As the pain of war darkened Israeli schoolchildren’s summer vacation, a record number of Boys Town Jerusalem students attended the summer camp of their dreams. Thanks to generous donors across the globe, these young boys enjoyed great adventures in sports, swimming, biking, fieldtrips and much more, plus wholesome meals daily.
Many families can’t afford summer camp
At home, their situations were bleak. “This year, numbers of parents couldn’t even pay the highly-subsidized camp fee,” BTJ Junior High School principal Rabbi Yehudah Rosencrantz reports. “Many are unemployed, with some coming daily to collect leftover food from camp to take home. Even working parents have cancelled their family’s summer vacation plans, since any minute fathers and brothers can be called up for emergency IDF Reserve duty. Giving these boys a fun-filled summer is an incredible gift for them and their families as well.”
Jacob desperately needed summer camp
Jacob,* a shy seventh grader, is an only child now caught up in his parents’ bitter divorce proceedings. “His mother tearfully admitted she could not afford even the highly-reduced camp fee, begging us to allow Jacob to attend Summer Camp,” Rabbi Rosencrantz shared. “We assured her that he would receive a full camp scholarship, thanks to a caring overseas donor. Giving Jacob, an only child, this wonderful summer of fun and friendship is a lifesaving gift.”
The camp enriches body and soul
Before each day’s adventures begin, BTJ campers open the morning with a short, fascinating look at Jewish ethical lessons for life, as well as guidelines for safety in wartime, traffic, sports, and more. “Our summer camp goes far beyond just the fun,” the principal explains. “We enrich our boys’ bodies and souls.”
*not his real name