To Foster Inclusion, We Must Remember Exclusion

We have all felt exclusion at some points of our lives, but each of us likely forgot about it as quickly as it happened. Such is not the case for the numerous children and young adults with various different disabilities who attend Ramah camps across our network each summer. For them, isolation and exclusion may be the norm. Hopefully their summers at Ramah are different, and regardless of whether they are attending camp as part of a Ramah Tikvah program or an informal program set up to further our goal of inclusion, all staff members at every Ramah have an obligation to make it so.

Staff Leadership Training, Tikvah/Special Needs, Blog/ReflectionsNRC WebmasterJanuary 15, 2015Tikvah

Ramah Service Corps Fellows Training, January 2015

It was our absolute pleasure to gather Ramah Service Corps Fellows together last week at Ramah California. During our four days, we enjoyed getting to know one another, studying together, program
sharing, and reflecting on the past few months of work. Emphasis was placed on the most effective ways of encouraging more families to send their kids to Ramah. “I really appreciated the chance to sit down and just talk with some of the other Fellows,” said Hannah Glickman of Ramah New England. “I know that they are doing work similar to mine, but getting to actually spend time together and share what we’re doing brings the experience to a much more tangible level.

Blog/Reflections, Staff Leadership TrainingNRC WebmasterJanuary 12, 2015National Ramah

Dream Big, Don’t Settle: The Magic of the Ramah Service Corps

Amy Skopp Cooper knows young adults have magic. “They’re cool. They have charisma,” she gushes. “They’re passionate, and kids respond to them.”

She’s not just talking about any young adults; in this case, Skopp Cooper’s talking about the special group of fellows in the Ramah Service Corp s (RSC). “They’re future rabbis, or Jewish educators, or maybe they’re on their way to medical school,” she says. “These are well-rounded young people. They are so grateful for what they’ve gotten from their own Ramah experiences, they want to give back.”

Spanning Three Continents: Bringing Together Our Future Leaders

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.

15 Teens Remind Me What Being Jewish Is All About

This 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.

Ramah in the News, Alumni, Blog/ReflectionsNRC WebmasterJanuary 8, 2015Canada, Reshet Ramah

Darkness To Light

As 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.

Ramah in the NewsNRC WebmasterDecember 11, 2014Ramah Service Corps, National Ramah

Jewish Camping for Young People with Disabilities

“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:

It offers fun, stimulating activities
Campers engage with friends and role models
It is an all-encompassing Jewish living environment
It is the next step toward independence
Camp (perhaps most importantly) offers parents a well-deserved and needed respite.

Tikvah/Special Needs, Ramah in the NewsNRC WebmasterDecember 1, 2014Tikvah, Howard Blas

Announcing the Winners of the TIPTOE 2014 Inclusion-Themed Video Contest

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.

Tikvah/Special Needs, AnnouncementsNRC WebmasterDecember 1, 2014Tikvah, TIPTOE, Ruderman Foundation

Camp Ramah in Northern California Hires Daniele Hurwitz as Project Coordinator

We 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.

AnnouncementsNRC WebmasterNovember 30, 2014Galim