By COLlive reporter
Camp Gan Israel in Parksville, NY, announced its head staff for the summer of 2012 – and more than one of the names will sound familiar.
Levi Shemtov of Uruguay and Nochum Schapiro (ben R’ Gavriel) of Crown Heights will be joining Rabbi Nachman Dov Wichnin as Head Counselors of Chabad’s oldest overnight camp for boys.
“This will be Nachman Dov’s fourth summer with us,” the camp director Rabbi Yossi Futerfas told COLlive.com.
Hiring a married man for the job is a rarity among Chabad summer camps, relying instead on single bochurim and girls who are on break from the yearly learning routine.
“We are lucky to have him,” Futerfas admitted. “The dream was always to have such staff coming back summer after summer.
“Nachman Dov is very responsible and has tremendous people skills – with children and parents alike. Having him on board brings a certain consistency.”
Futerfas likened his hiring to that of Rabbi Sholom Baras who has been the learning director for years now, and is joined by bochurim as co-learning directors (this year Menachem Altein of Crown Heights and Shazi Perman of Chile).