Over the past few weeks, National Ramah has sponsored several leadership training programs designed to educate, nurture, and cultivate young Ramah leaders. It has been an extraordinary few weeks for more than 150 Ramah staff members and those of us who have had the opportunity to work with them.
Read MoreThis past weekend, I was reminded about the true meaning of Judaism.
But not from reading the Torah or the Talmud or from talking to a rabbi.
Last weekend, 15 rowdy teenagers from across North America taught me everything I need to know about what it really means to be a Jew.
It’s not like this was my first opportunity to connect with my heritage. Growing up in Montreal, we were members of the still-in-its-infancy Reconstructionist synagogue. My parents chose to send their five kids to Jewish day school, and I even opted to continue on to a Jewish high school. I was active in BBYO, serving as chapter and regional president.
Read MoreAs Detroit emerges from the darkness of bankruptcy into the light of regrowth, this year’s fourth annual “Menorah in the D” celebration — starting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Campus Martius — holds particular significance.
Read More“Including campers with disabilities in summer camp is beneficial for campers with disabilities and neurotypical campers,” says Howard Blas, Director of the Tikvah Program at Camp Ramah in New England and the National Ramah Tikvah Network. In an article published earlier this year in The Canteen camp blog at MyJewishLearning.com, Blas encouraged parents to consider summer camping for their special needs children for the following reasons:
The Ramah Camping Movement and the Ruderman Family Foundation are delighted to announce the winners of “TIPTOE (The Inclusion Project: Through Our Eyes),” an inclusion-themed video contest for participants from all Jewish camps. The goal of TIPTOE is to increase awareness of the inclusion work happening at Jewish camps across North America. The Ruderman Family Foundation will award a cash prize to the top three winners and make donations to the inclusion program at the winners’ camps.
Read MoreWe are very pleased to announce that Daniele Hurwitz has accepted the position of Project Coordinator for the newest Ramah camp-in-formation, Camp Ramah in Northern California (Ramah NorCal). The National Ramah Commission, working closely with the local San Francisco Bay Area NorCal Board of Directors and the leadership of Camp Ramah in California, has hired Daniele to help with all aspects of beginning the new camp, including searching for an appropriate rental site, beginning early marketing efforts, and coordinating among various stakeholders. She will be supervised directly by National Ramah.
Read MoreRamah Darom, the Conservative movement’s summer camp in north Georgia, announced the launch of a new Tikvah Program for summer 2015 and the addition of Audra Kaplan to its professional staff. The Tikvah Program will offer a four-week summer experience for children ages 12 to 17 years who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Kaplan, who will direct this new program, is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience in Jewish camp and in working with children with disabilities.
Read MoreTwo years ago, a delegation of Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) and Jewish Funders Network (JFN) members visited eight Jewish summer camps in the Northeast in three days. Despite their different locations (from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts), sizes, and movement affiliations, the camps had one important thing in common: They were successfully including campers with disabilities in the camp community.
Read MoreThe top ten Ramah colleges for this year are (in descending order): Michigan, Binghamton, Brandeis, Indiana, Maryland, Washington University in St. Louis, Western University, Queen's University, JTS: List College, and University of Florida.
