Sukkot at AJU

Weekend getaways are 2-night, 3 day packages (Friday through Sunday). 

Guests are welcome to arrive after 2:00PM on Friday, and spend all day Saturday and Sunday enjoying a  range of pre-selected camp activities (run for one family at a time). Each weekend will include seven delicious kosher and festive holiday meals - Friday night dinner, three meals on Shabbat, and three on Sunday. Sunday check-out times are flexible. All guests are welcome to stay through the end of the chag (holiday) on Sunday night. 

 

The dates are as follows

 

Sukkot (Part I):

October 2-4, 2020

Sukkot will be provided for all meals.

 

Sukkot (Part II, Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah):

October 9-11, 2020

Sukkot will be available.

 

Pricing

Adult (18 and over) - $595

Child (3-17) - $425

Child (0-2) - Free

Special Family Price - $2,000 (family of four, 2 adults, 2 children)

In order to maintain healthy distancing, each guest/COUPLE/FAMILY UNIT will have their own cottage in our Adult Conference Center. Depending on THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE YOU ARE COMING WITH, cottages will include 1-2 rooms for sleeping, and one room for private dining. 

Rooms have private bathrooms and heating/air conditioning. Each room also has a mini-fridge. Families will need to bring their own PACK-AND-PLAY, if necessary. We provide bedding and towels for all of our guests. FAMILIES SHOULD bring their own pool towels. Also, due to contact restrictions, we encourage families to bring their own games, toys, and sports equipment.

The weekend will include seven to-go meals - a festive Friday night (Shabbat/chag) dinner, three meals on Saturday (including another festive meal on Saturday night), and three meals on Sunday. Our kitchens are glatt kosher under the supervision of Kosher LA.

Each set of guests will have their own private dining room in their cottage (separate from their sleeping rooms), complete with a mini-fridge and stocked with plates, cups, silverware, and cleaning supplies. There are also ample places on our grounds to picnic outside (of course, a healthy distance from our other families!). If your family would like, we can set you up with a designated outdoor space as well.

On Sukkot (both weekends) we will have several sukkot available for use for assigned/staggered meal times.

We can provide for most special food needs, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, nut free, and /or dairy free options.

Meals will be available for pick-up from Millet Circle during the following times (approx):

• Friday night: 5:30-7:30PM
• Saturday morning: 8:30-10:30AM
• Saturday lunch: 11:30-1:00PM
• Saturday dinner: 5:30-7:00PM
• Sunday morning: 8:30-10:30AM
• Sunday lunch: 11:30-1:00PM
• Sunday dinner: 5:30-7:00PM

Currently, our indoor spaces and playgrounds will not be available for use. However, we will be able to offer a host of outdoor activities, one family at a time. Once you register, we will reach out to you to sign up for a selection of the following family activities:

• Archery
• Tomahawk Throwing
• Pool
• Teambuilding
• Hiking
• Horses
• Art
• Israeli dancing
• Bubble fun
• Playdough and kinetic sand
• Challah baking (for families who arrive by 2:30PM on Friday)
• And more!

We will do our best to schedule you for the activities you choose. Activity costs are included in the cost of the weekend. At least 1 adult must accompany children to each activity.

Weekend activities will tentatively be scheduled as follows:

Friday - 4:00-5:15PM

Saturday & Sunday - 9:30-10:45AM, 11:00AM-12:15PM, 2:00-3:30PM, 4:00-5:15PM

Our Adult Conference Center is equipped with wifi. Cell service is reliable with certain carriers (not AT&T, unfortunately). Desks will be set up in your private dining room as work stations.

Our concierge will be available between the following hours:

Friday             2:00PM-9:00PM

Saturday        8:00AM-6:00PM

Sunday           8:00AM-6:00PM

In addition, you will be provided with a phone number to call overnight in case of emergency.

• We expect the pools to be open with a lifeguard on duty during your stay, but limited to one family per time slot. We may close mid-day for a period of time to clean the two pool areas.
• We have several hiking trails on our property. Hikes must be led by one of our trained staff members.
• We do not provide bike rentals, but you are more than welcome to bring your own bikes. Please bike on our paved roads only, and never go biking alone. Helmets are required while biking on our campus.
• You are welcome to bring roller blades, skateboards, and scooters.  Helmets are required at all times.
• Evening activities can include family hang-out time, a private campfire, an outdoor family movie, a night hike, or star-gazing.
• Our property has its own eruv.

Despite the fact that our programming has shifted, we are still planning on serving festive meals. As of now, we are not planning on any prayer services due to health concerns regarding group singing and gathering, although guests are welcome to privately borrow prayer books from the library.

We will have a safe indoor space to light candles, for those who wish, and havdalah supplies for each family as well (we will provide all necessary havdalah supplies for those who are interested).

We have wifi throughout our Adult Conference Center which should support zooming into your local synagogue’s service or watching a livestream.

As a pluralistic institution and facility, we allow for the expression of Judaism according to the customs of each family, and welcome everyone to enjoy the celebration of the chag (holiday) as they see fit.

Deciding whether to leave your house during a pandemic can certainly be a tough decision. Our weekend getaways are meant to provide our visitors with an opportunity to truly get away - and leave the cooking, cleaning, and programming, to us!

All meals will be served to-go, with private dining rooms provided for each family. Rooms will be thoroughly cleaned and left unused and untouched for at least 4-5 days between use.

In addition, in order to ensure everyone’s comfort level, our weekends will require the following:

• Physical distancing must be maintained with other families and employees on site.
• Face coverings must be used at all times outside of personal lodgings. Masks are not needed during meal times.
• Activities will be scheduled and operated for individual families. Families may not join along with other families during activities.
• Common areas and frequently touched surfaces will be cleaned and sanitized multiple times each day. 
• All AJU staff members participate in mandated daily health check-ins.
• Guest health check-ins will be conducted upon arrival, and all guests will be required to sign a commitment to that effect.

• All meals will be provided to-go, in order to ensure contactless service.

All activities will be done separately. Only a family that has been in quarantine together, and comes for the weekend together, will participate in any one activity at a time. To maintain social distancing precautions, we will limit the number of people allowed on campus at any given time.

Our staff has been trained on best practices regarding COVID-19 Safety Procedures, and will regularly undergo health checks. All staff will also wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment.

Our campus staff will be following all Ventura County and state guidelines for cleaning and sanitizing activity spaces and supplies. Our staff will also follow all food handling related safety precautions and procedures to ensure a safe experience for our visitors.

Families are required to bring their own face-masks to use when interacting with staff personnel, during activities where staff are present, and when interacting with other families and visitors.

In the event of a potential or confirmed COVID exposure at our camp facility, we will follow all guidelines and directions of our authoritative agencies. This may include the closure of our campus on a temporary basis. Should your weekend reservation be affected in the event of a closure, we will issue a full refund.

If you need to cancel your reservation, please be in touch with us at 805-915-0736.

Rosh Hashanah

Registration Due By: September 9, 2020

Payment Due By: September 9, 2020

 

Sukkot

Registration Due By: September 23, 2020

Payment Due By: September 23, 2020

 

Sukkot/Shmini/Simchat Torah

Registration Due By: September 30, 2020

Payment Due By: September 30, 2020

 

If Brandeis-Bardin or the AJU cancels for any reason we will refund your money in full. If you get sick and are unable to attend we will refund your money in full.

If you cancel for any other reason we will keep 20% of the total amount paid. If you have to leave early or arrive late, there are no refunds. Nothing can be pro-rated.