Camp Rising Sun
Encyclopedia
Camp Rising Sun is an invitation-only, international
, full-scholarship
, leadership summer program for students aged 14–16. Operated by the Louis August Jonas Foundation (LAJF), a non-profit organization
, the program lasts for seven weeks. There is a boys' facility in Red Hook, New York
and a separate girls' facility in Clinton, New York
, about 90 miles (144.8 km) north of New York City
in the Hudson River Valley. Participants come from all over the world and are chosen by merit. Instead of being asked to pay for tuition, campers are requested to pass along to someone else the benefits they gained.
There are alumni organizations in numerous countries with more than 5,000 alumni around the world. Camp Rising Sun alumni include a United Nations
Under-Secretary General, a president of Harvard University
, a winner of the Intel Science Talent Search
, a Foreign Minister
of South Korea
, two former Israel
i ambassadors and an Under Secretary of State
in the Carter
administration.
In 1996, a group of Danish and other European alumni founded Camp Rising Sun Europe for young women. Organized and maintained by the George E. Jonas Foundation and the Camp Rising Sun Alumni Association of Denmark, the program is located in Stendis, Region Midtjylland
, Denmark
.
s in upstate New York
, Camp Rising Sun (CRS) is one of the longest continuously running summer programs in the United States. It was founded just after the stock market crash
in 1929 by philanthropist George E. Jonas
with the mission to "develop in promising young people from diverse backgrounds a lifelong commitment to sensitive and responsible leadership for the betterment of their communities and world."
The son of a successful businessman, Jonas grew up in privilege and wealth, but was troubled about the advantages he had in comparison to others. He grew dismayed at the world. Pondering what he could do to bring a measure of stability and peace to the world, he reasoned that hope rested in the youth of the world and he began to consider what might encourage, stimulate and motivate them. He got the idea to start a camp, one that "is interested not merely in the boy, but in the man the boy will become." He set up a foundation, naming it after his father; the foundation runs the camp. For decades, Jonas personally interviewed many prospective campers and he was fondly called by all by his nickname, "Freddie".
After World War II
, the program was expanded to include youth from every region of the world. In 1947, the first two African American
boys were invited to attend and 1989, a girls' program was established. Jonas remained closely associated with the program until the time of his death in 1978. Camp alumni are generally responsible for selecting new campers from their countries, but in some cases, government officials such as the Minister of Education or an ambassador, do the selecting (or did, in decades past).
The program is neither religious nor political, but with campers coming from all over the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa and elsewhere, politics and religion are just two of the many topics that come up for discussion.
Camp Rising Sun's reputation is built on the conviction that there is much to be learned through experience and interaction with those from other cultures and nations. A boy from Nigeria
may ask a boy from Alabama
about racism in the United States
or while working together in the kitchen, someone from Palestine
may share personal experiences of life in the midst of the Middle East conflict. Campers help with all aspects of the camp, including meal preparation and maintenance, and work together on intellectual or cultural projects of their own choosing. They also conceive of and carry out landcaping projects to improve the camp, such as building a Finnish sauna
or a Japanese rock garden
. The eight weeks at CRS become a life-transforming experience. Alumni often choose professions of service and stay involved with the camp for decades after, if not the rest of their lives. One CSR alumnus
, Herbert Hall (b. 1923), wrote in an unpublished memoir,
(a word that means an Algonquian
"chief"), the camper is in charge. Feedback, both from the staff and peers
, is given to further gain from the experience. Staff members, typically graduate students or teachers, provide support.
The goal of the program is that participants will integrate what they learn at Camp Rising Sun into their lives and pass it along to others. After the two months of sharing and working together, Jonas wanted campers to return to their communities the benefits they had gained. He said, "We ask that the boys return to life, some day and in some way, the good they have received from it. So, we do ask a price, and its a rather high one." One sophomore
in Charleston, South Carolina
came home with an idea to improve race relations that he wanted to propose to the Youth Services agency in his city.
