It was a reunion almost eight decades in the making, except for one thing – the two parties had never actually met each other before. When Sharon Zadik and Laurel Rebenstock came face-to-face with each other for the first time this past summer at Camp Ramah in Utterson, Ont., they were rekindling a bond between their two families that started during the Second World War.
Read MoreAt many of our overnight camps, campers in the oldest edah plan Yom Sport or Maccabiah. They use their creativity and organizational skills, work as a team, and serve as role models for younger campers. Running Maccabiah or Yom Sport--or being chosen as a team captain--is something that campers throughout the Ramah Camping Movement look forward to from the time that they are in the youngest edot.
Read MoreIn a small office of a Jewish day camp in Rockland County’s Nyack, two counselors, one from Israel and one from the United States, are comparing notes on a recent morning about the tone of political discussions in their respective countries. It’s getting worse in both places, they agree.
Read More“There are a lot of things going on in the world now,” Rabbi Ami Hersh, director of Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, said. “A lot of tough things. I felt like we needed to find a way at camp, in the Jewish context, to explain to our staff and campers that they really can make a difference in the world, and that their voices could be heard within the context of American politics.”
Read MoreAbout three times a day, the campers at Camp Ramah in the Poconos walk past a mural…The mural is the perfect place for Rabbi Joel Seltzer to tell the story of Michael Levin, a lone soldier killed in the line of duty in 2006, whose memory survives at the camp he spent much of his childhood exploring.
Read MoreEvery Friday, the staff and campers at Camp Ramah Nyack gather for a ceremony called Shishi Al Hamigrash – Hebrew for “Friday on the field.”…In August, on the last Friday of camp, anyone spending the next year in Israel is called up, and the Israeli staffers dance around them, welcoming them into their circle. This year, Sammy Fishman will be among them.
Read More“Jewish summer camp is a rite of passage for many American Jewish families for a multitude of reasons. In our family, Ramah has been a source of community, a center for education, a dating pool and profoundly impactful on the formulation of Jewish identity…. We wanted to pass that same gift along to our children…” -Dave Cutler, Ramah New England Alumnuis
Read MoreBackcountry Bayit (BCB), where youthful Jews — virtually all of them drawn to the mountains by the lure of Colorado’s ski culture — come together to celebrate not only their love of the Rockies but simply being Jewish…The BCB originated organically some four years ago, the brainchild of a group of young Jews from Boulder, and last year came under the funding and management umbrella of the national Ramah organization, affiliated with the Conservative movement, specifically Reshet Ramah, the organization’s alumni network that supports youth engagement projects..
Read MoreThis past April, the 112 riders, hikers, and volunteers on the Ramah Israel Bike Ride and Hiking Trip raised more than $540,000 to benefit Ramah Tikvah programs for children, teens, and young adults with disabilities. During summer 2019, a total of 423 individuals will participate in Tikvah-affiliated programs. It is a privilege to share with you this report on this summer's plans for how Ramah camps will be using the Tikvah funds raised on the ride/hike, both 1) programmatically and 2) for the financial support of families with children with disabilities who also have financial constraints.
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