Lakewood’s Camp Kanfei Yona will be closing its doors after 17 years in operation.
The popular all-boys camp was founded in 2002 by Reb Heshy Weber and Rabbi H. Ravitzky with approximately 150 children, and grew to about 800 children.
Rabbi Weber, who directed the camp since its opening, says the decision was not an easy one to make.
“After much deliberation, and with a heavy heart, we decided to close this chapter in time,” Rabbi Weber told TLS. As the principal of a school and director of other new projects, I felt I needed to stay focused on the larger missions. We cannot thank enough the parent body that has been with us for all these years, and allowed us to give your children the best memories possible.”
Rabbi Weber says the last few days have been very hard for him as he thinks about the closure.
“I will miss the camp, but I thank Hashem for giving me the ability to place smiles on children’s faces for 17 years,” he said. “The Ruach and warm memories of Camp Kanfei Yona will remain with us forever.”
(See a video of the camp below.)
a tragedy for the children of Lakewood!
Where will these boys attend camp this summer?! That’s a lot of boys trying to get into other camps? They couldn’t give the ropes over to someone else? Wishing them much Hatzlocha on their other endeavors.
Why didn’t they sell it?
Thank you Rabbi Weber for the amazing summers you gave my children . The geshmak and the knock will stay with them forever! Hashem should bench you and your family
For all the parents who were upset about increasing the price for daycamps maybe now you understand that it is not as simple as it seems. CKY did not close down because of making too much money (whoever still owes from previous years, should please pay up). You cannot exactly sell a loosing business. Rabbi Weber tried blev lnefesh to do whatever he could before coming to this extremely difficult decision, he thought of each camper, staff member and family that this would affect. Hatzlocha rabba to Rabbi Weber in all his future endeavors.
We will really miss cky. A camp that made every camper shine and smile for 4 weeks. The head staff were so organized and always so available and relaxed and of course geshmak. Thank you Rabbi Weber for many great summers and wishing you much hatzlocha!
If the biggest and most popular day camp cant make it financially there is something seriously wrong going on. All the camps need to hit the reset button and start again from scratch focusing on how to make a productive and Torahdike summer on a smaller budget. Enough with the crazy marketing and unnecessary extravagant trips and shows. It is eating all your (and our) resources. I just hope its not too late as the children here are now accustomed to all these unnecessary frills.
Do you know what rent and insurance is like for a camp ?
What a great camp. Run by very devoted and talented people. We will miss you.
Rabbi Weber ran the most Amazing Camp in Lakewood!! My kids loved all the summers they have spent there!! The Ruach the Pump the Knock will stay with them forever!! Like the Song goes “We thank Rabbi Weber for the best Summers Ever”” 3
i think those types of camps have brought much too much extravagant activities to the Lakewood camp organizations and therefore could not afford to keep them running. It’s about time that we tone down these expensive activities. that way people won’t go broke from that expensive program. Let’s show the world that we can live with less and not overspend just like we did with the chasuna halls
btw there will be a younger division that will be continuing look for the major knock newz very very soon
and probobly as well an older division keep your ears n eyes open for this major news
for your info kanfie yonah was started as well with rabbi yaakov model which has started a new camp called ah ah ah …….
Thanks sooo much for the great memories that my son will take with him for the rest of his life!!!!
To Adminstrator
I don’t think you realize what CKY was all about. We sent all our boys there. The idea of the camp wasn’t to make a day camp high end & raise the bar of day camps. On the contrary there were & still are plenty of day camps that operate as regular day camps of yesteryear. The niche that CKY capitalized on was to offfer a substitute, an alternative option to sleep away camp. That means whether your child wasn’t ready for sleep away camp or you weren’t able to afford sleep away camp CKY introduced another option. Their intentions weren’t to make a revolution in how to operate day camps. What they brought to the table was genius! Let’s bring the whole concept of a sleep away camp & combine it into a day camp. Well they did an awesome job at that & enabled thousands of families over the years to enjoy that experience without having to pay the overnight camp prices & actually send the kids away. Kol Hakovod to Rabbi Weber Rabbi Ravitzky & all the talent they brought to Lakewood.
Kanfei yona you gave my kids the most greatest summer. my kids are devastated
Rabbi Yaakov Model is very good friend of rabbi weber he came to cky the third year of camp for 2 week he is not the founders ov CKY.
color war breakout….
$600 per kid x 800 kids is $480,000 sorry it wasnt because of a shortage of money he must have had other reasons
Now subtract the cost to run the camp and those that failed to pay, then tell us how much is left.
Avi, $480 minus those who don’t pay, i don’t think you want to know how1 much that comes out to be
This is so sad. This camp, with all the K’nock…all the Ruach…all the pump…the enjoyment…I cant believe this camp is shutting down. I used to tell R’ Heshy, all the kids learning, during the whole school year, os due, in part, from the geshmak they had during the 4 weeks of summer camp. They got all their energy out for the whole year. And shame shame on the ppl knocking that he did “too much pump” or “too wild” or whatever. Boys are in Yeshiva for 11 months, what, you dont think they need a healthy release ?? This camp was the cure; not the ill.
R’ Heshy, thanx so much for all you did for the klal. May you have much Hatzlocha in all your endeavors going forward. CKY will be sorely missed.
a go-fund-me page or something like that must be set to raise $$ so that the camp can restart with a KNOCK once again. Let’s raise 100K so that CKY can pay off previous years and restart fresh. Some Hakoras Hatov to such a wonderful devoted Mechanech and Kllal man
Avi, great analysis.
You left out one minor detail. It’s called expenses.
Camp Fee $600?
How about $450 for my first Grade
And $570 4th Grade Plus Cky gave discounts
Camp cky was truly one of its kind. All daycamps end at 4 even forbigboys grades 5 and up but not cky!! 6:30, 9:00 it was amazing. They didnt go to fancy and expensive sux flags but to much simpler and fun places. My son had 2 summers full of fun and I wish he could continue to go. Thank you for the past camp cky the camp with a knock… the camp with cholent and bbq’s… we will miss it so much! Thank rabbi Weber and everyone else!
Rabbi Webber, you cannot do this! This is part of Lakwood. My child was supposed to join senior division this coming summer. He’s been looking forward for so long!!!!! He and my older boy in senior, had tears when they heard the news…. you have no idea what an impact your camp has had on my children. CKY is a lifeline of chiyus and yidishkeit. The zchusim you have are unimaginable. The best therapy of lost and depressed children was just one summer in CKY, were you felt valued and cared and had a blast!!! Hashem should help that you be matzliach in all your ways and future endeavors. FYI, I heard rabbi Webber has created a sled bais reading program that is supposed to help all age people that have difficulties reading. I wonder if that had to do with the closing of CKY……..
It was highly insensitive for “Avi “ to make such a ignorant comment .Do you know how much chesed , free and reduced cases there were in cky ? Do you know how much salaries,rent,trips, maintenance and on and on? no you don’t. So please don’t throw out such a insensitive comment on lakewood scoop. Rabbi Weber is a huge Tzadik and deserves our thanx not opinions!
Special thank you to R’ YD Hess for the amazing smooth running of cky. Camps! Grab him!!