Montreal Day Camps Unite

By COLlive Staff

The atmosphere was electric as thousands of children from Montreal Jewish day camps gathered at inter-Camp day last Wednesday. High flying acrobats as well as Mr. Music entertained the children, who also enjoyed a unifying rally which included prayer, charity and some Torah thoughts.

“Our goal is to impart a sense of Jewish pride and strengthen the kids’ connection to their Jewish heritage,” says Rabbi Dovid Weinbaum, event coordinator. “We do this through fun, engaging, memorable programs such as this.” Indeed, studies by the North American Federation show that Jewish camps are one of the most effective tools in building Jewish identity.

In its second year, the event brought together Camp Gan Israel of TMR & VsL, Camp Gan Israel of Dollard, Ohr Menachem of Cote St Luc and several Westbury based camps.

Rabbis Moshe Krasnanski of Chabad TMR and Schneur Silberstein of Chabad VsL, creators of this event, say attendance has doubled since last year’s inaugural event. “It just goes to show the need for and impact of the program.”

The camps were hosted by the Shomrim Laboker Congregation, thanks to Rabbi Menachem Posner who passionately supports the project. “We look forward to a grander program with even more camps in the future,” he said.