It was back in 2015 when Ari Dicker, a physical therapist who practices in Williamsburg, decided to take his family to Camelback Resort for a few days during winter yeshiva break. Wanting to make sure there would be a minyan there, he arranged a group rate for a number of people in his shul in North Woodmere. It was the first year that the Camelback Resort was open, and its huge indoor waterpark would be a big draw.
When Dicker arrived at the resort, he met a few families who decided to spend some yeshiva vacation there as well and quickly created a minyan chat for everyone. Long after the yeshiva break ended, the minyan chat remained, and the following year, Dicker posted another group rate on it. From there, the group chat started to grow rapidly as more and more people heard about it and asked to join. “It just sort of snowballed where every year the size of the group went from 40 bookings to 80 bookings…to eventually a few hundred.”
In just a few short years, when Dicker had reached 400 bookings, he decided to pay a visit to the Group Sales office at the Kalahari Resort while he was there for a Bike4Chai event. In addition to securing yet another terrific group rate there for mid-winter yeshiva break, Dicker also advised resort executives to build a sukkah and then offer a group rate for Chol HaMoed Succos.
Kalahari Resort invested about $10,000 and built a massive sukkah, which ultimately brought in a sizable crowd that numbered 600 bookings— a number that the resort would not normally get at that time of year.
Then he encouraged Kalahari Resorts to offer a men’s only swimming night. The resort staff was reluctant at first, thinking of the potential loss,assuming it would be a small crowd. Little did they realize how much Dicker’s advice would pay off. “The idea exploded and not only did it increase the resort’s bookings because it allowed more people to enjoy the public waterpark according to the standard of their religious observance, but dozens upon dozens of members from Pennsylvania’s local frum communities came to the event, bringing in additional revenue to the resort and convincing the resort that whatever Dicker suggested was something that should be taken into serious consideration.
“It’s just about using the collective buying power of the Jewish community to get these low rates and concessions like a massive sukkah at Kalahari and conference space for davening. You’re going to some of the top indoor water parks in the country and you’re going there for an incredibly great price and that’s the key—giving people something good at an even better price that is just so accessible to so many people.”
Today, Dicker counts well over 3,000 people between all his WhatsApp groups for Kalahari Resort, Camelback Resort and Great Wolf Lodge. As of last year, Dicker booked about 1,000 nights between Kalahari and Camelback for yeshiva midwinter break. That midwinter deal at Camelback includes fourski lift/snow tubing tickets, waterpark access and a room for about $335. The lift tickets alone usually cost more than that.
For Chol Hamoed, he only works with Kalahari Resorts and Great Wolf Lodge. For yeshiva mid-winter break, he works with both of those resorts and Camelback Resort as well. The Chol Hamoed deal includes overnight stay for a family (six to eight people) and admission to the water parks for two days (you can use the waterpark on the day of check-in and check-out), which can come out to about $13 a day per person. Dicker said, “You can’t even take your kids bowling for that price.”
Besides the great deal and quality vacation time with family, Dicker marvels at the pleasant camaraderie that develops among the families who come to the resorts when he offers these great packages.
Although many have offered Dicker to help him monetize this endeavor by turning it into a full service program and reap some substantial profits, he continues to decline this offer. “I have held really strongly to that, despite a lot of financial incentives, because everyone in the community deserves and needs to have good quality vacation.” Also, if he seriously monetized it, he says it would cease to be affordable and that’s not what he wants. Dicker strongly believes that all families need and deserve affordable, good, quality vacations. “The people on these WhatsApp groups are nice, good, hard-working people making a good living who deserve something nice, and that’s always been the mission.
“There are enough programs out there and if you can afford them, enjoy! But for the rest of us, quality family time has become prohibitively expensive.” With the cost of Jewish Orthodox life becoming increasingly prohibitive, Dicker strongly feels the community needs nice middle-of-the-road options.
“The people in my WhatsApp groups are hard-working professionals who make a good living, but still find themselves in need of affordable options. There are also many who work in corporate settings that can’t take off every Yom Tov and fly somewhere, so having a great option two hours away by car is a huge draw.”
Helping families take affordable vacations is one thing, but so much more has come out of this endeavor that Dicker could have never anticipated. “About two years ago, somebody called me and asked me to find a few families who could not afford to go anywhere for winter break. He gave me $1,500 to pay for them to take a trip to Kalahari or Camelback.” But then something even more incredible happened. “I posted it on my WhatsApp status and the next thing I know I had $10,000 worth of offers from more people offering to help pay for other families who could not even afford to go anywhere during mid-winter break.”
Partnering with Teaneck’s Dalia Stelzer, who herself had been working for several years to ensure that single parents in the Teaneck-Bergenfield community are taken care of for mid-winter yeshiva break and get to enjoy some quality time with their children, “The No Jew Will Be Left Behind Initiative” was officially launched. This past year people donated about $15,000 to make sure others in the community could take part. “I wasn’t asking for funds. I simply posted about what nice things one person did, and other people were inspired and followed suit.” Dicker adds that a school principal who nominated a family in need told him that she knows there are several girls who do not show up to school the day after midwinter break because they’re embarrassed to admit they didnt do anything. “This past year we sent almost 40 families on a nice vacation who otherwise would have stayed home due to financial strain.”
“The cost of Jewish life and living can be very challenging for many families. Many in our community are barely able to keep their noses above water despite making good, respectable salaries, and it’s nice to know that good, quality family time and a family vacation is not out of reach. And it’s also nice to know that the Jewish people are taking care of each other too.”
“It’s all about using our collective buying power, sticking together and staying true to the mission of giving people a good affordable option. That’s the mission,” he explained. “This is something that has just sort of fallen into my lap and has grown organically… I’m just a guy with a good social media following (he has 2,000 daily viewers on his WhatsApp status) where I regularly post memes and jokes, videos and food reviews and whatever I’m in the mood for. And, of course, great group rates for quality family vacations!”
To learn more about how you can get these sensational rates, visit www.yeshivamidwinter.com to sign up. Booking information and answers to all your questions can be found there.
