About Us

Camp Gesher is a small Jewish overnight camp located in Cloyne, Ontario, in the heart of Ontario’s Land O’ Lakes region. It is a community and family-oriented camp, with many parents of campers and staff involved as volunteers and members of the Board of Directors.

This tightly-knit community encourages involvement by all individuals within the organization – fostering a strong sense of ownership in the Gesher community. We are a part of Habonim-Dror, a labour-zionist youth movement active in over 20 countries worldwide. Habonim-Dror North America has seven camps in North America, two of which are located in Canada.

We Are Unique

• Gesher is a small community where everyone knows each other
• Our philosophy ensures a safe social space for all members of the community
• We foster a culture of acceptance, individuality, mutual respect and friendship in which all members of the community are free to express themselves
• In addition to traditional camp activities, Gesher prides itself on its educational component. There is a particular focus on Israel and creating a “personalized Jewish identity”
• All activities are co-ed, and many integrate campers from different age groups so that friendships can form across the spectrum
• All of our councilors are over 18 or grade 12 graduates, the majority of whom are also from our youth movement, Habonim Dror
• Our catering facilities accommodate special needs such as wheat-free or organic diets
• We offer year-round activities and seminars geared towards Gesher campers of all ages
• Gesher campers and counselors have unmatched enthusiasm and spirit!

Our Staff

The majority of the staff are graduates of Gesher and love coming to camp as much as the campers. All counselors are, a minimum of 18 years of age and grade 12 graduates. Staff members undergo training for 10 days prior to the first session of each summer which includes:

• First-aid and CPR training
• Abuse and child protection training by professionals
• Leadership training

We strive to set an example for the campers by living according to the values we teach. Like the campers, the staff work co-operatively and contributes a portion of their summer’s salary towards group events and recreation. The majority of our counselors have embedded the values we teach from their years as campers. They are reflected in the lifestyles of counselors year-round, especially in the social hubs that form in Toronto, Montreal, London, Hamilton and elsewhere. The staff works to ensure that all campers and counselors feel safe, comfortable, and happy within the camp environment.

Summer Options

First Session

• Late June to mid-July - Grades 4 through 9

Second Session

• Mid-July to mid-August - Grades 4 through 9

Full Summer

• Both first and second session and optional intersession

MBI (Israel program)

• Five week trip in Israel run by Habonim Dror North America for campers who have completed grade 10

Madatz (CIT program)

• Full summer leadership training program for campers who have completed grade 11

Ofarim (Taste of Gesher program)

• 12, 15, or 26 day program during second session for campers who have completed grades 2 and 3

Fees

Activities

• Waterfront activities – swimming, skiing, tubing, canoeing, kayaking
• Sports
• Tripping and camping
• Drama
• Arts and crafts
• Hebrew (Ivrit) activities
• Organic farming and sustainability program
• Group activities

We believe that the summer should be a time for children to enjoy the outdoors, learn more about themselves and discover their skills and talents. Throughout the summer, your children will be taught by many outside professionals with the intention of gaining a particular skill and expanding their interests.

Waterfront Activities

The waterfront is one of our favourite areas at Camp Gesher. Campers have a general swim period every day, and organized swimming lessons three to four times a week. At the end of each session, our swim staff present badges certified by the Red Cross to campers that have passed a new swimming level. A bronze cross training course and certification test is also offered to all interested campers. Facilities at the waterfront include a waterslide, water trampoline, inner tubes, and equipment for water sports such as water polo.

We offer waterskiing at varying levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced), wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and tubing. At the end of each session, badges from the Ontario Water Sports Association are handed out at the bronze, silver, and gold levels to all campers demonstrating the necessary skill requirements.

Campers have canoeing sessions and periodically special kayaking lessons from world-champion kayak expert Ed Winacoat. Camp Gesher is also certified by ORCA (the Ontario Recreational Canoeing Association) to give campers official certificates of merit based on their achievements in canoeing.

Sports

Sports activities include volleyball, basketball, rugby, football, cricket, soccer, badminton, baseball, bocce ball, floor hockey, ultimate Frisbee, parachute games and tennis. In addition to scheduled activities, we also have sports-oriented hobby groups, early-morning running groups, and nightly soccer and basketball games. Facilities include a basketball court, a multi-purpose room for indoor activities, a playground and grassy park, a large sports field with a baseball diamond and soccer nets, and beach volleyball. All sports activities are co-ed, geared towards all skill levels, and take place in an atmosphere where participation is valued over competition.

