Year Round Staff
Adam Bendeson
Adam returned to camp in 2022 as Executive Director after a 20-year hiatus. He began his SLC career in 1988 as a Unit Supervisor and spent the next 15 years as part of the full-time camp staff ensuring countless children had the opportunity to make wonderful camp memories. After many years as our Teen Camp Director and Assistant Director, he left to join the Suffolk Y-JCC out in Long Island, NY. Adam is passionate about his camping roots. He is a third generation SLC’er and the parent of his family’s fourth generation. He has remained involved with SLC throughout the years as members of both the Alumni Association and 1902 Society. As he says, “there is no better thing than returning home, especially when home is SLC!”
Email Adam 845-265-3616
Sheryl Kirschenbaum
Sheryl manages all the program planning and day-to-day experience of campers and staff at Surprise Lake Camp. She is a career-long Jewish camp professional full of passion for and excitement about the power of camp to transform young lives. Sheryl has served as SLC’s Camp Director since 2009. Prior to SLC, she held a long and distinguished tenure as the Mid-Island Y JCC’s Director of Youth and Camping Services.
Email Sheryl 845-265-3616
Abbe Wittenberg
Abbe handles all the details of camper registration, tuition payments, and tuition assistance. She attended SLC as a camper in the 1980’s and returned as summer staff in the 1990’s, and even briefly worked as full-time Coordinator of our site rentals. For almost 18 years, she worked in the Communications and Professional Information Department of a large NYC nonprofit–and then rejoined SLC’s full-time team as our Registrar. Abbe met her husband Rob through longtime SLC friends; their daughter is now a second-generation SLC camper.
Email Abbe 845-265-3616
Avri Klemer
Avri was hired as a counselor at the Camp America Fair in London, England in 1994 and has been at camp ever since. While studying for his MSc Ed at Hunter College in 2002, he jumped at the opportunity to move to the full-time staff, first in a program role, later as the camp’s Bookkeeper. In 2016 he completed an MA in Camp Administration and Leadership and took on the role of Director of Finance. Avri is a published board game designer and a (to date) unpublished novelist.
Email Avri 845-265-3616
Laura Miller
Laura oversees communications and marketing for the SLC camp community. A proud daughter of an SLC alumnus, she’s passionate about the transformative power of summer camp. With a BA in Public Communications and experience in marketing for national companies and nonprofits, Laura is excited to share SLC’s story with new and returning families.
Email Laura 845-265-3616
Lindsey Brown
Lindsey joins us as Surprise Lake Camp’s Development Director with many years of leadership experience in nonprofit fundraising, camping, and youth development. She has a Master’s Degree in Recreation Management and is thrilled to be working with SLC the community to expand funding opportunities for programs, capital improvements, and the growth of our camp scholarship tradition. 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!
Email Lindsey 845-265-3616
Leora Kaufman
Leora is Surprise Lake Camp’s Family Engagement Specialist. A lifelong member of the SLC community, her ten years as a camper and time on staff have given her deep insight into the camp experience. In her role, Leora connects with both new and returning families—answering questions about new camper programs, enrollment, and transitions between camp divisions—while offering guidance and support to families at every stage of their SLC journey. She holds a BA in Anthropology, and her warm, welcoming personality makes her the perfect person to help families feel informed, supported, and connected.
Email Leora 845-265-3616
Celia Baczkowski
Email Celia 845-265-3616Celia 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.
Celia began her summers at SLC in 1994, and in 2004 she joined the full-time staff. Over the years she served in a variety of roles including Director of Development & Alumni Relations, Director of Retreats & Communications, and Assistant Director.
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 camp’s natural beauty and resources.
Ilana Sussman
Ilana is thrilled to serve as Israel Trip Manager for Surprise Lake Camp’s Summer 2027 trip, inspiring teen campers to embrace this life-changing experience and the SLC values it represents. A dedicated educator with over 25 years of experience and multiple Master’s degrees, she has led numerous educational initiatives and serves on the boards of JCRC-LI, Kadima Beyachad, and the From The Depths Foundation. A graduate of the ADL’s Glass Leadership Program, Ilana is also active with UJA and the JCCs of Nassau and Suffolk. Her connection to Israel began in 1998 as an SLC camp counselor and continued with the 2000 March of the Living, and she has returned many times since.
Email Ilana Sussman 845-265-3616
Gene Kelly
Gene and his team are responsible for making sure all of Camp’s systems, buildings and grounds are safe and well-functioning. Gene has been at SLC for more than twenty-five years working behind the scenes to ensure that generations of campers and staff have the summer of a lifetime. Gene is talented in many areas including electrical work, mechanics, automotive, HVAC, plumbing, and much, much more.
845-265-3616
