$1.2 Million Paid for Florida Resort

By COLlive reporter

A group of Chabad institutions have recently acquired the Gold Coast Camp, a fully equipped resort property and facilities in Lake Worth in Florida’s Palm Beach County.

The picturesque facility will serve as the location for the first Jewish Retreat & Conference Center in the Southeast United States.

The 20-acre property is located in the heart of South Florida, near the Florida Everglades and is on the edge of a national Wildlife Refuge.

Amenities on the property currently include 8 air-conditioned buildings that can spaciously accommodate over 100 people. There is a fully equipped commercial kitchen, dining room, game room, huge swimming pool, lake with canoes, 7-acre paintball field, boardwalk and nature trails, basketball and beach volleyball courts, 2 challenge towers, high/low ropes course, climbing tower and children’s playground.

Behind the deal was Rabbi Shalom Ber Lipskar, founder and spiritual leader of The Shul of Bal Harbour and a rabbi to many wealthy business people in Surfside and beyond, one of which donated the majority of the purchase, said to be $1.2 million.

Joining him were Rabbi Yosef Biston, director of Chabad of North Broward and Palm Beach County, who will use the premises for the overnight Camp Gan Israel currently located in Orlando.

“We expect that this purchase will take Jewish outreach to the next level in the State of Florida,” said Rabbi Biston, “because it will serve as the new home for a multitude of our existing programs for children, teens, college students and adults.”

Other programs which will utilize the facilities are the Tzirei Hashluchim winter camp for boys and girls, the Friendship Circle of North Broward & South Palm Beach, Shabbatons from colleges and universities throughout the state of Florida, CTEEN, Chabad Centers and South Florida Day Schools and Youth Groups.

The third organization that was part of the deal was the Shluchim Office, directed by Rabbi Gedalya Shemtov, which will be using the property for the annual winter camp for children of Shluchim directed by Rabbi Moshe Pinson. It will be moving it from its rented space in Oracle, Arizona, hosted by Rabbi Yossie and Chanie Shemtov for the past 18 years.

Additional support for the purchase was received by the Tabacinic Foundation (through Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky) and others.

With a 30×60′ pool, basketball and volleyball courts, a pond with canoes, high and low rope courses, climbing tower and children’s playground, the camp facility promises to be a fantastic venue for camps and community Shabbatons and retreats.

Rabbi Avraham Korf, regional director of Chabad of Florida said, “we are certain that this endeavor will bring much nachas ruach to the Rebbe because as we all know, the Rebbe was a strong advocate of Jewish summer camps and we received many Brochos from the Rebbe regarding Camp Gan Israel of Florida, which surely led to its wonderful success.”