It was the day after the concert when Rabbi Levi Plotkin spotted one of his campers quietly seated at the piano, playing Joey Newcomb’s song “Yidden.”
“I’m the only Jewish kid in my school,” the boy told him, his voice barely above a whisper. “This song means so much to me. I’m bringing it back home with me.”
That moment – simple, raw, and unforgettable – captured the entire mission of Ckids Gan Israel Florida, the sleepaway camp founded five years ago by Rabbi Levi and Chaya Plotkin. Designed for Jewish children who attend public schools and lack consistent exposure to Yiddishkeit, the camp offers more than just a fun summer. It provides an immersion into authentic Jewish life – and moments like this prove it works.
This summer, that immersive experience took on a whole new level with a high-energy, soul-stirring concert by singer Joey Newcomb. But what made it even more remarkable wasn’t just the music or the dancing or the screaming of niggunim by 72 kids who’d never before experienced anything like it. It was that Joey performed the entire concert for a single dollar – and not just any dollar.
Months earlier, during Sukkos in Toronto, Joey had casually stepped into a farbrengen in the sukkah of Rabbi Yosef Leib Vechter, mashpia at Mesivta Lubavitch. He had just finished performing at a Simchas Beis Hashoeva organized by Levi Ackerman but felt drawn to the small gathering of bochurim. Guitar in hand, he joined in.
The farbrengen was intense and uplifting. Joey shared a personal dream – that he had always wanted to receive a dollar from the Rebbe. Seizing the opportunity, Rabbi Vechter turned to him and said, “If you come perform for the precious neshamos at the Plotkins’ camp in Florida, I’m sure he’ll get you a dollar.”
Joey didn’t hesitate. “I’m in,” he replied, sealing the deal then and there.
That dollar was lovingly donated by Rabbi Plotkin’s paternal grandparents, Rabbi and Mrs. Shmuel Plotkin. As this summer approached, plans were finalized. And just nine months after that impromptu farbrengen, Joey Newcomb stood onstage at Ckids Gan Israel Florida, pouring his heart out to campers and staff alike.
“The concert was absolutely insane,” said Chaya Plotkin. “The kids, the staff, Joey – everyone was on fire. Just seeing 72 public school children singing niggunim, dancing, and screaming songs about mitzvos and Jewish pride was surreal. Longtime staff said it was one of the most emotional experiences in all of camp history.”
Joey left with only one thing in hand: the Rebbe’s dollar.
“I got paid only one dollar for this concert,” he said, “but it was one of the most rewarding concerts I’ve ever done.”
“One of the very first things the Rebbe did after becoming Rebbe was to open Gan Yisroel for secular children,” said Rabbi Plotkin. “At camp, we see again and again the unbelievable and powerful impact camp has on these kids. For 24 hours a day, they’re surrounded by real, authentic Yiddishkeit – and all in a way that’s genuinely fun and exciting. I can’t think of a single camper who wasn’t deeply impacted by the experience.”
As Joey now plans to return next summer – this time, he says, with his wife – the Plotkins continue their mission: turning one week of camp into a lifetime of Jewish pride, one neshamah at a time.
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Matzav.com}