Douglas Lynn is the Executive Director of Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps—Camp Hess Kramer and Gindling Hilltop Camp in Malibu, California. Doug came to Jewish camping naturally, having “grown up” in the Reform movement’s youth groups and regional movements. He is a graduate of Duke University and an alum of Brandeis University’s Institute for Informal Jewish Education and The Foundation for Jewish Camp’s ELI (Executive Leadership Institute) program. Doug is honored to have worked in the field of informal Jewish education since 1995, first as a regional advisor for the North American Federation of Temple Youth, then for nine years with the Union for Reform Judaism’s Eisner Camp, prior to becoming the director at Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps in 2004. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jamie, and their daughters, Eden and Talia. Email Doug.

 

Jen Shankman is thrilled to return home as the Director of Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps. Jen has worked in a wide range of educational settings within the Jewish community for well over 25 years, from early childhood education to youth development, music education to camping. She credits her time at Eisner Camp in Great Barrington, Massachusetts for her most formative experiences and her leadership development in the field of Jewish education. She began as a camper, grew into a counselor, specialist, administrator, and eventually, an assistant camp director. She is a graduate of Hamilton College and earned her Masters degree in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Jen also completed a fellowship with JECELI-LA, the Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute. Most recently, Jen was the Director of Early Childhood Education at Aaron Milken Center at Wise, and prior to that, the associate director at our beloved camps. Jen comes back to camp with a passion for the moral and social development of children and a true love for mentoring and training staff.  She understands deeply the importance of leading a community through the building of a shared vision. Jen lives in Ventura County with her husband and son--one of her proudest moments has been watching her son fall in love with camp! Email Jen.

 

Erica Feinman, Senior Associate Director, grew up very involved in the southern California Jewish community—from synagogue to BBYO to 14 summers right here at Gindling Hilltop Camp. During her time at Hilltop she was a camper, a counselor for almost every age group, CIT Director, and Head Counselor. At Cal State Northridge she studied sociology and Jewish studies and then joined the San Diego Hillel team to start her professional career in informal Jewish education. She spent three years working with the Jewish community at San Diego State before heading to New York to earn a master’s degree in organizational behavior from NYU. After grad school she spent a year as an assistant director at Camp Alonim in Simi Valley. During her time at WBTCamps Erica spent 5 years being an Assistant Director, 3 years on our Alumni and Development team creating a way to stay connected to the camp community even after the camper years are over and is now back on the summer director team. She brings to us a wealth of knowledge in the staffing and operations of our camps, and is looking forward to continuing to connect deeply with campers, counselors, and alumni. Email Erica.

 

Adrian Taha-Green, Assistant Director, has been a part of the Camp Hess Kramer community for almost his entire life, starting at age 3. With both of his parents working at camp, Adrian was immersed in the camp environment from the beginning, becoming a camper in 3rd grade. Over the years, he spent 8 summers as a camper, followed by his time as a CIT, counselor, and ultimately, the counselor for the WBT Yallah Israel Trip in the summer of 2023. In high school Adrian also joined the Camp Harmony community, where he volunteered as a counselor and unit head for 10 sessions. At Harmony, he gained valuable experience working with underprivileged children from all over Los Angeles, which deepened his passion for community building and mentorship. In addition to his extensive camp background, Adrian worked as the General Manager at Flower Truck LA, where he gained insights into small business operations and customer service. He later moved to Berkeley to train with an Olympic weightlifting coach while studying business and Hebrew online through Santa Monica College. After returning to Los Angeles, Adrian joined the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Religious School team, where he has taught and mentored as a madrich and teacher for five years. Adrian is incredibly excited to return to the camp world as Assistant Director. He is deeply committed to continuing the mission, traditions, and strong sense of community that Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps have fostered for generations. Email Adrian. 

 

Rabbi David Eshel is Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps Rabbi. Rabbi Eshel first joined our camp community in the summer of 2001 when, returning from his first year of rabbinical school in Israel, he served our camps as a unit head. Rabbi Eshel has spent every subsequent summer working with our camps, serving as a Judaic educator and student rabbi. He joined the Temple clergy as a full-time Rabbi in the summer of 2006. David holds a B.A. in History from UCLA, an M.A. in Jewish Education, as well as ordination from The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. David’s wife, Stephanie, works as a Religious School educator for Temple Israel of Hollywood. Email David.

 

Allie Donahoo, Director of Development and Alumni, is excited to be returning to her roots at the Wilshire Boulevard Temle Camps. Prior to her move back to Southern California in October of 2023, Allie worked for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (Jewish United Fund) as a Division Director on their Campaign. Preceding her time with JUF, she worked for the Lawrence Family JCC in La Jolla, CA as their Director of Strategic Outreach & Partnerships, and was the Executive Director of the San Diego Jewish Teen Initiative. Allie is a graduate of the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, CA with an MA in Education and a BA in Judaic Studies. Following graduate school, Allie was a Masa Israel Teaching Fellow and NICU volunteer at Schneiders Children's Hospital in Petah Tikvah, Israel. Having spent a total of 14 summers at both camps; as a camper, counselor, and unit head, Allie is deeply connected and committed to the mission, values, culture, and community that is the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps. Allie is a Southern California native and most recently resided in Chicago, IL. In her free time, she enjoys watching and talking about Formula 1, spending quality time with her dogs, Lewi and Banjo, laughing at her own jokes, and eating french fries. Email Allie.

 

Janine Regal, Registrar, is a native of the Chicago suburbs and a graduate of Columbia College. She moved to Los Angeles in 1998 with husband Ian Liebman and their son Daniel (then two months old). Their son, Aaron, who attends Brawerman East Elementary School, is the only native Californian in their clan. They live in Woodland Hills with their three cats, Mimi, Wyatt, and Foster. Both Janine and Ian are musicians, and Janine currently plays in a classics-to-current rock band called The Promises. It was Janine’s own experiences as a camper and as the mother of a camper that drew her to her role as Registrar. She enjoys bringing the joy of camp to other kids, and sharing the experience of being a camp parent with all of the camp families. Feel free to email Janine.

 

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