Summer Camp in Kfar Chabad Unites Bochurim of All Types

By Levi Zalmonovitch

The revolution that is happening in Kfar Chabad during the last days of summer can only be described as a taste of Moshiach…

For ten extraordinary days, the streets of Kfar Chabad in Israel witnessed scenes that seem from another world: nearly 200 bochurim from across the entire spectrum of Chareidi Judaism learning, davening, and simply having fun, together as one.

This unprecedented endeavor has brought together young men from all backgrounds as diverse as Litvish, Vizhnitz, Sephardi, Satmar, Teimani, Belz, Sanzer, and Breslover homes. Students from the famous litvish halls of Brisk and Mir shared benches with their counterparts from various Chassidishe yeshivos together with Lubavitcher representatives which include a select few bochurim from almost all the Chabad Yeshivos Gedolos spanning from Kfar Chabad to Ohr Yehuda and from Kiryat Gat to Tzfas.

The camp, structured according to the venerated Seder of Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch, offers participants a genuine Lubavitch experience, with early reports indicating tremendous positive outcomes.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” shares Moshe Goldstein, 19, from a prominent Litvish yeshiva in Bnei Barak. “The level of achdus here is palpable. We’re all learning, davening, and farbrenging together, and the walls that sometimes exist between our communities seem to melt away.”

The daily schedule was packed with intense learning sessions, heartfelt davening, and soul-stirring farbrengens that often stretched late into the night. But it’s not all serious study – the program also included trips to significant sites around Israel, offering a blend of spiritual and physical rejuvenation. The Mashpiim of the Yeshivas Kayitz, joined along on the trips, causing non-stop unofficial farbrengens, which made the whole experience, one that is full of kedusha and elevation.

Yosef Levy, 20, a Sephardi bochur from Ashdod, was particularly moved by a recent farbrengen. “We sang niggunim from all our different traditions, the traditional zemirot followed by Chabad nigunim. It was beautiful to see how nigunim can unite us all. And then when we delved into a ma’amar together, I felt like I was discovering a new world of Yiddishkeit.”

What started nine years ago with 25 bochurim has grown from year to year with friends excitedly passing on the word to each other.

One of the most exciting days in the camp are the two Fridays, which are, like in any Lubavitcher Yeshiva, dedicated to Mivtzoim. In particular, Mitzva Teffilin. The bochurim are encouraged for the first time in their life (for most of them) to go out of their comfort zone, and approach Jews in the street and offer them to put on teffilin, with unbelievably positive results.

“It did something to my neshoma. I can’t explain exactly what,” described Dovid Rosen. “Laying teffilin on the streets with our estranged brethren, it changed me deeply inside.”

The impact of the program is evident in the words of Chaim Tauber, 18, from Boro Park: “I’ll be honest, I was skeptical at first. But the warmth and acceptance I’ve felt here is overwhelming. I’m learning so much, not just from the shiurim, but especially from my fellow bochurim. It’s opening my eyes to the beauty of Chassidus and having a real connection to the Rebbe. The mivtzoim too, awakened a very special part of me. To see Jews that I would never before thought of approaching, so happy to put on teffilin, to connect. I will definitely be taking my teffilin with me wherever I travel, from now on.”

One of the Lubavitcher bochurim, Mendel Kaplan, 22, shared his perspective: “It’s incredible to see bochurim from such diverse backgrounds diving deep into Chassidus together. Many of them are encountering these ideas for the first time, and their enthusiasm is contagious. It reminds us Lubavitchers of the power of the Rebbe’s teachings and wakes us up from our slumber.”

The program isn’t just impacting the participants. Local residents of Kfar Chabad have been inspired by the sight of such diverse groups of bochurim walking, talking and laughing together. Reb Mendel Freidman, a longtime resident of the Kfar, remarked, “Seeing all these young men walking together back from the mikva to the camp grounds, it gives me hope. This is what the Rebbe wanted – for all Jews to recognize our essential unity.”

Perhaps one of the most touching moments came during a trip to the Rambam’s Kever in Teveria. Yanky Horowitz, 21, from a Belz yeshiva in Yerushalayim, recounted: “As we were about to leave, spontaneously, bochurim from every group started dancing together. Lubavitchers, Litvisher, Sephardim, Ashkenazim – in that moment, we were just Jews, united in our love for Hashem and His Torah. It was a taste of what Moshiach’s times will be like.”

Founder and Menahel Rabbi Moshe Blumberger, the one who gets the credit of allowing himself to pursue his dream to bring hundreds of Jews to the Rebbe, and who thankfully didn’t take notice of the many pessimists who tried to convince him that it is not realistic, summed it up: “The Rebbe always emphasized that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. This Yeshivas Kayitz is a living embodiment of that idea. These bochurim are the future leaders of Klal Yisrael. The achdus and ahavat Yisrael they’re experiencing here will, b’ezras Hashem, have a ripple effect for years to come.”

In past years, the hanhola of the camp has been given incredible feedback of the results of the camp. For example, the steady group that got together in the Mir yeshiva to learn the sichos of nun-alef nun-beis every Thursday night since camp. Or of shiurim and chavrusos of 3 perokim Rambam every day taking place in Non-Chabad yeshivos in Yerushalayim as an outcome of the camp, bochurim that haven’t missed a Friday going out on Mivtza Teffilin, and much more.

Rabbi Zalman Torenheim, the Camp Director, tells us that the camp is only the beginning. “We cannot leave the bochurim hanging,” He explains. “We have introduced them to the Rebbe and Chassidus and got them excited and inspired. We must continue the camp all year round, deep into the geulah. This will be done by way of seven large “Camp Shabbatons” throughout the year, as well as many smaller Shabbatons in Kfar Chabad. We also have set weekly chavrusas and chaburos of Likkutei Sichos in many Yeshivos in Yerushalayim and Bnei Brak. And Leil Shishi events in the Yeshivish areas, with Cholent, Kugel and chavrusas for Chassidus. We hope and plan to grow b’ezras Hashem to more cities and more Yeshivos.

Shmeel Grenstein, from the Machnovka Yeshiva in Bnei Barak, was asked if he knows of any other place where so many different types of yidden are all learning, eating, and staying together in the same campus for a few days, like we see here today. Shmeel answers: “Of course not. Nowhere is there such a thing! Only the Rebbe and Chabad can accomplish this,” He explains. “With the Rebbe’s true ahavas yisroel. This is truly Moshiach Times!”

This Yeshivas Kayitz may be unprecedented, but it’s undoubtedly leaving an indelible mark on all who are fortunate enough to participate.

For more information or to sign up for the Chavrusas or to receive a message before each Shabbaton throughout the year, please contact Rabbi Torenheim at +972587706139