A Camp Galil activity in 2021
Courtesy of Camp Galil Photographers
Golden Slipper campers still got to enjoy their summers last year, despite certain COVID restrictions.

Photo by Matvey Lozinsky
Th ere were not too many of those activities, either.

Campers ate only with their bunks, swam only in
small groups and enjoyed electives with just one
other bunk. In 2022, though, campers will eat meals
together in the dining hall again; boys and girls will
come together for free swim; and kids from all bunks
can choose electives based on their preferences.

Guida said the approach will bring Golden Slipper
“pretty much back to normal.” At the same time, he
said the lack of restrictions makes him a little ner-
vous. But much like a school administrator, he learned
30 JUNE 16, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
how to deal with the virus last year. So now, if an out-
break happens, he knows he can just revert to 2021
limitations. Golden Slipper had zero cases during its
reopening summer a year ago.

“I feel good that we have the plans,” Guida said.

Golden Slipper has 230 campers signed up for its
fi rst 3½-week session. It’s a higher number than last
year’s 75% capacity but not as high as the camp’s
pre-COVID average. Guida acknowledged that the
Stroudsburg operation is still trying to “rebuild.”
Other camps in the area, like Pinemere Camp in
Stroudsburg, the JCC Camps at Medford in South
Jersey and Southampton Summer Day Camp in
Bucks County, face a diff erent challenge: Th ey are all
back to normal, pre-COVID numbers for 2022.

For the JCC Camps, that’s 1,500 kids, up from 200
in 2020 and 1,400 in 2021; for Southampton, it’s 500
instead of the 350 of a year ago; and for Pinemere, the
numbers are at record levels for a camp that is cele-
brating its 80th anniversary this year: 330 campers in
the fi rst session, 275 in the second.

At all three camps, directors said they are ready for
the increase.

Eytan Graubart, the executive director of Pinemere,
is requiring two negative tests per person upon arrival
and vaccinations for campers and staff members. He
is also not allowing overnight off days for counselors,
out-of-camp trips to big amusement parks and inter-
camp games.

“We don’t need to expose 300 kids to another 300
kids that they haven’t been around,” Graubart said.

But outside of those limitations, camp activities
will resemble 2019 as much as camper numbers. As
Graubart put it, kids can come to Pinemere and inter-
act with everyone, even those outside of their bunks.

And counselors will be allowed to take off days
during the day, while out-of-camp trips will be back.

“Last year, parents wanted to know everything
about it. Th is year, parents are saying we’ve seen our
kids go through school, Little League,” the director
said. “Th ey are saying, ‘We trust you.’”
Graubart takes that responsibility seriously. If nec-
essary, Pinemere can quarantine campers at camp or
send them home to their families. It can also imple-
ment backup schedules if bunks have outbreaks.

“A little bit of it depends on the scenario,” Graubart
said. Day camps don’t have the same level of responsi-
bility since campers go home at night. But they take
it seriously, too.

Th e JCC Camps at Medford are continuing out-
door dining, just like last year, according to Director
Sara Sideman. Th ey are also keeping most of their
programming outside.

Cohorts, though, are gone, while electives are back
in full. Perhaps most importantly, masks are gone.

“It’s going to be special to see our kids step off the
bus and smile that fi rst day,” Sideman said.

Southampton leaders are walking a similar tightrope.

Like last summer, they are mandating daily health
screenings for all campers and staff members before
they arrive. Th ey are also going to continue making use
of shaded areas for outdoor activities as well as adding
an extra outdoor tent for the camp infi rmary.

Despite those lingering COVID policies, others
are going away. Campers can return to some pop-
ular indoor activities like cooking and the arcade.

Director Lindsay Blum Schlesinger, who is taking
over day-to-day management from her parents, said
that some big Southampton events will return in
2022. “Kids have never needed camp more; we can’t wait
to see all those smiling faces on the fi rst day,” she
added. “Th is will be our 49th summer, and our top
priority has always been the health and safety of our
campers and staff , and this year will be no diff erent.” JE
jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com