Nineteen-year-old Ella Shapira from the Israeli coastal city Netanya has faced cancer six times in her life. Despite her illness, the ongoing war in Israel and her father’s deployment as a combat medic in Gaza, Shapira found a sanctuary and peace at Camp Simcha in New York’s Catskill Mountains. 

“I didn’t come with high expectations. It was hard to leave my mom and sister when my dad is fighting in Gaza,” she told eJewishPhilanthropy. “But here, I feel free and relaxed. I can do whatever I want — things I usually can’t do. Mostly I enjoy going to the lake and riding the speedboat. I don’t remember when I was last so happy.”

Located in Glen Spey, near the New York-Pennsylvania border, Camp Simcha provides a unique summer experience for hundreds of campers, ages 3 to 20, all fighting cancer or chronic disorders. Spread across a 125-acre campus, these children partake in typical camp activities such as baseball, photography, arts and crafts, boating, swimming, rocketry, talent shows, and Color War, following their interests and passions.

Before Oct. 7, Chai Lifeline had been considering reducing the number of children from Israel for the summer of 2024 due to high costs. Bringing any child to Camp Simcha is expensive, but bringing children from Israel significantly increases expenses as they require personal nurses, Israeli counselors, and special equipment and medications. Despite this, 27 Israeli children attended this summer. Many of these children are not only battling cancer or other life-threatening illnesses but are also displaced from their homes or have parents fighting on the front lines in Gaza.

Each camper has his or her own counselor, a guide and friend who ensures that every minute of camp life exceeds expectations. All counselors are volunteers who choose to spend their summer with kids who lost their childhood upon being diagnosed. That’s how Dr. Scott Moerdler began to volunteer at Camp Simcha 19 years ago. During this time, he advanced to division head and assistant head counselor while simultaneously building a career in pediatric oncology — a career path he chose after meeting the kids who are fighting cancer at camp. A year and a half ago, he became the co-medical director for the oncology sessions, running a complicated, carefully considered operation to ensure that the highest standards of health and safety are always met, even in the woods.

“I love this camp. I needed to keep coming back,” said Moerdler, “It touches a special place in your heart. Seeing these kids light up at camp, after having taken care of them in the hospital, is incredibly rewarding. Here, they are happy, active and energized, which gives them a boost for the rest of the year.”

Founded in 1987, Chai Lifeline, the organization behind Camp Simcha, is dedicated to helping families of seriously ill children cope with the crises and challenges of pediatric illness. They run two rounds of camps during the summer: Camp Simcha for children with cancer and Camp Simcha Special for children with chronic disorders.

Before Oct. 7, Chai Lifeline had been considering reducing the number of children from Israel for the summer of 2024 due to high costs. Bringing any child to Camp Simcha is expensive, but bringing children from Israel significantly increases expenses as they require personal nurses, Israeli counselors, and special equipment and medications. Despite this, 27 Israeli children attended this summer. Many of these children are not only battling cancer or other life-threatening illnesses but are also displaced from their homes or have parents fighting on the front lines in Gaza.

Shlumit Amar, a nurse from Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, who accompanied the children from Israel, explained, “The kids are in wars on two fronts. We have patients who were evacuated from Re’im [one of the communities hit hard on Oct. 7]. A 17-year-old girl told me she feels so happy and free here that she forgets about what’s happening back home and even forgets she is sick.”

Amar has been accompanying children for trips abroad for years. “There is always anxiety before they travel, but the parents also get a much-needed break, this year even more than ever. One mother of a 6-year-old sent me a picture of her and her husband on a holiday for the first time,” she said.

Moerdler echoed this sentiment: “This respite is also beneficial for their families allowing them to focus on their other children for a while.”

At camp, Israeli campers shared their experiences of battling cancer and the impact of war on their treatment with the American children, creating a sense of community and understanding among everyone. “In my home in Netanya, there were no sirens, but in Schneider Hospital, where I’m treated, there were,” Shapira said. “Once it caught me after back surgery, so everyone ran to the safe room while I stayed in my room with my dinner. It wasn’t even scary; it just felt weird.”

While we talked, Shapira’s new friend from New Jersey, dressed in pink and covered with pink glitter, joined her. “I love Israelis. Israelis are the party!” she exclaimed to Shapira, who is in a wheelchair because the “spaces are so big here I can’t walk from place to place.” Shapira added: “I met like hundreds of kids, no way I can remember everyone’s names! But I took phone numbers and I hope to stay in touch.”

Moerdler reflected on the impact of the camp, noting that many campers return year after year, whether they are in active treatment, have relapsed or are in remission but still have medical needs that preclude them from attending regular camps. “There’s so much going on in their immediate post-treatment life, and this camp offers a supportive environment where they can be surrounded by others who understand what they’ve been through,” he said. “We have a range of campers, from those in active treatment to those in remission for a couple of years. Usually, after two to three years of remission, they ‘graduate’ from camp, but they stay part of my life. When I got married in 2012, I had three of my campers as junior groomsmen at my wedding.”

“For me, this is my annual vacation,” said nurse Amar. “I don’t need to sit by the beach. Seeing the kids out of the hospital, smiling, enjoying activities, and being with other kids fills me up for the whole year. Camp Simcha is a beacon of hope and joy for these children, offering them a chance to experience the joys of childhood amidst their battles.”