George E. Jonas

George E. Jonas (December 22, 1897 – August 25, 1978) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of the Louis August Jonas Foundation and Camp Rising Sun, a full scholarship, international summer camp in Red Hook, New York. Originally for boys aged 14–16, a girls' camp was added in 1989. After Jonas' retirement from business, he devoted the rest of his life to the camp.

Biography George Edward Jonas was the son of Louise and Louis August Jonas, who started an international business at the turn of the 20th century making felt for men's hats. The family was Jewish, and with business success became quite wealthy.

Jonas attended Columbia College, Columbia University, and was enrolled in the Naval Officers Training School there during World War I. His father died, and he left Columbia in 1919 before graduating. At the age of 32, shortly before the stock market crash of 1929, Jonas bought a tract of land about north of New York City, in the Hudson River Valley in upstate New York. The property had a 200-year-old farmhouse (originally called "the Valley" and now the "Old House" at Camp Rising Sun) and barn that once belonged to the first Lord of Livingston Manor, Robert Livingston. and subsequently his grandson, Robert G. Livingston Jr. (1749–1791)

Jonas established a foundation in memory of his father, who died in 1915, to set up and administer and fund the camp, which was to be tuition-free. The foundation was located in nearby Rhinebeck.

Camp Rising Sun opens According to camp alumnus Pete Seeger, Jonas originally wanted to call the camp "Rising Son" and make a play on words. Jonas felt that for teenagers to rise in the world, they needed to be exposed to other types of people, so he intentionally invited boys of different backgrounds to his camp. Early on, campers were all from New York City, from a variety of religious backgrounds.

Jonas died in Rhinebeck on August 25, 1978, leaving his fortune to the foundation for continued operation of the camp. I'm trying to demonstrate that there are a great many young people who don't have much money or who have none, who are bright, and given encouragement and guidance will fill their potential.

The Camp Rising Sun Alumni Association of Denmark created a foundation to operate a European version of CRS and named its foundation after Jonas.