Camp Zev at Lander College

Lander College / Beis Medrash L’Talmud has a two week break mid-winter and an early summer recess beginning towards the end of June, offering students the opportunity to leave yeshiva for long periods of time. Nevertheless, despite the allure of taking off so much time from yeshiva, many students have chosen to stay at Landers during their vacation days (including this most recent winter break) in order to devote their free time to learning Torah.

 

To accommodate, one of the Lander College Kollel members has created a unique program to facilitate learning Torah during these intermediary days. Largely financed by the yeshiva and its alumni, their bein ha’zmanim program aims to have the appropriate ratio between learning Torah and taking time off to become revitalized for the next zman. To do this (in addition to supplying the general needs of any yeshiva, like three meals a day and regular minyanim), their program provides: snacks, shiurim, Torah-learning contests (with prizes like money for seforim), full Shabbos accommodations, and guest speakers – which is to name just a few of the ways employed to enrich the daily experience.

 

Many students are grateful to the program for encouraging them to learn during their free time. Without “Camp Zev” (as it’s fondly called for the Lander College Kollel member who created the program), many claim that they would not have spent nearly as much time learning Torah during their break. One student commented on the overall atmosphere of the program: “The achdus [camaraderie] that you [Zev] have created among the Talmidei HaYeshiva makes me feel as if our campus has been transformed into camp-us.”

 

“Camp Zev” always seeks new ways to enhance the experience of the participating students. This past summer, they wrote letters to Gedolei Yisroel asking for words of encouragement – and many responded. HaRav Dovid Feinstein wrote that the participating Lander students have themselves fulfilled the teaching that the only one who is liberated is the one who is engaged in Torah study. HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky praised their learning of Torah during these times by saying that vacation time is a special period where the main purpose is to sanctify Hashem’s name in which the world will see how a ben Torah acts in that all his actions are proper. HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman wrote that he supports this program because in a time like bein ha’zmanim there is more bitul Torah. He added that this is like a meis mitzva - like that which is written in the Sefer Chassidim that a mitzva that people do not want to do is like a meis mitzva.

 

This most recent winter program offered an opportunity to meet with Gedolei Yisroel in Lakewood, NJ. The handful that went on the trip returned to Landers with a palpable enthusiasm, which quickly spread to the other students.

 

This most recent winter program was the most successful yet - with around 25 students attending daily. The pleasure of those that had attended “Camp Zev” is being felt throughout Landers. Consequently, many students are looking forward to spending their summer vacation days in the most fulfilling place around: their yeshiva!

 

For more information or sponsorship opportunities, please be in touch with the program director at ZevKilstein@Gmail.com

 

Want to make a donation (of any size) to this amazing program? Just visit our fundraising webpage hosted by CrowdRise: 

https://www.crowdrise.com/jewishstudentslookingtospendsummertimestudyingtorah/fundraiser/zevkilstein