Campers Head Back to Shlichus

Tzeirei Hashluchos camp is ending today in Gothenburg, Sweden. Flights are fanning out to destinations all over Europe. Campers who are heading back to their places of shlichus with renewed courage and chayus, wave goodbye, many with tears running down their faces.

“We just don’t want to leave our friends, ” explains Rochel Danow, 12, who lives in Leeds, England. “We know them for just ten days, but we are like sisters now and it’s so hard to leave each other. Camp gives us such a strong connection to each other and makes us feel what a privilege it is to be on shlichus, and that makes it easier to go back and encourage people to come closer to Yiddishkeit.”

Devora Leah Rosenfeld, 12, of Zurich, Switzerland says, “most of us don’t go to regular schools. I go to a Bais Yakov school, and I don’t have many Lubavitcher friends in Switzerland. Here in camp we learn chitas and learn so much chassidus, and about the Rebbe. We learn and have fun at the same time!

“I always thought- me being in Switzerland- in a weird place-that I was kind of on my own- even when I went to other camps in America, it was always like, ” wow- you live in Switzerland..” I never realized there are so many shluchos like me- living in strange places, like Greece, Germany, Hungary…being among other girls like me, I feel more like I’m part of something- all together. We all live in weird places, with different languages. It makes us feel proud.

“Since I’m bas mitzva, I wanted to get into saying chitas. Now we do it every day in camp, and I want to go home and keep doing it, and being proud of it!”

“I don’t get to see friends that much in real life. I learn in Online school and seeing friends in camp in real life is amazing, ‘cos you can get to know them more,” says Mushka Stiefel, 8, from Piestany, Slovakia. “We stay up late at night and talk for a long time, and laugh and sing. And my best part of camp was the farbrengen on Friday night.”

The ten days of camp were packed with fun, trips and activities, including swimming in an indoor pool, ice skating and a grand ski trip. But what left the greatest impression on the kids, was the farbrengens and atmosphere.

“I loved the Hay Teves farbrengen on Friday night!” exclaims Sarale Chazan, a jolly 10 year old from Milan. “Everyone was so happy that Moshiach is so near, we could FEEL it. We were singing and dancing, and when I heard the door, I thought maybe Moshiach was here! I feel I am going home with more chassidishe stuff and happiness. I also loved the stories we heard in camp. They were amazing and so….relaxing!”

Gan Yisroel for European Tzeirei Hashluchos Sweden was started in 5759 by Rabbi Alexander and Leah Namdar of Chabad Sweden, with the support of Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky of Merkos Leinyonei Chinuch, and is growing steadily from year to year Baruch Hashem, with a reputation of varmkeit, individual care for each camper, and chassidishe chayus. The kids return home reenergized for their life on shlichus.

“It was an amazing chassidishe camp.. the kids, the shluchim, the whole atmosphere, ” said Mushky Dubov, a counselor who flew in from England, who grew up on shlichus herself. “The Friday night farbrengen had an electrifying atmosphere. We all felt like Moshiach was about to come…I’ve never seen anything like it! It’s amazing how all the kids are so eidel, yet packed with chayus. There’s also an unbelievable achdus in the camp. It’s like one big family. I’m so happy that I was able to come!”

Another counselor adds, “I’m so inspired by the kids- they are so connected to the Rebbe. They are really united. There are songs in Ivrit and English, and even though there are different languages, there are no cliques- they are all together.”

“It is a simcha for us to host this camp, BH,” says Rabbi Alexander Namdar, director of Chabad Sweden, who runs the camp together with his wife, Leah. “I would like to extend a yasher koach to the parents of the campers and staff for raising such children, who are surely giving so much chassidishe nachas to the Rebbe, and hastening the coming of Moshiach.”

Most of the girls attending camp come from isolated locations around Europe, with few friends. But for all of them, the chance to spend ten days together in camp with fellow shluchos, who live lives similar to their own, is a breath of fresh air.