Entire CGI Montreal Joins Early Morning Learning

Last Friday, 16 Tammuz history was made at Camp Gan Israel of Montreal when all 283 campers woke up early and attended the “Cocoa Club.”

Cocoa Club is a program which encourages campers to wake up early and learn Mishnayos and Tanya by heart before the regular daily schedule begins. Campers who attend earn personal prizes and bunk prizes.

The program this year is run by the camp’s Mishnayos Baal Peh Director Mendel Lerner, who says that this year’s program exceeds 250 campers daily, the camp’s most ever.

Lerner has set up a program of incentives to encourage campers to attend, building the whole program around the theme of an airline.

Each camper has a personal passport in which he receives stamps and visas which correspond to amounts of miles, Lerner explains. With these miles, campers can make their way from an economy member all the way to a first-class priority member. Campers receive various prizes and benefits throughout camp depending on the rank they are holding, including sky priority passes, marshmallows for their cocoa, VIP seating at plays and so on.

Bunks can also earn prizes (fries, slushies, water tubing, late nights) by getting enough points to fly their “Private jet.”

“The inspiration for this theme came from what the Rebbe says in Igros Kodesh that Mishnayos is what brings Kibutz Goluyos, the ingathering of the exiles, which will be in the times of Moshiach,” Lerner explains. “Therefore the airline was named KibutzAIR, which will fly everyone to Kibutz Goluyos.”

“I must also express great appreciation to the camp’s staff, who have really done a great job encouraging the kids to participate,” said Lerner.