, Poland
, Ethiopia
, France
, Japan
, Ecuador
, Hungary
, Australia
, Italy
, Nigeria
, Iceland
, Indonesia
, Israel
, Lithuania
, Germany
, Bulgaria
, Ghana
and Malasia
with youngsters from all across the United States
. Campers live together in tents (at the US camps) and in rooms at the European camp. Bunking assignments are changed every two weeks, so that each student shares accommodations with 16 different young people over the course of a summer, during the course of which, he or she is exposed to many different cultures and individuals. Dining hall table assignments are changed weekly, further supporting the opportunity to learn about others and make new friendships. By the time the campers leave, they have friends all over the world.
After two months of exposure to many other nationalities, international issues became personal concerns. "It's not just Iran anymore. It's my friend, Sepideh, who lives in Iran," said one camper after her summer at CRS. Many of these friendships continue through the decades and there are periodic world reunions, each time meeting in a different country.
While CRS includes swimming, boating, hiking, ping pong, soccer, basketball, tennis and other sports, its focus is providing opportunities for intellectual growth, for development of leadership skills, and appreciation of the value of diversity. The program challenges campers to try new things, but also offers them the option of participating or not, a freedom some have never experienced before. Campers work together in peer-led teams to take care of the daily maintenance needs of the camp. Counselors are skilled in a variety of disciplines from lifesaving
to Japanese wrestling to filmmaking
. There is instruction by staff, visiting alumni, guests, or other students on subjects like international affairs, poetry, theater, microscopes, filmmaking, creative writing
, landscaping
, history, music, art, drama, philosophy, ethics, and nature. Three weekly newspapers, written and produced by campers, document the comedic, artistic, and overall progress of the camp.
Students work on projects they conceive, plan and manage, both individually and in peer-led groups. There are evening artistic and intellectual programs, most often planned and executed by campers. At the end of July, there is a dramatic or musical production, involving the entire camp community. Each Saturday evening, there is a large campfire, at which campers discuss their different countries and cultures, about global issues, prejudice and hate and hear presentations, sometimes by outside lecturers.
There is also time available each day for campers to pursue their own activity, be it sports, the arts, reading, an educational pursuit, swimming in the pool or just talking with other campers. Campers are encouraged to keep a journal and prepare other written material that is kept on file and sent to the camper at his or her twenty-first birthday.
A camper's journal from 2006 offers a glimpse of a typical day at Camp Rising Sun.
that began in 2007, there was no camp program held in 2009 in the United States and the European program was cancelled for 2010.
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
, full-scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
, leadership summer program for students aged 14–16. Operated by the Louis August Jonas Foundation (LAJF), a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, the program lasts for seven weeks. There is a boys' facility in Red Hook, New York
Red Hook, New York
Red Hook is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was reported to be 11,319 during the 2010 census. The name is supposedly derived from the red foliage on trees on a small strip of land on the Hudson River. The town contains two villages; the village of Red Hook and the...
and a separate girls' facility in Clinton, New York
Clinton, Dutchess County, New York
Clinton is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 4,010 at the 2000 census. The town is named after George Clinton, an early governor of New York....
, about 90 miles (144.8 km) north of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the Hudson River Valley. Participants come from all over the world and are chosen by merit. Instead of being asked to pay for tuition, campers are requested to pass along to someone else the benefits they gained.
There are alumni organizations in numerous countries with more than 5,000 alumni around the world. Camp Rising Sun alumni include a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Under-Secretary General, a president of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, a winner of the Intel Science Talent Search
Intel Science Talent Search
The Intel Science Talent Search , known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search is a research-based science competition in the United States for high school seniors. It has been referred to as "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" science competition. In his speech...
, a Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, two former Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i ambassadors and an Under Secretary of State
Under Secretary of State
The Under Secretary of State, from 1919 to 1972, was the second-ranking official at the United States Department of State , serving as the Secretary's principal deputy, chief assistant, and Acting Secretary in the event of the Secretary's absence...
in the Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
administration.
