Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Anat Litwok
Camp Achva and School-Age Services Director
Anat.Litwok@theJ.org
Anat grew up in Marlboro, NJ attending Solomon Schechter Day School and Marlboro High School. After high school she moved to Israel where she lived on Kibbutz Dan for seven years. Anat served in the Israel Defense Forces and received her Bachelor's degree from Tel Hai academic college in Economics and Management.
Anat has spent most of her professional career working in informal education. She served in the Education unit of the IDF, was a counselor at a boarding school for kids from broken homes, and worked as a counselor in the informal education system for the children on the kibbutz. Anat’s true passion is Jewish camping because she believes it gives children an opportunity to discover new skills and learn things about themselves that they may not have the chance to learn in a classroom setting. This will be Anat’s third summer with Camp Achva and she’s looking forward to seeing, in person, the campers’ smiling faces and hearing their laughter in summer 2021!
Jessica Tischler
Special Needs and Inclusion Director
Jessica.Tischler@theJ.org
Jessica was born and raised in Virginia Beach, attending the University of Virginia for her undergraduate studies. Graduating with her Masters of Education in Therapeutic Recreation from Temple University, Jessica is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. While living in Philly during her graduate studies, she worked for an inclusive and progressive preschool which helped shape her perspective on the importance of peer modeling, acceptance, and inclusive practices. After graduating and interning at a summer camp for children with disabilities and chronic medical illnesses, she knew that she wanted to continue to grow her career in community work. After her internship, Jessica began work for Easter Seals, a nonprofit focused on providing a variety of services for children and adults with disabilities, as the Director of an inclusive Summer Camp for children and adults of all abilities.
Serving as the J’s Special Needs & Inclusion Director since 2011, Jessica supervises the department’s staff and social and recreational programs. Jessica and her team are dedicated to the special needs community and their families, always looking to build new programming, provide opportunities to engage in community life, and helping children and adults build upon their strengths and successes. Jessica’s favorite part of the year and what she looks forward to every summer is all the fun and learning that happens in camp!
Arlene Lechner
Assistant Director of Special Needs and Inclusion
Arlene.Lechner@theJ.org
Arlene was born in Dayton, Ohio and raised in Northern Virginia. Starting as young as 7th grade, she became a Hebrew school tutor for peers with learning disabilities who struggled to learn the language. Throughout her teenage and college years, she taught Hebrew school and continued tutoring children who had differing abilities. After graduating with her Masters in Special Education from George Mason University, Arlene went on to become a Special Education Teacher where she worked with children while focusing on their individual strengths and abilities. In addition to teaching in the public school system, she continued to tutor and support children who wanted to be included with their peers and needed extra support to be able to partake in Jewish cultural, social, and ritual experiences.
Arlene began her camp experience at Camp Achva in 3rd grade and continued on to become a counselor. Combining her love of Judaism and her desire to help children with special needs experience social and recreational opportunities came about 5 years ago when she worked as an Assistant Director of Special Needs and Inclusion at the Pozez JCC’s J-Camps. In that role, she used her expertise as a Jewish camper/counselor and as a special education teacher to give all the campers a fabulous camp experience. Arlene truly enjoys seeing the smiles on the staff, parents, and especially the children of all ages as they are included in activities at the Pozez JCC.
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New Camp Families: Register Now
Returning Camp Families: Register Now
Contact Information
Main Office: 703.537.3092, CampAchva@theJ.org
If you have questions, please contact our camp management staff:
Camp Achva Director
Anat Litwok, 703.537.3041
Kadima & Tikvah Director • Special Needs & Inclusion Director
Jessica Tischler, 703.537.3031
Billing and Accounts Manager
Adi Eilat Crowley, 703.537.3077
