
HISTORY OF CAMP COLEMAN
Nearly 60 years ago, a small group of people recognized the need for a Reform Judaism-based overnight camp in the Southeast to serve Jewish teens—and bought a piece of land North of Cleveland, Georgia. Originally named the Southeast Federation of Temple Youth (SEFTY) Camp Institute., the property included a dining hall, rec hall, and infirmary, along with the 8 newly built cabins for approximately 130 participants at one time.
In 1964, they made a decision to serve children of all ages and not just teens. Thanks to the generous support of Ray and Philip Coleman of Jacksonville, FL, the property was re-named Camp Coleman. For the past 60 years, Coleman has continued to grow and expand to meet the demand to serve more campers each summer.




Help us honor Allan by donating to the Allan F. Solomon Scholarship Fund.
Allan F. Solomon
Allan Solomon was hired in 1964 as the Director of The Ray and Philip N. Coleman UAHC Southeast Camp Institute* which eventually became what we know today as URJ Camp Coleman. It did not take long for Allan to lead the camp from serving just a few dozen campers to almost 700 by 1967. Over the span of the ensuing 2 decades, with strong leadership and creative Jewish programming, Coleman was annually filled to capacity and became a summer home for thousands of Reform Jewish children throughout the Southeastern United States. From its inception, Coleman also served thousands more teens during SEFTY Camp held for 1- 2 weeks at the conclusion of the summer. Without the incredibly strong foundation that was built by Allan and his team, Coleman would not be where it is today. Our scholarship fund bears Allan’s name in honor of his many decades of leadership and dedication that brought “joyful Judaism” to so many individuals and communities.
*The name of the camp property when it opened in 1962 was UAHC Southeast Camp Institute and was changed after the summer of 1964.