GAN ISRAEL CAMPING NETWORK

There are hundreds of them around the world, with tens of thousands of campers. When the sun is at its zenith in every major city and on every continent, the summer camps of Chabad shine their light on yet another generation of Jewish children.

The Gan Israel camps span a diversity of cultures, languages and regions, extending from Alaska to Florida and from Australia to Zaire. But no matter how disparate, they are--like some spiritual Starbucks--all alike in their trademark spirit, joy and Jewish pride that permeate the Gan Israel camp experience.

2006 marks the 50th anniversary of The Gan Israel Camping Network. Founded in 1956 by the Lubavitcher Rebbe the original goal was to create a camp with the purpose of allowing children, both religiously affiliated and non, to come together for a unique summer experience, in a warm Jewish atmosphere. Around 1956 Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch by instruction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, got hold of land in Swan Lake, New York and their they built Camp Gan Israel. At its opening the camp was a fulfillment of its purpose with a large mixture of both secular and religious Jews. It was this development of the Rebbe that sparked the growth of the concept of American Jewish Camping. It is believed that Camp Gan Israel was one of, if not the first Jewish Overnight Camp in the United States.

The opening of the Gan Israel in Swan Lake sparked a huge growth amongst Lubavitcher Shluchim. Over the Past fifty years the Gan Israel Camping Network has developed into the world’s largest network of Jewish Summer Camps. Following in the Rebbe’s footsteps many Shluchim have taken to the idea of camping and have developed day camps in there communities. Currently there are more than 1,200 Gan Israel camps worldwide with estimated 100,000 Jewish Children attending every summer, with over 60% from unaffiliated Jewish homes.

In those early days, enjoying a summer camp complete with sports, arts, crafts, and entertaining activities was a novelty reserved for children of families with means. When Chabad-Lubavitch founded its summer camps, the guiding principle was that every child deserves to gain from the integration of education and camp activities and that no child should be left out. With strong support from communities worldwide, the majority of children currently attending Chabad-Lubavitch summer camps are on full or partial scholarship.

This rapid growth of camps has become one of the greatest things that Chabad Shluchim have to offer. The Rebbe spoke on many occasions how the summer is an opportunity unlike any other, and noting particularly how it’s a chance especially for children who don’t go to a Jewish School to, “let there soul get a breath of air”. All year long there soul is evolved with matters besides Torah such as there math, reading, and other activates. Comes the summer and the person is free. The soul has the opportunity to surround itself in the safeguard of Torah. The Rebbe even drew a parable to a swimmer who goes underwater without air. The breath that the swimmer takes when he comes up is so vital. It revitalizes him and allows him to continue further. It is this breath of air or summer experience rather, that allows for the soul to strengthen itself and move further.

One of the Rebbe’s other strong points about camps was the advantage of an Overnight Camp over that of a day. The campers in the day camp come in the morning, leave in the afternoon and thus especially for unaffiliated Jewish children they loose the opportunity to see what living Jewish is all about. In the overnight camp setting campers live, eat, sleep, and breathe a Jewish life and atmosphere.

Today, Gan Israel offers much more than the traditional swimming and canoing. Many camps now offer cyber art, wilderness survival, tennis, karate, and mountain biking. Special trips to theme parks, bowling and creative Shabbat overnights complement the spiritual programs that are the hallmark of Chabad-Lubavitch: Daily study and prayer, Jewish song and dance, ritual arts and crafts, and a wide variety of activities designed to generate interest and excitement in Jewish history, observance and the performance of good deeds.