Campers Delighted By ‘Home Visits’

By: Alicia Hearns

On Tuesday July 3rd Camp Gan Israel opened for its’ first day of the Summer 2018 season. A part of the largest and fastest growing network of Jewish day camps in the world, “Gan Izzy” has been run by Dr. Yosef and Mrs. Devora Caytak since the 1990s. Operating out the building’s location at 192 Switzer Avenue, CGI has a well-earned reputation as a trend setter of innovative ideas, creative programs and of having an exceptional group of dedicated, nurturing and experienced Jewish counselors every year. Head counselors Miriam Caytak from Ottawa and Leah Alenick from New York organized all of the many activities and specialists that came throughout the summer.

The amazing group of counselors included: Bayla Fishman from Houston, Chana Posner, Devorah Leah Posner, Tzivi Rabin, Racheli Yerushalmy, Ettie Fischer, and Sari Cohen from Flordia, Layah Carlebach from St. Agathe, Quebec, and Esther Teitlebaum from Ottawa. CGI also has an amazing group of junior counselors, all from Ottawa, including; Leah Loschihkes, Hannah Lengler, Rivka Lengler, Aliza Dachevski and Rivka Teitlebaum.

The theme at CGI this year was “Treasure It”. Campers ranging from age 18 months to 12 years old participated in a variety of imaginative activities everyday from sand art, tie dye, cookie decorating, a mirror maze and more. Also included in the daily calendar were specialists from across Ottawa who visited the camp to perform various workshops including; art lessons with Young Rembrandts, Little Lotus Yoga, dance classes with Luv2Groove, sailing on the Ottawa River with Advantage Boating, Dourvris Martial Art, Monkey Rock, French music classes with Joelle Perrier of Making Music Meaningful, Little Rays Reptile, the Junkyard Duo, Leo Brooks with Tree Frog Drum Circle and more. Campers enjoyed daily professional swim lessons with certified swim instructors and free swim time. Every Wednesday was a field trip to amazing places throughout Ottawa such as; Fun Haven, Saunders Farm and Mont Cascades Water Park.

On Thursday nights, camp didn’t end at 3:30 p.m. like every other weekday. On these nights the counselors organized one of the most beloved and popular programs run by CGI, “Goodnight Gan Izzy”. Each week, campers and their families were visited by their counselors at their homes to read a bedtime story to the children, do a craft or other activity, say Shma and wish them a special goodnight.

The Goodnight Gan Izzy program allows campers the opportunity to bond with their counselors and to have a little extra attention, making them feel all the more special when they return to camp the next day. The program also represents one of the foundational values of CGI, the importance of instilling Jewish values. As role models, the counselors show their campers the significance of Jewish customs and traditions and of transferring those values into their everyday routine. For this reason, the program is just as popular among the parents as it is for the campers.

This Summer was an exceptional year for CGI as registration increased by over 20%. Camp Gan Israel will be celebrating its last day of the 2018 season on Thursday, August 2nd with an amazing carnival, complete with face painting and a bounce castle. Director Devora Caytak believes that next year will be even bigger “We are looking forward to seeing all of our campers return next summer and to increasing registration again, allowing us to offer even more amazing and exceptional specialists and activities for a Summer of a Lifetime! After all, this is the Rebbe’s camp!”

For information on Camp Gan Israel and other programs run by the Jewish Youth Library of Ottawa, please visit www.jewishyouthlibrary.com or call 613-729-1619.