Category: CGI News

On Tuesday, for the second year in a row, Lubavitcher campers & Staff made a massive Kiddush Lubavitch @ Mountain Creek waterpark, that was opened exclusively for Jewish women on Monday and Jewish men on Tuesday. Mountain Creek the worlds largest water park is located in Mount Vernon, NJ.

All the campers & staff present from the Lubavitcher camps including: Gan Yisroel, NY, Morristown Day Camp & Morristown Y.S.P., Camp F.R.E.E., L’man Achai, Oholei Torah day camp & Lubavitch Yeshiva day camp made a massive Kiddush Lubavitch. They made it by acting like they should, especially in the manner in which they dressed. Everyone instantly recognized the Lubavitchers, because they proudly wore their Yarmulkahs & Tzitzis @ all times inside the water park.

In addition to all the fun the CGINY campers had on the various water rides, there was also some fun had with Singer Shloimy Dachs who was so impressed by CGINY Learning Teacher Benny Friedman, whose voice he heard singing over the walkie talkies, that Dachs came over to see for himself and a small concert ensued on the grass at the entrance of Mountain Creek.

After the mini concert, a group of 25 CGINY campers remained to sing camp songs, in the interim getting much attention from the crowds of Jewish passerby’s.

On Wednesday morning, during breakfast in The Rebbe’s Camp, H.C.S.A. announced to the campers that the CEO of Shmais.com, in honor of his birthday this past Monday, had purchased delicious fresh donuts for the entire camp. This marked the 4th year in a row that the CEO has purchased donuts for the entire Camp Gan Yisroel in honor of his birthday. The H.C.’s announcement was greeted with thunderous chanting of “Shmais.com, Shmais.com”.

Afterwards the waiters began to distribute the 440 custard and regular donuts to all the campers and staff. When the CEO entered the dining room to capture the moment, he was greeted with a loud “2, 4, 6, 8” followed by the singing of “Happy Birthday”.

The Chayus everyone got from the donuts allowed them to learn much better during learning classes that followed breakfast

Hundreds of people from around the world including many Shluchim, CGI Alumni and former CGINY Head Counselors Yossi Spalter & Elkana Shmotkin converged on Gan Yisroel, NY on Sunday forthe summers first visiting day.

While many parents & friends took campers off grounds to nearby Pizza Shops, Shoprite and other shopping, many others decided to spend their afternoon on the beautiful grounds of CGI and enjoy delicious hotdogs, burgers and other delicious food from the worlds best canteen. The weather for the most part was B”H very good and camps sports fields, the game room and lake with bumper boats were opened to all campers & visitors.

Two staff members were selling this years beautiful t-shirts & hats in the CGI square. Camp caretaker Eric Taylor was busy all day long directing both vehicular and pedestrian traffic across the busy Old Route 17.

As visiting day was coming to an end, smiling campers wereseen shlepping bags and bags of nosh & other goodies, back from their dayout of camp.

In a sign that campers are having a blast many campers who were meant to only stay for one month told their parents that they would like to stay for the second month too. As camp is B”H packed, they will have to wait till next Summer, IYH in Jerusalem to spend an entire 2 months in the Rebbe’s Camp.

Shabbos Parshas Pinchas, was by far the most spectacular of the summer. It was a Shabbos culminating a fantastic week, which was highlighted by Shlichus War.
Before Minchah the campers were informed about a special prize for the weekly Shabbos raffle – a stereo system. Kabolas Shabbos was lead by a guest Chazzan, long time staff member of CGI Meir Kessler. The Friday night Seudah was extremly lebedik, Head Counselor Sruly Altein started the meal, teaching the camp excerpts from the first Farbrengen of the Rebbe when he came to America, this week sixty years ago. Then the camp sang all the new songs from Shlichus War, that set the tone for the meal, which turned into the most Chayos’diker Friday night that CGI has had this summer. The meal and ensuing Farbrengen continued past midnight, Head Counselor Baruch Kaplan farbrenged with over fifty campers.
Shabbos morning Tehilim had a record turnout, many campers from all divisions woke up on their own, and were there on time (the entire bunk Chof Aleph was there bright and early, in honor of their counselor Levi Raskin’s birthday). Camper Avremie Wolff, Morristown NJ lead the Minyan Tehilim.
Camper Baruch Vidal, Atlanta GA davened Pesukai Dezimrah, Camper Shneur Kamensky, Rochester NY davened Shacharis and Camper Yankie Lokshin, Brooklyn NY davened Mussaf.
The letters for counting during Kriah spelled “Shluchei Malach” in honor of the winning team “Merkos Shluchim”.
The winners of Shabbos competition were bunks Aleph (Chabad of Hungary), Gimmel (Chabad of Peru), Yud Gimmel (Chabad of Uraguay) and Tes Vov (Chabad of Venezuela). Many other bunks enjoyed late night activities of their own.

Today after breakfast the winners for learning class competition was announced they were immediately dismissed to a grand trip of speed boating.
Today’s activities were the playoffs for the Torahs Rabienu Leagues. The winners will enter the champion games on Sunday.

Thursday the Campers woke up at 8:00am, the day began with a regular day schedule – back to the fierce bunk competition. After learning classes, at 12:15pm, all the Campers and Staff gathered in front of the flagpole and lined up in three long lines for the announcement of the Shlichus War Winner!
After the usual pre-announcements and “water throwing”(due to the chilly weather the only water this year was the Judges being thrown into the indoor pool while all the Campers watched through the large windows,) all the Judges screamed out in unison, with their right fists pumped in the air, “the winner, for Shlichus War 5761 is the team of Merkos Shluchim”.

Instantly pandemonium broke out with screaming shouting singing and dancing.

After lunch Bunks 1-14 went on hikes to Liberty, Parksville and the “Water fall”. While bunks 8 and 12 went speed boating for their Shabbos competition trip.

Today was a very exciting day in Camp, the day started with the bunk competition winners (Bunks 5, 12 and 15) going at 6:00 in the morning to Hershey Park.

After breakfast the runner up (Bunk 10) went speed boating, pizza, ice cream and shopping in the mall.

After lunch the remaining bunks went on hikes to Parksville, the waterfall, Rails to Trails and to a neighboring farm where the farmer entertained them.

Bunks Chof Aleph And Chof Bais played a game of basketball and soccer against Camp Lmaan Achai, and won both games!

Bunks Aleph and Gimmel went on their Shabbos Competition trip.

Tonight night activity was “Judgment Night”, the Judges were H.C.B.K., H.W.S.M. and M.D.Y.W. amongst those prosecuted were H.C.B.H. and G.M.M.G.

A special Mazal Tov to Campers Moshe Mandel and Shimon Piekarsky on the celebration of their Bar Mitzvah.