Ramah is the most meaningful place in the world for me because it inspires me to live a fully Jewish and a fully contemporary life. At camp, there is no disconnection between my Jewish self and my secular self. Ramah is the high point of my year because of the unique combination of Jewish friends who understand my beliefs without translation, the chance to participate in traditional camp activities in a comfortably Jewish setting and the efforts of the Ramah community to create an environment in which I can develop as a Jew who is also very involved with modern life.

At Ramah, campers observe the mitzvot and participate in all the activities that are a part of any summer camp. The lines between religion and everyday life are blurred so much that they no longer exist. The rabbis, counselors, specialists and mishlahat (Israeli educational emissaries) at camp show campers, by example, that a person can be "cool" and Jewish at the same time.

Micky, a young mishlahat member who worked at camp, wore a kippah but also shorts and sandals. Nothing about him screamed "religious guy," but he was very involved in Judaism. He was a political cartoonist for an Israeli newspaper, and our friendship pushed my interest in cartooning further. An Israeli army veteran, he was full of stories. Tsachi, who brought his family from Israel to Ramah for the summer, seemed like an ordinary young father, but was also very religiously knowledgeable. He lived havdalah, the ceremony that separates the ending of Shabbat from the beginning of the work week, which has always been my favorite ceremony in Judaism. These men loved to joke and to do athletic things, but would also jump into a serious conversation about ethics and God.

My family calls people like these "Joe DiMaggio-shirt Jewish" after a young man who my mother and I met. He wore a Yankees shirt with Joe DiMaggio's name and number on it. He had bought the shirt outside Yankee Stadium after a game. He also wore a kippah. We learned that, not surprisingly, he was a Ramahnik. Ramah is full of rabbis and counselors who are Joe DiMaggio-shirt Jews. Their spirit and energy give people like me guidance as to how to be both totally involved with secular culture and absolutely committed to Judaism.

Many Ramah campers can also be classified as Joe DiMaggio-shirt Jews. I have a whole group of friends who share my customs and celebrations. We do not shove our yarmulkes into our pockets as we leave the synagogue. We do not subtly adjust our identities as we end prayers, because at camp religious life is part of daily life, and daily life is part of religious life. We help each other study for bar mitzvahs, and groan that, by the end of the summer, we know our bunkmates' Torah potions as well as our own. Even in non-religious camp activities, we use Hebrew words.

Camp Ramah has helped me to understand that being an educated and observant Jew does not mean having to isolate myself in a room day after day studying huge volumes of Jewish law and never having contact with people who are different. I do not have to choose between a great education and a Judaism that does not insult my intelligence. Ramah demonstrates many ways to combine the two. At camp, a Jewish studies class may be held by a waterfall, in the woods, or even in a canoe. Teffilot can be held by the waterfront, on a trail or even in our cabins. Campers are shown that Judaism is a living tradition that can change to suit the environment but that also stays true to its basic ideas. Experimenting to find the mix that best suits the individual is part of the Ramah way.

I wonder whether Ramah will always be special for me. I like to think about becoming a madrikh (counselor) there. How would I behave if I was a rosh edah (division head)? What would it be like to help younger children discover a sense of their religion? I worry that I may not be able to do this as well as it was done for me. I sometimes worry that I will outgrow Ramah and see the whole idea as silly. But then I remember the smart, committed Jews that I have met all over the country. Often, at one time or another, they were Ramahniks. Very different in their regular lives, they share a certain excitement about the Jewish tradition. Ramah alumni are the ones who try to bring changes to long, boring services. They involve families and children in prayer. They bring modern melodies to traditional songs. They feel that social action is part of being Jewish. They wear Joe DiMaggio shirts as comfortably as kippot.

Ramah has encouraged me as I try to find my way Jewishly in a non-Jewish world. The Ramah movement has done this for over three generations now. I hope that my children will be the next generation of Ramahniks and that they will love it the way I do.

Sam Berkowitz lives in Pittsburgh with his parents, his sister and six cats. He attends Shady Side Academy Middle School, and in the summer, goes to Camp Ramah in Canada. 

Reprinted with permission of JTS News!. Originally printed in the May/June 2001 edition of JTS News!