Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute


Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute is a Jewish overnight summer camp and conference center located Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. The camp attracts over 1,000 children each summer, mainly from the United States and Canada. It serves children in second through twelfth grades in a variety of programs, including specialized arts and Hebrew language units.

History

Olin Sang Ruby was founded in 1952 and was the first summer camp of the Reform Movement of Judaism. Its founding director was Rabbi Herman Schaalman. The camp has operated continuously on the same property since its founding.
The camp has been a major source of Jewish musical output over the past several decades, hosting the Hava Nashira song leaders workshop. Popular Jewish singers and composers including Debbie Friedman, Craig Taubman, Danny Maseng, and Dan Nichols, among others, have all served on the faculty of Hava Nashira. Friedman also served as a songleader at the camp in the 1970's, which is where she started her musical career. OSRUI was also briefly home to Sofer, the Jewish Writers Workshop, which brought prominent authors to the institute to teach writing.

Staff

The camp's director is Solly Kane. He was preceded by Gerard W. "Jerry" Kaye, who served in the position for 48 years before his retirement.

Notable persons

Staff and Faculty