Camp Eeshay of Clifton is excited to kick off its 10th year with exciting new programming and a brand new division guaranteed to offer something for everyone.
With tailor-made schedules to ensure each and every camper has the ultimate summer experience, the philosophy of the camp boils down to the fact that every camper should feel that he is unique and valued.
Camp Eeshay Director and Head Counselor Chananya Kramer wants parents to know that “A key ingredient that adds a certain magic to the camp is that we are focused on making the kids feel proud of themselves all day…whether it’s an impressive sports play, a thoughtful comment, self-control or learning nicely…we want every kid to feel good about themselves, noticed and valued.”
Parents and kids decide at the beginning of two-week sessions how they want those two weeks to look. Individual schedules can be highly customized and are efficiently organized. “The individual matters very much,” Chananya emphasized.
A typical day starts off at 9:30 with learning and a system in place designed to encourage and inspire the campers, while adding in a few incentives to enhance the experience. From there camp kicks off with two league games. The leagues are the crown jewel of Eeshay and are designed to be competitive and intense and run very professionally under the direction of Assistant Head Counselor Rabbi Jonathan Kessel. The sports games rotate between baseball, basketball, football, hockey and volleyball. Captains are appointed and trained accordingly and all the campers are coached with an emphasis on sportsmanship. “We are very makpid about sportsmanship and talk about it a lot,” Chananya added.
For those campers who are intense sports enthusiasts, they have the option to choose to play a third league game in the sport of their choice. “So if you are a basketball fanatic, you’ll have the option to play basketball in a separate, specialized league every day.” New for this year, Camp Eeshay will be taking some of those days during that third league for focused skills training in that sport.
Recognizing that not every boy wants to spend the entire day immersed in sports, Camp Eeshay will be offering a variety of skills-oriented workshops and activities in lieu of that added third league period including music, cooking, magic, book-binding. “For the game-room junkies, Camp Eeshay will also be offering Settlers of Catan, chess and ping-pong tournaments,” Chananya added.
Special for this year, the camp is starting a brand new division called Eeshay Everything, designed specifically for the camper who is not into sports. This division takes more trips—two major outings a week—including bowling and hiking, and plays just one league game per day. In fact, this division has its own non-competitive league. Eeshay Everything will also enjoy an enhanced game room and extra swim time but will share their learning meals, workshops and night activity with the other divisions.
Each day ends with a unique night activity ranging from group competitions to team building activities, games shows, concerts, trips and even basketball games against other camps.
Camp Eeshay is for campers who have completed sixth through ninth grade. Camp hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and until 7:15 p.m. on Thursdays. For lunch, Camp Eeshay offers campers the option to order from local establishments. To get early-bird rates, register by January 31, 2022 to receive $100 off for both sessions or $50 off each individual session.
Founded by Rabbi Ari Schoenfeld, principal of Yeshiva Ketanah in Manhattan, founder of Night Seder America, and longtime rebbe in YBH, Camp Eeshay is located at The Clifton Sports Center, 199 Scoles Avenue, Clifton, New Jersey, 07012. The campus features an Olympic-sized swimming pool, sports fields ideal for football, baseball and soccer and a state-of-the-art indoor gym.
For more information, visit www.Campeeshay.com.
By Ronit Mershon
