COVID-19 Camp Updates

This section will be updated regularly and much of the information will be incorporated into the Summer 2020 Parent Handbook.

10/13/2020

ב”ה

We have sorely missed our camp community, but we cannot wait to be reunited again this coming summer. While the coronavirus upended our 2020 sessions, we now have the time, knowledge, and ability to apply the necessary precautions and safety measures to ensure the well-being of our campers when we return to Camp L’man Achai in June 2021.

Being apart has made us all very aware of the importance that Camp plays in our lives. Our campers have missed their friends, counselors ant the lifelong experiences and fun that CLA offers!

Soon we will be back at camp, creating the experiences, memories and lifelong lessons that comes spending a summer at Camp L’man Achai. We look forward to forging these bonds and memories again and we invite you to join us. We are excited to let you know that we have taken this time to make many upgrades to our beautiful camp grounds, which will surely enhance our campers summer experience.

Best wishes for a healthy winter,

Rabbi Yitzchok Steinmetz


6/14/2020

 

ב”ה

Dear Parents and CLA families,

I write this letter with a heavy heart. As you know our staff was busy the last few months with planning and preparing an awesome camp experience for our campers, new ones and returning ones. After the news that COVID-19 hit, camp preparations were temporarily put on hold, however for the past six weeks were back at it full force. We were fully aware that camp would not be the same as usual, including no trips, no visiting day, extra pre-camp screening and limiting some programming in camp. However, we knew that camp remains the best and safest place for children to be during the summer months. Camp offers children a place to grow, make friends and gain new experiences in a safe and nurturing environment.

This past Friday the Governor and NYS Health Department made it clear that they will not allow overnight camps to operate this summer. So it is with much heartache that we make this announcement that Camp L’man Achai will not be opening this summer.

While we prayed and hoped for a different outcome, as Jews we know that everything that happens is orchestrated by G-D, and while it may not make any sense to us, we firmly believe that this too is part of G-D’s plan.

Although we may be closing our doors for this summer, we can assure you that we will be here for your families through these trying times, and we are surely planning for an even better 2021 summer, which we will, with G-Ds help, experience together in Jerusalem with the coming of Moshiach.

Stay tuned, we are hoping to be able to arrange different forms of engagements for our campers. Although it won’t be the camp experience we were all hoping for, we know how important this will be for them.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy summer,

Rabbi Yitzchok Steinmetz

5/31/2020

I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to plan for a safe, healthy and fun filled summer for our campers.

NYS is in the early stages of reopening, and Delaware county (where our camp is located) is currently in phase one of the reopening process. We are very hopeful that we will be able to open camp this summer, with the necessary changes and precautions. However, overnight camps in NYS haven’t yet received any concrete guidelines from the Governor’s office or the Health Department. We are currently preparing for camp to operate based on the guidelines put out by the CDC and American Camp Association, however we will not be able to confirm an opening date for camp until we are certain that we will have permission to open.

While it saddens us to have to make this decision, being that we are now less than a month away from our original start date, we will have to cancel our first session. We are hopeful that we will be able to open for the second session which starts on July 13th.

Please make sure that your son’s camp registration is complete, so that we can plan accordingly and be ready once we get the OK to operate camp.