Jacob Schwartz’s passion for disability advocacy began as a camper at Camp Ramah New England, where he did camp activities alongside peers with developmental disabilities.

Camp Ramah’s inclusion program, Tikvah, provides summer camp experiences for teens and young adults ages 12 to 22.

“From a very young age, I did activities alongside kids with developmental differences. I think because I was exposed to [inclusion] at such a young age, it became super normal for me,” Schwartz said.

The Rockville resident said campers in the Tikvah program were “part of [his] camp community.”

“Me and my friends looked forward to reuniting with them every summer, like we would anyone else,” he said.

Schwartz returned to Camp Ramah as a camp counselor in the Tikvah program, which kick-started his career in the field.

Now, Schwartz is the community programs coordinator for Makom, a local nonprofit that aims to support and empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He engages these adults by facilitating monthly social events, such as bingo, karaoke and game nights and holiday celebrations.

“I coordinate programs and activities for people we support to have fun, meet new people and broaden their social circles,” he said.

Members can also join specific “clubs” based on interest, such as walking or bowling clubs.

Schwartz channeled his positive summer camp memories into a Shabbaton for the Makom community in June.

“I really associate the Jewish summer camp experience with something that’s inherently inclusive,” he said. “Through this Shabbaton, we were able to create [a] kind of a Jewish summer camp experience for people who might have not experienced that before.”

A group spent a weekend at Capital Camps in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, where they ate communal meals, attended Shabbat services and participated in traditional camp activities such as canoeing. Members who use wheelchairs were wheeled down to the lake to be part of camp.

“We had a lot of fun, and people are still coming up to me and talking about that experience and [asking] ‘When can we go again?’” Schwartz said.

While he serves as a Makom program coordinator, Schwartz and the nonprofit want to ensure that they’re also empowering members to lead their own clubs and engage in community events.

“I really want more people we support to become leaders,” Schwartz said. “I’m encouraging them to start their own ventures or take on leadership roles within our preexisting events and clubs.”

Schwartz enjoys the inclusive, accessible aspect of his work.

“I get to learn from some really great people about big-picture stuff,” he said. “I’m learning about policy. I’m learning about advocacy. I’m learning the ins and outs of running an organization, development, all those things from really great mentors. At the same time, I feel really connected to the people we support.”

Schwartz said he loves working with people.

“It’s why I got into this field in the first place,” he explained. “I think it’s important that while you’re focusing on bigger-picture things, you stay connected to the reason you’re trying to accomplish what you’re trying to accomplish, and that is the people we’re trying to support.”

In fact, Makom supports some of Schwartz’s former Camp Ramah Tikvah campers. “It’s cool that I’ve remained in that community,” he said.

“For me, it comes more from a social justice perspective. I think that that also could be tied back to my Jewish upbringing, viewing everything through a lens of Judaism, through tikkun olam — making the world a better place,” Schwartz said. “This is the area I’ve chosen that I want to be part of and that I want to help make a better place.”

Schwartz was raised in a Conservative Jewish home in Rockville, where his family attends Tikvat Israel Congregation. He described being immersed in the Jewish community from the start.

“My dad is very passionate about Judaism and raised me and my siblings from an early age to not only be a part of the Jewish community but to be leaders in the Jewish community,” Schwartz said. “It was very important to my family that we all learned to read Torah and lead services from a young age. So that’s always been a very big part of my life.”

His passion for disability advocacy led him to Makom.

“The fact that it’s a Jewish organization is a plus,” he said. “As somebody with interest in social systems and public health, when you look at a lot of Jewish customs, they’re structured in a way that encourages community, and I think giving back to the community has been really ingrained in Jewish culture for hundreds of years.”

“Of course,” Jewish organizations such as Makom carry that cultural advantage, Schwartz added.

“I’m drawn to the work Makom does because I think it’s a great organization with a lot of really progressive ideas,” he said. “It’s very person-centered, and it’s the best of both worlds for me: it’s both a top-notch Jewish organization and a top-notch organization in the field of supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

Walking into a Makom group home,someone one unfamiliar with Makom wouldn’t know it’s a group home. It looks like “any Jewish home in the area,” according to Schwartz. He views this intentionality as a form of advocacy.

“Every day, we’re striving to make our organization more person-centered, and that’s a process,” Schwartz said. “Generally, [society] is still kind of living in the shadows of institutionalization, and I just appreciate how intentional Makom is in striving to create the standard rather than settle for the status quo.”

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com