Since December, we have been running weekly solidarity missions and have many more planned throughout the early spring. Participants have volunteered in the fields, planted gardens, painted homes, and barbecued for soldiers. We have visited Hostage Square and met with families. We have mourned with other families. We have been active listeners as a traumatized nation tells its story. We have been fully present.

We hope you will consider coming to Israel. You can register for a trip below or contact us about organizing a trip for your community or family. As Israel faces perhaps her greatest challenge in 75 years, I am proud of our community’s response and Ramah’s deep and enduring commitment to Am Yisrael. We stand together during these dark days and will be there when the sun rises again.

Ramah Mishpacha Solidarity & Service Trips to Israel

Israel needs us right now. There is enormous volunteer work to be done in the fields, rebuilding homes, and working with displaced families. We hope you will consider joining your fellow Ramahniks on one of these upcoming solidarity and service missions being led by Ramah Israel. This is our opportunity to be counted and to let our family in Israel know that we stand alongside them.

  • May 5-9 Adult Solidarity and Service Trip

  • June 24-27* Adult Solidarity and Service Trip

  • July 15-18* Adult & Teen Solidarity and Service Trip

*For all four-day missions, there is an option to extend your stay in Jerusalem for Shabbat.

Glimpses of Current / Previous Trips

“The most meaningful moments of the trip for me were the everyday moments of connection with local Israelis. It was hearing the stories of people like Tamar as we volunteered at the lettuce fields that brought a sense of the overwhelming unity. It was seeing the appreciation each store keeper on Ben Yehudah street had just for the fact that we chose to come to Israel during the war that showed that the importance of this trip extended way beyond the work of our hands.”
— Kira, Ramah Wisconsin
“It was an incredibly difficult Fall semester at NYU. However, going to Israel has absolutely wiped away the burnout I was sitting with and reinvigorated my passion for next semester. I felt healed and am absolutely ready for next semester. I have gained a network of 22 new friends and allies in the fight against antisemitism, and know that whenever I am experiencing my next challenge on campus, I have a sounding board of Ramah family to reach out to.”
— Jake, Ramah Darom
“Participating on the Ramah Israel support mission was an incredibly meaningful experience. Being in Israel during these challenging times was emotional and heartbreaking, inspirational and personally fulfilling.”
— Cliff, Ramah Berkshires

Read More

“Our Ramah Solidarity and Service Mission to Israel” (Adam Leibowitz, Ramah Darom, 1/25/24)

“How Could We Not Come?’ American Jews Flock to Israel to Help” (NY Post, 1/3/2024)

"B’Yad Ramah” Winter Break Volunteer Experience for College Students | December 19-January 3, 2024

To give is to receive: לתת זה לקבל. Our 25-person trip had an incredibly moving experience supporting and giving back to the people and land of Israel.

We worked in the sunny fields of Kfar Truman planting, picking, and shipping lettuce; we organized and packed fruits and vegetables at Tachlit for Israeli soldiers and families that have been displaced by the war plus shipped and packaged produce at Moshav Azaria.

In Jerusalem, we spent a day making sandwiches for soldiers and volunteered at a farmers market that sells produce from farms on the border of Gaza. We met several times with a group of Israeli teens on their Mechina gap year and visited several important sites like The Kotel and Kikar Hatufim (Hostages Square).

Throughout the trip, we had important and difficult conversations about Israeli current events, the rise of antisemitism in America, and what experiences and reflections participants will take from this trip back to their college campuses and local communities. We return to North America reignited with pride for being Jewish and Zionist, with a strong cohort of friends, and as advocates for Israel.

This trip was funded by Birthright Israel and with NRC support, organized by the Israel Experience, and staffed by Ramah. 

Bring Them Home

We pray for the safe return for these members of the Ramah family who are being held captive (Prayer for Those Held in Captivity | Prayers to Acknowledge the Return of Captives).

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ramah Darom family camp participant and son of Ramah Israel learning specialist Rachel Goldberg

Call and Email Your Elected Officials: Find and contact your elected officials

Submitting Names for People Being Kept in Our Prayers: We can also hold people who have been affected in our prayers for healing and for redeeming captives. Submit names here and we will add them to our Movement’s list of people being kept in our prayers. Click here to view the names of the people in need of our prayers.

Blue Ribbon Campaign - Join the Blue Ribbon Campaign, organized by JFNA and co-sponsored by USCJ and the RA, to show support and solidarity for the safe return of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists in Israel. Learn more here or fill out this form to join as a sponsoring organization.

OneMinADay

The website www.OneMinAday.com has been established to make it easier to advocate for the immediate release of all hostages with U.S. elected officials. By making thousands of direct, urgent and repeated appeals to our elected representatives, we can place actionable pressure on the U.S. government to prioritize the return all 167 remaining hostages to their loved ones.

If we all reach out to our elected officials—now and constantly—we stand a much better, realistic chance of ensuring that the return all hostages continues to remain a top U.S. and global priority.

American Jewish Committee

Join American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, in urging the U.S. Congress and the UN to secure the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.

National Council of Jewish Women:
#VoicesForHostages

Hundreds of kidnapped civilians are being held hostage by Hamas in unfathomable circumstances. Global women leaders raise their voices urging humanitarian aid and the safe and swift return of all hostages to their loved ones.

#KidnappedfromIsrael

On Shabbat, Shemini Atzeret, 22 Tishrei/October 7, with the infiltration of terrorists from Gaza into Israeli border communities, where they brutally attacked residents, approximately 200 innocent civilians, including infants, children, women, and the elderly, were abducted, many of them beaten, injured, and subjected to violence, cruelly separated from their loved ones.

While our soldiers and security forces are actively engaged in fighting in various areas, the responsibility in these critical times falls upon the rest of us to place the issue of the abducted squarely on the world agenda.

The World Zionist Organization, in collaboration with HP Indigo, is working to distribute and display posters featuring images of the abductees in major cities around the world. High-quality posters can be ordered at no cost and collected from designated points (to order a set of posters, please fill out your details here). These posters can also be downloaded for printing in different languages.

Hostages and Missing Families Forum

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum was formed by the families of the abductees less than 24 hours after the horrific attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7th, in which more than 1,400 innocent civilians were murdered and hundreds were taken hostage. The Forum is volunteer-based and laser-focused on bringing the hostages back home to their families, to us.

The forum offers families holistic medical and emotional support as well as professional assistance, and advances the ongoing efforts locally, regionally and globally, to bring the hostages and the missing back home.

In Memoriam

We mourn the loss of members of the Ramah family who have died since the beginning of the war. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and all of those who love them.

  • Lt. Yaacov Elian, age 20, first cousin of Dor Levi, longtime Ramah Day Camp in Nyack staff member and rosh mishlachat. Yaacov fell in battle in the north of the Gaza Strip. He was a cadet in the Gefen Battalion at the officers' training school and served as a class commander at the Givati ​​training base.

  • Adi Vital Kaploun, age 33, daughter of Jacqui Rivers Vital, alumna of Camp Ramah in Canada and a participant in the Mador leadership training program in 1972. In this interview with Anderson Cooper, Jacqui describes Adi as “a superstar…everything she touched was golden.” Adi's family has relocated to Jerusalem and needs significant funds to start rebuilding their life. Please consider making a donation to the Adi Vital Kaploun Memorial fund to help support them.

  • Rose Ida Lubin, age 20, niece of Minda Snitkoff and Rabbi Ed Snitkoff, former director of Ramah Israel Seminar and niece of Elise Kosofsky, board member of Camp Ramah Darom. Rose died in a stabbing attack while serving as a border police officer. She made aliyah two years ago and joined the army through Garin Tzabar. Read “ Israeli-American Border Police officer, 20, Killed in Jerusalem Stabbing Attack”

  • Eden Nimri, age 22, sister of Hadar Nimri, Camp Ramah in the Berkshires mishlachat 2016 and 2017. Eden, a commanding officer in the “Sky Raiders” (Rochev Shamayim), died on October 7 while protecting her soldiers.
    Read “Israeli International Swimmer Eden Nimri Killed in Fighting in Nahal Oz”

  • Ari Yehiel Zenilman, age 32, cousin of Ava Lang Soffer, longtime staff member of Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, was killed while fighting with the IDF in Gaza. Read "The Day It Hit Home: Farewell to My Friend, My Cousin, Our Hero Ari Zenilman hy”d"

Refuah Shlemah

We are calling for tefillot of healing for these members of the Ramah family:

  • Dor Kleks (Dor ben Sarah) is the spouse of Rayna Boyarsky, an alumna of Camp Ramah in Canada and Ramah Day Camp in Nyack. Dor was injured in Gaza and will need additional surgery in the coming weeks.

  • Matan Steinhart (Matan Chaim ben Shoshana Esther) is the son of Betsalel Steinhart, director of education at Ramah Israel. Matan was injured in Gaza and is recovering at home with his family.

  • Yoav Tzivoni (Yoav ben Yedida), an alumnus of Camp Ramah in New England, suffered serious injuries in Gaza. Yoav is the son of Yedida and Uri, both beloved longtime staff members at camp, where Yedida was rosh mishlachat and Uri worked on the agam.

Send a Message of Support to Our Ramah Mishpacha in Israel

We will compile these messages and share them with our shlichim and olim on a regular basis.

Ramah Camps Supporting Israel and Camp Communities

Resources and Messages of Support

Berkshires | California | Canada | Darom | Northern California (Galim) | Poconos | Rockies | Wisconsin

Community Gatherings

  • Ramah Canada partnered with UJA to sponsor a bus to Canada’s Rally for the Jewish People at Parliament Hill in Ottawa on December 4.

  • Ramah California is hosting two Zoom drop-in sessions in early November for college-age staff to process current events, support one another, and simply be together. Sessions will be facilitated by Dr. Aviva Levine Jacobs, Director of Camper Care and Staff Wellness, and the Ramah California leadership team.

  • Ramah Darom hosted a special session for tzevet on October 30. Joining the discussion were two Ramah Darom alumni. Shira Wasser is the Chief Leadership Officer of the Israel on Camp Coalition (ICC). ICC has been providing insights, updates, and research to help pro-Israel college students navigate the intricacies of campus life with confidence and pride. Hannah Tishman, LCSW, provided guiding questions for reflection time, ensuring a safe and constructive space for all.

  • Ramah Darom hosted a discussion for teens about the ongoing situation in Israel on October 23. Joining the discussion was Or Moshe (staff 2023), who provided an update on what is currently happening in Israel. Or works with International Media on the Gaza border and volunteers in the Media Operations Room for families of hostages.

  • Ramah in the Rockies has been holding weekly tzevet alumni check-ins on Zoom to provide a space for any of tzevet alumni who would like to process current events, support each other, and simply be together. The most recent one was held on October 23.

  • Ramah Day Camp Greater DC held an family reunion event on October 22, during which participants had the opportunity to write cards to send to IDF soldiers as well as create video clips to send to DC Day Camp and Camp Ramah New England shlichim. 

  • Ramah Galim held a virtual solidarity gathering on October 15 to offer words of prayer, hope, and solidarity for the people of Israel and spend some time in breakout rooms by age-group to process, share and feel the love and support of the community around us.

  • Camp Ramah in California gathered in community on October 12 via Zoom to offer words of prayer, hope, and solidarity. View recording (Passcode: rX94CC*O)

  • Ramah Darom held a virtual gathering on October 11 for 8th-11th grade campers and families, who were joined by several of Darom shlichim in Israel. Over 150 people attended and heard first-hand stories from shlichim and watched a video they created for the Darom kehillah (community). View recording

There are many organizations providing support for those affected by the violence in Israel. If you would like to make a donation, we encourage you to explore the links below. 

Ramah Israel Relief and Support
Ramah Israel is collecting funds to purchase and directly distribute to the IDF essential items such as military grade clothing, medical supplies, toiletries, field mattresses, and sleeping bags.

Past Programs

A Conversation with AJC CEO Ted Deutch
January 9, 2024 | View Recording

Informative and enlightening Q&A with Ramah alum Ted Deutch, current CEO of AJC and Member of Congress from 2010 to 2022.

