URJ Camp Newman

URJ Camp Newman offers activities such as Israeli dance, a self-guided Star Hike, a yoga class, tie dye challah covers, challah braiding, a self-guided Gratitude Nature Walk, and a Self Portrait Discovery project in the style of Israeli artist Hanoch Piven using found objects. The program includes shared Shabbat experiences with song session, t’fillah, a closing circle (Siyum), and Israeli dance, as well as structured times for kids to meet counselors and adults to attend an orientation and mixer.

• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Program activities are scheduled across Friday and Saturday, including afternoon and evening programming on Friday and morning through early afternoon programming on Saturday.

URJ Camp Newman is part of the Union for Reform Judaism family of camps and youth programs and is described as the West Coast’s largest Reform camp, with the Six Points Community Center at Camp Newman having capacity for 700 people at a time and providing over 60,000 participant nights annually before 2017. The camp offers summer programs, year-round programs, and facility rental, and follows a philosophy of C.A.R.E. rooted in Jewish values: Community (Kehillah Kedoshah), Acceptance (V’ahavta L’reicha Kamocha), Role-Modeling (A’sei lecha rav), and Each and Every One (Betzelem Elohim). Its mission is “inspiring a love of judaism 365 days a year,” and it states that its work is guided by the value of b’tzelem Elohim, which reminds them that each person is created in the image of God and has specific needs, wants, feelings, hopes, and dreams.

Camp Newman was established in 1947 as Camp Saratoga, was renamed the UAHC Swig Camp Institute in the early 1960s, and moved to its current Porter Creek Road site in Santa Rosa in 1997, when Camp Newman was established, with a 70+ year legacy of serving Jewish youth and teens in the West and Southwest. Following the Tubbs Fire in 2017, Camp Newman used Cal State Maritime Academy in Vallejo as a temporary home for summers 2018 and 2019, and in Summer 2020 it offered virtual camp options called “Zoomin’ with Newman” and “TeenFest.” Camp Newman draws campers from over 80 congregations in Northern and Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Texas.

The leadership team includes Ben Zeiger (Associate Director of Development), Amanda Radman (Family Engagement & Registration Coordinator), Rachel K. Slaton (Director, Advancement & Growth), Rachel Mellman (Marketing Manager), and Rabbi Allie Fischman (Camp Director). Staff credentials include Ben Zeiger’s Masters’ degrees in Jewish Nonprofit Management and Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (2016); Amanda’s B.A. in Jewish Studies & History from Indiana University; Rachel’s Masters in Jewish Non-Profit Management and a Masters in Public Administration from USC; Rachel Mellman’s Masters of Music in Vocal Arts from California State University – Northridge; and Rabbi Allie’s Masters in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and ordination as a rabbi by HUC-JIR in May 2015.

Parent and camper testimonials describe children making lifelong friends, strengthening Jewish identity, and enhancing their comprehension of the word “community,” as well as campers valuing friendships and a loving and caring community at Camp Newman. Additional parent comments state that “something magical happens at Newman” and that their kids are peaceful and self-assured when they return, and one parent notes that for four weeks a child experienced “a world away from home where he could just be himself” and thanks the camp “for making a place where kids can be kids.”

Last updated May 15, 2026.