In 1996, a group of Danish and other European alumni founded Camp Rising Sun Europe for young women. Organized and maintained by the George E. Jonas Foundation and the Camp Rising Sun Alumni Association of Denmark, the program is located in Stendis, Region Midtjylland
Region Midtjylland
Central Denmark Region or Central Jutland Region is an administrative region of Denmark established on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which replaced the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Background
Located on 176 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
, Camp Rising Sun (CRS) is one of the longest continuously running summer programs in the United States. It was founded just after the stock market crash
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , also known as the Great Crash, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout...
in 1929 by philanthropist George E. Jonas
George E. Jonas
George E. Jonas was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of the Louis August Jonas Foundation and Camp Rising Sun, a full scholarship, international summer camp in Red Hook, New York. Originally for boys aged 14–16, a girls' camp was added in 1989...
with the mission to "develop in promising young people from diverse backgrounds a lifelong commitment to sensitive and responsible leadership for the betterment of their communities and world."
The son of a successful businessman, Jonas grew up in privilege and wealth, but was troubled about the advantages he had in comparison to others. He grew dismayed at the world. Pondering what he could do to bring a measure of stability and peace to the world, he reasoned that hope rested in the youth of the world and he began to consider what might encourage, stimulate and motivate them. He got the idea to start a camp, one that "is interested not merely in the boy, but in the man the boy will become." He set up a foundation, naming it after his father; the foundation runs the camp. For decades, Jonas personally interviewed many prospective campers and he was fondly called by all by his nickname, "Freddie".
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the program was expanded to include youth from every region of the world. In 1947, the first two African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
boys were invited to attend and 1989, a girls' program was established. Jonas remained closely associated with the program until the time of his death in 1978. Camp alumni are generally responsible for selecting new campers from their countries, but in some cases, government officials such as the Minister of Education or an ambassador, do the selecting (or did, in decades past).
The program is neither religious nor political, but with campers coming from all over the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa and elsewhere, politics and religion are just two of the many topics that come up for discussion.
Camp Rising Sun's reputation is built on the conviction that there is much to be learned through experience and interaction with those from other cultures and nations. A boy from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
may ask a boy from Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
about racism in the United States
Racism in the United States
Racism in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era and the slave era. Legally sanctioned racism imposed a heavy burden on Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latin Americans...
or while working together in the kitchen, someone from Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
may share personal experiences of life in the midst of the Middle East conflict. Campers help with all aspects of the camp, including meal preparation and maintenance, and work together on intellectual or cultural projects of their own choosing. They also conceive of and carry out landcaping projects to improve the camp, such as building a Finnish sauna
Finnish sauna
The Finnish sauna is a substantial part of Finnish culture. There are five million inhabitants and over two million saunas in Finland - an average of one per household. For Finnish people the sauna is a place to relax in with friends and family, and a place for physical and mental relaxation as...
or a Japanese rock garden
Japanese rock garden
The or "dry landscape" gardens, often called "Zen gardens", are a type of garden that features extensive use of rocks or stones, along with plants native to rocky or alpine environments that were influenced mainly by Zen Buddhism and can be found at Zen temples of meditation.- Overview :Japanese...
. The eight weeks at CRS become a life-transforming experience. Alumni often choose professions of service and stay involved with the camp for decades after, if not the rest of their lives. One CSR alumnus
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
, Herbert Hall (b. 1923), wrote in an unpublished memoir,
Nurturing tomorrow's leaders
The Louis August Jonas Foundation is guided by the philosophy of the founder. The camp's mission is to "develop in promising young people from diverse backgrounds a lifelong commitment to sensitive and responsible leadership for the betterment of their communities and world." In following Jonas' mission, the camp nurtures leadership skills and the training comes with practical experience. Each camper gets the chance to be camp leader for one day. Called the sachemSachem
A sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
(a word that means an Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
"chief"), the camper is in charge. Feedback, both from the staff and peers
Peer feedback
Peer feedback is a practice in language education where feedback given by one student to another. Peer feedback is used in writing classes of both first language and second language to provide students more opportunities to learn from each other...
