The Power of Presence

All of our camps have now reached the second half of their seasons—with it, the sweet satisfaction of all that has been accomplished and the fervent desire to take advantage of every minute of every day. I’ve visited 14 of our camps (so far) and this past week, I had the opportunity to spend time at our Philadelphia and Los Angeles day camps, Ramah Galim in Northern California and Ramah California in Ojai. 

National Assistant Director Daniel Olson and I arrived at Ramah Day Camp Philly in time for joyful and spirited camp-wide tefillot and then had the opportunity to visit a number of camp programs, including Sha’ar, our Hebrew immersion program. Across our six North American day camps, there are 287 campers enrolled in Sha’ar, one of the gems of the Ramah Camping Movement. Sha’ar campers consistently hear Hebrew throughout the day and by week 5, their comprehension levels have increased dramatically. Throughout a 30-minute sports period with detailed instructions, the campers heard no English and responded in Hebrew to a variety of questions! The session provided a dynamic opportunity to combine תְּנוּעָה (tnu'ah – movement), עִבְרִית (Hebrew language), and בִּטָּחוֹן עַצְמִי (bitachon atzmi – self-confidence).

Ramah Day Camp LA will be completing its second year this week and has already doubled in size! Pre-Shabbat activities included a packed Jewish values carnival (with plenty of popcorn and cotton candy), Israeli dancing, jewelry and costume design, and incredible STEM activities.

I arrived at Ramah Galim just as their third session was beginning. Ramah Sports Academy, now housed at Galim, was a buzz of intensive sport activity and it was wonderful to catch up with returning RSA staff members from its inaugural years. Galim has numerous campers from Ukraine and Israel, which provide a meaningful opportunity for young Jews to get to know one another. Of course, spending time at the beach and watching campers take full advantage of ocean adventure is a highlight of camp. The fresh mint that the youngest campers picked for me was a delicious treat.

Over a glorious Shabbat at Camp Ramah in California, I had ample opportunity to speak with many young adult leaders, offer divrei Torah, lead question and answer sessions, and share a story with the youngest edah. Each year I eagerly look forward to the Amitzim Yasher Koach awards, held at the end of Shabbat. Each Amitzim (Tikvah) camper and staff member is recognized for a weekly accomplishment—it is profoundly beautiful. So many Ramah Ojai staff members participate in our leadership programs (Israel trips, Weinstein, Winer, Ramah College Network) and it was a pleasure catching up with them and discussing how these programs have impacted their student years and career trajectories.  

In the coming week, I will be heading to Ramah Day Camp in Nyack and Ramah in the Rockies and then to Israel to spend time with our Seminar participants, the Israel overnight camp, Jerusalem day camp, and our remarkable Ramah Israel team of professionals. I too hold on to each of these encounters, not wanting to rush the waning days of summer and everything we have worked so hard to create.