Jefferson, NY – Oorah Charity Giving Away Ski Equipment

South Jefferson, NY – Residents in and around southern Schoharie County are being offered free used ski equipment this Sunday by the new owners of the former Scotch Valley Ski Area.

Oorah Inc., a religious organization that operates two summer camps on property the company purchased in Gilboa in 2006, purchased the 404-acre ski area in southern Jefferson this month, spokesman Clifford Meth said.

Meth said the company is planning to develop the site for use as one of its summer camps.

In Gilboa, Oorah currently operates a monthlong summer camp for girls followed by one for boys. They are called GirlZone and BoyZone.

After buying the facility in Jefferson, Meth said, officials decided to give away dozens of pieces of ski equipment stored there since it shut down in 1999. “Everything’s certainly usable,” he said.

Plans are currently being drawn up for the site. Meth said Oorah officials want to develop a “state-of-the-art” camp to include new outdoor and indoor swimming pools, dining halls and “everything that’s necessary to run a summer camp.”

People who used to ski at Scotch Valley expressed concern last year about the loss of the site as a skiing opportunity.

But Meth said Oorah officials are considering reopening the site.
“We would love to see skiing there; it would just make good business sense,” Meth said.

Oorah will be giving away skis, boots and poles, with a maximum of two sets to each person who shows up.

The giveaway will begin at noon Sunday at the site on Route 10 between Jefferson and Stamford in Delaware County.

The Oorah Catskill Retreat LLC is a subsidiary of Oorah Inc., based in Lakewood, N.J. The organization was founded in 1980 with the goal of awakening those of Jewish background to their religious heritage, according to its Web site.

The group pays the fee for most of the 500 or so children who attend the camps in Gilboa, Meth said.

At the camps, the youth participate in a variety of activities, including music, sports, swimming, horseback riding and arts and crafts, according to the camp’s Web site.