At CKids Gan Israel Wisconsin, Campers Make Judaism Part of the Fun

Ask any of the nearly 100 boys who spent their summer at CKids Gan Israel Wisconsin what camp was like, and you’ll get the answer every parent hopes for: “It was a blast! I had the best summer of my life!”

And there was no shortage of reasons why. 

Throughout the nearly month-long session, campers took part in a packed schedule of activities both on and off the campgrounds. They created woodworking masterpieces, competed in sports leagues, challenged themselves on the high and low ropes courses, raced go karts, played mini golf, and spent plenty of time swimming in the Olympic sized pool on the campgrounds. 

Beyond the daily activities, the session was filled with special experiences that gave campers plenty to look forward to. Senior division campers enjoyed an overnight trip to Devil’s Lake for camping and rock climbing, and the full camp gathered for a Fourth of July bonfire and Havdalah under the stars.  Night activities added another layer of excitement, ending the day with activities campers would sum up as  simply “epic!”

Together, these experiences helped create the kind of summer that leaves campers counting down the days until they can return the following year. 

“We work all year to make sure CKids Gan Israel Wisconsin is a place where, from the moment our campers arrive, they are taken in by the infectious positive energy of the camp environment,” said Mrs. Misia Cohen, director of camp operations at CKids Gan Israel Wisconsin. “We want it to be a place where every child has the opportunity to grow, thrive and flourish, develop a strong sense of Jewish pride, build lasting friendships, have fun and create memories that will last a lifetime.” 

But woven through all of it, so naturally that the boys themselves barely noticed it happening, was something else. Something deeper.

For many of these boys, camp is the one time all year they are surrounded by other Jewish kids. Many spend their school year as the only Jewish child in their class, without a Jewish day school or Jewish friends nearby. Campers come from places as far away as Hawaii, as close to home as small cities in Wisconsin, and everywhere in between!

So when Judaism shows up at camp, it does not feel like a separate lesson. It becomes part of the experience itself. 

That idea was brought to life Midway through the summer when the camp marked a Siyum HaShas made by Rabbi Shapiro himself after completing the full cycle of Talmud study. The celebration was all games and music, and every boy walked away with his own CKids Siddur.

That’s when things started happening on their own.

Counselors noticed boys flipping through their siddurim, looking for the right bracha to make. At a local 7-Eleven, campers began pausing before their first sip of a slushie to check which bracha applied, without anyone telling them to. 

“By the second week, boys were reminding each other to make a bracha before eating,” said Motty Gorman, the camp’s head of staff. “Nobody had to tell them.”

And then there were the yarmulkas and tzitzis. By midsummer, the boys were not just wearing them out of routine. They wore them with the kind of pride a kid might have in wearing a favorite team’s jersey. 

Rabbi Avremi Shapiro, the camp director, said that was exactly the point. “The goal is to give the children the best camp experience possible, with sports, trips, activities and everything that makes summer special. But it is also important that they experience Judaism not only as information being taught, but as something that becomes part of how they live.” 

That same enthusiasm showed up during Torah time, the camp’s daily learning session built around the CKids Camp Curriculum. It created an environment that was less like a classroom lesson and more like a conversation, connected to whatever the boys were already doing that day. 

It became so second nature that near the end of camp, staff found themselves with an unplanned half hour after the boys finished packing. Someone jokingly suggested squeezing in one more Torah time.

The room cheered.

It was a small moment, but one that means everything. Boys who came into camp knowing the basics left camp actively looking for more, with not only excitement and Jewish pride, but a real enthusiasm for practical mitzvos. 

Ten year old Elay, originally from Israel, did not hesitate when asked what he loved most about his summer: “I loved Torah time and the farbrengens!”

Near the close of camp, each boy wrote a letter to be left at the Rebbe’s Ohel. One camper needed help getting started and asked his counselor for a hand. When he finished, he asked if he could add just one more line.

“Thank you, Rebbe,” he wrote, “for the summer.”

Learn more: www.ckidsganisraelwi.com