Camp Gan Israel’s Shaloh House in Brighton, Mass., welcomed 10 teenage girls from Sderot, Israel, on July 4, providing them with a much-needed respite from the war in Israel after the tragic events of Oct. 7. The teens will join with Boston-area campers through July 21 for a summer experience focused on healing, unity and Jewish pride.
“These children come from Sderot, where over 75 people were killed on Oct. 7,” said Rabbi Dan Rodkin, director of Camp Gan Israel Shaloh House and organizer of this special program. “These girls have been displaced from their homes several times due to the ongoing rocket fire and have been out of school most of the time. This camp will give them a chance to rest, recuperate and enjoy their summer.”
The program is coordinated with Rabbi Moshe Zeev Pizem, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Sderot, whose daughter is also a camper. Sderot is a desert town in Israel’s south just a few kilometers away from the Gaza Strip, which was targeted by Hamas and Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7 and has been under constant Hamas rocket fire since Israel left the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005.
“We feel we are giving to the children of Sderot, but really, it is we and our children who are so enriched and enlightened by their presence,” said Rodkin. “Spending time with these children strengthens our identity and connects us to the Land of Israel and to the people of Israel.”
The girls, aged 13 to 15, will participate in a variety of activities such as swimming, chess, art, drama, dance, gymnastics, fencing and other sports.
The camp, which serves approximately 150 children from Boston and the surrounding area, will integrate the girls into most of the daily programming alongside their peers. In addition, special programs are aimed at building Jewish pride and fostering unity between Israeli and American Jews.
Despite the language barrier, efforts will be made to integrate them as much as possible, with activities in the evenings and additional trips to places like historic sites in Boston; New York City; and Washington, D.C. The rabbi has arranged for three Hebrew-speaking staff members and a separate house for their accommodations.
This summer’s initiative is the third time youth from Sderot have joined Camp Gan Israel Shaloh House, the first two being 2007 and 2008.
Camp Gan Israel Shaloh House is also the site of the antisemitic stabbing attack in July 2021, when Rabbi Shlomo Noginski fought off an attacker who had planned to harm children at camp, himself surviving after having been stabbed. The attacker was almost immediately caught by police.
