The Gan Israel summer camp for boys, run by the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish community, has concluded. In attendance at this year's camp were 100 boys from Dnepropetrovsk and other cities of Ukraine, as well as 25 counselors from the United States, Israel, Britain, Australia and Ukraine.
Gan Yisroel-2011 took place in a picturesque corner of Dnepropetrovsk near the Orel River on the base of the popular Dorozhnik children’s camp. The campers attending enjoyed excellent accommodations and pure mountain air, in addition to a rich program and excursions, providing an opportunity to gather strength for the new school year and gain a huge charge of positive spiritual energy.
“This year, older campers participated in a two-day rafting trip on the Orel River, camping overnight in tents near a bonfire,” explained one of the camp’s organizers, Akiva Romanovsky. “The younger campers visited a local recreation center. Throughout the camp, we held sports tournaments in volleyball, basketball, football, and table tennis, and the children also took part in paintball shooting and water fights. The boys enjoyed many excursions – to Poltava, where they visited the Gameland Park, skating, bowling, and a memorable trip to Kharkov, where they visited the famous local synagogue. While there, the boys also visited the water park, zoo, and tried roller-blading and go-karting.”
On the last day of the camp, there was a festive banquet. The head counselors awarded prizes to the most active campers and to the boys who did well in learning. Nikita Pustovoy was awarded a laptop computer, Yitzhak Koshelenko and Mendel Litvischenko won MP4 players, and David Sukhov received a bike.
At the Gan Israel summer camp youngsters receive a special boost of energy when they are immersed in a Jewish environment 24 hours a day. For many children, the camp is their only hands-on experience of Jewish life for the entire year. Many people attending the camp are from towns, where there is not even a Jewish community. “Here, they feel the true joy of Judaism,” stated Romanovsky.
Not surprisingly, it is at these camps that boys make the decision to become circumcised, a covenant that binds the Jewish people to G-d and their ancestors throughout the generations. At this year’s camp, Chief Mohel of Ukraine Yakov Gaysinovich performed the circumcision of six boys, each of whom were congratulated by everyone at the camp on this important milestone in their lives.