Tripping and Camping Program

Campers have many opportunities to learn and practice tripping and camping skills over the course of the summer. All age groups go on a one to two-night camping trip each session which usually involves canoeing, hiking, and sometimes portaging.

Drama

Drama is an integral part of life at Camp Gesher. Throughout the summer each age group has an opportunity to explore movement, improv, and some short script-work. Each Friday, a different group puts on a short play that the campers have written and prepared themselves during the week. There are many opportunities for campers to perform songs, poems, and skits in front of other campers and staff.

Arts & Crafts

Our arts and crafts program allows campers to unleash their creativity and imagination. With a focus on the environment, we encourage the use of recycled and reused materials with an emphasis on reducing waste. Many of our projects are geared towards beautifying the camp and campers often have the opportunity to create permanent art for all to enjoy.

Hebrew (Ivrit) activities

An Israeli counselor teaches Hebrew to campers of all different backgrounds through various fun and stimulating activities. The activities teach Hebrew by encouraging campers to use and learn the language in both new and familiar games. The counselor also helps integrate Hebrew into the campers’ everyday lives through informal dialogue.

Organic Farming and Sustainability Program

Gesher has partnered with a local organic farm to help teach the campers about sustainable living and provide Gesher with delicious produce. Several times each week, younger campers visit the farm to help with the gardening, pick fruit and vegetable, and learn about farming. The farmers also assist Gesher with creating our own vegetable and flower gardens. To minimize Gesher’s ecological-footprint, the farmers take all of our food waste to feed to their pigs and use our waste wood to heat their greenhouse in a high efficiency furnace.

Group Activities

Each day, every age group participates in an activity specifically planned and run for them by their counsellors. Topics often include Israeli culture and geography, Zionism, Judaism, social justice and activism, environmental issues, leadership and team-building. The activities are run in a creative and stimulating way to actively engage all campers.

Our History

Camp Gesher started as a camp of the Dror Youth Zionist Organization. Its membership was originally drawn from two other Dror camps:

• Camp Revivim, located in Huntsville, Ontario serving the southern Ontario area;
• Camp Kissufim, located in the Laurentian Mountains, serving the Montreal area.

Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa had the largest Jewish communities in Canada, and camps Revivim and Kissufim served those communities well for many years. In the early 1960s it was determined that amalgamating the two camps and relocating to a location midway between the three areas would best serve the needs of those Jewish communities. The current campsite was purchased in 1962 from Clarkson Duck Lake Lodge, a former commercial hunting and fishing camp. As the new location represented a “geographical bridge” between the three communities, the camp was named Gesher (bridge in Hebrew).

The transition occurred in stages. Camp Revivim closed in after the 1961 season and the campers moved to Camp Kissufim for the summer of 1962. Camp Kissufim closed after the 1962 season, and the first summer at Camp Gesher was in 1963.

In 1974, a historical joint meeting of parents and youth leadership of both the Habonim and Dror youth organizations took place in Ottawa, where it was agreed that both organizations would, “operate as one youth movement which will combine the membership of both bodies.” In the summer of 1975, Camp Gesher was chosen to be the first camp to test the merging of the Habonim and Dror Youth Movements. The success of that experiment helped expedite the eventual full merger of those two organizations in 1980.

Today, Camp Gesher is a proud member of the Habonim Dror Labour Zionist Youth Movement and of its role in the creation of this important Movement.

Our Facilities

The Davida Glazer waterfront is situated on beautiful Lake Pringle. We offer a recreational and instructional swim program, water-skiing, tubing, canoeing and kayaking. Our recreational swim is enhanced by a water trampoline and a water slide.

The Dining Room is where we eat all of our meals together. It is located between upper and lower camp, near the Misrad (Office) and basketball court.

The beautifully painted cabins all have newly built verandas that give the campers a place to play on rainy days. The cabins are equipped with bunk beds and shelving. Cabins for the two youngest groups have showers and washrooms directly connected to the sleeping area.

Gesher has several multi-purpose rooms that facilitate camp-wide activities, plays and performances, sports, arts & crafts, group activities, and much much more.

The infirmary has sufficient sleeping quarters to give sick campers a place to sleep separate from their group. Also, campers are always able to find the camp’s medic to help with whatever health concerns they might have.

The sports field and basketball court provide ample space for campers to enjoy all sorts of physical activities and games during both formally planned activities and free-time.

FAQ

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1. How can I best prepare my child for their first camp experience?
• Speak with your child about being away from home for an extended amount of time. It is important to emphasize that if your child is homesick at first, they should not dismiss camp right away. They should remain at camp, and in almost all cases, the feeling disappears after a few days. In addition, emphasize how much fun they will have, the different activities offered at camp, and the amount of new friends they will be making. Often, a child’s first letter home may sound distressing. Keep in mind that being homesick in the first few days is common and the letter you have received is likely close to one week old.
• Consider organizing sleepovers with friends in and out of the house as to acculturate your child to sleeping arrangements at camp. Also, participating in the free family weekend in early June will familiarize your child with the site and make the transition easier.
2. How long are the camp sessions?
• The first session is three weeks beginning in late June and ending in mid-July, the second session is three and a half weeks starting in mid-July and ending in mid-August. The Ofarim program (Taste of Gesher program) occurs during the second session and lasts for an optional 12, 15, or 26 days.
3. How does my child's luggage get to camp?
• At the beginning of each session, campers are picked up from central locations in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal by busses and/or vans. Your child’s luggage is brought to camp with these busses in trailers or rented trucks. If you do not live in these cities and cannot bring your child to a pickup point, it is your responsibility to bring your child’s luggage to camp.
4. Can I communicate with my child via phone/e-mail?
• You can contact your child via fax or e-mail, however it is suggested that you send faxes/e-mails at the same rate you would send regular mail. We recommend one fax or email per week, as this amount takes into account the time, resources, and environmental cost associated with the printing of e-mails on a daily basis. Phone calls to campers are reserved for birthdays and emergency situations.
• Your child may send letters via regular mail throughout the summer.
• You may send your child packages via mail, however, any food that is sent to camp cannot contain nuts or traces of nuts. Any packages containing food are expected to be shared among the group by the child receiving the package.
5. What is Kupa?
• At Gesher, food and money are collected into a common pool for each group (known as “kupa”), and shared among all members. This practice is used to educate campers about sharing and equality, and provides other campers who have not received packages the opportunity to feel included.
6. Should I send money with my child to camp?
• You may send with your child whatever amount you feel comfortable giving. It is recommended that you send $30 per session to camp with your child for the purpose of kupa. This is a communal pool of money shared within each group, used to educate campers about equality and collective empowerment. It allows campers to engage in activities as a group that otherwise would not be possible (e.g., going to a nearby municipality to see a movie).
7. Can I visit camp?
• In early June, there is a free family weekend when parents are encouraged to come with their campers to see the grounds and assist in preparing the camp for the children
• As a regular practice, we do not allow parents to visit camp other than on our predetermined visiting day, which is the last day of first session. Under extenuating circumstances, parental visits are considered on a case-by-case basis. To visit camp outside of visitors day you must first communicate with the staff at camp.
8. Can my child leave camp?
• As a regular practice, we do not allow campers to leave camp. Under extenuating circumstances (e.g., a family wedding), campers are allowed to leave for varying amounts of time.
9. What if I need to cancel my registration?
• Please notify our office immediately if you wish to cancel your child’s registration to camp and a full refund will be issued to you immediately.
10. What should I pack for my child?
• Please consult the packing list provided in the Guide to Gesher, which presents a recommended packing list.
11. Is there camp laundry?
• Camp provides off-site laundry service twice each session and once during inter-session (the three days between first and second session). Laundry is provided roughly once every 10 days. There are also on-site washers and dryers if needed.
12. What is sold at the camp tuck shop?
• Gesher does not have a tuck shop on site. Any candy that campers bring is put into the communal kupa, as described earlier.
13. What should I NOT send with my child to camp?
• If any of the following items are brought to camp they will be immediately confiscated:
  1. Food containing nuts or non-kosher food
  2. Pornography or similarly explicit material
  3. Dangerous toys such as capguns or slingshots
  4. Lighters or matches
  5. Electronic games (e.g. Gameboys etc.)
