Welcome to Riback

Philosophy

Camp Deeny Riback combines the excitement of summer with the magic of camp on our beautiful 35-acre facility in Flanders, NJ. With nurturing staff & feature programming our camp seeks to provide memorable experiences while enhancing a camper's growth and development. Summer after summer, our campers walk away with lasting friendships, fond memories, and a great appreciation for our rich Jewish heritage. CDR's philosophy of "A Summer of Fun - A Lifetime of Memories" goes way beyond our facility and programming; rather it lies in the belief that everyone will walk away from their summer experience with their lives significantly impacted from learning life-skills, making new friends and having fun, all in a safe & quality camping environment!

CDR Leadership

At Camp Deeny Riback, we pride ourselves on the quality of our staff and the excitement they bring into the lives of our campers. Our dedicated Leadership Team is comprised of camping professionals, educators, and many year-round JCC staff. This team works all year long planning our CDR program and brings together significant camping experience to ensure successful summers for all of our campers. Above all, our team believes in the "intimate" nature of the camping experience and in getting to know each child as an individual while creating an environment where working together to achieve a common goal is emphasized.

Meet the Director: Diana Ackerman

As the Director of Camping Services for JCC MetroWest Diana strongly believes in the magic of summer camp and the life skills it provides for children. In fact, Diana has lived a "camping" life - she began attending camp at age 6 and has been involved with children and camping since she went away with her husband to a sleep-away camp over 30 years ago, rising through the ranks from Counselor to Specialist to Division Head to Director of both day and sleep-away camps. Diana brings enthusiasm and passion to the summer experience at CDR and believes that people involved in camping significantly impact the lives of children, and while doing so also impact their own lives.

Diana has been married to her husband Bruce for 34 years and she is the mother of three grown children, all of whom have attended camp from an early age. Diana is also the Grandmother to two grandsons and a granddaughter! Grandma Diana loves having her two oldest grandsons at camp with her! Diana is a certified K-8 teacher and has been the director of Camp Deeny Riback for ten summers and continues to bring excitment to every day at camp! As a highly motivational and seasoned director, Diana has been a speaker at the American Camping Association conference - speaking on staff motivation and training. She prides herself on creating a "family" atmosphere at CDR, where anyone who comes to CDR feels at home.

When asked about her experience as a camping professional, she says, "Those who are involved in camping love people and want to be in a field where they are constantly giving back to the youth of their community; at the end of the day, when the summer ends, and you walk away holding the hand of a friend, have a smile on your face, and you can't wait to come back next summer - then we've done our job...and that's what Camp Deeny Riback is all about!"

Meet the Leadership Team (Summer 2010)

Administration

• Administrative Director: Shira Lahav
• Aquatics Directors: Alexandra Granville, Dena Kevelson, Ryan Vil'Neuve
• Assistant Camp Directors: Alice Thomas and Ben Gilbert
• Office Manager: Gabi Saperstein
• Administrator: Lauren Morris

Unit Leaders

• Pre-K & K "Katan & Gadol": Becca Wanatick
• 1st Grade "Rowim": Caryn Badian
• 2nd Grade "Tsofim": Allison Leddy
• 3rd & 4th Grade "Chaverim and Shomrim": Hilary Harvey
• 5th & 6th Grade "Alufim": Keri Izoco
• 7th & 8th Grade "Giborim": Laura Goodman
• 9th & 10th Grade "L.I.T.": Alice Thomas & Ben Gilbert
• Camp Friends: Julie Perlow

Testimonials

Here's what several of our staff and camp parents have to say about the magic of Camp Deeny Riback:

"Camp Deeny Riback is a fabulous place filled with outstanding, caring and compassionate counselors." - Amy Blumkin

"Being on the Camp Committee has been an awesome experience for me because each year I have been able to see the wonderful growth and improvements to many physical and programming aspects of Camp Deeny Riback!" - Mitchell Riback

"Deeny Riback is a wonderful community and is the center of wonderful rich experiences for our kids. My children had a terrific summer and loved their counselors." - Lori Rafkin

"My experience as a staff member at CDR has really been special. Being able to make a child's summer so much fun is such a great experience. CDR especially is such a warm and loving camp that it was so easy to fit in and enjoy being a staff member. I literally cried on the last day because I loved everyone so much and I was going to miss my kids. Overall working at CDR is a great experience I won't forget." - Allie Herman

"I've been as fortunate as the campers. As CDR staff, we've all been given the opportunity to challenge ourselves to do things we never would have imagined, as well as form lifelong friendships." - Karen Gooen (staff member and mother of 2 CDR campers)

"This was my 11th summer at Deeny Riback. And it keeps getting better year after year. The friends that I have made here are some of the best friends that I have. I was glad that this year I was finally old enough to be on staff, after all those amazing years I had as a camper, now I can give the kids the same great camp experience that my counselors gave to me when I was a camper." - Jonathan Landau

"Camp Deeny Riback is not only a summer camp, it is a second home for the summer. The staff, the campers, and the administration are warm, welcoming, and a great group of people to work with. It was the best summer of my entire life and I made friendships that will last a lifetime!"
- Jordan Kaplan

"You've got to live the life you want to remember: My summer life has revolved around Camp Deeny Riback for almost 10 years now. For the longest time, when I think of summer, automatically camp, lanyard, songs, and friendship come to mind. Everyone at camp has contributed to making me who I am today and have helped me create a life I never want to forget." - Jordan Doppelt

"Working at CDR was an amazing experience. I was able to interact with the campers, as well as form new friendships that I know will last a lifetime. In addition, I was able to explore my Jewish heritage through the fun and exciting activities!" - Hayley Colton

"Being a counselor was something I've wanted since as long as I can remember, and I wanted nothing more than to have as powerful of an influence on my kids as my counselors had on me. My entire summer at CDR has been absolutely amazing, from the first time I set foot on the grounds and met the people I would be working alongside of for the next 8 weeks to the last minutes of the last day when I said goodbye to those people knowing I would be friends with them for the rest of my life. I met my first group of kids on the first day, and I got attached immediately. I didn't know it at the time, but I was in for the time of my life this summer. On the last day of camp, when I was saying goodbye to my campers, I knew I had truly had a powerful influence on their lives. I knew that these kids would remember me forever, and that feeling is indescribable. I will never forget my first experience as a camp counselor at Camp Deeny Riback. To this day, I still am friends with the people I worked alongside with, and I can't wait to go back next year." - Mark Leibowitz