The UJA-Federation of New York has announced a $20 million legacy gift from the Jack S. & Shirley M. Silver Foundation in support of the organization's Jewish Day Camp Centennial Signature Initiative.

The gift will be used to help revitalize the infrastructure of the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds (HKC), the largest Jewish day camp system in North America, through support for programming and capital projects and an endowment. Purchased in the 1950s, HKC operates twelve day camps across three sites on or in Long Island, Rockland County, and Staten Island serving a diverse camper population including Jews, non-Jews, and children with special needs and life-threatening illnesses, many of whom are able to attend at no cost.

The gift from the founder of SIAR Capital is the largest legacy commitment made to UJA during a donor's lifetime.

"Our gift to help revitalize HKC represents both our passion for Jewish values and our deep belief in the importance of camping to accomplish the purpose of sustaining Jewish values and identity," said Silver. "The HKC campgrounds, and the wonderful camps run there, are a key component to meaningful, lifelong Jewish engagement for thousands of Jewish children, and we hope our gift will inspire others to give to this critical project as well."

(Photo credit: Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds)