Francine Lavin Weaver of Denver, Colorado, was presented with the Outstanding Philanthropist Award for her significant contributions benefiting generations of Jewish children. Ms. Weaver was one of the lead donors who helped the Jewish community of Colorado fund the purchase of a large mountain ranch that is today the home of Camp Ramah in the Rockies.
Read MoreThe level of Jewish engagement and support for Israel on college campuses can be significantly strengthened by leveraging the incredibly positive Jewish experiences of the thousands of undergrads who spend their summers at Jewish camps. It is absolutely time for camp and campus leaders to work more closely together to harness this leadership potential to increase Jewish engagement and positive identification with Israel.
Read Morejust arrived in Poland for the fourth time, and each trip fills me with a range of divergent emotions.
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The first time was in 1982, on a brief stopover from Moscow as I returned from a two-week visit with Soviet Jewish refuseniks. Martial law had just been declared, the Solidarity anti-Communist movement led by Lech Walesa was gaining strength, and no one could predict the fall of the Soviet Union in just seven years. My three subsequent trips have all been with Ramah — initially with our teens on Seminar and now twice with a Reshet Ramah adult trip.
Read MoreIn a classroom on Camp Ramah’s sprawling campus, nestled against the mountains of Ojai, a bearded rabbi moves enthusiastically between tables of chattering children.Spread on the tables are small, origami-like black boxes; leather straps; long, white calf hairs; and Ziploc bags containing parchment scrolls inscribed in Hebrew.
Read MoreMikayla, a rising 11th grader, wasn’t planning to return to Camp Ramah in the Poconos this summer. She was heading into the challenging junior year of high school and already had college on her mind. She thought it was time to start building her resume, to do the typical things that we think impress college admissions officers, like interning at a company or research lab, or volunteering in a faraway country. Then she thought again.
Read MoreSince the first Ramah Tikvah program opened in 1970, the Ramah Camping Movement has continued to be a pioneer in the field of inclusion of Jewish campers with disabilities. The National Ramah Tikvah Network of programs (Tikvah, Breira B'Ramah, and Camp Yofi) now operates in all Ramah camps across North America, offering the inspirational Ramah camp experience to Jewish children, teens, and young adults with a wide range of learning, developmental, cognitive, and social disabilities.
Read MoreWhen Gabe Scott-Dicker, 30, lost his mother last year, he found him-self wondering where he was going to say Kaddish.Like most in his generation, he does not belong to a synagogue. Raised in West Caldwell, New Jersey, and now living in Manhattan, he visited many and felt welcomed by all. But none of them felt quite right. “What I really wanted was that feeling you get at camp,” he realized. “I wanted that Friday night Camp Ramah experience again.”
Read MoreI spent time this summer teaching at Ramah Nyack and Ramah Wisconsin, and very much enjoyed being at both camps and teaching staff. Even more than the teaching, talking to college students one-on-one outside the formal shiurim was even better. Quite a few of them wanted to talk to me about one thing or another.
Read MoreCamp Ramah in Conover continues the Atzmayim Program for its 12th year, teaching campers job skills through area businesses. The vocational program, designed for campers with special needs, trains older teenagers and young adults for colunteer and paying jobs at worksites throughout the Eagle River area.
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