Camp BB Riback wraps up the Summer of 2026

by Maxine Fischbein, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(AJNews) – Winds of change wafted through Camp BB Riback during the summer of 2026, as Cecil Horwitz welcomed campers for his first time as camp director, joined by Adar Latak in the newly established position of associate camp director.

Hired this past February, Horwitz began his new chapter in March, taking up summer residence at the camp in May.

Though Horwitz had been aware for some time that the camp was looking to hire a new director, he at first did not bite.

“It wasn’t even a thought for me,” chuckled Horwitz, who had recently developed a business and was on hiatus after moving away from it.

“I was spending some time thinking about what I wanted to do,” mused Horwitz who had worked in the corporate for-profit world for a long time. He got to thinking that he should turn his attention to the Jewish community and the not-for-profit sector, potential moves he says aligned well with his values.

“There was a month where I was waking up every morning at like 2:00am with dreams of camp. And then I thought, okay, well, this is a sign,” Horwitz recalled.

He still has vivid memories of 16 or more years at the camp, beginning when he was seven years old and continuing into his 20s, and Horwitz describes his experiences as an older camper in Machon, LTP and CIT as formative.

“Those years were the most special in my life,” he told AJNews, adding that his most enduring friendships were formed during those years, including a life-long bond with immediate previous camp director Stacy Shaikin and other buddies including Calgarian Craig Lister and Edmontonian Howie Silverman, to name just a few.

“The hardest parts of our lives and the best parts of our lives all happened out here,” he said.

Horwitz, who earned a degree in psychology, springs from a family of entrepreneurs and quite naturally gravitated toward developing retail businesses. A bit of a renaissance man, he eventually went back to school, earned a graduate degree in traditional Chinese medicine and opened a specialty practice in acupuncture and Chinese medicine he says was the first in Alberta, if not Western Canada, devoted to women’s and children’s health.

Originally from Calgary, Horwitz has lived in Edmonton for some 30 years.

He refers to his return to the camp as “a real full circle moment,” an example of which is having the children of some of his previous camp buddies either attending as campers or working shoulder to shoulder with him on the camp staff.

“It’s so powerful, so meaningful,” he said.

Horwitz is the namesake of his late grandfather Cecil Horwitz, once a prominent community leader in Calgary. Cecil Horwitz the elder was a founder, and served as president of Calgary’s first Conservative Synagogue, Beth Israel (which later amalgamated with the Shaarey Tzedec Synagogue to form Beth Tzedec Congregation). He also established Calgary’s first AZA chapter – forerunner of the B’nai Brith Youth Organization (BBYO) – and was president of B’nai Brith District Six. His wife Ida was also active in congregational and community life.

Proud of the leadership roles various family members played in Jewish Alberta – including his great-grandparents, the Baltzans of Edmonton – Horwitz is clearly thrilled to be making his own mark at Camp BB Riback, which was generously supported by his grandfather Cecil, a close friend and fellow volunteer of camp co-founder and namesake Ted Riback.

Fast forward to 2026, and Cecil Horwitz Camp Director is enthusiastically working side by side with Adar Latak.

Hiring both a director and an associate director was a strategic move that bodes well for succession at the camp, says Board Chair Jessica Switzer, who characterized Horwitz and Latak as great partners with complementary skill sets.

Born in Israel and raised in Calgary since the age of seven, Latak will work with Horwitz year-round.

“It’s critical to our mission to develop a strong community at Camp BB, says Horwitz, who has a foothold in both Edmonton and Calgary and is raring to go when it comes to getting each community more involved in the camp and attracting more kids from those cities, and beyond, as both campers and staff.

He says that the camp leadership is building a three-year plan addressing both infrastructure and programming. They are laser focused on improving functionality and strengthening programming and leadership development.

“This is a gem,” says Horwitz of Camp BB Riback. “There is no other place that is like this, and so we need to do all we can to remain competitive with other camps across Canada.”

Adar Latak is ever aware of the intergenerational appeal of Camp BB.

“It’s really cool to work at a place where people have made everlasting memories.  People in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, you ask them, they say I met my wife or I met my husband here,” said Latak. “It’s so cool to be part of a place where people have made memories that will last forever.”

Latak, 27, previously served as Cochavim counsellor and Machon counsellor and later worked on the operational side in camp maintenance. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Victoria.

