Camp Dovid is proud to announce Eric Gellman as the new camp director. Camp Dovid, founded in 1999 by Rabbi David Beitler, is a five-day hockey “season” where boys are able to play on teams made up of fellow Jewish boys from the tri-state area. Known for his charisma, Rabbi Beitler, z”l founded the camp out of his love of the sport of hockey. He tragically passed away the Wednesday before camp began last summer. The coaches and refs who loved him made sure that during the week his family sat shiva that the camp, his dream, would continue.
Gellman has been at Camp Dovid almost since day one, where he watched his own boys improve their skills, so that each was a superstar in their own yeshiva hockey careers. He also assisted and helped Rabbi Beitler start the Five Towns Hockey League in 2002 for kids in first to eighth grades, and watched many yeshiva league superstars emerge.
Gellman started his floor hockey career at Camp Raleigh in the 1980s and continued his career as an all-star player at MTA, where he helped bring home MTA’s first championship in many years as an alternate captain in 1988.
Since then Gellman has stayed involved in yeshiva hockey throughout his life. He has refereed hundreds of yeshiva hockey games at all levels. He is currently the commissioner of the middle school yeshiva hockey league and coaches the girls’ hockey team at HAFTR. Gellman also runs a men’s floor hockey league in the Five Towns.
While nobody could ever replace Rabbi Beitler, in Gellman we have found someone whose love and commitment to yeshiva hockey is boundless. His love and commitment to the camp make him the perfect person to lead Camp Dovid for the next 22 years and beyond.
Camp Dovid 2022 dates are August 21-25. It is for boys entering fifth through 12th grade. The camp will, once again, be located at the Camp Lavi campus. Buses from various locations in the tri-state area will transport boys to and from camp.
If you are interested in sending your son to what has been quoted as “the greatest five days in their life,” please reach out to [email protected] or visit www.campdovid.com
By Elie Salomon