What Can We Do? An Open Conversation with Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Thursday, November 2, 2023 | View recording here
Moderator: Jonah Platt, alumnus of Camp Ramah in California

This Zoom conversation with Rachel Goldberg was both heartbreaking and important. More than 700 participants heard Rachel talk about Hersh, and together we prayed for the return of Hersh and all the other women, men, children, and babies who are being held captive by Hamas in Gaza. Also among the captives is 22-year-old Omer Neutra, former staff member of Ramah Day Camp in Nyack. Bring Hersh Home #BringOmerHome

Co-sponsored by the World Zionist Organization and Ramah

March for Israel at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, November 14

March for Israel at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
November 14, 2023 | View photo album
Ramahniks marched proudly in Washington, DC on November 14 with an estimated crowd of 290,000 to show our support for Israel, to call for the release of hostages, and to speak out against antisemitism. We came from coast to coast to show up for our Ramah mishpacha. We were represented well by Jacob Weiner (Camp Ramah in the Poconos, Gesher ‘23) and Talia Bodner Camp Ramah in California, Machon ‘20), both of whom were speakers at the pre-rally for youth. Thank you to RootOne and to Combat Antisemitism Movement for their sponsorship of over 200 buses to bring young adults to DC for the march.

Ramah Mishpacha Solidarity Gathering for Israel,
October 15, 2023 | View recording

Hundreds of Ramahniks from across the world and across the decades joined together in song, reflections, and prayer to show support for Israel. Our warm sense of community helped to bring some light into these dark days.

Ramah Israel: Strength in Unity, Strength in Community
October 22, 2023 | View recording

Ramah Israel’s “Ramah B’Yachad” solidarity gathering was followed by a discussion with Neil Lazarus, educator in the fields of Middle East politics, public diplomacy, and communication training. Click here to view Neil’s FAQs on the current war.

Article: “The War Hamas Always Wanted,” in Foreign Affairs, October 11, 2023.

“The War that Hamas Always Wanted”
October 24, 2023 | View recording

This session was moderated by Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, Senior Advisor, National Ramah Commission, with the following Ramah parents as guest speakers:

  • Cary Gleicher, former senior FBI official who most recently served as an associate for the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism of Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel

  • Uri Rosenwald, an FBI Special Agent currently serving in Minnesota on the FBI’s Minneapolis Hazardous Evidence Response Team.

Unity in Harmony: Standing in Solidarity, Solidarity, Song, and Prayer for Israel
October 26, 2023 | View recording

Some of the top music artists and thought leaders in the Jewish world participated in this concert, including Ramah alumni Rick Recht and Rabbi Josh Warshawsky. Presented by Judaism Alive (the nonprofit parent organization of Jewish Rock Radio, JKids Radio, Songleader Boot Camp, and Jewish Star).

Major partners: Foundation for Jewish Camp, Jewish Federations of North America, Harold Grinspoon Foundation, JCamp 180, PJ Library, Life & Legacy, JCC Association of North America, Union for Reform Judaism Camp and Immersives, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, USY, The Jewish Theological Seminary, Ramah Camping Movement, Young Judaea, Sing Unto God, Rabbinical Assembly, Cantors Assembly, American Conference of Cantors, and Guild of Temple Musicians.

Shabbat Across Ramah
Friday, November 3 to Saturday, November 4

Shabbat Across Ramah brought together thousands of Ramahniks and friends of Ramah from across the world this year, as it does annually year. We hope that many of you found strength and comfort in celebrating Shabbat with community, family, and friends. Many of us included an empty table setting at their Shabbat tables for Omer Neutra, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and all other captives. We pray that they will be able to celebrate Shabbat with their families soon. Download and print the Shabbat Across Ramah shiron with prayers, blessings, songs, and stories of Ramah shlichim and olim.

Ask Me Anything: The Israel-Hamas War (in-person event)
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 | 7:00-9:00 pm ET | B'nai Jeshurun (NYC)

Ask Me Anything: The Israel-Hamas War (in-person event)
Wednesday, January 17, 2024

It’s been an incredibly hard, confusing, and emotional three months for Jewish Americans to see the tragic events in Israel and Gaza unfold. With that in mind, Israel Policy Forum (IPF), Aviv (20s + 30s at B'nai Jeshurun), and Reshet Ramah Ba'Ir are partnering to create a safe space for 20s and 30s to engage in respectful and productive conversation and to ask the questions on your mind.

We are honored to be joined by Shanie Reichman, IPF ATID National Director. We ask that all attendees come prepared to engage in respectful and thoughtful dialogue. 

Educational Resources