Is there value to camp?

by Rabbi Moishe Kievman
Chabad Chayil

Camp is the most special time of a child’s year. It’s also the most educational part of their year. Unlike school, where kids are in learning mode, yet for some reason are not always excited to go, camp is fun, full of exciting activities and always looked forward to by all kids! They’re in a great mood and ready to soak things in!

Many kids who have a difficult time memorizing what they learn in school, have a much easier time memorizing camp songs and every silly skit & shtick they see in camp. They remember it with every hand movement, detail & nuance. The same kid who’s failing school is excelling in camp!

For this reason, The Rebbe established the first Camp Gan Israel in NY nearly 70 years ago, with the goal to capture the best of the child’s year and infuse it with good character traits and a noninvasive education that kids look forward to.

Gan means a garden – a pleasurable place to spend time and where things grow. Israel, in addition to being the name of all Jews, is also the name of the founder of Chassidim, the great Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov. Thus, Camp Gan Israel (or CGI as it’s lovingly known) is a garden where kids grow in every way, from learning how to be a mench to the proper way for a Jew to tie his shoes.

Between overnight camps and day camps, today there are over 500 Camp Gan Israels, with close to 200,000 campers attending this summer! For our local Camp Gan Israel in Highland Lakes, activities include: Swimming, Cooking, Sports, Arts & Crafts, Boating, Survival, Crazy Science, Kabala 101, Team Building, Field Trips & Tons of Fun! As always Chabad Chayil policy, no one is ever turned down due to lack of funds, giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy the summer of a lifetime! G-d willing the new Chabad Chayil campus will be ready very soon and we’ll be able to accommodate so many more children.

When Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov was a child of five years old, his father said to him: “My son, have no fear from any one, except G‑d. Love every Yid, whoever he may be and however he may be, with all the fire of your soul!”  These two things -The Rebbe taught – fear of G‑d and love of our fellow man, accompanied the Baal Shem Tov throughout his life and was the guiding force to his holy work. And it’s these 2 things that are infused in every child that attends a Camp Gan Israel.

We, therefore, focus many activities on getting rid of children’s fears. From swimming lessons with professional instructors to encouraging kids to play a sport that they’re not yet good at. From animal therapy to exploring new kinds of art, children are fully immersed in exploring new experiences. And when kids learn to let go of fears together with other kids, there’s a magical bond that develops between them! A bond that we’re sure will last a lifetime!

You can find a Camp Gan Israel in just about every county in FL, with over 2 dozen chapters right here in South Florida alone! To learn more about camp go to www.ChabadChayil.org/camp or call (305) 770-1919.

About the author:
Rabbi Kievman together with his wife are the ambassadors of The Rebbe to Highland Lakes, FL. They are the founders of Gan Chabad Preschool, your local CTeen & CKids chapters, CHAP – an afterschool program for Jewish children in Public Schools and direct Chabad Chayil. He’s the rabbi at The Family Shul and can be reached at (305) 770-1919 or rabbi@ChabadChayil.org. You can also support the community with your partnership at ChabadChayil.org/Partner.