Back to School After Sweden Camp

The young sons of Shluchim in Europe have started school. Home school classrooms at the kitchen table, Online School classrooms in the living room, Day Schools and even some regular Lubavitcher mosdos. But there’s a difference this year: the kids are more ready than ever to jump into their studies, after learning dozens or even hundreds of lines of mishnayos and Tanya by heart in European Tzeirei Hashluchim camp in Sweden.

“My son just started school. I’m realizing that he has a new fluency in learning since camp,” writes a mother of a 9 year old camper.

In a specially designated time each morning, every camper, without exception was involved in the learning. The counselors were all on on board to both test the kids on what they had learned and to teach them the material.

All the thousands of lines of Hayom Yom, Tanya and Mishnayos were learned leilui nishmas Rabbi Moshe Freedman obm of Bahia Blanca, who was dedicated to the Rebbe’s shlichus heart and soul.

Learning director Peretz Garelik has an enthusiasm that is contagious: “At the end of the summer every single camper had learned a large amount, and each camper recieved seforim for their work. Camper Yudi Boaz of Vienna was tested on all the first 12 perakim of Tanya and recieved the entire set of Reshimos!”

Apart from the regular classes, kids enjoyed learning practical halochos of tzitzis during the summer, by practicing the knotting techniques and working together to make kosher tzitzis.

Campers were also absorbed in excitement of building a beautiful model Bais Hamikdash, made entirely of sugar cubes, under the tutelage and direction of Mendel Levertov, assisted by Berel Sassonkin.

“The camp was amazing, the program was exciting, there was personal attention and caring for the children and a chasidishe atmosphere,” shares Rabbi Mendel Hendel of Athens, Greece. ” Levi is still singing the songs and relating the experiences he had in camp.”

“If there’s a place of warmth, compassion and chassidishkeit, with special touch of personal care – an environment of a children’s kinnus summer camp the chosen place would be Gan Yisroel of Sweden,” says Mrs Leah Liberow of Brussels, Belgium. “The Namdars’ constant care – together with all the madrichim who keep in touch for years – is a memorable experience for our dear children.”

“We would like to thank MyShliach and Merkos for their partnership and true dedication to the kinder fun shluchim,” says Assistant Director Dani Namdar. “And a big yasher koach to all the staff for a beautiful Chassidishe summer. Without their devotion and dedication to the shluchim’s kids, all of this wouldn’t have been possible.”

Led by Head Counselors Mendel Goldman of Oklahoma and Yudi Namdar of Sweden, the 3 week camp was one long Hakhel Farbrengen.

“What a chassidishe Farbrengen can accomplish, even Malach Michoel ( the defending angel of Am Yisroel) cannot accomplish,” says Rabbi Alexander Namdar, director of the camp, who also taught the Bar Mitzva Division Chassidus each morning.

“We ourselves can never know what effect this camp experience can have on the children, affecting their lives all year round and in the future, beezras Hashem, and bringing us all closer to Moshiach.”

As one parent says: “The boys will remember the chassidishkeit they got and keep getting in camp forever!”

The Tzeirei Hahluchim Camps are are a project of Chabad Sweden in conjunction with Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky from Merkos and Myshliach.