The Jewish Press Interviews Rabbi Kenneth Brander Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future seems to expand with each passing year.

Founded in 2005, the CJF– among other activities–now educates hundreds of ordained rabbis through its Rabbinic Training Placement and Continuing Education program; sends 1,000 students every year to help communities around the world through its Experiential Education and Service Learning program; makes 60,000 shiurim of YU rabbis and others available online through YUTorah.org; helps YU students and alumni find their intended through YUConnects.org; and sets up kollelim around the country through its Community Initiatives program. This summer, the CJF ran day camps in five Israeli development towns: Dimona, Arad, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi, and Beersheba. Staffed by 60 YU students, the camps serviced over 350 Israeli children. The Jewish Press recently spoke with Rabbi Kenneth Brander, David Mitzner Dean of the CJF, about the summer camps. The Jewish Press: What was the logic behind Yeshiva University students from America organizing summer camps in Israel? Rabbi Brander: One of the things that attracted the campers to our programs – each one was sold out and there were waiting lists – was the fact that you had American students coming over to Israel. It was cool that they were American. Some of these kids have lived very challenging lives; they come from poor homes, foster homes, one-parent homes, etc. I’ll give you an example. We took the campers from Kiryat Gat and Kiryat Malachi to the airport to welcome in a Nefesh B’Nefesh flight; most of them had never been to an airport before. Is the poverty really that bad in these cities? There’s a significant divide between the wealth in the center of Israel and the south of Israel. The south is a very, very poor area. In a place like Dimona, two out of every three children are beneath the poverty line, which is significantly lower than the American poverty line. One day, one of the kids from Dimona took a donkey to travel to camp. That’s what we’re talking about. Read the full interview at The Jewish Press...