The Oasis that Gave 200 Bachurim a Chance to Soar
I
t’s a long way from Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s
campus in Far Rockaway to Todd Road, a qui-
et country lane with no outlet in rural Sullivan
County. But it is here, on the grounds of Camp
Oraysa, that nearly 200 bachurim spent four weeks
of aliyah this summer, recharging their physical
and spiritual batteries as they scaled new heights in
Torah and avodah.
Camp Oraysa is located in the picturesque
Catskills region of New York. It is more than two miles
from the nearest store. Yet the camp’s relative isolation
is its greatest advantage, as it allowed the bachurim –
from both Mesivta Chaim Shlomo and Beis Medrash
Heichal Dovid – to learn, play and refresh their spirits
under the guidance of fifteen rabbeim.
The talmidim of Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid
heard daily shiurim from the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav
Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, in the camp’s spacious, air-
conditioned beis medrash. With a slightly modified
schedule, they were able to take advantage of Camp
Oraysa’s 92 expansive acres – its fields of green grass
as far as the eye can see, its multiple athletic fields, its
outdoor swimming pool and its indoor gymnasium.
The talmidim of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo were
divided into several daily shiurim delivered by distin-
guished maggidei shiur. They availed themselves of
the camp’s array of facilities and were divided into
sports leagues. The boys also went on several super-
vised trips throughout the camp session.
Camp Oraysa is led by the indefatigable Rav
Moshe Bender, the associate dean of Yeshiva Darchei
Torah. “The camp manages to pack, into just four
weeks, a lifetime of energy and ruach,” he says. “It’s
more than a change of scenery; it’s a time and place that
is custom-made for the bachurim to grow. They get
ample exercise, intensive shiurim, three delicious meals
a day, and uplifting Shabbosos and melave malkas. But
most of all, the camp setting allows them to deepen
their relationships with their rabbeim and chaveirim in
a way that is simply unattainable in the city.”
Running Camp Oraysa requires around-the-clock
attention from a staff of administrative, maintenance
and kitchen workers, as well as weeks of planning
and preparation throughout the year. Enabling each
and every bachur who wants the Oraysa experience
to attend – including those with financial hardship –
means that Rav Altusky and Rav Moshe Bender need
to raise funds to augment the camp fees.
But it’s all worth it, in Reb Moshe’s estimation.
“After four weeks, when you see the tangible growth
and happiness on a bachur’s face – how can you measure
that? The Camp Oraysa experience is truly priceless.” !
BEDARCHEI HATORAH
FALL 5779/2018
21