Camp Gan Israel UK camps for boys and girls recently ended a successful summer of fun and inspiration.
"Camp Gan Israel UK overnight camps were this year an outstanding success, and it was all due to the amazing group of Head staff and councellors who created a super chassidish environment."
The boys camp was directed by Rabbi and Mrs Refoel and Elky Dubov, Mashpia in Manchester Lubavitch Yeshiva, and was held in Oswestry School Shropshire. Co-Directors were Rabbi and Mrs Shmuli and Tzivia Brown who are Campus Shluchim in Liverpool.
A fantastic group of bochurim did a great job in instilling in the campers a spirit of fun and inspiration and one camper who comes from a non-religious background in Exeter decided through camp to attend Yeshiva.
Meanwhile the girls camp was directed by Rabbi and Mrs. Nissan Dovid and Sarah Dubov, Shluchim in Wimbledon. They were helped by co-directors Rabbi and Mrs. Zalman and Shterni Lewis, Campus shluchim in Brighton, assisted by Rabbi and Mrs. Peretz and Chavi Chein, Shluchim in Cheadle, Manchester.
The camp was held in the Morfa Bay Adventure Centre in Carmarthen, South Wales and the girls, led by a super team of counselors, were given the time of their lives.
Rabbi Dubov said; "It is amazing to see how through a short time in camp more can be achieved than through a whole year!".
Finally, Gan Israel Day Camp in Edgware, UK has always had a name for exciting activities, superb staff and an all-round wholesome, fun summer experience, but this year the camp’s reputation brought it numbers on an unprecedented scale.
“Camp Gan Israel Edgware has been running since 1989” says Director Rabbi Yaron Jacobs of Lubavitch of Edgware, who co-directs the camp together with his wife, Mrs Sarah Jacobs.
“When we first took over Directorship of Camp Gan Israel, Edgware in 5769/2009 we managed to attract just over 170 children. Every year we saw a steady increase of between 25-40 children attending and last year we reached 310: on par with a historical high at CGI Edgware.”
“What we saw this year was without precedent. Our numbers had already superseded last years three weeks before the start of camp and before we knew it we had 430 campers.”
“Finding the extra staff to help was a challenge on such short notice, but as always the Hashgocho Protis was uncanny, and all was underway and ready on time for two weeks of non-stop fun for the Kids and hard work for the staff, numbering close to 70.”
This year the camp’s theme was “Lighting up the World”. Each day the campers “travelled” to a different country lighting it up with Torah and Mitzvos having lots of fun on the way.
The children enjoyed schedules packed with arts ‘n’ crafts, sports, special activities including in-camp ice-skating, giant inflatable slides and assault courses, The Jungle bus – a double-decker London bus converted into a mobile soft-play centre, and professional dance classes for the girls. Added to that were weekly full-day trips to exciting theme-parks.
The directors are now looking forward to next year, to even bigger numbers, but are finding it difficult to locate an appropriate location in Yerusholayim.