, is given to further gain from the experience. Staff members, typically graduate students or teachers, provide support.
The goal of the program is that participants will integrate what they learn at Camp Rising Sun into their lives and pass it along to others. After the two months of sharing and working together, Jonas wanted campers to return to their communities the benefits they had gained. He said, "We ask that the boys return to life, some day and in some way, the good they have received from it. So, we do ask a price, and its a rather high one." One sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
came home with an idea to improve race relations that he wanted to propose to the Youth Services agency in his city.
Creating a community
An international community is created with one or two teenagers each from a range of countries as disparate as FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and Malasia
Malásia
Malásia is the twelfth album by Brazilian singer and songwriter Djavan released in 1996.The album opens with the song "O Que foi My Love?", a jazz accelerated ending in the form of blues; "Sêca", which talks about the drought in northeastern jungle; "Nem Um Dia" biggest hit of the album on the...
with youngsters from all across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Campers live together in tents (at the US camps) and in rooms at the European camp. Bunking assignments are changed every two weeks, so that each student shares accommodations with 16 different young people over the course of a summer, during the course of which, he or she is exposed to many different cultures and individuals. Dining hall table assignments are changed weekly, further supporting the opportunity to learn about others and make new friendships. By the time the campers leave, they have friends all over the world.
After two months of exposure to many other nationalities, international issues became personal concerns. "It's not just Iran anymore. It's my friend, Sepideh, who lives in Iran," said one camper after her summer at CRS. Many of these friendships continue through the decades and there are periodic world reunions, each time meeting in a different country.
Camp activities
Jonas said, "Schools give you technical training, but they don't necessarily teach you how to think" and set up his camp to supply that need.While CRS includes swimming, boating, hiking, ping pong, soccer, basketball, tennis and other sports, its focus is providing opportunities for intellectual growth, for development of leadership skills, and appreciation of the value of diversity. The program challenges campers to try new things, but also offers them the option of participating or not, a freedom some have never experienced before. Campers work together in peer-led teams to take care of the daily maintenance needs of the camp. Counselors are skilled in a variety of disciplines from lifesaving
Lifesaving
Lifesaving is the act involving rescue, resuscitation and first aid. It often refers to water safety and aquatic rescue however it could include ice rescue, flood and river rescue, swimming pool rescue and other emergency medical services. Lifesaving also refers to sport where lifesavers compete...
to Japanese wrestling to filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
. There is instruction by staff, visiting alumni, guests, or other students on subjects like international affairs, poetry, theater, microscopes, filmmaking, creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
, landscaping
Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
, history, music, art, drama, philosophy, ethics, and nature. Three weekly newspapers, written and produced by campers, document the comedic, artistic, and overall progress of the camp.
Students work on projects they conceive, plan and manage, both individually and in peer-led groups. There are evening artistic and intellectual programs, most often planned and executed by campers. At the end of July, there is a dramatic or musical production, involving the entire camp community. Each Saturday evening, there is a large campfire, at which campers discuss their different countries and cultures, about global issues, prejudice and hate and hear presentations, sometimes by outside lecturers.
There is also time available each day for campers to pursue their own activity, be it sports, the arts, reading, an educational pursuit, swimming in the pool or just talking with other campers. Campers are encouraged to keep a journal and prepare other written material that is kept on file and sent to the camper at his or her twenty-first birthday.
A camper's journal from 2006 offers a glimpse of a typical day at Camp Rising Sun.
Effects of the current financial crisis
Because of the worldwide financial crisisFinancial crisis
The term financial crisis is applied broadly to a variety of situations in which some financial institutions or assets suddenly lose a large part of their value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and many recessions coincided with these...
that began in 2007, there was no camp program held in 2009 in the United States and the European program was cancelled for 2010.
