Camp Gan Israel Parksville New York

Camp Gan Israel Parksville New York offers daily swimming in outdoor and indoor pools, boating on a lake with canoes, kayaks and paddle boats, outdoor water play, and a range of sports including soccer, basketball, baseball, football, and indoor/outdoor hockey with sports leagues for each division. Campers take part in arts and crafts, including projects with a Jewish theme, wood working, challah baking, and an optional cacao club, along with field trips to amusement parks, water parks, bowling, ice skating, and bounce/trampoline venues. The program also includes in-house entertainment such as magic shows, a mentalist, a ventriloquist, acrobatics, concerts, stunt shows, nature-based learning, and a special survival activity that teaches about plants and building a shelter in the wilderness, as well as daily learning classes in Chumash, Mishnayos, Halacha, Gemara, Tanya, and Sichos.

• Ages: 8–16 years old
• Schedule: Camp dates for Summer 2026 (5786) include a First Session from June 23 to July 20, a Second Session from July 20 to August 17, and a Full Session from June 23 to August 17.

Camp Gan Israel Parksville New York is a Jewish overnight camp geared for Jewish boys from all backgrounds and is described as a pioneer in Jewish camping, with over sixty years devoted to enriching the lives of children from diverse Jewish backgrounds. The mission statement notes that the camp provides a meaningful summer that promotes individual growth through a special educational program together with a mix of sports, trips, and fun activities, allowing every child to build character and long-lasting friendships. The camp has hosted 360 campers with a dedicated team of 160 staff members in a season, and over six decades since the first Camp Gan Israel, hundreds of overnight and day camps have opened worldwide.

All aquatic activities are under the careful supervision of experienced and certified Red Cross lifeguards, and campers are required to take a swimming ability test in order to enter the deep water. The program states that counselors and staff have experience and are trained in safety, classes are tailored to accommodate every camper to their level and capability, and children are encouraged to learn Tanya and Mishnayos by heart. Nature-based learning and education are described as improving academic performance and critical thinking, and arts and crafts with a Jewish theme can result in projects that function in the home as a mezuzah or charity box.

The leadership team includes Executive Director Rabbi Avraham Shemtov and Camp Director Rabbi Yossie Futerfas, along with head counselors Mordechai Sperlin (NY), Mendy Rochester (NY), and Dovy Wilhelm (NY), NOD Mendel Heber (NY), Learning Directors Yaakov Potash (CA) and Yisroel Jacobson (NY), BMD head staff Tzvi Shusterman (CA), Yossi Lipskier (AZ), and Mendel Feigenson (NY), and Mechanchim Rabbi Sholom Baras. The camp notes that it was established at the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s behest, and that the Rebbe left New York City limits three times, each time to visit Camp Gan Israel in the Catskill Mountains of New York.

Parent, staff, camper, and grandparent testimonials describe Chassidishe values, new friendships, exciting activities, warmth of the staff, a sense of camaraderie among staff, a focus on personal and spiritual growth “in a good frum way that the Rebbe is proud of,” and a camper experience that includes sports, arts and crafts, learning classes, and color war, with one parent stating that the camp has become an integral part of their son’s life.

Last updated February 6, 2026.