My Hanukkah Story - Ariel Ministries

Arnold’s adventures
Camp
by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum
The 2011 Program of Messianic Jewish Studies at Camp
Shoshanah was simply fantastic! This year the summer
program began with a four-day weekend of studies followed
by the six-week program.
Co-teaching with me this year
were Jeff Gutterman, Mottel
Baleston, Michael Gabizon, and
Steven Ger. The courses taught
this year included the following:
The Jews and Arabs in Bible
Prophecy, Angelology, Satanology, Demonology, The Book of
Ezekiel, The Book of Acts, Messiah in the Tabernacle and
Temple, Israelology: the Doctrine of Israel, Ecclesiology: the
Doctrine of the Church, Discipleship, and The Life of the
Messiah from a Jewish Perspective.
We praise the Lord that after two years of lower attendance,
due to the economic situation, the numbers were up again. Not
counting camp staff or faculty, the total number of students
this year was roughly around 150. The countries represented
included the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England,
Germany, Hungary, South Africa, and Israel.
Tovyah, Mary Ann's caretaker, drove Mary Ann up to camp.
She was fortunately able to spend three full weeks on the
grounds. She was not able to rise up for most of the meetings,
but she had a steady flow of students visit her almost non-stop
every afternoon. Mary Ann was able to meet many new people,
as well as renewing contact with previous friends. Some
enjoyed revealing various jokes I would tell about her during
class when she was not there!
04
The new dining hall/fellowship hall is now about 90 percent
complete. A special donation came in from one of the campers
that allowed us to put in the new septic tank necessary for the
large building. The completion of this building will allow us to
do more than just cook and serve food. On the same level as the
kitchen and dining hall are also four classrooms, a large
bathroom, and shower facilities. The lower level will include a
room for indoor recreation, a fellowship hall, a bookstore, a
coffee house, and a library. Our goal of moving toward a one year
program in addition to the summer programs is slowly but
surely becoming a reality.
But the most important aspect about our program is the
discipleship aspect, which focuses on the people. Nothing gives
a teacher more joy in teaching than a receptive and
eager-to-learn student. Such was my experience this year, as in
previous years. Although we are located in the northeast corner
of New York State, people come to us from all over the world.
There are other places to study the Word of God, but the
uniqueness of Shoshanah is how we provide the Jewish frame of
reference in Bible teaching. For people anxiously wanting to
learn the Word, they travel to camp from places far and wide,
and this has been true now for 38 years.
Camp Shoshanah