Horwitz describes Latak as “a consistently positive and upbeat person” who has a “special calming way with people, especially kids.”

While the buck stops with Horwitz, and he does assign specific tasks to his Associate Director, Horwitz says that he and Latak have “naturally created paths of responsibility” in their first year, becoming a duo that works seamlessly together.

The fact that Latak is Israeli has made a big impact at the camp, Horwitz says, adding that  he has connected well with staff and campers in general and, especially, with Israeli staff and campers, some of whom moved to Canada with their families following the October 7^th Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.

Notably, the camp has also attracted a few kids currently living in Israel because they have cousins or friends living in Calgary or Edmonton who attend Camp BB Riback.

In addition to his other responsibilities, Latak has assisted with programs relating to Israel, including Israel Days, a camp program supported by a generous grant from the Edmonton Jewish Community Charitable Foundation.

Latak describes the connections he has made with campers as “magical.”

Horwitz says that much of the magic rests in sharing with campers the traditions and experiences that many of the Jewish staff experienced themselves under the leadership of a previous generation of counsellors who influenced their own lives in positive ways.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” he adds.

In July, first session was attended by 152 kids, down a little from the previous summer, said Horwitz, which he chalked up to the fact that he was hired so close to the beginning of the camp season.

“Parents want to have some reassurance of who [the camp director] is going to be and what their experience is,” he said, adding that some parents also had security concerns given a sharp rise in antisemitic acts throughout the Diaspora.

Security has been beefed up at the camp, including the installation of cameras and additional lighting and the hiring of a full-time security expert, thanks to support from the Canadian Jewish Security Network and a federal government grant from the Canada Community Security Program (CCSP).

Outreach to community members about augmented security measures helped to increase registration for the summer of 2026, Horwitz said. One thing that makes the camp more secure is well-established relationships with bordering neighbours over 71 years…and counting, he added. “Our neighbours are our allies.”

Camper and parent feedback about both first session and second session have been overwhelmingly positive, says Jessica Switzer, despite a few bumps in the road, including the resignation of 14 international staff members.

“We were disappointed that they made this choice,” says Switzer, adding that the rest of the staff really came together to help ensure that campers had a great experience.

By all accounts, they did. Toward the end of first session, the inevitable phone calls began, with parents wondering if their kids wanted to extend their time at the camp or, conversely, the camp contacting parents to say that their children hoped to stay.

This led to 78 kids in second session, well exceeding the minimum the camp strives for in a session that typically attracts fewer campers (making it ideal for kids who thrive in a more relaxed environment or need more support).

“Parents have mixed feelings because they want to be with their kids, but they also want their kids to be out somewhere experiencing the Jewish community in a closed environment,” Horwitz says.

“It’s safe and secure for them, gets them off their phones, and puts them in scenarios where they learn how to be and build resilience,” added Horwitz, whose 16-year-old son Arlo, a BB Riback veteran, is with him at the camp, working in operations and taking part in some camp programs with his peers.

Horwitz acknowledges that it is challenging to spend months away from his wife Erin, a busy horticulturalist who has visited the camp a couple of times.

Other camp directors agree that their work requires sacrifice on the part of their families. Horwitz did his due diligence, speaking to as many directors as possible – both at Jewish and non-Jewish camps – and really talking things through with his family before committing to Camp BB Riback.

“This is more than a job. It really is a calling, you know. For me, it’s not surprising, given my love for this place for so many years.”

Horwitz says he’s enjoyed his interactions with campers, parents and his staff, the latter of which peaked at 70 during the first session.

There are a couple of exciting developments at Camp BB, including new quarters for visiting camp doctors and the camp medic, medical supply storage and an examination room. The infirmary – a project initiated by former camp director Stacy Shaikin – was donated by Leonard and Faigel (OBM) Shapiro and named in loving memory of Aron and Ida Eichler, the camp’s inaugural directors.

The infirmary has been relocated closer to the Hadar where camp meals are served.

In addition to a full-time medic or nurse, there is a long-standing tradition of doctors volunteering their time at the camp, including Teddy Braun, who has assisted the camp for years in person and via telemedicine. Other doctors supporting the camp include Alon Lazarovich, Rebeccah Rosenblum, and Erica Dance, always just a phone call away.

