By COLlive reporter
Farewell to those wonderful times…
Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced on Thursday that sleepaway camps will not be allowed to open this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision effectively cancels the summer plans of hundreds of Chabad boys who were looking forward to being at Camp Gan Yisroel Montreal which is located in La Minerve, Quebec.
The first session was scheduled to begin on Monday, June 29 (7 Tammuz) and the second was to begin on Monday, July 27 (6 Av), concluding Sunday, August 23 (3 Elul).
The camp, directed by Rabbi Yisroel Mochkin, is a popular destination for boys ages 8-16 from Canada and the United States. It has tracks for older ages such as Section C and Masmidim. The staff are typically Chabad Yeshiva bochurim.
This summer’s head staff were going to be Head Counselors Levi Mintz, Mendel Mintz and Yisrolik Shur. Learning Directors were Levi Minsky and Sruli Mochkin. Head Counselors-Section C were going to be Levi Raskin and Shmuly Cohen, while Learning Directors-Section C were Shneur Zalman Tiefenbrun and Mendel Piekarski.
In his announcement, Legault said that day camps in Quebec will be allowed to open while remaining smaller in size and keeping social distancing regulations.
Legault said that some overnight camps that cater to children with special needs could still open this summer.
Earlier this week, Itchy and Goldy Grossbaum of Camp Gan Israel of Toronto notified that they won’t be opening this summer because of Ontario’s Covid-19 shutdown instructions.
….oh nooo!!!!
…
It literally said that Montreal is not letting ANY camps in Quebec. Use your chochma a bit.
thats nnot true
i live in montreal and daycamps, not overnight camps ccan open
This is really sad, honestly. I’m really lucky I went to Section C this past year, and made it by one year! Feel really bad for all the kids who were going to go, especially the kids who were going to go to Section C. You guys are missing a ton, unfortunately. But there has to be a way for Rabbi Mockin to do something about this. Maybe make a winter camp this coming year? Or add another section to next year? This could apply to all camps. Or maybe, Yeshivas and schools could prolong the vacation until sometime next… Read more »
When I said that the yeshivas could prolong vacation, if they’d do that, then school would go more into the summer, thereby the kids would get back the time they missed when going to camp until Tishrei.
*edit
*edit.
No one said anything about YSP at all. That depends on NJ government and the Health Department, and has nothing to do with what happened in Canada. IY”H there will be good news as there was with some camps opening in NY already… don’t start assuming it won’t be good news because of something that happened in a different country!
even though Montreal is closing it is still worthy to point out that from the start the head staff were in contact with the staff every step of the way to make sure they were well informed and not getting second hand roumers and even showing personal interest to hear if the staff are doing OK learning well even before the whole covid19 so a big khol hacoivid to all the head stuff and a big shout out to Levi mintz for the almost flawless communication the whole time ensuring that each staff member felt that he was trully being… Read more »
they really had the best canteen
well could never figer out camps wifi password any ways
Chutzpah it’s essential for kids to go to camp and it’s safe
Wow. There are such ignorant people around here. It’s not safe! I could go on for hours, but there’s a million reasons why they can’t. Besides the fact that its not in their power to do so, they would need to get all the kids to come 2 weeks before camp to get test results, have everybody in small groups so that nobody whos not in their group touches or interacts with each other, the kids would need to wash their hands every time they touch a surface, people would need to disinfect the bathroom every time somebody goes there,… Read more »
How is it not safe? Please provide any documentation showing that covid is any more dangerous to 13 year old boys then a regular seasonal flu.
In a camp you would have a lot of people with low/no risk, by the time they went back home they would be long clear even if they got sick.
What will the boys and staff do all summer? Summer school?
Don’t you think you should wait for an official statement from the camp? He said LIKELY but I don’t see that quoted here.
They should find camp grounds in US states that are open. Maybe the reform camp sites that are cancelled are available. MS.
Still no word if CGI Montreal will be offering to refund our deposit.
they just did
This is so sad. Probably not legal and really unnecessary.
Let’s hope that this can get turned around before the summer starts. I’m going to assume that the fact that the camps havent come out with an official announcement means they are still working on it.
Unfortunately, the Canadian camps have the bigger issue of getting busloads of US kids over the border.
as hard as this is to take for everyone, people have to realize that it MUST happen, and stop coming up with solutions. People R”L die from this magefah. the least you can do to show your consideration is to prevent it as much as you can from happening again. Besides for the fact that the lack of social distancing is dangerous, it is also rude and highly disrespectful to those who lost loved ones. Please don’t act as if this is a technical problem with a technical solution. This is a matter of sakonas nefoshos and cannot be treated… Read more »
You’re falling prey to liberal talking points. Feel bad for you. Obviously we cannot disregard the pain of those who lost friends and family, however we can’t live in fear forever. BH there are ways to enable safe openings of businesses etc. especially by the time summer comes around in a month and a half, the cases IYH will be even less than what we’ve seen already (drastic drops).
I lost loved ones. And I understand the need for life to continue… Yes there will always be risks when it comes to living..but you cant lock yourself in a bubble forever. We are past the crisis. Children are at low risk. Children need structure and a path forward to normalcy. There really isnt any reason healthy children going to camp cant be the first step on that path. Camps can put precautions into place just like they do with all other risks such as riding in vehicles, swimming and allergies. Parents can then decide if they are ready to… Read more »
For children under 17, FAR LESS PEOPLE have been hospitalized of COVID-19 than flu. Look it up at the CDC. They specifically say on their website: There is a zero mortality rate for this younger age group. Stop spreading fear. It’s older people, people with previous ailments, on medications – these are the ones who have R”L died – NOT CHILDREN! From JAMA Pediatrics, May 11, 2020: Finally, it is important to emphasize that the overall burden of COVID-19 infection in children remains relatively low compared with seasonal influenza. As of April 28, 2020, the CDC report 8 deaths in… Read more »
The children all had underlying conditions. The most common underlying conditions were chronic lung disease (including asthma), cardiovascular disease, and immunosuppression.