by Shana Zionts (Personal Essay for Application to
Davidson School of Education at JTS)

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood." To understand my own life, I look to the places where I have lived, and I am able to identify myself by how those places have shaped my life.  I am a Pittsburgher, a Brandeisian, and a Ramahnik.  As a Pittsburgher, I was privileged to attend a Jewish Day School and was an active member of Pittsburgh’s vibrant Jewish community.  As a Brandeisian, I have been given the opportunity to explore Judaic Studies, both academically and religiously, with insightful teachers.  However, it is my identity as a Ramahnik that has given me the foundation for living a Jewish life, and it is the reason why I am writing this essay today.

 My love for Ramah started when I was ten years old, after spending my first summer at Camp Ramah in Canada.  There is something very magical about that place, I thought for the seven summers that I returned to Ramah.  Maybe it was the friendships that seemed to pick up where they left off after every summer, or the ruach that filled the air when 600 Jewish children and teenagers came together for Kabbalat Shabbat.  I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew: this place was special.

 Now, after spending four summers as a counselor at Camp Ramah, I can pinpoint what it is that makes Ramah such a special place.  It is the fact that it is not, and never has been, “just camp.” Rather, it is a Jewish educational institution, one which attempts to instill Jewish values and beliefs in its campers.  It is built on the belief that there need not be a “mavdil bein kodesh le’chol,” a separation between the holy and the mundane, about which we sing during Havdalah.  Rather, as a paradigm for informal Jewish education, Ramah aims to infuse a bit of kodesh into every moment of chol. 

 When my counselor sent me a birthday card with a quote from the Talmud on it, that was informal Jewish education.  When I spoke to my camper online in transliterated Hebrew, teaching him a new word—that was informal Jewish education.  It is happening all the time within the Ramah community, as informal Jewish education fosters a beautiful relationship of Jewish growth in a fun, relaxing environment. 

 One of my campers, at the age of 13, lives by the motto “living ten months waiting for two.”  This was probably my motto growing up; for ten months I longed to be back at the place that I called home.  Now, however, my motto is different.  I live ten months inspired by two.  The safe, relaxed approach of informal Jewish education gave me the tools to enhance my Jewish lifestyle during the other ten months of the year. 

 This past summer, I was a counselor for the oldest kids in camp, an experience that has affirmed my belief that a career in informal Jewish education is the right path for me.  Ten days after camp ended, after reading the countless emails from my campers, I wrote in my journal: “I took my love for camp, and turned it into their summer.  I want to do this with my life.  Taking my love and putting it into something that will become loved.  It’s the best educational gift.”  This is what informal Jewish education is all about.  I have combined my love for Ramah and my love for Judaism and transmitted them to my campers.  In two summers, they will return to camp as counselors, and I plan to be there to watch them transmit their own passions for camp and for Judaism on to their campers.  It will continue for generations to come, and, with my degree in Jewish Education, I will continue to be a part of this beautiful tradition.

 Ralph Waldo Emerson said that "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."  I live my life as a product of informal Jewish education.  I look forward to passing on these lessons to future generations of Jewish children, in hopes that they, too, will come to understand the beauty of our tradition.

Our thanks to Shana Zionts of Camp Ramah in Canada for sending us her thoughts on her Ramah experiences. If you would like to share your experiences, e-mail us at ramah@jtsa.edu.