CRS Alumni
CRS campers become members of an international alumni association which is supportive of their evolving interests in college and careers. The LAJF website has a College Roster which connects young alumni with older alumni who are attending or have attended a broad range of colleges, universities and professional schools. Many alumni later speak of their experiences at CRS, such as when writing their college essays. LAJF also supports a college scholarship program. While the Rising Sun experience is measured in weeks, the effects of the experience continue to develop and to play out over decades.Notable CRS alumni
- Clifford Alexander, Jr.Clifford Alexander, Jr.Clifford Leopold Alexander, Jr. is an American lawyer, businessman and public servant. He was the first African-American Secretary of the Army.-Life and career:...
, 1947, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. Secretary of the Army - George Ames, financier; senior partner, Lazard Freres
- Darren AronofskyDarren AronofskyDarren Aronofsky is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University to study film theory and the American Film Institute to study both live-action and animation filmmaking...
, filmmaker - Eli AttieEli AttieEli Attie is a writer and political operative. He served as chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore from 1997 until Gore's concession of the 2000 election, and before that worked for President Bill Clinton and House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt....
, writer, television producer, former aide/speechwriter for Al Gore and Bill Clinton - Norberto BarbaNorberto BarbaNorberto Barba is an American cinematographer, television and film director. He is known for his collaborations for the Law & Order franchise.- Biographical details :...
, filmmaker - David Botstein
- Francis F. ChenFrancis F. ChenFrancis F. Chen is a Chinese-born American plasma physicist.-Biography:Chen studied at Harvard University, where he received his bachelor's degree in astronomy in 1950, a Masters degree in physics in 1953, and his doctorate in 1954...
, 1944, plasma physicist, pioneer of ultra-cold physics - Samuel R. DelanySamuel R. DelanySamuel Ray Delany, Jr., also known as "Chip" is an American author, professor and literary critic. His work includes a number of novels, many in the science fiction genre, as well as memoir, criticism, and essays on sexuality and society.His science fiction novels include Babel-17, The Einstein...
, author, professor, literary critic, member of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame - Dick DolmanDick DolmanDirk Dolman is a Dutch politician. In 1970, he became a member of the Dutch parliament as a member of the Dutch Labor Party . From July 17, 1979 to September 14, 1989 he was the president of the Dutch parliament.- Biography :Dolman was born in Empe, Netherlands...
, 1951, former president, Dutch parliament - Sandi Simcha DubowskiSandi Simcha DuBowskiSandi Simcha DuBowski is an American director and producer. Best known for his work on homosexuality and religion, DuBowski directed the 2001 documentary Trembling Before G-d and is the producer of Parvez Sharma's documentary A Jihad for Love .-Personal life:DuBowski was born in Brooklyn in 1970...
, filmmaker - Greg GiraldoGreg GiraldoGreg Giraldo was an American stand-up comedian, television personality, and retired lawyer. Giraldo was best known for his appearances on Comedy Central's televised roast specials, and for his work on that network's television shows Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Lewis Black's Root of All Evil, and...
, comedian - Ulric HaynesUlric HaynesUlric St. Clair Haynes, Jr. is a former United States Ambassador to Algeria . He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy, Council of American Ambassadors and Council on Foreign Relations....
, 1947, former U.S. ambassador to AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab... - Anselm HolloAnselm HolloAnselm Paul Alexis Hollo is a Finnish poet and translator. He has lived in the United States since 1967.-Life and work:...
, 1950, Finnish writer - Robin Janvrin, Baron Janvrin, 1962, private secretary to the queen of England
- Robert JastrowRobert JastrowRobert Jastrow was an American astronomer, physicist and cosmologist. He was a leading NASA scientist, populist author and futurist.- Biography :...
