicated lay leaders, and various assistant and associate directors, many of whom have gone onto careers in camping. These are the people responsible for the origins, changes and improvements to Chi’s program, facilities, and traditions. Camp Chi is an evolving camp that is at the cutting edge of camp experiences, but at the same time steeped in tradition and history.
Have a Chi story to share or been a part or witness to Chi’s 100 year history? Send us a message at info@campchi.com.