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He radioed to the camp office about a v, QUEENSBURY The former Brant Lake Camp counselor who was arrested earlier this month for allegedly molesting children at the camp was hit wit, The camp counselor who has been indicted for allegedly sexually abusing five boys at the Brant Lake summer camp where he worked was released o. She is passionate about working with children and young adults and to contribute to their social emotional growth. After a two-year hiatus, Celia returned to camp in 2022 as the Farm Specialist, planting and growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and teaching campers to love and appreciate camps natural beauty and resources. Welcome to Surprise Lake Camp, which generations of campers ages 7-15 call home. Adam returned to camp in 2022 as Executive Director after a 20-year hiatus. He didnt resign until the end of 2020three years after USY formally knew of Wards abusive history. She is a career-long Jewish camp professional full of passion for and excitement about the power of camp to transform young lives. The case of Ed Ward wasnt the first time USY had itself mired in a child sex abuse scandal. All rights reserved. Avri is a published board game designer and a (to date) unpublished novelist. Soffer noted that he also wants to ensure nothing similar is happening in USY today, nor would be allowed to recur. It was almost like a fraternity. 1re dition Foire commerciale des Hauts de France Lens. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig), Lee Soffer at a USY convention in the late 1990s. Surprise Lake Camp has not confirmed that Ward was fired, and did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Nearly a dozen lawsuits have since been filed against USY. After 5 years of working on Teenside, she left for a life at sea working for Royal Caribbean. The second John Does complaint led to Wards firing from Surprise Lake in 2002, according to the first lawsuit. In December 2017, the youth group cut ties with Jules Gutin, its former longtime director, after former members accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior. Jen holds a masters degree in social work, is a licensed yoga and childrens yoga teacher. Laura holds a BA in Public Communications and has worked in marketing for several national companies and nonprofit organizations. All About Us | Surprise Lake Camp He has remained involved with SLC throughout the years as members of both the Alumni Association and 1902 Society. He only learned about the CVA a few weeks ago, when the lawyer for the two John Does suing Ward approached Soffer and urged him to join the effort. While Laura is new to SLC, her 90-year-old dad is an alumnus. In the summers of 2018 and 2019, Zo returned working on programming. Zo worked in the kids club and then moved onto managing the activities program onboard some of the largest cruise ships. In its first season, it put up six tents for 25 campers and five counselors. Soffer isnt the first victim to come forward against Ward. The camp originated as a program for Jewish boys from Manhattan's Lower East Side. If you were impacted and want to learn more, I am happy to connect you with someone who can help you.. Dena is passionate about working with various age groups and having a positive impact on young adults. I can still hear the grunt he let out before he said, alright man. Sheryl has served as SLC's Camp Director since 2009. A man who answered the phone at the camp on Thursday said the camp had no comment on the situation, even when told of allegations that parents had expressed concerns about Stolz before his arrest. The Times of Israel established that he was hired in 1996 and went on to become Nassau County divisional director until around 2004. Tout en Image, socit de cration de site internet et rfrencement She started as a camper and staff member in the late 1980s. I can still hear the grunt he let out before he said, alright man. C'est ensemble que nous mettons en place des outils de communication dans un seul objectif, atteindre vos cibles. Stolz, 51, had worked at the camp for 33 years and was a senior counselor. Following the 2017 call and the assurances from USY administrators, Jordan Soffer believed the matter was behind him and that Ward posed no further danger. Additionally, we continue to further upgrade and review our protocols and training. One of the most recent complaints alleges Ward abused the plaintiff between 2016 and 2018. After many years as our Teen Camp Director and Assistant Director, he left to join the Suffolk Y-JCC out in Long Island, NY. Surprise Lake Camp | Find a Camp All rights reserved. While Soffer knew immediately how uncomfortable the bathroom incident had made him, it took him many years to realize that this wasnt just a counselor taking things a little too far.. Abbe met her husband Rob through longtime SLC friends; their daughter is now a second-generation SLC camper. Please try again or choose an option below. Orientations pour 2020 Face une crise sanitaire, l'quipe de l'ADEME Hauts-de-France est mobilise aux cts des porteurs de projets pour assurer une continuit de leurs missions et garantir le versement des aides. Roughly two years later, he began inappropriately interacting with Lees brother Jordan Soffer. She attended SLC as a camper in the 1980s and returned as summer staff in the 1990s, and even briefly worked as full-time Coordinator of our site rentals. Summer Communications | Surprise Lake Camp 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, New York Gov. While Laura is new to SLC, her 90-year-old dad is an alumnus. Copyright Victims Support Group LLC 2022, All rights reserved. USY declined a request to specify when Ward was in its employment. Mother of sex abuse victim says camp had been warned about counselor Most Jewish educators dont know about sports; Eddie did.. Laura is a longtime camp employee who is passionate about the