From Centerland to Center Stage, Erin Casper’s Jewish Upbringing Helps Her Meet This Moment

Long before Erin Casper became the Buffalo Jewish Federation’s Director of Development, she was simply a kid growing up in Jewish Buffalo.

And nearly everywhere she turned, there was a place for her.

There was preschool at the JCC, where one of her teachers was Leona Spindler, wife of Cantor Mark Spindler. There was the introduction to Jewish summer camp at the JCC’s Kiddie Camp, followed by more summers at Camp Centerland when it was located in Elma. There was Temple Beth Am (now Congregation Shir Shalom), where Erin attended religious school and eventually became a student teacher (Madricha).

Then came Camp Lakeland. Casper first attended the Jewish overnight summer camp in Franklinville the summer before her freshman year of high school. Two years as a camper led to counselor-in-training preparation and, eventually, four summers on staff.

Along the way, there was Hebrew High through the Bureau of Jewish Education and involvement in BBYO, a pluralistic youth group for Jewish teenagers. Each experience introduced Erin to new people, new ideas and another way to connect with her Jewish identity.

One experience would shape not only her Jewish life, but her professional life as well.

Erin became deeply involved in a children’s youth theatre workshop led by co-directors Cantor Mark Horowitz and Evie Weinstein. It was there that she discovered a love of theatre and performing – a passion she would eventually pursue professionally before joining Federation.

Looking back, Erin sees more than a collection of programs. She sees a childhood surrounded by people and places that gave her opportunities to explore who she was and what mattered to her.

And those connections didn’t end when she grew up.

As an adult, Erin found her way back to Jewish Buffalo through experiences designed for a very different stage of life. She participated in a Well Circle, a small group inspired by “At The Well” that gathered around Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of each new Jewish month. The group combined Jewish learning with something equally valuable: an opportunity to form meaningful adult friendships and rediscover community.

Then, when Erin became a mother, PJ Library programs provided another point of connection – this time allowing her to begin experiencing Jewish Buffalo through the eyes of her own family.

The programs were different. The stages of life had changed. But the feeling was familiar.

“When I think about the experiences I had in Jewish Buffalo, it shaped who I am as a person, as a Jewish person, and that is why I am so passionate about working for Federation and giving back to this community,” Erin said. “I want everyone to have those moments that shape and inspire them like I was so fortunate to have growing up.”

It is a story that feels especially fitting as Jewish Buffalo prepares to gather for the 2027 Campaign for Jewish Buffalo Kickoff event, themed Rooted in Joy, Connected in Community.

Erin will take the stage during the Kickoff program, not simply as Federation’s Director of Development, but as someone whose own life illustrates what those words can mean.

Her Jewish roots stretch from preschool classrooms and summer camps to theatre rehearsals, teenage friendships, and later, motherhood.

Today, Erin gets to help strengthen the community that gave her so much growing up.

“This community is so important to me” she said.

For Erin, that belief isn’t abstract. It comes from a lifetime of moments that helped shape who she became. And it is why she believes so deeply in Federation’s work to ensure Jewish Buffalo continues to be a place where people can find connection, discover what inspires them and create meaningful Jewish experiences of their own.

See Erin on Wednesday, September 23 at the 2027 Kickoff event. Register for this night of community and your opportunity to make a tangible difference for Jewish life in Buffalo.