Atlanta Jewish Foundation Impact Story
July 20, 2026
Some relationships change your life in an instant. For Steven and Janet Cadranel, it happened over a Shabbat dinner in Israel.
Years ago, while participating in a Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta mission, the Cadranels visited Yokneam-Megiddo, Atlanta’s sister city. The purpose of the trip was to experience firsthand the organizations and communities supported by Federation and its donors. But amid the site visits and meetings, one evening would leave a lasting impression.
Steven and Janet were paired with an Israeli family for Shabbat dinner. Within the first hour, the two families felt an extraordinary connection.
“It was instantaneous,” Steven recalls. “We were fathers trying to make sure our families were safe, secure, and understood the importance of being part of the Jewish community. We realized the values we grew up with in America were the same values they grew up with in Israel.”
What began as a single meal became a friendship that has now spanned decades.
One Summer. A Lifetime of Impact.
Not long after returning home, the Cadranels invited the Itach family’s oldest daughter, Shiraz, to spend the summer at Camp Barney Medintz.
The experience would change far more than one life. “If you send one child to Israel, you impact one child’s life,” Steven says. “If you bring one Israeli to Camp Barney Medintz for an entire summer, you influence 60, 70, even 90 different lives.”
Instead of simply learning about Israel, campers formed genuine friendships with someone their own age. Israel became personal. The connection became real.
For Shiraz, camp became equally transformative. She returned for several summers, even delaying her military service so she could come back as a counselor.
After completing her service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), she accepted a role traveling across the United States, educating American soldiers about the Iron Dome defense system. Shiraz credits camp with giving her the confidence to stand in front of audiences and share Israel’s story.
One summer. One opportunity. Countless lives touched.
Family Beyond Borders
Today, the Cadranels and their Israeli hosts don’t describe themselves as friends.
They’re family.
They’ve celebrated milestones together, supported one another through challenges, and remained deeply connected despite living thousands of miles apart.
Last fall, the Israeli family planned to attend the wedding of the Lauren, Steven and Janet’s daughter. Then life intervened. Shiraz’s brother, Ido, had been seriously injured during the war in Israel. The date of the wedding coincided with what the family called his “second birthday” – the anniversary of surviving shrapnel wounds that nearly took his life.
The parents stayed in Israel to support his recovery. But Shiraz insisted on coming.
She left her brother’s celebration, boarded a plane, traveled for nearly 24 hours, and arrived in Atlanta just in time – not only to attend the wedding, but to serve as a witness on the marriage license.
“She signed the Ketubah” Janet shares. “That’s how important that family is to us.”
After the wedding, Shiraz continued to New York to reunite with friends she had first met years earlier at Camp Barney Medintz. Those camp friendships, like the bond between the two families, continue to grow.
Investing in Jewish Futures
Steven and Janet Cadranel have long believed that strong Jewish communities don’t happen by accident. They are built through relationships, leadership, and generosity.
As longtime donors and leaders of both the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and the Atlanta Jewish Foundation, the Cadranels have spent years investing in the people and experiences that strengthen Jewish Atlanta – not only for today, but for generations to come.
Their story beautifully illustrates how philanthropy creates ripple effects that extend far beyond a single gift.
A Federation mission created one meaningful introduction.
A summer at Camp Barney Medintz sparked lifelong friendships.
Those friendships strengthened connections between the United States and Israel, inspired hundreds of young people, and continue to shape lives across continents.
In a time when the future of Jewish camping faces new challenges and Jewish connection has never been more important, stories like the Cadranels’ remind us why these investments matter.
Sometimes the greatest impact begins with something remarkably simple: one conversation, one act of generosity, one unforgettable summer.
And from there, the ripples never stop.
To learn how you can support your favorite summer camp, reach out to Ghila Sanders at gsanders@jewishatlanta.org.
