Camp Blue Star photograph album

Camp Blue Star (now named Blue Star Camps) was the first private Jewish summer camp in the Southeastern United States. It was founded in 1948 by brothers Herman, Harry, and Ben Popkin. The camp was located in North Georgia for its first two seasons and moved to Henderson, North Carolina, in 1950. Originally an all-boys camp, Camp Blue Star became co-educational the same year it moved to Henderson. In 1951 Ben died at the age of 28 and Harry and Herman continued to direct the camp. With enrollment growing through the mid-1960s, the camp began functioning as six camps divided by age, and its name was changed to Blue Star Camps. Harry retired in 1971, followed by Herman in 1985, who transferred ownership to his son, Rodger Popkin, and Rodger's wife, Candy Popkin. Rodger's son Jason Popkin became a director in 1996, and his daughter Lauren Popkin Herschthal joined the leadership team in 2005.

Doris Poliakoff Feinsilber (1941- ) was born to Rosa (1914-1999) and Meyer Poliakoff (1911-1985) in Abbeville, South Carolina, a small town where she and her two siblings, Edward and Elaine, were the only Jewish children in the school they attended. She and her siblings traveled from Abbeville to Henderson, North Carolina to attend the camp to meet and spend time with other Jewish youth. Doris attended Camp Blue Star from 1955-1959.