Staff Zal Inaugurated at Camp Gan Israel in Parksville

By COLlive reporter

A Beis Medrash serving the staff members of Camp Gan Israel in Parksville, New York, was dedicated on Sunday afternoon in the presence of donors, friends and family.

The “Zal” was built for camp staffers to daven and learn at any time during the day between responsibilities for their roles in the veteran Chabad overnight camp for boys.

A beautiful wooden Aron Kodesh adorns the east wall of the Zal, alongside bookshelves of seforim, from Gemara to Likutei Sichos and the Rebbe‘s Maamarin for staff members to immerse themselves in learning.

“This is giving a great gift to the Rebbe,” stated Rabbi Avraham Shemtov, the camp’s Executive Director and Chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad International during the ceremony.

He thanked the lead contributor R’ Yerachmeal Jacobson and his wife Rivka Leah for sponsoring the Zal in memory of his father, Rabbi Betzalel Jacobson OBM. They were joined by their parents, siblings and extended family to celebrate the occasion.

“I feel humbled,” commented Yerachmeal Jacobson, co-founder of Bluejay Management, a privately-owned real estate investment and management firm.

“I’ve been here since the 80s and have seen the camp grow,” he said about spending his summer months at the camp. “I spent many years here as a counselor, (running) the canteen and a head counselor. I feel lucky just being here.”

He said the notion of a dedicated learning space for staff members is one of those ideas that only seems obvious after they are introduced. “When they ask ‘how was camp without this?’ you know you did something good.”

Rabbi Shemtov and Rabbi Yossi Futerfas, the camp director, and learning director Rabbi Sholom Baras expressed gratitude to other donors who contributed to the Zal: R’ Dovid Junik, R’ Dovi Sperlin, R’ Yossi Katz, and R’ Zalman Schochet.

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch and Machne Israel, was present the dedication ceremony. “This is very emotional for me,” he noted, mentioning how the Rebbe cherished the camp, making 3 rare visits to the camp that “were extraordinary.”

Participants expressed their wishes to the camp directors and staff for a continued successful summer season and infusing Chabad youth with invigorated excitement in Torah and Chassidus.