This Week We’re Talking to…Camp MaTov

BY SUSAN SCHWAMM

1, 2, 3…8 weeks 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.

CAMP MATOV HAS BEEN IMBUING THE SUMMER MONTHS WITH TORAH LEARNING AND LOTS OF FUN FOR THE SCORES OF CAMPERS WHO SKIP INTO CAMP EACH DAY. THIS WEEK, WE WERE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH RABBI MOSHE SHONEK, HEAD COUNSELOR, AND RABBI YISROEL MEIR SHONEK, DIRECTOR, ABOUT THE RUACH THAT PERMEATES EACH DAY AT CAMP MATOV.

Rabbi Shonek, I see there’s a new face in the room since we last spoke.

Rabbi Yisroel Meir Shonek (R’ YMS): Yes, that is true, that would be me.

Rabbi Moshe Shonek (R’ MS): A lot has changed in the two years since we last spoke. In the world, obviously, was Covid. But specifically in Camp MaTov, much has changed, while at the same time remaining the same.

Wow, do explain!

R’ MS: As of last summer, we took over as the owners of Camp MaTov. Our mission has been to continue the mesorah of Camp MaTov from all the years, while at the same time adapting to the changing times. yeshivos and could easily choose to take the summer to relax in whatever way they would enjoy. Yet, they instead choose to come teach in Camp MaTov year after year, putting in all their kochos to our wonderful campers. And it shows; Baruch Hashem our campers really shteig in the summer and come back to yeshiva ready to continue growing, ready to jump right back in, as if yeshiva had just ended yesterday. mising on our unwritten slogan, “Providing a fun, wholesome summer experience in a Torahdike environment.” To balance the two can be a challenge, but we worked and implemented numerous changes that we felt would meet all criteria.

Sounds like quite a challenge.

R’ MS: Yes, it definitely is. But the Camp MaTov slogan has been, is, and always will be “The Community Camp Where Learning Comes First.” We take this slogan very seriously; this is truly our mission statement. The rabbeim in camp work very hard throughout the year in various That sounds like true avodas hakodesh! So, Rabbi Yisroel

Meir Shonek, what’s different?

R’ YMS: Well, first, the owners. Second, the logo. But seriously, immediately after deciding to take over the camp, we sat down with our dedicated division heads to figure out ways to improve the camp and make it a better experience for both the campers and their parents, without comproCan you enumerate some of

those changes?

R’ YMS: Well for one, we changed our dismissal time. Until two years ago, dismissal for the entire camp was 3:30 PM Monday-Thursday, which the staff members loved…but the parents, not as much. Last year, we implemented a 4:15 dismissal for our two younger divisions,

and a 5:00 dismissal for our senior division, now dubbed the “MaNa’im division.” Additionally, our MaNa’im division also has one “late night” per week, usually Thursday, where they have a dismissal of 6:00 PM or later. Some of our late nights include Escape Your Own Room, barbecue and kumzitz, laser tag, evening fishing, night swim, and more. We also committed to offering swimming every day for all campers and have been renting a gorgeous pool, which the campers thoroughly enjoy.

Wow, talk about wholesale changes! Rabbi Moshe Shonek, how have the campers – and parents – taken to these chang-

es?

R’ MS: Everyone has enjoyed immensely! At the end of the day, we still believe that most kids just want to play ball and have a good time, which we, baruch Hashem, provide them on a daily basis. The campers enjoy the leagues, the swimming, and the late nights and come home gushing to their parents and friends about what an amazing summer they’re having in Camp MaTov! And the parents, they love the later dismissal, but more than that, they love the fact that their boys are coming every day, seriously learning, and then having an absolutely amazing day. Rabbi YM Shonek, can you tell us about your position in

camp? And can you give our

readers a picture of a regular

day in Camp MaTov?

R’ YMS: Regarding a picture of a regular day in Camp MaTov, I will leave that to my father, the head counselor, who is more hands-on than I am. Baruch Hashem, I’ve been involved in Camp MaTov for over 25 years, first as a camper, then a counselor, moving up to a Rebbe, then a division head, up to a part-owner, and now, having relinquished my division head duties, to being the director. My position entails much of the behindthe-scenes work throughout the year, in terms of campers signing up for camp, camp finances, and then running some of the behind-the-scenes scheduling and purchasing throughout the summer.

Our incredible Division Heads: Rabbi Yaakov Engel (Hinei/Junior Division), Rabbi Menachem Engel (MaTov/Intermediate Division), and Rabbi Dovid Libman (MaNa’im/Senior Division), under the direction of my father, the head counselor, enable me to focus my efforts on these areas while they run an amazing program for the campers.

Thank you for the background. Rabbi Moshe Shonek, can you give us a glimpse into a day in the life of a Camp MaTov

camper?

R’ MS: The day starts off with learning with our amazing rabbeim, from 9:30-12:30. Whether they’re learning k’riah or Kiddushin, alef beis or Tosafos, the boys are shteiging each and every day; the walls and halls of the building are filled with the sounds of Torah throughout the morning. Following learning, the campers enjoy delectable lunches prepared by Yaakov Dubovick of Y and Y Catering. During lunch, they may be treated to a Minute To Win IT contest, run by R’ Menachem Engel, or it may be a short skit put on by the Rabbis Engel. Lunch is always a happening time! Once everyone is notified of the activities for the day, it’s time to bentch and head off for a fun afternoon.

Within a few days of the start of camp, we launch our leagues, which are always enjoyable yet competitive. There’s also swimming every day, as well as various specialties, such as science experiments, guitar class es, rhythm instruction, and arts and crafts, among others. Every after noon, a camper can wonder if he’ll get to see Rabbi M Engel pull off some crazy science experiment or maybe he’ll come home with a container of slime! The possibilities are endless.

Another important part of camp is our staff. Under the dynamic leadership of Rabbi Akiva Balsam, the staff rebbi, the learning is fantastic. The first trip, Rabbi Balsam made a siyum with the staff on Mesechta Tamid, and the second half, they will be finishing Horiyos. The staff shiur is alive, leibidik, and on a very high level.

R’ YMS: One last thing I would like to mention. The camp season revolves around the Three Weeks, the Nine Days and then Elul. We work very hard to have these z’manim come alive. The “Al naharos Bavel” sung during the Nine Days, the Erev Tisha B’Av cantata, the shofar workshops during Elul, these are just a few of the examples of “A Community Camp Where Learning Comes First.”