  6. Weapons (including knives, Leatherman, etc.)
• A camper bringing cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol to camp will be immediately dismissed without refund.
• In an attempt to be environmentally conscientious, Camp Gesher discourages campers from bringing disposable water bottles. Nalgenes or other reusable bottles should be brought up instead.
14. Is there cell phone reception at camp?
• There is no reception at Gesher. Campers are advised to keep cell phones and other expensive electronics at home.
15. What kind of medical facilities does camp have?
• Gesher has an on-site infirmary equipped with general medical and first aid supplies. In addition, any prescriptions brought from home are kept secure in the infirmary. A trained medical personnel is available on-site at all times during the camp season. For most of the summer, there is also a doctor at camp.
16. What if my child takes regular medications?
• All medications are kept in the infirmary, and campers take medication when needed on a daily basis. Only those who need to know are told about camper medication (e.g. the medic and the child’s counselors). Campers are escorted to the infirmary when taking medication by a counselor, and the medic dispenses the medicine. The medic keeps a detailed log of all campers’ medical information in a locked area, as well as a detailed record of medicine taken by campers who are on regular medication.
17. How do I make bunk requests for my child?
• On the camp registration form, there is space to write the names of two other campers that you wish to be in the same bunk as your child. We will try our best to accommodate your requests.
18. Where will my child live?
• Your child will live in a cabin with children of the same age and gender. Groups are split among three or more cabins if they are too large. If this is the case, the cabins are beside one another. In all instances, boys and girls cabins are next to each other. If your child is in one of the youngest two groups (grades two, three, or four), they will have bathrooms and showers in the cabin. Otherwise, bathrooms are located in separate facilities no more than a minute from the cabins. Every cabin contains shelving units.
19. How long does it take to drive to camp from the closest major cities?
• Gesher is about a three-and-a-half hour drive from Toronto, a five hour drive from Montreal, and a three hour drive from Ottawa.
20. My child is a picky eater, what kind of menu items does camp offer?
• Gesher offers a diverse menu that combines Middle Eastern cuisine with common North American dishes. Gesher offers a vegetarian option for each meat meal. Each meal includes a large variety of foods to satisfy picky eaters and provide a balanced diet. Gesher also accommodates for campers with dietary restrictions.
21. Do you have a kosher kitchen?
• All food products offered to the campers are Kosher. Also all eating and cooking utensils are separated for milk and meat meals. However, the food served at campers is not overseen by a mashgiach. We do not cook food on Shabbat.
22. Who sleeps in each cabin?
• This depends on how big a given group may be. If a cabin is full, the average amount of campers within each cabin is 12 to 14.
• A minimum of two staff members are assigned to each cabin. This includes counselors as well as specialists (e.g., lifeguards). Depending on the size of the group and the camp as a whole, this number can increase to three or four.
23. How does Gesher select and train its staff?
• Gesher’s staff is almost exclusively composed of former campers. After an interview process, in consultation with the Board of Directors and the Camp Director, the head staff of Gesher select the best candidates for each job position based on applications, interviews, and past performance evaluations. Staff members are trained one summer prior to their first year on staff in a summer-long counselor-in-training program. In addition, staff members undergo training for 10 days prior to the first session of each summer (including training with outside professionals about social issues and how to prevent child abuse). There are also training seminars throughout the year.
• The entire staff is trained in CPR and first aid every year. In addition, all waterfront staff have their National Lifeguard Service (NLS) qualifications.
24. How can I communicate to my child’s counselors?
• If at any point during the summer you’d like to discuss your child, the camp, or just get to know the counselors, feel free to call us at 613-336-2583 or you can send an e-mail to gesher@sympatico.ca.
25. Can my child take classes in order to receive swimming, skiing, or canoeing badges?
• Yes, Gesher has an extensive waterfront program. Your child can continue their swimming lessons at camp if they take lesson in the city and can attain the next badge level. If your child does not swim, they can learn to swim at Gesher. We also offer a bronze cross and bronze medallion course. Our swim program is affiliated with the Red Cross of Canada and the Lifesaving Society of Canada.
• We also offer a ski program in which campers can obtain badges in wakeboarding, water-skiing, and kneeboarding.
• Gesher has begun offering Ontario Recreational Canoeing and Kayaking Association (ORCA) certification.
26. Is your camp nut free?
• Yes. We are 100% nut free.
27. What happens if my child runs out of essentials (e.g., soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush)?
• Once notified, we will buy them whatever is needed.