This summer, Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy of Connecticut had the opportunity to assist the Chabad of Greenwich in their time of need and fortunately had the ability to do so.

Camp Gan Israel of Greenwich found out in late spring that their camp, in its 25th year, needed a facility to host its wildly popular summer program. When they needed a friend, the BCHA community didn’t hesitate to extend its hand in support.

“When it comes to the Jewish community, the rabbis teach us כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה, which means, in a communal sense, we are all connected one to the other and in a mitzvah context, we are responsible to help each other in need,” said Rabbi Tzvi Bernstein, head of school at Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy. “It was therefore an expression of this value for us to help the Greenwich Chabad and the children in our community who they serve, by accommodating Camp Gan Israel this summer. For their part, they assumed the financial cost of this accommodation.”

For 22 years, Camp Gan Israel has used Carmel Academy in Greenwich as its home base. However, with the venue unavailable to the summer camp this year, Directors Rabbi Yossi and Maryashie Deren needed to pivot and find a new location for the camp this summer.

“Us coming to Bi-Cultural this summer was truly heartwarming,” said Rabbi Boruch Ceitlin, on-site director at Camp Gan Israel. “It showed how another Jewish organization was there for us. They’re in this with us. They really were doing everything they could to make our camp work. And it was an incredible feeling of acceptance. We are so grateful to Rabbi Tzvi Bernstein and the whole Bi-Cultural staff for welcoming us in and doing it in such a nice way. They are really going out of their way for us. They are reworking their summer activities to accommodate us and make sure that 250 Jewish kids have a summer camp for 2022. Thanks to them, our camp is not only functioning, but thriving.”

And once Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy opened its doors to Camp Gan Israel, it was all about transferring the camp from one venue to another.

“Moving all our stuff to a new campus wasn’t easy,” Rabbi Boruch said. “We were here around the clock setting up to make sure things were set up and ready to go. We had a few community members that helped us out by taking time out of their week to volunteer and help us in the move. Their heart was with Chabad, the camp and the kids having a good time.”

Camp Gan Israel of Greenwich is a summer day camp that has been providing a unique Jewish summer camp experience since 1997. Twenty-five years ago, the camp had 20 people enrolled and after the first year, people enjoyed the camp experience so much that the numbers grew at a torrid pace. Within no time, it became a summer program with 250 campers.

“Chabad’s mission is to make sure that Judaism is addressed and that people have a place to turn to for Judaism,” said Rabbi Boruch. “Everybody has a Jewish spark in them and we want people to have a place to go to and tap into that Jewish spark. It’s such a breath of fresh air coming to Bi-Cultural. We feel so welcome, and that Jewish spark came out when Bi-Cultural responded to the call. It shows that we’re one family and that we’re here for each other.”

With camp in full swing, there are plenty of smiles throughout the BCHA building and its 13-acre campus. In addition to its own summer staff, the school has been able to accommodate all of the Gan Israel administration, staff and campers.

“We’ve been so blessed that the staff at Bi-Cultural pivoted with us and was able to help us make this happen,” said on-site director Chaya Ceitlin. “It really shows what we are one Jewish community and we are here for each other. It was a big lesson for us because we were welcomed with such open arms and such warmth by our Jewish community. I think this experience taught us where we can help and be there for each other.”