About Us
We provide a robust and diverse program to appeal to every child individually, including sports, swimming, trips, activities, and electives, all enhanced with an authentic Jewish learning and cultural experience.
Our staff is carefully selected and trained to ensure that every child’s physical, emotional, and social well-being is well cared for.
Most importantly, our programming is interlaced with themes of Jewish pride, culture, and values. We emphasize our responsibility to make this world a better place by being kind to one another and performing mitzvot.
Directors
Rabbi Mendel Stiefel has been directing Gan Israel Day Camp since 2014. Mendel is eminently suited for the task as an alum of Gan Israel himself, both as a camper and staff member. He fondly recalls his experience at a Gan Israel in Ukraine for impoverished children. During the off season, he acts as youth director at the Chabad of Northwest NJ, leading holiday and Shabbat programs, teen programming, as well as directing an exciting winter camp.
Chana Stiefel joined as co-director in 2017. During the off season, she acts as the assistant director of the Chabad Early Learning Center in Rockaway, NJ, her hometown.
They live together with their family in White Meadow Lake, NJ.
Our Staff
Our counselors are experienced, dedicated, and nourishing, characterized by their warm heartedness and genuine care for their campers. They undergo training for camp safety procedures and attend workshops to update them on the latest psychological and therpeutic advances and techniques.
Counselors act as positive role models for their campers and many lasting friendships have been born from the counselor-camper bond.
Program
Camp Gan Israel is proud to provide well-rounded activities, specialities, and electives to cater to your child’s engagement and enjoyment. Amongst others, we offer art, sports, swimming, cooking, dancing, and archery, led by highly-qualified instructors. Every activity is tailored to developmental suitability so that the campers gain proficiency in age-appropriate skills and learn about Jewish customs, values, and traditions.
All campers at Gan Israel Day Camps are divided into age appropriate groups, and we ensure individualized attention and supervision. This is done to ascertain that children are placed in the program appropriate to their level of development where they encounter new adventures, excitement, and challenges, all built on the Gan Israel Day Camps hallmarks of safety, fun, and unconditional love. In all age groups, we meet and exceed the staff/camper ratio recommended by the American Camp Association.
Jr Camp Program – Pre-k & Entering Kindergarten
Sometimes, little packages have big needs like love, nurturing, play, and development. At CGI, our junior camp division combines the best of early childhood care with a broad array of CGI activities.
From sports and outdoor play to art and music, your little ones will be showered with love as they expand their horizons.
Some of highlights include: Professionally coached sports | Swim Instruction | Weekly specialties such as Zumba, Music & Movement | Field trips | An array of activities: Mad science, Arts & craft, Hunts, Fun foods and Theme days | Hot lunches | An amazing team of dedicated and nurturing staff!..
Division A (Entering 1-3 Grade)
Children in Junior Division are provided with a great mix of athletic, artistic and spirited pursuits in a structured setting. They develop strong bonds with their peers and counselors while experiencing what summer is all about. Our wide array of programming options has children motivated, excited and on-their-toes. To run our specialized programming, CGI employs many coaches, swim instructors, artists and specialists who work alongside the counselors to give the children the time of their lives.
Some of highlights include: Weekly Trips | Professionally coached sports | Specialties such as self defense, Archery, Lego Robotics and more | Swim/Swim Instruction | Arts & Crafts | Weekly Electives | Hot Lunches | An amazing team of dedicated and exciting staff!
Division B (Entering 4-6 Grade)
Our Division B is fully integrated into the camp program and benefit from our coaches, swim instructors, artists and specialists, as well as enjoying more trips than the younger divisions. This division is designed specially for children who need more involved and advanced programs. Campers in this age group will have the opportunity to take part in overnights and late nights where they build some special memories that last a lifetime, as well as more team building activities and programs that will bolster their self esteem.
Some of highlights include: Everything from the Junior division + Extra weekly trips | Over nights | late nights | Specialties geared toward this age group.
Facility
Our beautiful grounds on the campus of the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, NJ, is a vast and picturesque 82-acre facility. It is perfectly well-suited for a wide range of activities, like sports, drama, swimming, and more. To ensure an enjoyable swimming experience with enough space for each child, we also rent out off campus pools.
We are pleased to expand our available space by renting the nearby public school as well. Certain divisions will be operating from there, while others will be housed in the Rabbinical College of America campus.
Lunch
Lunch and snack times are part of the immersive Jewish experience and we take the opportunity while eating to sing songs about Jewish pride and recite blessings.
Transportation
The door-to-door transportation for Day Camp is charged separately from camp tuition. If you live outside of one of the communities listed above, and want to know if we serve your community/zip code area with our door-to-door service, please contact us.
$700
$110