Camp Chamah Ends 12th Summer

Camp Gan Israel Chamah, located in the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn, has recently concluded its 12th summer.

12 years ago, one of the area’s Shluchim Rabbi Efraim and Chanie Zaltzman saw the need for an Orthodox camp in the area, populated with scores of Russian Jews. He partnered with the Chamah organization, which provides programs and assistance for Russian Jewish immigrants, to set up the camp and provide scholarships to local children.

“The rest is history,” says Zaltzman, who is also the director of Chabad of Kingsborough. “We have now concluded our 12th year of a great Gan Israel camp for many hundreds of Jewish children.”

This year’s program was led by Mrs. Dina Sharfstein as the girls head counselor, educator Rabbi Mendy Hershkop as the boys head counselor and Mrs. Gillie Shanowitz as program director.

Zaltzman explains that the camp includes a mix of all types of Jewish children – children of local shluchim attend alongside children who are in public school during the year.

“Many of the public school children were greatly influenced by their camp experience,” he says. “Many said they will begin wearing tzitzis and doing other mitzvos such as saying modeh ani and lighting Shabbos candles from now on.”