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AUGUST 25, OCTOBER 29,2016 2015| |The TheJewish JewishHome Home
THIS WEEK, WE’RE TALKING TO…
Camp Areivim
How are the Five Towns’ youngest residents spending their summer? Over the next few weeks, we’ll be speaking to different day camps to learn how their campers are spending their 12 weeks of summer vacation.
CAMP AREIVIM, ONE OF THE PREMIER ALL-BOYS CAMPS IN THE FIVE TOWNS, STARTED SEVEN YEARS AGO AND HAS SINCE GROWN TO OVER 700 CAMPERS. THIS WEEK, WE SPOKE WITH RABBI YANKY HERSH, CAMP DIRECTOR; RABBI YOSSI BENNETT, SENIOR DIVISION HEAD COUNSELOR; AND RABBI YOSEF FRIEDLER, JUNIOR DIVISION HEAD COUNSELOR.
Rabbi Hersh, you opened Camp Areivim seven years ago. Tell us your story. YH: I grew up in Flatbush and learned in Yeshiva Torah Temimah. When I was 17-years-old, together with a group of friends, I started a camp in the Ukraine. That’s for another time, but it was an incredible experience that gave me tremendous insight into how to develop a successful camp program. When I got married, I became a rebbe in the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland. After my first year teaching, I was asked to head their day camp and did so for six years. Nine years ago, I moved to Far Rockaway and became a 5th grade rebbe at Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island. After my first summer, a number of parents of the yeshiva approached me and asked me to start a camp for their older boys who weren’t going to sleepaway camp. One thing turned into another and Camp Areivim was born at the beau-
tiful new campus of Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island. In the first year of Camp Areivim, we had under 50 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. It was a tremendous success. Most camps start with younger ages and eventually build up; we started with older boys and built down. Five years ago, we branched out to younger age groups and added more divisions over the years. Two years ago was the first year that we introduced our preschool division, called Areivim Freshies, making Camp Areivim a premiere boys’ summer camp accommodating boys ages nursery through 8th grade. It’s seven years later, and our enrollment has grown to over 700 boys, b’li ayin horah. Give us some details of how the camp is structured. YH: Interestingly enough, although the camp has grown tremendously, I wanted to keep my original intent in providing each
age group with their own personalized program. I’m extremely proud of how the camp has become four incredibly age-appropriate divisions that run like well-oiled machines. Each division has its own individualized program highlighted in each one of their own weekly newsletters: The Freshies Flash, The Areivim Junior Herald and The Areivim Times for the Seniors and MITs. It could have only happened by having an extremely dedicated head staff. All of the division heads are able to perform an unbelievable balancing act! They are incredible at being responsible and organized while at the same time giving non-stop fun to the campers. Our Freshies division is for boys in nursery, kindergarten and Pre1A. Mrs. Bayla Barkany directs this division with her signature warmth, love, experience, and organizational skills. Together with Mrs. Adina Hoch, whose fun and