Camp Offers to Hold the Gluten

Responding to the increase in celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, the Jewish Girls Retreat (JGR) Winter Retreat will offer a gluten-free option at its five-day winter retreat this December. JGR will be the first camp with Orthodox supervision to offer campers gluten-free food. Providing a healthy menu which accommodates special dietary needs has long been a priority for JGR, which was one of the first observant camps to offer a vegetarian option. JGR is devoted to helping girls from a variety of backgrounds (and with a variety of health issues) enjoy the camp experience.

Nechama Laber says that offering gluten-free food is a reflection of her larger mission as a Chabad camp director to welcome all Jewish girls to the camp. Laber says, “I work very hard to make sure JGR is open to every girl, whether she’s never learned how to make a bracha (blessing) before or she has been educated in a Jewish Day School. When I heard about how many people are dealing with celiac disease, I realized that JGR could welcome even more girls if we offered gluten-free food.”

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes damage to the intestines when the protein gluten is ingested. According to the Mayo Clinic, celiac disease is four times more common now than 50 years ago, and affects as many as one in every hundred people. The only treatment is a diet that is strictly gluten-free.

Camp chef Michelle Conrad will work with camp nurse Ellen Zagorsky Goldberg to implement the gluten-free menu. The two began talking about offering a GF option while working at the JGR summer camp. “Michelle was excited about the possibility of offering this. More importantly, she was not daunted by the prospect either,” notes Zagorsky Goldberg, who is the mother of a child with celiac disease. Conrad, who is already planning what parts of the kitchen will be designated gluten-free, says she is ready for the challenge: “I’m looking forward to giving every child who comes to Winter Retreat the healthiest and most delicious food possible.”

JGR’s Winter Retreat is for girls in grades 3-10 and will be held December 25-29, 2013 at the Holiday Inn in Latham, NY. Girls participate in winter activities such as snowtubing, as well as hotel-based activities such as performing arts clubs and swimming. Each girl is encouraged to explore her Judaism in a supportive and loving environment. To find out more about the Winter Retreat visit www.JewishGirlsRetreat.com/winter.

JGR is currently raising funds to purchase a property for a permanent base to hold year round programs for people of all ages that nurture the body and soul. For more info. or to become a partner, visit www.AHomeForJGR.com.