Why This Surfing Camp Had Only Seven Campers

Can you have a camp with only seven kids? Should you? The objective of the “Sukkos Surfing camp” was to amplify and set in motion a series of events to return young, holy Jews to a place of Divine inspiration. 

Can you have a camp with only six kids? Should you? The objective of the “Sukkos Surfing camp” was to amplify and set in motion a series of events to return young, holy Jews to a place of Divine inspiration. And that’s exactly what we did.

Between the exciting, action-packed local trips, beautiful apartment to return to every night, 5-star meals, and constant farbrenging, davening, and hands-on learning, our seven campers – hailing from Israel, Australia, New York, and Baltimore had their lives changed forever.

Prior to joining, they each faced certain life challenges and as a result, struggled with their adherence to Yiddishkeit. Each boy got comprehensive farbrengen sessions to address their specific issues, creating an environment more akin to a spiritual fraternity than a camp-style kumbaya. In truth, it was less a camp than a brotherhood. 

Headed by Temimim Gavriel Kollin, Meir Malka, Aharon Louis, and Moshe Lightman, the “farbrengen-style” of the camp provided an open platform for addressing common challenges such as vape, weed, and phone addiction. The rules of the camp were simple: no phones, davening 3 times a day, and a commitment to healthy lifestyle choices. In exchange, these staff planned an exciting itinerary, taking advantage of some of the greatest attractions California has to offer. 

Some of the activities included surfing, cliff-climbing, jet skiing, a trip to Six Flags, parasailing, and meditative work-shops with Rabbi Michoel Muchnik.

While using a beachside Airbnb as their home base, participants in “The Thirteen Day Farbrengen Sukkos Surfing Camp” were able to have a truly healthy rejuvenation.

We are proud to say that the staff have stayed in touch with the boys, and everyone is still inspired, with their lives changed forever. They just recently had a shabbaton together at wilks barre yeshiva in the Poconos.

“It’s the first time that geshmak and yiddishkeit have melded together for me, giving me a whole new perspective!” One camper said.

A special thank you goes to Rabbi Dov Muchnik, Executive Director of Lamplighters and the acclaimed Chabad of Oxnard for working together with our camp to make our a dream an easier reality.

Watch this video to get a taste of just what went down in Sukkos Surfing Camp: