TORONTO — Camp George, Reform Judaism’s only Canadian overnight camp, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a birthday bash at the eZone, an indoor sport and games facility in Etobicoke.
Karen Kollins, left, and Jeff Rose gave away 10 ipod shuffles in a raffle at Camp George’s recent birthday bash.
More than 100 alumni, parents and staff members took part in activities ranging from whirly ball to mini golf, ate birthday cake, and sang a new camp song written by children’s entertainers Judy and David together with camp staff. The popular singers spent more than a week as part of the camp faculty last summer.
Rabbi Daniel Gottlieb of Thornhill’s Temple Kol Ami, founding rabbi of the camp and then-executive director of the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism (CCRJ), also spoke at the birthday event.
Since its inception a decade ago, the camp, which opened in 1999, has grown from 135 to almost 500 campers per summer. Located on 220 acres at the site of the former Northland-B’nai Brith camp on Maple Lake, Ont., just east of Parry Sound, the camp is named in memory of George Reisman, father of Toronto developer Sam Reisman.
Gavin Herman, Camp George’s founder and a lay leader in the Reform movement at the time, recalls that he suggested creating the camp after his children returned from a Union for Reform Judaism camp in Okonomowoc, Wisc.
The experience “basically transformed their lives, and gave them a much deeper appreciation for living Judaism,” he told The CJN.
Jeff Rose, camp director, said that the camp has completed Phase One of a new fundraising project, which is not a 10th anniversary project per se. So far, $75,000 has been raised, and it is expected to be matched dollar for dollar by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, based on the amount of money raised in Phase Two. The funds will be used to build a new junior camper “village” for students between grades 2 and 5, probably in 2010, he said.
He estimated that the current buildings are about 30 years old.
Unlike many of its URJcamp counterparts in the United States that have swimming pools because they are not on a waterfront, Camp George is on a lake, offering activities including water-skiing, canoeing, kayaking, sailing and windsurfing. As well, there are daily prayers and experiential educational activities with visiting rabbis and educators, said Rose.
The camp serves children and teens from Michigan, Buffalo, Rochester and Cleveland, as well as Ontario.
“We’re continually evaluating our program, making it fun and engaging,” said Rose.
Karen Kollins, senior assistant director, has been with the camp since its inception, first as program director and director of education. She met her husband, Daniel Abramson, at the camp in 1999.
Among the changes she’s seen are new elements in the camp’s ropes course, new cabins, and development of the camp’s Jewish education program.
“We worked hard to develop an informal Jewish education program that’s integrated through everything we do at camp,” she said. Older campers can choose to focus on issues like Israel, social action or a women’s track.
“I think we’ve built an amazing community of campers, staff, alumni and parents.”
