If I had to summarize my Ramah experience this summer, the first word that comes to mind is “amazing.”
During my visit to Ramah New England, which came during my second week as Chancellor, I had the privilege of meeting campers ranging from Ta’am, getting their first “taste” of Ramah, to intellectually curious rising 11th graders wrestling with deep fears about their own futures, as well as the future of humanity.
Read MoreThis summer, I had the profound privilege of visiting all nine of our overnight Ramah camps, and Ramah Day Camp in Nyack—an experience that carried me from the lakes of Canada, Wisconsin, Poconos, Berkshires, and Palmer to the peaks of the Rockies, from the heart of the South to the shores of California, and back home again to the Ojai Valley, where I worked for eighteen years. It was a summer of movement, but also, in a deeper sense, a summer of stillness: the chance to slow down and simply witness the Ramah ruach (spirit) as it lives and breathes in each of its distinct communities.
Read MoreA letter to Ramah Israel Seminar 2026 participants. You left home, and you are returning home. For the past six weeks, you have lived a life of verbs—fully immersed in building a Ramah community in Israel. You have experienced pure joy alongside deep complexity: hiking, volunteering, tilling, painting, davening, studying, and celebrating.
Read MoreThis summer, I spent time at two Ramah camps: Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, New York and Camp Ramah in the Poconos. A major highlight of these visits is catching up with our JTS cantorial and rabbinical students, and it was wonderful to see so many of them in action in a variety of roles at camp. Each of these future clergy brings their unique talents and energy to their jobs on tzevet/staff, and they serve as wonderful role models to fellow staff members and campers alike.
Read MoreDespite the soaring temperatures—and certainly due to them—our camps marked the pre-July 4th Shabbat with plenty of water activities, extra swims, and ice cream. It is a delight to see directors, who carry so much on their shoulders, jumping into the agam (lake) and staffing ice cream trucks and water stations. Kol Ha’kavod to our remarkable tzevet (staff) members, who kept campers safe and happy while navigating this prolonged heatwave. My recent journeys have taken me to the DC and Philly day camps, Ramah Poconos, and Ramah in the Rockies.
Read MoreThe blessings of white shirts not yet muddied, stained, or wrinkled; fresh haircuts; and lost-and-found bins that are not overflowing. Another summer begins. Many of our camps have welcomed their first campers, who are experiencing the joy of coming home. We feel profound gratitude as we watch our communities open their gates each summer. Our early stops have included Ramah Darom, Ramah Wisconsin, and the Chicagoland Day Camp, as well as staff week at Ramah Canada.
Read MoreA letter from Amy Skopp Cooper, National Ramah Commission CEO, to the parents of the 33 teens who are participating in Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY), the Ramah high school spring semester program based in Jerusalem.
Read MoreTo mark the end of JDAIM 2026, we are pleased to share reflections from NRC’s 2025–2026 parent and Tikvah alumni initiatives.
Read MoreAt camp, core Jewish memories are imprinted so that Ramahniks may live with wonder and gratitude, courage and responsibility.
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