Counting down to summer: What's in store at sleepaway camps for 2009
Special section: Can't wait for summer camping
By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of Jan. 30, 2009 / 5 Shevat 5769
On the heels of winter break, The Jewish Star is looking ahead to the summer to explore the fun that awaits campers in 2009. Whether it’s shiny new bunkhouses, sports celebrities on campus or a unique summer theme, camp directors already have extensive plans underway to guarantee their campers the summer of a lifetime.
Camp Shoshanim
Camp Shoshanim, a new program for girls entering grades three through nine, will open its doors for one session this summer. Led by Director Esther Katz, Shoshanim is one of the New Jersey Y camps, and the second Orthodox one after Camp Nesher, where Katz has served as head counselor.
“We are offering a new level of programming to explore things the girls can do, and do on a professional level,” explained Katz, an educator who lives in West Hempstead. “Camp is not school. Girls can be everything they want to be...We are going ratchet everything up a level and give camp an element that has not been available until now.”
Due to its affiliation with the 92nd Street Y, Camp Shoshanim will be able to host a variety of experts in the fields of sports and science.
Former New York Yankee Ron Blomberg, Major League Baseball’s first designated hitter, is scheduled to come and instruct the campers, as is Herb Brown, a former coach of the Detroit Pistons. The camp also has a partnership with Maccabi and is hoping to bring in tennis instructors from Israel.
In the nature department, different professors from the Weizmann Institute of Science will join the camp to explore astronomy and stargaze with the girls as part of Shoshanim’s starry night program.
Katz explains that the girls-only environment will be integral to each camper’s personal achievements and overall development.
“Camp Shoshanim gives you the opportunity to see who you are and learn who you are without being tested and judged,” she says. “It’s not important where you come from, what clothes you wear, or what school you go to...It’s about learning and experiencing things that you’re not going to be tested on, and exploring nature and the world around you.
The camp is not targeting girls exclusively from the tri-state area. So far close to 15 girls have registered, some from as far as Detroit, and Katz is aiming to have 100 girls for the inaugural summer.
The camp site is about a mile away from Camp Nesher, in an existing location in Lake Como, PA, used to house elderly people. Amenities include carpeted rooms, a heated swimming pool, and a ropes course, with activities such as boating, jet-skiing, ceramics and horseback riding available on the premises.
The season runs from June 29 through July 23, with a special tuition discount offered for charter campers and their siblings who attend the first summer. For more information about Camp Shoshanim, visit their web site at www.campshoshanim.org.
Camp Morasha
Camp Morasha, located in Lake Como, PA, is gearing up for a fun-filled season.
“Everything that we did last summer was so successful that we’re doing it all again,” said Jeremy Joszef, Morasha’s program director. “We’re continuing all of our exciting programs — pool parties, concerts and our sleepover party in an arcade, and once again we are having our six day road trip, where campers fly down to Florida and drive back up to camp through six states, which is pretty unique for a sleepaway camp.”
Morasha is planning to host a new activity — a live, interactive game show between campers and their parents, where parents will be participating from New York via teleconference. There will also be fresh twists added to enhance traditional Morasha favorites such as Color War and the Olympics, Joszef said.
“I am really looking forward to another awesome summer,” he added.
The camp is also excited to announce that its theme for 2009 will be R.E.S.P.E.C.T. — an acronym for Rebbeim, Elders, Self, Past, Environment, Creator, Tefilah — with each week of the summer dedicated to one of these elements. Campers will learn about each aspect of the theme and will participate in related activities and chesed projects.
Camp Seneca Lake
Camp Seneca Lake, in Honesdale, PA will mark its 36th year this summer by hosting two new post-season sports programs, open to both Seneca campers and outsiders.
There will be one program for girls, incorporating volleyball, tennis and basketball, with instruction given by WNBA players. The boys’ program will focus solely on basketball, with clinics run by NBA coaches.
“There will also be an expansion of our special needs programs for younger campers to be fully integrated into the camp,” said camp director Irv Bader. “For the last 35 years, Seneca has had the best special needs program, integrating kids with CP and other conditions, so that they can benefit from a mainstream environment.”
Infrastructure improvements for 2009 include a new dining room, as well as a giant water slide added to the pool.
Camp Nesher
Nesher, another New Jersey Y camp, is offering an exciting new program for campers aged 12 and over this summer: the opportunity to earn a jet-skiing license.
“Campers can take a practical learning course to earn a personal license to drive a jet ski,” explained Jeff Braverman, Nesher’s director.
Other highlights of the summer will include a baseball clinic with past players Ron Blomberg and Elliot Maddox, and a basketball clinic with NBA coach Herb Brown.
“We are happy to be able to open and run a good camp this summer,” said Braverman.
Camp Mesorah
Camp Mesorah is entering its 20th summer with plans underway for a merger with Sportstar Academy and its director, Joseph Stanksy. Stanksy will join the Mesorah team in Guilford, NY as a principal owner, bringing along his sports expertise to ensure an innovative summer of fun.
“Our new owner is making his mark felt and there will be certain upgrades to the camp,” said Mark Zomick, who heads Mesorah’s advertising and marketing campaign. “One of the qualities of Sportstar is to invite athletes up to camp for an extended period of time.”
Mesorah plans to welcome New York Giants receiver Amani Toomer to the camp, where he will teach campers different sports strategies and techniques. Toomer will be joined by other athletes throughout the summer, including a player from the New York Knicks.
Mesorah campers, particularly boys, can look forward to an enhanced and more focused sports program, which will include more instruction and the option to participate in a two-week course where three or four of the week’s night activities will be sports-related. All campers will be able to enjoy an upgraded canteen.
The camp is also excited to welcome aboard a new boys head counselor, Rabbi Yitzy Klapper, who was previously on staff in Mesorah’s Teen program.
“We are combining the best of Mesorah and Sportstar...and there is a lot going on — programming for in camp and out of camp activities so that kids won’t be bored,” Zomick added.
Camp Dora Golding
Camp Dora Golding is excited to announce the addition of seven new air-conditioned bunks with custom built in beds and cubbies to their campus in East Stroudsberg, PA. Campers will also enjoy a new miniature golf course that is being built on the premises.
“Everything else is pretty much the same and the recipe seems to be working,” said Executive Director Alex Gold. “We’re sold out for the month of July and have a couple of spots left for August.”
At Camp Dina, Dora Golding’s girls’ counterpart in Dingman’s Ferry, PA, campus improvements are being made as well.
“A separate family dining room is being built on to the existing one to give more room for our campers,” Gold explained. “We are remodeling our camper dining room, to be insulated, with dropped ceilings and air conditioning.”
Two bunkhouses on the campus are also being extended, “to allow the influx of campers” who want to attend the camp, Gold added.
Camp Ma Na Vu
Camp Ma Na Vu, in Parksville, NY is planning to build a brand new bunkhouse for their senior campers this summer. They also hope to expand upon last year’s innovation, Euro bungee jumping, where campers jump off a bungee onto a trampoline.
“Every year we come up with something new,” said Ma Na Vu’s director, Rabbi Shlomo Klein. “This summer, the older campers are going on a trip to Niagara Falls.”
The camp is excited to continue its popular Chevra program for ninth graders, “which includes special trips and intense learning, and is very successful,” Rabbi Klein said. “It looks like we’re going to have another very successful season.”