positive impact summer camp provides. In 2017, Lee and Jordan Soffer ran into Ward in the crowd at a hockey game in Brooklyn accompanying a teenage boy. But he subsequently came to feel that no amount of money could provide what he was really seeking a public reckoning from USY and therefore decided to pull out of the lawsuit. Surprise Lake Camp, Alberta - Facebook When not thinking, talking, or writing about camp, Lindsey loves to spend time outdoors during all the seasons, hang with her dog, and is always up for an adventure! She is thrilled to be joining the SLC team for 2023. Camp owners and administration have refused for months to discuss the matter. Event Info Family Camping Weekend 2023 September 1 - September 4 Surprise Lake Camp 382 Lake Surprise Road Cold Spring NY 10516 Event Info See All Events I cannot imagine my life without all the good that USY did for me, and I know they wouldnt want someone like this in their midst, he said. If you share these values with us, please consider supporting our work by joining The ToI Community. Zo came to SLC in 2008 from England as a counsellor. (Courtesy), Jordan Soffer at a USY international convention in 2007. In the recently published article, Soffer accused the former divisional director of USY Nassau County, Ed Ward, of sexual abuse and creating a hypersexualized environment at the USY youth camp. Welcome to Surprise Lake Camp, which generations of campers ages 7-15 call home. Stolz is free on bail, pending a pretrial hearing in his case on Jan. 25. He remained involved in various capacities for well over a decade after that. USCJ knew, or was negligent, careless, and reckless in not knowing that Ward was abusing the plaintiff, it adds. www.site-internet-toutenimage.fr / www.imprimerie-toutenimage.fr, TOUT EN IMAGE SITE INTERNET ET IMPRIMERIE. Jordans experience was had by other people.. After taking a break from camp and starting a family, she returned to camp in 2017 as a Unit Supervisor. Soffer: USY must ensure this can never happen again, Please use the following structure: example@domain.com, Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition. She is excited to share SLCs story with new and existing camp families. But if youre going to be cool in USY, you cant be so afraid.. Soffer, a father of three, initially agreed, while stipulating that he would make a public vow to donate any money won to Jewish organizations devoted to ensuring that sex abusers are not able to continue hiding within communities. Soffer, a Modern Orthodox-ordained rabbi who now serves as head of school at Striar Hebrew Academy in Sharon, Massachusetts, is sure there are other victims. In an affidavit submitted by the plaintiff in that case, the mother of a second John Doe testifies that she contacted USY and USCJ in 2002 to report that Ward sexually abused her 12-year-old son more than a decade earlier at Camp Surprise Lake, a pluralistic Jewish camp in Cold Springs, New York. They stayed at his house, he drove them everywhere, said fellow New York native Merav Hasler, 35, who was involved in the youth movement in the early 2000s as well. Laura oversees communications and marketing for the SLC camp community. Sheryl manages all the program planning and day-to-day experience of campers and staff at Surprise Lake Camp. She is excited to share SLCs story with new and existing camp families. Those perverts should be outed. In 2002, a mother of a 12-year-old boy informed USY and USCJ that her son was abused by Ward at Camp Surprise Lake in Cold Springs, New York where Ward was employed at the time. See All Events. Surprise Lake Camp - Wikipedia Lee said it took years before he understood the inappropriate nature of Wards relationship with USY members, and at the time didnt believe it extended any further than what he described. Jen is thrilled to spread the MAGIC of SLC.. Providing all ages the opportunity to experience Outdoor Education, Spiritual Encounters and Personal It takes just a few seconds. Gene is talented in many areas including electrical work, mechanics, automotive, HVAC, plumbing, and much, much more. Surprise Lake Camp - YouTube After a long hiatus, she returned to her happy place in positions from Arts & Crafts Supervisor to Support Supervisor & Head Counselor. Lindsey joins us as Surprise Lake Camps Development Director with many years of leadership experience in nonprofit fundraising, camping, and youth development. 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Adam returned to camp in 2022 as Executive Director after a 20-year hiatus. Over the past few years, we have put into place policies, procedures and training to assure that USY is an even more safe physical, spiritual and emotional space. Sheryl manages all the program planning and day-to-day experience of campers and staff at Surprise Lake Camp. He is a third generation SLCer and the parent of his familys fourth generation. Former USY Campers Accuse Ward of Creating a Hypersexualized Culture That Spanned Decades, Seeing Another One of Eddies Boys Prompted Soffer to Speak Up, Though Soffer continued to report Wards inappropriate behavior to another counselor, he later learned that it was never passed along to senior leaders. But Soffer said Mike never reported Wards behavior to USY higher-ups, and Ward was able to remain involved in the youth movement in various capacities for over a decade longer; he was still a staffer at USY conventions until at least the summer of 2016. Soffer said that until recently he had been unaware of the law signed by outgoing NY Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2019, which raised from 23 to 55 the age by which a person must file a civil suit for abuse they experienced as a minor. Watch on. HORICON The news that longtime Brant Lake camp counselor Dylan Stolz had been arrested on charges he sexually abused numerous boys at the camp was not a surprise to many of the families. Lee, who was also in touch with the lawyer, published a post on Facebook on July 21 in which he expressed his appreciation to USY for providing him with his Jewish identity, along with his utter disappointment with the youth group for fail[ing] miserably to protect many of its teenage members from staff members who are sexual predators sometimes despite full knowledge of those staff members reputations.. Instead, he said, he was reaching out to The Times of Israel in the hope that media exposure would compel the youth movement to publicly explain how and why it continued to allow an alleged abuser access to its adolescent members for years, and then, after being explicitly notified of the allegations in 2017, allowed Ward to continue working as the executive director of a USCJ-affiliated Long Island synagogue until last year. Adam is passionate about his camping roots. