When I worked as the head chef at CJ in the 1990s, there were always two things that amazed me about CJ. One was the incredible relationships that were formed there. The other was acceptance. In all my days and all my experiences, I’ve never seen such solid beautiful bonds of friendship, love, and togetherness come from one place. As a parent, that always stayed with me. Melissa certainly marched to the beat of her own drum and was often bullied. I remember there being some kids that were quirky or unique, and I rarely saw those kids being picked on. CJ was and still is a safe place for those kids.

Even though Melissa did not get to experience growing up as a CJ camper, as she was only able to attend as a Nitzi, she was able to reap the benefits of lifelong CJ friends up until the end of her life. Thank you Camp Judaea for the few, but meaningful years you gave Melissa.

Thank you for making contribution to CJ’s scholarship fund in memory of my daughter.

Phyllis Krupp,
Mother of Melissa Krupp, z”l