Loading…
Loading…
Camp Gan Israel
The practical things, answered plainly.
There are three divisions: ages 2 to 4, ages 5 to 7, and ages 8 to 13, each with its own schedule. Children move up as they grow, and the program gets fuller each time they do.
Camp is based at the Chabad House, 5580 Almaden Expressway, San Jose CA 95118. Trips leave from there and come back there.
Camp runs Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Days mix trips, swimming, sports, nature, art, science, special events and shows, and the older division goes on trips twice a week. Fridays are built around preparing for Shabbat and end with a celebration. The office has a sample daily schedule and a parent handbook that go through it hour by hour — ask for both.
Mussi and Mendel Weinfeld direct the camp, with head staff over a team of counselors and junior counselors. Junior counselors are teenagers, aged roughly 15 to 17, who assist counselors rather than supervise alone. Staff go through an ongoing training program before and during the season. Swimming is supervised by professional swim instructors and lifeguards.
A hot kosher lunch is included with registration, plus a morning and an afternoon snack. There is nothing to pack and no lunch tickets. Bagels with spreads and cereal are out every day alongside the day’s menu. No outside food is allowed on camp grounds.
Camp is peanut and tree nut free. Tell the office about any allergy or dietary restriction when you register, over the phone or on the registration form they send you — not in a website message box.
There is daily pickup and drop-off at a few locations in Sunnyvale, for an extra weekly charge. A dedicated driver runs a 15-passenger vehicle, and parents provide their own car seats. Which stops run in a given season varies.
Yes. After care runs from 3:45 PM to 5:30 PM for free play on the camp grounds, with its own staff, at an extra weekly charge.
Campers come from every kind of Jewish background, and nothing assumes prior knowledge. Jewish values and holidays run through the ordinary business of the day rather than sitting in a separate lesson, and Fridays turn toward Shabbat. It is meant to be a window into a joyful and relevant Jewish life that any Jewish child can enjoy.
Let the staff know. They mark birthdays at camp and will arrange it with you.
There is a Bring-A-Friend Friday for children who have never been to Gan Izzy — a day as a camper to try it out. It needs to be booked and confirmed in advance, and space is limited.
The camp runs a WhatsApp group for parents with photos, reminders and updates through the season. Ask the office for the current invite link.
Call the office on 408-910-2034 and ask for the camp director, or email info@ganisraelsj.com.