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CGI Columbus

Entering our 27th summer, Camp Gan Israel, Columbus, Ohio, was created in order to provide Jewish children with a comprehensive and meaningful summer program, fostering their growth individually, socially and Jewishly. Our program caters to boys and girls entering grades K-7. The daily schedule includes an exciting mix of sports, field trips, swimming and activities. These are designed to be educational, fun and conducive in building character and nurturing friendships.

Camp Gan Israel will strive to:

  • Be a truly fun and unforgettable experience.

  • Be a place where children will learn the importance of caring, sharing, patience and working with others.

  • Provide an opportunity for Judaism to be felt, lived and experienced in a fun and all-encompassing way.

  • Learn about Judaism, gain sports skills, swimming and crafts, as well as nature appreciation. 

 

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Location 

The camp site is located at the New Albany Middle School, in New Albany, Ohio, and utilizes the school’s classrooms, gymnasium, sports fields, swimming pool, and cafeteria. Its modern facilities, sprawling grounds, and Olympic size swimming pool allows for plenty of supervised sports outside and lots of room for indoor activities. Lunch will be eaten in the outdoor cafeteria each day, aside for trip days when lunch will be eaten during the trip. The on-site address is 6600 E. Dublin-Granville Road, New Albany, Ohio 43054.  

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Campers

Camp Gan Israel welcomes boys and girls in grades K-7.

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Dates and Times

Camp Gan Israel 2025 begins June 24th and runs Monday through Friday concluding July 19th. Camp will include weekly sessions:

Week 1: June 24th - June 28th
Week 2: July 1st - July 5th - There is no camp on July 4th
Week 3: July 8th - July 12th 
Week 4: July 15th -July 19th

 

Study Skills

Camp Gan Israel

  • team building though group activities
  • sports skills 
  • art skills
  • social skills

Chabad Hebrew School 

  • the Hebrew alphabet with our Aleph Champ curriculum 
  • Hebrew Reading with our Aleph Champ curriculum
  • art skills 
  • social skills
  • science

Times and Policies for Pick up and Drop Off

The day begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. Please do not drop off your child at camp more than 10 minutes before the beginning of the day or leave your child more than 10 minutes after camp is over to ensure proper supervision for your child.

For those campers who need to be dropped off early or picked up late, please refer to the Pre-Care and After-Care section of this guide. For pick up and drop off places and times, please refer to the Transportation section of this guide.

We encourage campers to attend as many weeks as possible to fully benefit from the instruction and various ongoing activities. However, children can be registered by individual weeks.

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Pre-care/After-care

Camp Gan Israel is offering pre-care and after-care that will enable parents to drop off children one hour prior to the start of the camp day (8:30 am) and to pick up children one hour after the end of the camp day (5:00 pm).

Parents can enroll their children for pre-care, after-care, or both. Parents will be billed by the week regardless of how many days during the week the program is utilized.

Bus Transportation will not be available for this program.

Pre-Care/After-Care will be located on camp premises, at the New Albany Middle School.  

Please Note:  

Parents will be charged PreCare/AfterCare fee for any child dropped off before 9:20 a.m., and for any child being picked up after 4:10 p.m. 

Weekly Enrollment Rates: 
$50.00 for either pre-care or after-care per week. 
$100.00 for both pre-care and after-care per week.

Parents who have not enrolled in weekly Pre-Care/After-Care will be charged $15.00 for each drop off before 9:20 a.m. and for each pick up after 4:10 p.m. 

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Staff

The staff will include: Two head counselors, 9 bunk counselors, three junior counselors, and three Red Cross certified lifeguards. Careful consideration of camp size will ensure optimum counselor/camper ratio of at least one supervising staff member per six campers.

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Tuition

Weekly rate - $400
Full Summer - $1,500

• Chabad Hebrew School of the Arts discount $15 off per week

• Full tuition payment is required by Monday, June 10th, 2024 unless otherwise arranged with the Director.

Transportation Fee - Refer to the transportation section of this handbook.

A $100 deposit per child is required with camp registration. The deposit is nonrefundable and will be deducted from the camp tuition. 

All camp payments are due in full by June 10, 2024. To set up an extended payment plan or for more information, please contact (614) 939-0765. Registration is not complete until camp fees are paid in full or a payment plan is implemented.

It is very important to have your registration completed in order that you will receive the camp updates and information.

Our reimbursement policy allows for full reimbursement until the start of camp, except for the $100 deposit. Once camp begins, we cannot offer any reimbursement.

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Scholarship

Camp Gan Israel’s Scholarship Fund extends scholarship grants towards needy children seeking enrollment in Camp Gan Israel.

Applicants need not have had any previous educational background or affiliation with Chabad or any other Jewish organization. All Jewish families are welcome to apply. It is noteworthy to point out that the fund’s resources are limited and  Gan Israel receives a tremendous amount of scholarship requests on an annual basis. Therefore, greater priority will obviously be placed upon those applications where the need is deemed greatest. While all extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration, the scholarship fund is not designed to help alleviate the pressures of a tight budget, but rather to help make the program affordable for those who have absolutely no access to the total tuition fees. It is strongly recommended that you include all pertinent facts and information in your application so that your situation can be evaluated upon the basis of all relevant factors. Please feel free to include any letters or notes of recommendation from references such as rabbis, teachers, physicians, etc.

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Lunch

Please send your child to camp with a nutritious lunch and 2 healthy snacks each day. Campers will have the opportunity to eat their snack in the morning and afternoon. Please limit the “junk” food, as the days are hot and long. Healthy and nutritious food will keep your camper going strong all day. While we will always have water available, please send a water bottle in their lunches daily. Lunches will not be refrigerated; however lunches will be kept inside, aside from outdoor trip days. 

We eat lunch at 11:30 am except for some trip days when lunch will be at 12:00 pm. When lunch is at 12:00 pm we will offer a chance for the campers to eat a morning snack they have provided. Although we are not providing food, please clearly indicate, on the camp registration form, if your child is allergic to specific foods or has special food requirements. This way we can help keep our campers healthy and happy. 

Water will be available daily.

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Safety

Safety is of primary importance to our counselors and staff. Camp Director Esther Kaltmann will be continuously on hand overseeing the operation of camp and the safety of all campers. Contact among the entire camp staff is maintained during the entire camp day, with specific emphasis on field trips.

With regard to our swimming program, the pool will be supervised by at least two Red Cross certified lifeguards at all times.

In case of an emergency, parents, guardians or emergency contact individuals will be contacted immediately, and if necessary, family doctors as well.

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Schedule  

Camp Gan Israel aims to expose the children to the widest possible array of activities, trips, and educational programs, which will serve as a learning experience and leave a lasting positive impact. The daily schedule includes a mixture of sports, swimming, field trips, educational activities and crafts.

Every day at Camp Gan Israel Adventures we go on a field trip. Sports and swimming are scheduled a number of times depending on the week. When the New Albany pool is not available, we will have water activities. 

A detailed schedule of upcoming activities, special days, and field trips will be sent home with the campers prior to each week. Campers will be divided into groups of age-appropriate activities to keep all campers involved.

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Field Trips 

In addition to nature trips, campers will have the opportunity to enjoy field trips to children’s favorites, such as Ice Skating, Hocking Hills and other activities. Additionally, there will be one full day trip to Zoombezi Bay that will be billed separately. Information concerning these field trips will be sent home with the children prior to the trip.  

Please share the bus guidelines with your child, found here, even if you are not using daily transportation, since we will be taking busses on our field trips. 

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Crafts 

Our resourceful arts and crafts program is designed to instruct the children in an exciting array of arts and crafts projects. They include various themes in Jewish life as well as other fun and novel projects, each of which nurture creative expression and encourage children to discover their distinct talents. 

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Sports

All sports activities will be planned and taught by a qualified sports coach. Safety is always a primary concern. Campers will receive instruction in basketball, softball/t-ball, soccer and participate in challenging courses.

Soccer: Instruction will focus on the fundamental skills and understanding of the game. Children will learn techniques in offense and defense, with opportunities to use their skills in scrimmages as well as through teamwork in game situations. 

Basketball: Our Instructors will help campers in the skills of dribbling, shooting, rebounding and passing with special emphasis on team play. 

Challenging Course: Instructors involve participants in a variety of imaginative, skill building group activities, decision making, determination and how to approach life’s obstacles. 

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Swimming 

Swimming is scheduled 12 times over the course of Camp Gan Israel’s 2025 camp season. Please refer to the Camp Calendar for exact swim dates. On swimming days children should bring a bathing suit and a towel in a tote or plastic bag. Parents should mark bathing suits and towels with permanent ink or labels. Swimming lessons are offered and taught by a certified swim instructor. 

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Family Programming

Camp Gan Israel will offer several opportunities for parents and children to enjoy the camp spirit together. They include a Goodbye Gan Izzy Performance, as well as other activities throughout the year.

Campers and their families will have the opportunity to experience a Family Shabbat in our facilities at the Lori Schottenstein Chabad Center in New Albany, along with their counselors and fellow campers from their bunk, in a warm Shabbat atmosphere imbued with enthusiastic camp spirit.

More information about the above events will follow.  

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Transportation

Transportation will be provided for an additional $35 per week for pick up and drop-off at Bexley and Berwick.

Morning:
Berwick 8:45 AM
Bexley 9:00 AM

Afternoon:
4:20 Bexley
4:30 Berwick

Bus rules & policies can be found here.

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Lice Policy

Please read and agree to our lice policy, which is found on the medical form. (See Medical, above)

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Missed Camp Days

We do not refund for days missed from camp. 

If tested positive for Covid-19

  • If a camper or anyone in the household has covid, camp must be notified ASAP. Camp administration  will review the specifics of the situation   to determine  a  timeline and conditions to return to camp .The camper will need to present a negative test before returning to camp.
  • If your child or a family member has Covid-19  symptoms, the camper must stay home and will be allowed back to camp once a phone call is made ensuring that the camper has been symptom free for over 24 hours.
  • There are no refunds for Covid-19 related absences.
  • We are asking all families to please take upon all steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 especially during the camp season to ensure that  everyone will have a healthy and fun summer.   

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Come Join the Fun!

So plan to join our camp for the whole summer or just for one session. Fun and learning are what Camp Gan Israel is all about! For more information, please contact us at 614-939-0765. 

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