Reflections on My Summer Visits to Ramah: Ruach Across a Continent

This 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.

NRC WebmasterAugust 18, 2026Nyack, Canada, Wisconsin, JTS, California

In and Out of the Ramah Bubble

At Ramah, we often speak about the “bubble" of camp. Every summer, for up to eight weeks, campers slip away into our beautiful campsites and take a breath from the daily pressures of their regular lives. In such an environment, we unselfconsciously explore our identities, sing and dance with abandon, and feel a sense of security and belonging so often missing elsewhere. We use this special “bubble time" to prepare for the outside world, ready to make our broader community just a little bit better.

NRC WebmasterJuly 14, 2026New England, Nyack, seminar

Reflections from JTS Visitors to Ramah Camps, Summer 2023

“May Ramah continue to evolve in ways that embrace its core values while pushing the boundaries of its programming to meet the needs of today’s Jews and tomorrow’s.” - JTS Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz

Blog/ReflectionsNancy ScheffAugust 23, 2023JTS, Wisconsin, Berkshires, Nyack, Rockies, Darom

4 Ramah Camps Selected as First-Ever “Yedid Nefesh” Grant Recipients

Ramah California, Ramah Canada, Ramah Nyack, and Ramah in the Rockies are among the 32 recipients of the Foundation for Jewish Camp's Yedid Nefesh Grant, designed to help camps address the mental, emotional, and social health (MESH) needs of both campers and staff.

AnnouncementsNancy ScheffJanuary 16, 2020FJC, California, Canada, Nyack, Rockies

From Camp To School, Transcending Incivility

In 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.

Staff Leadership Training, Ramah in the NewsNancy ScheffAugust 20, 2019Nyack, Summer 2019

A Summer of Civic Engagement

“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.”

Ramah in the NewsNancy ScheffAugust 16, 2019Nyack, Summer 2019

Alumni of These Jewish Summer Camps Are Making Aliyah in Droves

Every 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.

Ramah in the NewsNancy ScheffJuly 15, 2019Nyack, Israel

Four Ramah Camps Awarded Yashar Initiative Grants to Increase Accessibility for Campers and Staff with Disabilities

Camp Ramah in California, Camp Ramah Darom, Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, and Camp Ramah in the Poconos are among the first recipients of a new grant to increase accessibility for campers and staff with disabilities through Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Yashar Initiative.

Tikvah/Special Needs, Ramah in the NewsNancy ScheffApril 2, 2019Tikvah, Nyack, Darom, California, Poconos

Reflections on Visits to Ramah Camps, Summer 2018

“Camp Ramah is truly a wonderful part of the Conservative Movement. We should all be proud of the dedicated professionals and staff who bring Ramah to life each summer. ” - Cantor Nancy Abramson, Director, H.L. Miller Cantorial School and Director, Women’s League Seminary Synagogue, JTS

Nancy ScheffOctober 17, 2018JTS, Wisconsin, Berkshires, Nyack, Rockies