CGI Parksville Launches ‘Celebration 70!’
Camp Gan Israel, Parksville, NY officially launched its year-long ‘Celebration 70!’, marking seventy years since its founding in 5716 (1956) and opening the summer with an inspiring Shabbos dedicated to the camp’s rich legacy and enduring mission.
by COLlive Editor · COLliveCamp Gan Israel, Parksville, NY officially launched its year-long ‘Celebration 70!’, marking seventy years since its founding in 5716 (1956) and opening the summer with an inspiring Shabbos dedicated to the camp’s rich legacy and enduring mission.
To inaugurate this historic milestone, the camp welcomed Rabbi Yossi Lew, shliach to Peachtree City, Georgia, as the featured guest for the opening Shabbos. Rabbi Lew shares a unique connection with Camp Gan Israel, having served as Head Counselor forty years ago, during the summer of 5746 (1986), making his return especially meaningful as the camp celebrates this landmark anniversary.
As the sun set on Friday evening and the grounds of Gan Israel welcomed their first Shabbos of the summer, Rabbi Lew addressed the campers and staff, emphasizing the unique significance of this year’s opening weekend. The Shabbos coincided with Yud-Beis Tammuz, marking the beginning of the 100th year since the Frierdiker Rebbe’s miraculous release from Soviet imprisonment in 1927—a turning point that transformed Jewish life around the world and paved the way for the flourishing of Chabad’s educational and outreach activities.
On Friday night, Rabbi Lew delivered an inspiring address to the BMD (Bar Mitzva Division), highlighting the timeless lessons of Yud-Beis Tammuz and the responsibility entrusted to every Jew to illuminate their surroundings.
On Shabbos afternoon, the members of the BMD gathered in their shul for a special farbrengen in honor of Yud-Beis Tammuz. Rabbi Lew spoke about the Frierdiker Rebbe’s unwavering faith and sacrifice, drawing practical lessons for today’s generation and inspiring the bochurim to approach their own mission with renewed purpose and dedication.
From there, Rabbi Lew made his way across camp to the guest dining room, where a farbrengen had been prepared for the camp’s staff. Lasting until shkiyah, the farbrengen was filled with warmth, inspiration, and vivid memories. Rabbi Lew shared treasured recollections from his years in the Rebbe’s court, recounting unforgettable moments from the Rebbe’s farbrengens and the timeless messages that continue to guide his life and shlichus to this day. He also spoke passionately about the Rebbe’s enduring connection with every chossid, emphasizing that regardless of the circumstances in which one may find oneself, the Rebbe’s guidance, inspiration, and relationship remain constant and continue to illuminate the path forward.
To underscore the significance of celebrating seventy years of the Rebbe’s camp—just seventy years after the Rebbe himself visited Camp Gan Israel—Rabbi Lew encouraged every staff member to study the Rebbe’s teachings on the weekly parshah and share a dvar Torah from the Rebbe with their campers each week. In doing so, he explained, counselors would not only deepen their own connection with the Rebbe, but would also give every camper a personal connection to the Rebbe and his timeless teachings. After all, it is the Rebbe’s Torah—which sees every individual as precious, relevant, and capable of illuminating the world—that lies at the heart of Camp Gan Israel’s mission and is the key to the Rebbe’s message continuing to resonate across generations.
He encouraged the staff to appreciate the extraordinary privilege and responsibility they have as counselors and role models. Every interaction with a camper, he emphasized, carries the potential to shape a Jewish life. He urged them to instill within every child a deep sense of “Ashreinu”—the awareness of the priceless fortune of being part of the Rebbe’s vision and the eternal heritage of Torah and mitzvos.
As the farbrengen continued, more and more staff members joined, filling the room with an atmosphere of unity, inspiration, and reflection. On this historic Shabbos—launching both Camp Gan Israel Parksville’s 70th anniversary and the centennial year of Yud-Beis Tammuz—the messages resonated deeply, setting an uplifting tone for the summer ahead and for a year of celebrating seven decades of transforming Jewish lives.
Rabbi Lew’s visit is only the beginning. Throughout the summer and the coming year, Camp Gan Israel will unveil a wide range of meaningful, educational, and exciting initiatives as part of Celebration 70, commemorating this historic milestone and celebrating seventy years of nurturing generations of Jewish children in the Rebbe’s precious garden.
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