The Jewish Home | AUGUST 4, 2022
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THIs Week, TJH speaks WITH…
Simcha Day Camp
By SuSan Schwamm
Two months of amazing summer fun! For the last few weeks, our children have been basking in the sun, swimming, singing, and soaking up the fun every day. How are they spending their time away from their desks? In this series, we speak with camp directors and head counselors to learn more about our community’s amazing, spectacular, incredible, marvelous, unbelievable (you get the point!) camps.
Nestled iN the heart of far rockaway, simcha day camp is where huNdreds of boys eNjoy their summer, splashiNg iN the pool, swiNgiNg their bats, shootiNg their hoops, aNd smiliNg aNd siNgiNg the whole seasoN through. with NiNe acres of fuN – complete with ballfields, a huge iN-grouNd pool, aNd aN air-coNditioNed gym – the boys are coNstaNtly oN the go. this week, we spoke with rabbi avi taub, camp director, to hear more about the fuN aNd ruach that permeates the campus each day.
Rabbi Taub, hundreds of campers enjoy Simcha Day Camp each summer. How many are there in camp this year? Simcha Day Camp is home to over 1,000 campers, hailing from Far Rockaway/Five Towns, Brooklyn, Queens, and West Hempstead. Some campers travel from as far away as Eretz Yisrael, Florida and Boise, Idaho.
That sounds like a handful! How do you manage do keep all your campers happy each day? Our campers couldn’t be happier in our 9-acre campus, replete with luscious grass and shady areas. We are able to find something for every type of camper. With 4 massive baseball fields, 8 basketball courts, a hockey rink, a huge gaga pit, volleyball and soccer fields, the massive air-conditioned gym and crisp, delicious pool, there is not a minute of downtime in Simcha Day Camp. Campers can also get
a break from the sun at arts and crafts, computers, and our state-of-the art indoor jungle gym.
Tell us about your different divisions and what makes each one stand out? Our Juniors division, led by the world
stars, and campers who are eager to learn about parsha. The MIDZ Division, led by Rabbi Shaya Samet, Rabbi Hildeshaim, Donny Rudansky and Dovid Orrin, is always full of pumping geshmak! Whether it is a fun color day or a lunch challenge, there’s bound to be some hype in the MIDZ! The Senior Leagues Division, led
we used to ruN aN ad years ago that said, “simcha day camp, made from the best staff oN earth,” uNtil sNapple threateNed to sue us aNd we had to remove it. but it is true!
famous Morah Etty Slansky and her energetic daughter Morah Estie Samet, is an amazing oasis of smiling faces, eagerto-learn swimmers, playful future sports
by Rabbi Polter, Chacham Zedner and Yaakov Shapiro, just wants to play ball. Though we do have trips and overnights, shows and more, the Senior Leaguers live
