Multilingual Shluchos Camp Ends

Remember this song from camp? “If I would have the might, I would run into the night, And I would cry out Shabbos, Shabbos Shabbos Shabbos..”

Now imagine this song sung in 16 languages, including Hungarian, Greek, Danish and Slovak. There’s a lot of mispronunciation, as campers sing the words after their friends, and lots of laughter, but it reflects the unique quality of a gathering of international shluchos.

Almost 60 girls from 29 cities spanning Europe, from Athens in the South to Finland and Siberia in the North attended Gan Yisroel for European Tzeirei Hashluchos in Gothenburg, Sweden which ended Monday.

Gothenburg is the port city that served as the last stop in Europe for the Frierdiker Rebbe and his entourage in 1940. Today, through these camps, Gothenburg is still serving as a bridge, uniting chassidim from different countries.

Three weeks were packed with chassidishe chayus and fun, learning, trips and the farbrengens that have become a hallmark of this camp. “I have never in my whole life had such a farbrengen,” said one of the girls who stayed up for the whole Friday night farbrengen. “I made a hachlata to say chitas even after camp.”

The campers return home recharged to continue their shlichus in some of the most remote locations in the world. “Mommy, now I can give YOU strength “, said Chaya Ashkenazi, 13, from Yekaterinburg, Ural, which borders Siberia.

“When you see these kids coming together and having such a great time B”H, it just brings a smile to your face,” says Mushky, one of the staff who led the Pioneer Program.

Gan Yisroel Tzeirei Hashluchim Sweden was founded in 5769 by Rabbi Alexander and Leah Namdar of Chabad of Sweden, with the support of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch and Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, initially for girls, and began the boys’ division of camp in 5771.

These camps provide a much needed opportunity for kids living on shlichus- many in very remote locations, with few- if any- friends their own age, to create real friendships and to give them a renewed strength and joy in their Shlichus. The camps are run in both English and Hebrew. (By the end of camp, most kids who come speaking just one of those languages leave with a great working knowledge of the other.)

“These children are our future,” says Rabbi Namdar, who directs the camp with his wife Leah. “This summer’s staff for both camps are very devoted to taking care of the needs of each camper and inspiring them with an emesse chassidishe chayus.”

Last preparations are underway now for the boys’ camp which begins next week, led by a team of dedicated and experienced staff. Register at tzeireihashluchim.com. To help sponsor a camp, click here