{"id":38118,"date":"2022-01-14T01:50:02","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T09:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=38118"},"modified":"2022-01-13T15:52:57","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T23:52:57","slug":"its-been-a-hard-two-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2022\/01\/14\/its-been-a-hard-two-years\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been a hard two years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last summer, given COVID\u2019s continued presence and restrictions, campers were especially happy to be at camp. (photo from Camp Hatikvah)<\/em><\/p>\n

Prior to 2020, Camp Hatikvah was experiencing unparalleled success. With enrolment maximized, the organization was in the position to focus not only on capital and program development but also on long-term financial planning. According to Liza Rozen-Delman, the camp\u2019s executive director, Hatikvah\u2019s future had never looked brighter. \u201cIt was a period of great excitement for us,\u201d she said. \u201cWe honestly thought that nothing could get in the way of our growth and success.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pandemic, however, changed everything. \u201cThe impact of COVID was immediate and devastating,\u201d Rozen-Delman said. \u201cWe went from being on top of the world to worrying about our very survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
(photo from Camp Hatikvah)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Luckily for Hatikvah, donors immediately stepped in to cover the camp\u2019s mounting financial losses. \u201cPeople knew we were in trouble and they rallied around us,\u201d said Rozen-Delman, with great emotion and gratitude. \u201cNot only did they cover our operational expenses entirely in 2020, they made it possible for us to open in 2021 by funding all of the camp\u2019s COVID-related expenses, like testing, site upgrades and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rozen-Delman went on to share how incredible it was to welcome campers back to camp last summer. While capacity had to be dramatically reduced to adhere to government group-size limits, close to 400 children participated in Hatikvah\u2019s program in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe rearranged our session lengths to make sure that every single Jewish child wishing to attend our camp was able to do so,\u201d explained Rozen-Delman. \u201cWhile this meant that each camper was at camp for a little less time than is typical, everyone was just so grateful to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur campers are always happy to be at camp but last summer, they were elated,\u201d added Eden Gutterman, the camp\u2019s associate director. \u201cThey needed to socialize, to be outdoors and to be away from technology and it was just so beautiful to watch them revel in camp and each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
(photo from Camp Hatikvah)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gutterman shared her favourite memory from last summer. \u201cOne Shabbat, we asked all of the campers who had their bar and bat mitzvah\u2019s over Zoom to stand in the middle of a circle made up of the rest of the campers and counselors. We then did the hora around them as a tribute to their milestone and accomplishment. None of these campers got to celebrate their simchah in person so it was incredibly touching to see them surrounded and celebrated by their friends. It is something we \u2013 and they \u2013 will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
(photo from Camp Hatikvah)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Camp Hatikvah is now busy preparing for summer 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognize that COVID will likely not be over by summer,\u201d acknowledged Rozen-Delman. \u201cAnd, while we wish it wasn\u2019t the case, we feel well-prepared to deal with anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rozen-Delman shared that the Gutman family and Rockdoc Consulting Inc. have provided the funding for the camp to build a new infirmary in time for this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the realities of the ongoing pandemic, this gift couldn\u2019t have come at a better time,\u201d said Rozen-Delman. \u201cOur new infirmary has been designed with COVID and any future infectious disease in mind and will have recovery rooms that can be used as properly ventilated isolation space if necessary. Its functional space has also been thoughtfully designed to allow us to meet and exceed current best practices in camper care. It is a gift our camp so desperately needed and we couldn\u2019t be more grateful to Sam and Belinda and Gloria and their families for their generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joanna Wasel, Camp Hatikvah\u2019s board president, commented that, while she wished the world hadn\u2019t had to experience this pandemic at all, she believes that the camp will ultimately be stronger because of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are entering 2022 with a renewed sense of purpose,\u201d said Wasel. \u201cOur community supported us through this challenging time because they believe in our mandate to help raise the next generation of strong, confident and resilient Jewish leaders. Their faith means everything to us and we are determined to make them proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Courtesy Camp Hatikvah<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last summer, given COVID\u2019s continued presence and restrictions, campers were especially happy to be at camp. (photo from Camp Hatikvah) Prior to 2020, Camp Hatikvah was experiencing unparalleled success. With enrolment maximized, the organization was in the position to focus not only on capital and program development but also on long-term financial planning. According to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38119,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[4389,20750,21164,3076,21162,2864,5127,7750,218,3430,2087,9812,2763,21163,6153],"class_list":["post-38118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-camp-hatikvah","tag-covid","tag-eden-gutterman","tag-education","tag-gutman","tag-health","tag-jewish-camp","tag-joanna-wasel","tag-judaism","tag-kids","tag-liza-rozen-delman","tag-pandemic","tag-philanthropy","tag-rockdoc-consulting","tag-summer-camp"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}