Brooklyn Girls on an Adventure

With two large white vans and a U-Haul in tow, Camp Facewest, a traveling camp in western America for 25 Lubavitch high school girls directed by Zvi Goodman, set out for the adventure of a lifetime.

The girls landed in Denver, Colorado and set up camp in a beautiful campground near Colorado Springs. Little did they know that the next four weeks would bring many unforgettable exploits and fun surprises. Every day brought a new adventure and exciting experience with daily trips to hiking, white-water rafting, horseback riding, obstacle courses, rock climbing, mountain biking and so much more!!

The girls returned from every incredible trip pretty exhausted but with huge smiles on their faces, and despite the exhaustion shared their stories with their new-found friends late into the spectacularly starry nights. After two incredible weeks in Colorado the girls were ready to tackle some other states and explore new territory, so with music blasting from the vans and much dancing, they set out for Arizona, Utah and finally, Nevada.

Each day the girls packed up and traveled throughout the west, quite fitting for the time of year when Sefer Bamidbar is read for they truly experienced setting up the tents in the desert as the Jews did back then. No matter which new campground the campers arrived to that day – or sometimes in the middle of the night – within no time at all girls were pounding in tent pegs, schlepping the duffels, and heating up the grill to make it home. And what a home it was! No comforting luxuries in the grand outdoors, as the girls learned to use water pumps and sleep snug in their sleeping bags with the rain tapping out a rhythm on the roof of the cozy tents. It was pure nature fun.

Every new place came with its own package of fun – exploring pueblos in Mesa Verde, tackling the magnificent Grand Canyon, water hiking in the Narrows in Zion National Park, enjoying a safari with giraffes and lions in Sedona, sleeping in real teepees, a sunset adventure in the beautiful Bryce Canyon and one unforgettable Shabbos in Scottsdale, Arizona. From climbing mountains to exploring the desert, from wild animal sightings to cactuses and sand in our sneakers, the jaw-droppingly beautiful scenery never looked the same way twice.

But one thing did stay the same throughout the packed four weeks. While the girls learned all sorts of new skills and discoveries, they most importantly learned how to help each other out when needed. The Ahavas Yisrael in the group was truly beautiful to see.

Wherever they went and whenever they were asked “What kind of group are you?” The girls always proudly answered that they were Jewish Chabad girls from Brooklyn.

While they stood out for their long sleeves and their skirts in the often over 100 degree weather, they also stood out for their mentchlichkeit, making a Kiddush Hashem wherever they went. They even got to do mivtzoyim a few times, with Zvi Goodman, the camp director, wrapping Tefillin on some Jews they met along the way.

One thing the girls learned for sure- there is no place where you cannot find a Yid! No matter where they went or what they saw they learned to find the Hashgacha Pratis, yes, even when waking up right next to horses and meeting Native Americans on their reservations in the wild west!

The feedback from the camp has been overwhelming. The girls have grown immensely in just four short weeks, bonded through many friendships, connected with the one-of-a-kind staff and created unforgettable memories. Every aspect of the camp was fully developed not only bigashmius but biruchnius as well.

The girls truly appreciate the wonders of Hashem’s creations, as they can flip through postcard perfect pictures they snapped with their own cameras. The girls learned in depth the meaning and history of the brachos of shmone esre in shiur every day and many discussions took place and questions were answered at the ‘Rebbe times’ around the bonfires.

The staff nurtured every girl to fully enjoy the experience and the glowing smiles and tearful farewells on the plane ride home attested to a successful inaugural summer. And while the girls have safely returned to the East Coast and have gone their separate ways they will always remember summer 5771 in Camp Facewest as one of the best summers of their lives!