Historic Lubavitch Camp Purchases Expansive New Grounds
Camp Gan Yisroel Detroit just recently signed a contract to purchase a large new campground in Tustin, MI. The new grounds will complement their existing facility in Kalkaska, more than doubling their current capacity.
A long-standing institution that is a household name in many Lubavitch homes, Camp Gan Yisroel has been operating for sixty years now. Over that time, tens of thousands of campers have passed through its halls and fields, and with time, demand has only increased.
“Over the past decade, an ever increasing amount of children have knocked on our doors,” said Rabbi Moshe Shemtov, the director, “and it’s never a good feeling to be forced to turn children away due to lack of space.”
Howard Schwartz, the real estate agent who brokered the purchase said, “This project has been in the works for several years and I am thrilled that we finally secured this facility that is ripe for expanded activity. A beautiful lakefront and recreational fields for a whole host of sports along with terrific indoor spaces make this location the perfect place for a fantastic experience for so many Jewish children.”
“Until now, we split the time in our current Kalkaska facility, one month for hundreds of boys, and another month for hundreds of girls,” explained Moshe Shemtov. “We never had two campsites to accommodate both groups at the same time. Thanks to this new facility, we will, IYH, be operating full two month separate programs for boys and girls at our two sites.
“Intime for this summer, camp will be hosting double the amount of girls in the Kalkaska facility. The first month for elementary girls, and the second for teenage girls. The new facility will allow even more boys for two full months, for both the younger division and the Bar Mitzvah Division (BMD). With both grounds in operation capacity has grown to nearly 800 campers and 150 staff this summer. The growth will IYH continue in the coming years with continued development at both sites, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
“Camp Gan Yisroel was one of the first major activities of Lubavitch in Michigan sixty years ago,” said Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov of Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan. “Securing this facility to accommodate the chassidishe growth of many more children is a real testament to the Rebbe’s vision for constant growth.”
Shemtov adds that this new property provides for added impact throughout the year. “As a winterized property, we will bring the camp atmosphere to other segments of the community with retreat programs for communities across the Midwest year round.”
“The Rebbe taught us that the camp atmosphere has a unique ability to make a strong spiritual impact on everyone there, and now that we have the ability to offer two months of camp to even more children is very exciting for the next generation of chassidim,” said Rabbi Yosef Gourarie, the boy’s camp mashpia.
Moshe Shemtov remarked, “This is a huge financial undertaking. It is the right expansion and the timing couldn’t be better. We have seen the Rebbe’s brachos every step of the way, and we are humbled and blessed to share this very special news with the world wide Anash community.”
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Would you like to make the investment of a lifetime? You can give hundreds of children a great camp experience, this summer and beyond.
Mendel is heading up the campaign for the purchase of CGI Detroit, Tustin, MI, he’d be happy to explore dedications opportunities with you, he can be reached at mendels@cgidetroit.com.