, chief of theoretical division of NASA; founder, Goddard Institute for Space StudiesGoddard Institute for Space StudiesThe NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies , at Columbia University in New York City, is a component laboratory of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Earth-Sun Exploration Division and a unit of The Earth Institute at Columbia University...
; author - Ji ChaozhuJi ChaozhuJi Chaozhu is a retired diplomat who held a number of important positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China , most notably as English interpreter for Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai; later as ambassador to the Court of St...
, 1944, former Chinese ambassador to Britain, former Under-Secretary-General of the United NationsUnder-Secretary-General of the United NationsAn Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Secretary-General for a renewable term of four years....
, author - Ashok KamteAshok KamteAshok Kamte was the Additional Commissioner of Mumbai Police for the East Region. He was killed in terrorist action during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. His bravery was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra on 26 January 2009....
, Mumbai police commissioner (killed in the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai) - Mark Koltko-RiveraMark Koltko-RiveraMark Edward Koltko-Rivera is an American scholar, scientist, social critic, and writer who has published books, articles, and blog posts on a variety of topics, including psychology, religion, spirituality, and popular culture...
- Sidney LumetSidney LumetSidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
, filmmaker - Michael Lunn, 1960, former Danish Minister of Justice, former Minister of Climate and Energy
- Joshua MuravchikJoshua MuravchikJoshua Muravchik is a scholar formerly at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research and now a fellow at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University....
, 1962, scholar, American Enterprise Institute; public policy analyst - Matthew NimetzMatthew NimetzMatthew Nimetz is an American diplomat.He is the United Nations Special Representative for the naming dispute between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia....
, American diplomat - Frank OchbergFrank OchbergFrank Ochberg, MD , a psychiatrist, mental health expert, and one of the founding fathers of modern psychotraumatology who he has helped to define and research Post-traumatic stress disorder , especially Victimization Symptoms as distinct subcategory of PTSD, and Stockholm Syndrome, among his many...
, psychiatrist, expert in post-traumatic stress disorderPost-traumatic stress disorderPosttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,... - Pertti Pesonen, 1948, Finnish professor of political sciencePolitical sciencePolitical Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
; former editor-in-chief of AamulehtiAamulehtiAamulehti is a Finnish newspaper published in Tampere. It has the second largest circulation of Finnish dailies with an average circulation of 136,726 per day and 140,802 on Sundays . Today Aamulehti is part of Alma Media, a large media corporation in Finland... - Michael PressmanMichael PressmanMichael Pressman is an American director and producer of film and television.Some of the films he has directed are The Great Texas Dynamite Chase , Doctor Detroit , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze , To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday .For television, he has directed episodes of...
, 1964, television director and producer - Itamar RabinovichItamar Rabinovich- External links :* - an official page on the Israeli Embassy website.* , from Jewish Library.* at the Kennedy School of Government.* , NYU biography.* , Haaretz , November 2, 2007.* , another mini-bio....
, 1959, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States; President of Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:... - Gunnar Riberholdt, 1949, Danish ambassador to France; director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Neil Leon RudenstineNeil Leon RudenstineNeil Leon Rudenstine is an American educator, literary scholar, and administrator. He served as president of Harvard University from 1991 to 2001.-Life and career:...
, president emeritus, Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... - Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, folk singer, songwriter - Heikki von Hertzen, Finnish lawyer, banker, social activist, and TapiolaTapiolaTapiola or Hagalund is a district of Espoo on the south coast of Finland, and is one of the major urban centres of Espoo...
urban planner - James YannatosJames YannatosJames Yannatos was a composer, conductor, violinist and teacher. He was a senior lecturer at Harvard University until his retirement in the spring of 2009....
, 1943, conductor, San Antonio SymphonySan Antonio SymphonyThe San Antonio Symphony is a full-time professional symphony orchestra based in San Antonio, Texas. Its season runs from late September to early June...
; professor of music, Harvard University