The Gan Israel Camping Network (, 'Garden of Israel') is a group of

Chabad-Lubavitch Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...

summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer summer vacation, months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part ...

s. The network claims a total enrolment of over 100,000 children.

History

The first Chabad-affiliated summer camp was a girls' overnight camp, Camp Emunah, in

Greenfield Park, New York Greenfield Park is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The community is located along New York State Route 52, west of Ellenville. Greenfield Park has a post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that pr ...

(where it still located), founded in 1953 by Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht. In 1956, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi

Menachem Schneerson Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Modern Hebrew: מנחם מענדל שניאורסון; old-fashioned spelling: מנחם מענדל שניאורסאהן; April 5, 1902 OS – June 12, 1994; AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to man ...

, directed some young men to open a parallel boys' overnight camp under the auspices of the

Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch ( he, מרכז לענייני חינוך, lit. Central Organization for Education) is the central educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. It was founded in 1943 by the sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersoh ...

organization. He chose the name Gan Israel ("Garden of Israel") for this camp, after the founder of

Chassidism Hasidic philosophy or Hasidism ( he, חסידות), alternatively transliterated as Hasidut or Chassidus, consists of the teachings of the Hasidic movement, which are the teachings of the Hasidic ''rebbes'', often in the form of commentary on the ...

, Rabbi

Israel Baal Shem Tov Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...

. Camp Gan Israel moved to its current location in

Parksville, New York Parksville is a small hamlet in the town of Liberty, Sullivan County, New York, United States. The ZIP Code is 12768. It is situated at exit 98 on Route 17 (which is expected to be upgraded to Interstate 86 in the future). History It ...

in 1969. Rabbi Schneerson visited both of these camps in 1956 (before the camp season began), 1957 and 1960 (during the camp season). Since the early 1990s, the Rebbe's visits have formed an important part of the

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people w ...

of Camp Gan Israel in Parksville (and the other camps in the network), and are frequently referred to in song and in print. Other branches of Gan Israel overnight camps were founded near

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

(1958, in

Labelle, Quebec Labelle is a village and municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Les Laurentides Regional County Municipality. Its large "L"-shaped territory surrounds Lake Labelle, and the village is located along the Rouge River ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

(),

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

(1961, in Kalkaska Township, Michigan),

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

(1960s),

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

(2007),

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

(2012), and others. In addition, several hundred Gan Israel day camps exist around the world.

Activities

The majority of the children that attend Chabad-Lubavitch summer camps are from unaffiliated Jewish homes. To this end, camps offer introductory classes and programs in Judaism. In addition, a growing number of Chabad-Lubavitch summer camps are now equipped to aid children with

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...

. Many camps 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, namely 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.

External links

Camp Gan Israel Directory

References

{{Chabad Jewish summer camps Chabad organizations Jewish organizations established in 1956 Chabad-Lubavitch (Hasidic dynasty)