Director

 

Director Scott Lantzman came to Gesher Summer Camp from the Jewish Community Center movement with a strong camping background.  After working in as a soccer instructor at a sports camp in Randolph, Scott spent four years as a senior counselor at Harbor Hills Day Camp in Mt. Freedom.  Following his years at Harbor Hills, Scott served as a Unit Head at JCC Camp Deeny Riback in Flanders.  Scott then moved on from there to work for the JCC Association in New York, where he developed summer teen tours to Israel and served as a consultant to camps and JCCs throughout North America.  His final stop before coming to Gesher was as the director of Camp Veritans in Wayne, part of the YM-YWHA of North Jersey. 

 

Scott is an accomplished youth group advisor, having spent 15 award winning years in that capacity, even bringing one of his groups to the pinnacle as International Chapter of the Year.  He is still involved with youth groups, currently serving as the Youth Director at Congregation Bnai Israel in Millburn.

 

A past recipient of the Association of Jewish Center Professionals’ Jack Boeko Excellence in Youth Programming Award, Scott was also honored by the New Jersey Jewish News as one of inaugural “Forty under Forty” young people making a difference in the MetroWest community.  More recently the New Jersey Section of the American Camp Association awarded him with their Recognition Award for his contributions to ACA.

 

Scott, a member of the NJ-American Camp Association  Board of Directors since 2004, currently serves as the New Jersey Section Vice President and as a National Delegate, chairs the Board Development and LEAD (Lead Excel and Develop)Committees, sits on the Professional Development and Legislative Committees and has been trained as a Standards Visitor.  He has served on the Tri-State area EPIC (Emerging Professionals in Camping) Committee and presently is a member of the Tri-State Camp Conference Program Committee.  A member of the National Education Committee, Scott is a regular speaker and presenter at ACA conferences.

 

In addition to Scott's service to the American Camp Association, Scott also serves on the Board of Directors of the Livingston Soccer Club, the Livingston Municipal Alliance Committee, the Livingston Juvenile Conference Committee and the Livingston Youth Appreciation Week Committee, of which he was the chairman in 2006.

 

When Scott is not planning for camp or volunteering, he can be found coaching one of his kids many sports teams, rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Yankees, managing one of his fantasy football or baseball teams and, of course, enjoying his family.  A resident of Livingston, Scott and his wife, Zanna, have four children:   Macen, Zane, Kai and Hunter.

 

 

Assistant Directors

MARLA PARNES

In her eighth summer with Gesher, Marla has worked her way up from being a Pre-K Senior Counselor to the Camp Shopper and then to Assistant Rosh Aida and Pre-K Rosh Aida.  The past Sisterhood President at Temple Beth Shalom, Marla oversees staff and programming at camp.  Marla is a resident of Livingston and all 3 of her children, Marisa, Adam and Ben, attend Gesher.

AMY WEINSTOCK

Amy is in her fifth summer with Gesher and oversees the administrative offices and registration.  During the year she is a pre-school and religious school teacher, as well as working part-time in the Gesher office preparing for camp.  A former resident of Livingston and Short Hills, Amy currently resides in Randolph with her husband, Eric, and daughter, Beryn, a 5-Star Camper.