One camp improvement this year arose from an urge Horwitz felt the moment he made his return to Camp BB. He went searching for the earthen amphitheatre carved out of the hill overlooking the lake some 30 years ago. Though overgrown by vegetation, the steps remained. Thanks to a generous donation of wood from Homes by Avi, there is now comfortable seating and a podium that serves as the bimah for Shabbat services. Emblazoned on a delightful wooden sign in the shape of a stylized Magen David are the fitting words “Amphitheatre by Avi.”

Since the 2026 season opened, campers and staff have gathered at the site for Shabbat services with a million-dollar view overlooking the lake, another full-circle moment for Horwitz.

Other camp improvements include plumbing upgrades and new siding and rooves for previously existing buildings. Camp infrastructure still in need of improvement or replacement include the director’s house, the kitchen, the olam, and the cook’s house, Horwitz said, some of which may become part of the three-year plan as priorities are established. He also hopes to eventually add heating to camp buildings wherever possible.

Rental of camp facilities during the off-season would provide a significant revenue stream for the camp, explains Horwitz, who adds that there is no shortage of organizations in touch with the camp about potential rentals. One tenant over the past few years has been Camp Maple Leaf, which rents space at the end of the second BB Riback camp session.

On the programming side, camp staff have made it a priority to build upon the Jewish programming traditionally offered at the camp, bringing in leaders of community organizations that help campers to understand the breadth – and, sometimes, the challenges – of what it means to be Jewish.

“The current leadership of the community, and it has been this way for as long as I can remember, had something to do with this camp,” said Horwitz, adding that both he and the camp board are keen on providing increased opportunities for Jewish young adults to work in every area of camp operations and programming, gaining experience that will help them to be the leaders of tomorrow.

Tips for campers and staff on how to function beyond the Jewish community, especially when facing challenges such as antisemitism, are also important, especially given the current situation in the Middle East and the fallout in the Diaspora, Horwitz says.

While helping campers to navigate the “oys” facing Diaspora Jews, Camp BB Riback also focusses on the joys of Jewish heritage. In addition to Friday night and Saturday morning Shabbat services and Havdalah at the conclusion of the Sabbath, the camp is providing more ways for Jewish kids to further identify with their heritage, like making Challah covers and mezuzahs.

Horwitz describes the work of his current staff as both challenging and rewarding, giving a particular shout-out to the head staff and coordinators he says show “unwavering commitment to the community, to the camp, and to the kids.” In addition to Horwitz and Latak, head staff during the summer of 2026 included Hannah Pertman, Ellie Vogel, Dana Wolle and Noam Rosenblum.

“It was a very good summer,” says Camp Board Chair Jessica Switzer, adding, “It was exciting to have a new director and an associate director.”

Both Horwitz and Switzer have been hearing happy noises from campers and parents, and the camp looks forward to more detailed responses on a parent survey, the first in many years.

“This was the start of a wonderful team,” said Switzer of Horwitz and Latak. “It has been many years since they were at camp, and they are finding their footing. It was a great summer, and it will just get better from here on out.”

“We want to build on this year’s momentum and keep doing everything we did well while working on things we can improve on,” Switzer added.

Plans are already in the works for 2027, and the camp community will be getting the details on a new and improved website that will be up and running around Rosh Hashanah. Parents will want to keep their eyes open for the early-bird discount.

Camp BB Riback is committed to ensuring that any kid who wishes to attend can do so. Bursaries provided by the Edmonton and Calgary Jewish communities go a long way to ensuring that families needing a helping hand can also give their children the summer of their lives, but, says Horwitz, the need for community support is growing.

While it is expensive to send kids to camp, generations of Jewish kids from Alberta, Saskatchewan and points well beyond will tell you that their camp BB experiences were, and remain, priceless. “It’s so important for the kids to be one with nature, one with their friends,” said Adar Latak, adding that the opportunity to connect with their Jewish identity is every bit as important.

“I can tell you what an impact my Jewish friends have had on me and how special that has been. That was all because of camp, and it’s the same for these kids here,” Latak said. “There’s something that’s so special that’s shared between us, and having that here, in a place for ourselves where we can also disconnect from the world and just have this time together…It only makes you a better version of yourself.”

For more information about Camp BB Riback, go to campbb.com.