At left: a hay fight. Golda Rosens-
tein, below left, takes a ride on
Dusty the horse with Dena Bor-
sand and Stephanie Le Blanc.
Bottom right: Rabbi Bergstein and
campers.

carnival," he said. "And we
had arts and crafts. And
that's most of it."
The camp was first held
four years ago, according to
Ganeinu advisor Rabbi
Chayim Bergstein. It started
with two counselors — the
rabbi's daughter, Hadassah,
and one of her friends — and
39 children.
By the second summer,
Ganeinu had 80 campers.
Then it reached 117. This
year, the camp moved from

The children come
to camp at 10
a.m., and begin
the day with
exercises, songs
and Torah
passages.

Congregation Bais Chabad
r- of Farmington Hills and into
the former Shaarey Zedek
nursery school on Middlebelt
Road. There just wasn't
enough space. One hundred
fifty-five children are enroll-
ed this year, cared for by 16
> counselors, including girls
from Israel, Mexico, New
York, California, "and local
talent as well," Rabbi Bergs-
I

tein said.
When not leading ac-
tivities, the counselors live
in an improvised very im-
provised
suite in a
building on the cam-
pgrounds. Beds are on the
floor; clothes are in
cubbyholes; photographs are
taped on the walls.
The children come to camp
at 10 a.m., and begin the day
with exercises, songs and
recitation of Torah passages.
Groups are then divided ac-
cording to age, with ac-
tivities including davening,
sports, arts and crafts and
swimming.
Each week, a new theme
runs throughout the daily
programs. One week it's
brachot, blessings, -another
week it's kashrut. Because
the campers come from
secular homes, observant
homes and everything in
between, the emphasis
always is on the positive —
"This is kashrut and what
you should eat" — not the
negative — "Don't eat pork"
— Rabbi Bergstein said.
The toughest part of camp
is when it's over, the staff
agreed. To keep camp spirit
alive throughout the year,
the counselors write letters
to the campers and holiday
reunions are held. ❑

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