Summer 2020 - Ramah Camping Movement Update
Updated May 22, 2020
As of today, all of our North American Ramah camps have announced that they will not be opening this summer. Ramah Israel Seminar will announce a decision on or before June 2, and the Ramah Jerusalem Day Camp will likely open for Israelis.
Ramah leaders from all our camps met throughout this crisis to analyze the risks of running our camps during this global pandemic, trying to find a safe way to open this summer. However, based on the guidance we received from camping experts and the doctors who serve on our National Ramah Medical Committee, we became convinced that we would not be able to operate our camps in a manner that meets our standards of safety.
Although all of our camps will offer content-rich Jewish engagement programming online for children and staff throughout the summer, nothing can replace the kehila kedosha, the sacred community that has been created, each summer for many decades, at Ramah camps throughout North America. We know that thousands of campers and staff members are terribly disappointed. All of our camps have posted resources to support their camp communities during this time, as follows:
Camp Ramah in the Berkshires
Camp Ramah in California
Camp Ramah in Canada
Camp Ramah Darom
Camp Ramah in New England / Ramah Day Camp of Greater Washington, DC
Camp Ramah in Northern California (Ramah Galim)
Ramah Day Camp in Nyack
Camp Ramah in the Poconos / Ramah Day Camp, Philadelphia
Ramah in the Rockies
Camp Ramah in Wisconsin / Ramah Day Camp, Chicago-area
We have already begun planning for a strong recovery in summer 2021 throughout North America and Israel. We pray for healing and economic security throughout the world, and we pledge to do everything we can to keep our communities connected and supported throughout this crisis.