Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer

Cynthia Stein is currently the first woman president of the Golden Slipper Summer Camp in the Poconos, the most well-known offering from the Golden Slipper Club, a local Jewish nonprofit. Jewish summer camps might not come to mind for many as a frontier for feminism, but for those who were there back in the day, like Stein, the importance cannot be overstated.

“I was in one of the earlier classes of women [employees] at Golden Slipper and it was really interesting oftentimes being the only woman at the table,” she said. “But it was a welcoming and warm group and I quickly felt like I was a part of it.”

While the men at that table more than three decades ago were welcoming, there were perspectives they could not offer that Stein and other women who joined leadership could.
Those decades of work were made worth it many times along the way, but the camp’s reaction to the official announcement of Stein as leader of Golden Slipper will stick with her forever.

“My presidency started in September, so this summer when they announced that I was going to be the first woman president of the camp, the girls’ side of the dining hall went crazy,” she said. “They were so excited, and I felt like I was doing something inspiring. [It’s important to remember] when you’re planning budgets and doing other things that aren’t so fun that this is why you do it.”

Stein grew up in Montgomery County in a Conservative family. Her grandparents lived across the street from their synagogue, and she said that a traditional temple experience was her introduction to Judaism. The close-knit nature of old Philadelphia Jewish neighborhoods are a treasured memory for Stein.

“Because my grandparents were so close, I always had a place to bring my friends for matzo ball soup, and then when we were older, MTV,” she laughed.

As she got older, Stein found herself moving away from Shabbat services and towards volunteer work.

“I think that my Judaism has always been more about activity and community building than traditional worship,” she said. “And that’s part of how I found Golden Slipper Camp.”
For Stein, camp offers children a chance to grow in an environment that cannot be replicated elsewhere.

“Camp is about trying new things. It’s about learning how to do things that you wouldn’t normally do, and it’s about connecting with people you wouldn’t always connect with. Overnight camp is a great chance for kids to learn to be independent and really grow,” she said.

Stein said her own children have grown from their time at Golden Slipper.

“I remember when my daughter came home from her first summer at overnight camp and she was so different in a wonderful way. And so I think it makes me excited to be president and to be in a position to offer that to kids,” she said.

There are many summer camp options around the Mid-Atlantic for young children, but there is something special about the recipe at Golden Slipper, and that’s what has kept generations of families coming back since the late 1940s. Stein said that reminding young Jewish children that their identity is something to celebrate is a mission that will never lose its value.

“We offer a kid the chance to be authentically who they really are. We live in a world that’s not Jewish. Right now, you walk into a store and hear Christmas songs playing or you walk down the street and people wish you a Merry Christmas. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I think a little piece of being a Jewish kid is feeling different and feeling like you’re in the minority,” she said. “When kids go to Jewish camp, that all washes away. You don’t have to worry about that or think about that.”

While Golden Slipper has Jewish values as central tenants and is largely attended by young Jews, it welcomes people of all ethnicities and religions. Stein said that she thinks that is the best recipe, as it doesn’t exclude anyone while offering a refuge for Jewish kids.

Stein said that she has seen some children blossom in this environment when they might not have in other spaces. This can change a child’s life, she said.

“That’s a component of the magic of camp: you get to get away from who you are in school. The kid who’s not cool in school has the opportunity to shed that skin and be free to be who they really are,” she said.

The intense love that a given alumnus has for their Jewish summer camp experience is no secret to any Philadelphia Jew. For Stein, that love has led her to passionately working to create the same experience for the next generation.

“One of the phenomenal parts of being president is I get to be at camp a lot in the summer, and Golden Slipper Camp is my favorite place on the planet. I arrive at that camp and I feel everything lift off of me, and I feel glorious,” she said. “I just love being there and seeing what we’re doing and seeing kids being active and involved and excited!”

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com