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. Livid, Soffer reached out to the DHJC rabbi Howard Buechler and told him my story in the most graphic detail, asking him to do the right thing.. She informed the Forward that anything she did would have been in consultation with USCJs attorney. Foire commerciale des Hauts-de-France - 12, 13, et 14 octobre 2018 A source familiar with the matter said USCJ believes the case against it is without merit and has moved for a dismissal. now is the time to act.The Times of Israel is committed to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and independent journalism provides an essential protection for democratic equality. No material may be reproduced, reprinted, or reposted without written permission. As he says, there is no better thing than returning home, especially when home is SLC!. We provide your information directly to a sponsoring lawyer in your geographic area so that they may provide you professional legal help. The 28 acre lake sits underneath Spark Plug mountain and has some . We were all defending him, saying that he was probably just joking around, Lee recalled. After 5 years of working on Teenside, she left for a life at sea working for Royal Caribbean. You cannot actually forget something like that., Asked why he decided to come forward, albeit anonymously, the former USY camper said, I wouldnt want Jordan to think hes the only one or that hes alone. Celia is our Alumni Relations and Special Events Coordinator, meaning she helps to maintain strong relationships between camp and its alumni, and also plans special events held in the off-season. She is passionate about working with children and young adults and to contribute to their social emotional growth. I would never want to do anything to hurt it., Its why I contacted them quietly for years, he continued. Cold Spring, New York 10516, Alumni Relations and Special Events Coordinator. They should at least know about what may be the last opportunity to get justice, he said. The camp changed its policies this summer so that counselors can no longer be alone with campers. I was regional president, international general board member the whole nine yards. In 2016 he completed an MA in Camp Administration and Leadership and took on the role of Director of Finance. Forts de 20 ans dexprience dans le domaine de la communication, Tout En Image vous propose des crations uniques en valorisant et marquant votre identit et l'image de votre entreprise. We were known as Eddies boys, and we knew guys three years older and three years younger who were close with him, he said of Ward, who was in his 30s at the time. My supervisors didn't provide me enough support and training to tackle tough issues of campers. After many years as our Teen Camp Director and Assistant Director, he left to join the Suffolk Y-JCC out in Long Island, NY. It wasnt until 2017 when Soffer saw Ward with a minor at a hockey gameone of Eddies boys, as Ward described the teen to Sofferthat Soffer took action. SLC made a profound difference in her life, and she strives to do the same for a new generation. Sheryl manages all the program planning and day-to-day experience of campers and staff at Surprise Lake Camp. These complaints allege that USCJ knew, or was negligent, careless, and reckless in not knowing that Ward was sexually abusing minors. Ill tell you how I know they were aware: How was it that a bunch of 15-year-olds knew that he was dismissed from Surprise Lake for sexual abuse, and USY never looked into it and [instead] allowed him to continue doing those very same things., She described a hypersexualized culture at USY in which middle school and high school members were encouraged to hook up with one another. I was going to use this dirty money to clean up a broken system, he said. We can go back in. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Soffer described the incident in vivid detail in his phone interview this week. Her connection to camp runs deep with lifelong friendships and family members attending SLC. Dena was an SLC camper and staff member in the 80s. SLC campers come back year after yearand so do our staff. I told him I wanted to leave. I want him to go to jail for as long as possible.. Cold Spring, New York 10516. Grow. The Times of Israel has also been in contact with a fourth alleged victim who asked to remain anonymous. The elder Soffer said his friend group adored Ward from their early USY days in middle school. Avri was hired as a counselor at the Camp America Fair in London, England in 1994 and has been at camp ever since. Dcouvrez nos diffrents sites www.toutenimage.com / www.toutenimage.fr Please email, United Synagogue Youth Accused of Ignoring Decades of Child Sex Abuse, spoke as the first victim to publicly accuse the United Synagogue Youth (USY) of ignoring rampant child sexual abuse. The woman said she emailed USY regional engagement associate Bruce Varon and advised Gila Ward Ed Wards wife, who was an assistant director at USY then. Indeed, Ward managed to remain on the staff of USY, despite his apparent 2002 dismissal from Surprise Lake Camp.