Ever since we learned this fall that Camp Swig was about to be sold to a private development firm, the San Jose Federation and hundreds of concerned citizens have worked feverishly to put together an offer so that the camp can continue as a vital community asset.
While most people that I speak with are very supportive, some — whether in person or in print — have questioned why it is so important.
Three points have been made by those questioning the wisdom of keeping the camp in Jewish communal hands. One, the Saratoga camp is on an earthquake fault. Two, the camp needs almost $2 million in renovations. Three, Camp Newman in Santa Rosa is much larger and can accommodate all of the Swig-Newman campers.
These are valid questions that require a response. Furthermore, the community deserves to know what the San Jose Federation intends to do with the site should our effort to acquire it be successful.
The earthquake fault has two main consequences. First, it limits our ability to significantly expand the camp. Second, it makes renovating the camp more expensive. Hence, the $2 million dollar estimate. Everyone living in California lives and works near an earthquake fault. We all know that if buildings are built appropriately, the danger from temblors can be minimized.
Remember the Loma Prieta earthquake? The epicenter was closer to Camp Swig than to San Francisco, yet there was virtually no damage at the camp while many structures in the city sustained serious damage.
Yes, it is imperative that we renovate the camp with proper attention to the fault line, but the same logic motivating some to abandon the camp because of the danger posed by the fault would then require most of us to sell our homes and businesses and move out of state.
We have figured the fault line into our renovation estimates and are attempting to raise the funds required to both purchase and upgrade the camp. If we are unable to raise the funds to do both, we will not purchase Camp Swig because it will not benefit anyone for the federation to own a camp that cannot be used.
If Swig is sold outside the Jewish community, a new Jo Naymark Holocaust Memorial will have to be built. The cost of this has been estimated to be $1.25 million. If we factor in the cost of recreating the memorial, the cost of renovating Camp Swig is a bargain.
Regarding the need for more camp space, I believe officials at the Union of American Hebrew Congregations when they assert that Camp Newman can be expanded to handle all of their campers.
Raquel Newman, who is Swig-Newman’s board president, the other board members and the UAHC have demonstrated a tremendous commitment to and passion for Jewish camping. If they have determined that consolidating their operation at Camp Newman is the best way to serve their campers, I have no reason to question their decision.
However, this does not mean there are enough Jewish camps in this region. In fact, I have been contacted by four different Jewish camping organizations urging the federation to purchase Swig so that they can then lease the camp.
Just this summer, Camp Ramah in Ojai turned away nearly 300 campers due to lack of space. Other camps are either losing their sites or looking for a permanent home. Also, there is now a major national effort to double the number of Jewish campers over the next few years.
Losing Camp Swig makes no sense at a time when a shortage of Jewish camps exists in the West and when this national effort is under way to increase Jewish camping.
Having said that, if the community does not step forward and purchase Swig, the Swig-Newman board and the UAHC may have no choice but to sell to the next buyer that comes along.
In addition to leasing the site to a reputable Jewish camping organization for the summer, we will attempt to create a regional Jewish retreat center.
In September, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg published an article making the case for retreat centers. In it he states that now when the very future of Jewry is at stake, the time has come to make the retreat experience universal. Federations, which have the resources to take the lead, have shown short-sightedness, treating the retreat center as a potential financial drain or competition for capital funds rather than as a medicine for assimilation.
We will seek to form partnerships with other federations, local synagogues, the University of Judaism, Hebrew Union College, CLAL-National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Lehrhaus Judaica, Wexner Foundation, etc. to provide high quality retreats year round.
Just as the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in Simi Valley serves all of Southern California, we hope the programs and the facility we create in Saratoga will attract Jews from all over Northern California. If successful, the impact of this retreat center could be profound on our Jewish community.
At a time when many worthwhile projects are seeking capital funds, several million dollars to purchase and upgrade Camp Swig may seem like a lot of money. However, when we consider the historical significance of the site, the need for more Jewish camps and the incredible opportunity to create a retreat center, it is a bargain.
Now that the Rembrandt Group has withdrawn its offer, we have an excellent opportunity to purchase the site. There is a danger, however. Since the sale of Swig to an outside group is no longer imminent, some supporters will grow complacent.
If that happens, it is likely that another buyer will step forward and purchase the property at some point in the near future. Everyone who believes that keeping Camp Swig in the Jewish community is important needs to step forward now.
The meaning and history of Swig is as important as any Jewish place in the Bay Area. But we do not undertake this effort because of the past. We do it because of the future.