Year Round Team
Simone Lindenbaum Ziv
Camp Director [email protected]
Simone (she/her) has been part of Eden Village’s leadership team since 2012. She is responsible for all Eden Village programming while simultaneously supervising all counselors and specialists who transform her ideas into action. During the past decade, Simone has visioned, developed and grown Eden Village’s one-of-a-kind programming to include innovative, age-appropriate opportunities unique to the community.
After graduating from McGill University, Simone worked for a sustainability non-profit in the Philadelphia area. Simone grew up in camp and community, spending 13 years learning and educating with Habonim Dror, after which she worked in synagogues, community centers and after-school programs to facilitate creative Jewish experiential learning. Her spiritual and environmental practice was further shaped through living in a community at Findhorn Ecovillage in Scotland, participating in the ADAMAH farming fellowship, and working as a Jewish environmental educator with the TEVA Learning Alliance.
Simone is the mother of three and lives in West Philly with her family during the rest of the year. She loves crafting and singing and playing with her family and community.
Andrew (he/him) has led Eden Village’s operations, visioning, and strategy since our first summer. He has helped shape almost every aspect of our organization, including as the lead architect of our sustainability and food initiatives.
He brings a wealth of camp, non-profit, operational, and start-up experience, including helping launch the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda, co-founding a technology start-up, and consulting for several new businesses and non-profits. He graduated from the University of California Berkeley.
Andrew Gurwitz Ziv
Managing Director [email protected]
Johanna Press
Assistant Director [email protected]
Johanna (she/her) loves to help young people harness the tools of Jewish tradition to craft meaningful lives, foster deep community, and change the world. She studied Environmental Science and Jewish Studies at Yale University, the Pardes Institute, and Yeshivat Hadar. While teaching Talmud at Abraham Joshua Heschel High School, her students introduced her to Eden Village Camp and she never looked back!
Since her first summer in 2018, Johanna has loved working on camp programming, recruitment and community partnerships, communications, and camper care – while getting to sing and dance every day, snack on farm-fresh produce, and grow life-long friendships. Originally from Philadelphia, she lives with her husband and daughter in Austin, Texas.
Aliza (she/her) has been playing, growing, and building community at Eden Village since 2011. After four seasons as a summer staff member (with a long vacation in the middle), she joined the full-time leadership team in 2018. Aliza has supported the growth of Eden Village’s teen trips and programs, oversees summer staff hiring, and loves guiding the process of campers growing into inspiring summer staff members.
Aliza has a background in the non-profit environmental field, farm-based education, and building Jewish community. In the summer, when she’s not overseeing the daily running of the camp’s program, you can find Aliza milking the goats, making jam from the abundance of our fruit orchard, playing in the art room, or taking a hike deep in the forest of the Hudson Valley (aka our backyard!).
Aliza Heeren
Assistant Director [email protected]
Chat with a Director
Amanda Playford
Registrar & Office Manager (she/her)
[email protected]
Josh Jacobs
Director of Camper Magic (he/him)
[email protected]
Ornah Rosenberg
Health Center Coordinator, RN (she/her)
[email protected]
Rabbi Pesach Stadlin
Director of Life Sustainability & Spirituality (he/him)
[email protected]
Mick Harrington
Caretaker (he/him)
[email protected]
Lin Silver
Operations Coordinator (he/him)
[email protected]
Bobby Bauer
Facilities Manager (he/him)
[email protected]
Emily Schuit
Director of Camper Care, LMSW (she/her)
[email protected]
Tom Hidas
Executive Chef (he/him)
[email protected]
Board of Directors
- Lauren Wysmuller (Chair)
- Amy Forseter
- Richard Shuster
- Peter Takiff
- Robert Levitan
- AJ Reisman
- Moshe Cohen
Lauren Wysmuller
Chairperson
amy forseter
Richard Shuster
Peter Takiff
Julia Stalder
Robert Levitan
AJ Reisman
Mel Comerchero
Moshe cohen
work at camp!
At Eden Village, our staff provide campers with an incredibly supportive experience. Our low camper to staff ratio ensures that your camper’s health, safety, and emotional well-being are cared for at all times. Our staff are professionals who are dedicated to the camper’s experience throughout all moments of the day. Staff are chosen for their experience, maturity, enthusiasm, and commitment to campers’ growth.
Being a staff member at Eden Village is hard work, and is one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences you’ll ever have. Our staff community is strong, supportive, kind, creative, and fun. We seek enthusiastic and mission-aligned staff members to work from mid-June to the beginning of August.
