Ramah Does WHAT??

"Wow, I had no idea that Ramah was doing that!"

I hear this comment frequently, not just from those uninvolved with Ramah, but even from Ramah insiders. Everyone knows that Ramah runs outstanding day and overnight camps, some of the best and most inspiring Jewish educational organizations in the world. 

But did you know that Ramah:

  • Is opening a new sports camp this June at Fairfield University in Connecticut, with all the traditional Jewish values of Ramah combined with outstanding coaching and skills development?

Home of Ramah Sports Academy (Photo: Fairfield University)

Home of Ramah Sports Academy (Photo: Fairfield University)

Camp Ramah in Northern California (Ramah Galim)

Camp Ramah in Northern California (Ramah Galim)

Partnership between Ramah Tikvah, Amazing Israel, and Birthright Israel, December 2017

Partnership between Ramah Tikvah, Amazing Israel, and Birthright Israel, December 2017

And this is just a partial list! Not included above are the many, many program innovations within our day camps and overnight camps, together serving over 11,500 campers and staff each summer.

A Year Marked by Challenges and Sadness

This has indeed been a fantastic year for Ramah growth and innovation, but it has also been a year of challenges and sadness.  

  • All of us, together with the Ramah Darom and Ramah Poconos communities, deeply mourn the loss of the Weiss family, who died tragically in an airplane crash in Costa Rica on New Year’s Eve. Leslie Weiss grew up as part of the Ramah Poconos community, and both children, Ari (16) and Hannah (19), were leaders at Ramah Darom. The USY, JTS, Ramah, and greater Jewish communities all feel this loss personally; we are weaker and sadder in the wake of this horrible tragedy.

  • Two of our camps faced dangerous challenges from fires, but were both blessed with ultimate safety.

    • Ramah in the Rockies suffered an electrical fire in the main lodge one week before camp ended. Although the kitchen, dining hall, and offices were destroyed, the emergency procedures of the camp and the excellent response from firefighters ensured that the rest of camp was safe. Camp finished the season at the JCC Ranch Camp in Colorado, which generously made its facilities available to us and for which we are extremely grateful. Temporary kitchen and dining hall facilities will be up and running for summer 2018, and the camp is actively raising funds for the building of a new state-of-the-art facility to last decades to come.

    • The tragic Thomas fire, the largest wildfire in California history, threatened to destroy our camp in Ojai. On a Thursday morning in early December, officials told camp leaders to expect a near total loss. Miraculously, because of the heroic efforts of over 150 firefighters, the camp was saved. Cleanup is nearly complete, and the camp is back serving the community .

  • Finally, we lost a great longtime leader of Ramah when Rabbi Jerry Abrams passed away. Rabbi Abrams (z"l) directed a number of different Ramah camps, most recently Ramah Berkshires from 1964-1967 and again from 1980-1990. Jerry was my camp director at Cejwin Camps when I was a child, and is one of the leaders most responsible for creating a career path as a Ramah director, serving as a role model for so many. May his memory be a blessing.

The broader Ramah community provides powerful networking across the globe. In times of sadness, as in the aftermath of the Weiss tragedy, people come together to support one another; and of course in times of joy as well. Overall, Ramah's impact continues to grow, and we look forward to seeing our camps and Israel programs strengthen and expand, creating many more immersive and joyful Jewish experiences for children, teens, and adults.

B'vracha,

Mitch

Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, Director
National Ramah Commission, Inc. of The Jewish Theological Seminary

Blog/ReflectionsNancy ScheffNational Ramah, Mitch Cohen