Mishpucha has grown from a tent-camping weekend for Russian-speaking Jewish families in New York, to a Jewish grassroots nonprofit organization serving thousands of adventurous Russian-speaking Jews throughout the Northeast. The first Mishpucha Camping, created as part of the COJECO Blueprint Fellowship, brought together RSJ families for a weekend of informal Jewish learning and outdoor adventure, and was met with unprecedented enthusiasm from the community. With the support of the Genesis Philanthropy Group, Mishpucha Camping became an annual event, followed by an expansion into winter retreats, holiday-based events in New Jersey, and New England camping. With each year, Mishpucha has grown rapidly in size and popularity, retaining participants at an exceptional rate of 90%, while welcoming many new, previously unengaged families.
Today Mishpucha offers programs in three different geographic regions, anchored by local Mishpucha weekend retreats and including diverse array of one-day offerings. Having received 501(c)3 nonprofit status in July 2015, Mishpucha is now positioned to find new partnerships and supporters in an effort to scale and replicate this proven engagement model toward strategic community building and expansion.
To learn more about Mishpucha visit www.mishpuchacamping.org and Like the Facebook page.
Fellows
Lisa Klig Mishpucha Camping Lisa Klig is a community organizer and social entrepreneur. Born in Kiev, Ukraine and raised in NJ, she discovered her passion for Jewish community building while at college. As Program Manager at RJeneration, Lisa designed and implemented innovative engagement programs for Russian-speaking Jewish young adults. Concurrently, with the support of the COJECO Blueprint Fellowship, she founded her own nonprofit initiative, Mishpucha – providing culturally authentic, adventurous engagement for RSJ families throughout the East Coast. In 2011, Lisa joined the COJECO team as Program Director, overseeing all program development, marketing, and grant management. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their very fat cat, Yura.
