Camp JORI dedicates mural by famous alumni

A mural by Rhode Island entrepreneur and artist Ben Weiss was officially dedicated at Camp JORI, in South Kingstown, on July 22.

Weiss, who died in 2010, had donated the 24-foot-long painting, which shows the JORI waterfront. The mural was installed in the Reisman Atrium, inside the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Community Building at the camp on Wordens Pond, in the village of Wakefield.  Members of the Weiss family attended the dedication ceremony.

JORI, the Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island, was founded in 1909 and closed in 1943. The camp was founded in 1937 in Narragansett as the summer quarters for the orphanage. The camp continued at its original site until 2002, when it moved to its current location.

Benjamin “Ben” Weiss, who was born in 1923, was a locally and internationally celebrated artist, educator and entrepreneur.  Ben was born in Poland, but spent much of his childhood in the Jewish orphanage, along with his three brothers.

At a young age, Ben demonstrated talent for the visual arts, and eventually earned a scholarship to the Rhode Island School of Design.  After serving in World War II, he graduated from RISD and became an art teacher in the Providence school system, while continuing to paint.  His many paintings are, to this day, valued and collected.

Later in life, Weiss started numerous businesses and real estate ventures, but he retained his passion for painting and the arts.

Jacob, Ben, Charles and James Weiss learned self-sufficiency and brotherly love at a very young age. All four spent much of their childhoods at the orphanage, in Providence, and spent many a happy summer at Camp JORI. All four brothers often spoke about and attributed many of their lifelong skills to Camp JORI, where their children would also become campers.

With assistance from friends, relatives and the Jewish orphanage, Jacob “Jack”  Weiss, 1922-1970, attended Brown University. There he won the Hartshorn Prize for excellence in mathematics and graduated in 1948. A veteran of World War II, Jack was loved and respected by all who knew him. He died, at the age of 47, at the Brockton Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Charles “Charlie” Weiss, 1928-2011, a father of four, worked as a cost accountant in Providence, but, like his brothers, he also later became involved in real estate. Charlie, who was the first of the siblings to be born in Providence, is remembered for his generous heart and loving nature.

James “Jim” Weiss, 1930-2016, was a successful self-made real estate professional who developed a thriving property management business that remains in the family today.  Jim was known as a generous man and respected mentor who helped others develop their businesses.  He was an avid tennis player and accomplished sailor, and could often be seen walking his beloved dogs.  Jim met his wife, Frances, at Camp JORI.

For more information on Camp JORI, please email  info@campjori.com.

MICHAEL SHUSTER is President Emeritus of Camp JORI.