Israel Update From Ramah

The ongoing war, misery, and anxiety in Israel and Gaza stand in sharp contrast to the incredible joy appropriately taking place at all of our camps.

Sandwiched between both these worlds are our 250 shlichim and our 250 participants on Ramah Seminar in Israel. Our shlichim are doing an incredible job continuing to plan programs, teach, and share their love for Israel with our campers, even as they closely monitor their families' safety under missile fire and the lists of the dead and wounded IDF soldiers who may be their friends, comrades, or relatives.

Israel and HebrewNRC WebmasterJuly 31, 2014Israel, Summer 2014

Itineraries change, but Israel trips go on

Noah Silver, 16, had looked forward to Camp Ramah’s summer trip to Israel for several years; his sister, who went two years ago, raved about it, as did other past participants. But his trip turned out to be very different.

Israel and HebrewNRC WebmasterJuly 30, 2014Israel, Summer 2014

Ramah Stands with Israel

“This summer my head is here at Camp Ramah, but my heart is at home in Israel.”

– Nava Isseroff, Ramah Poconos Shlicha and Rosh Mayim

Members of the Ramah community are deeply concerned about the current fighting in Israel, and are struggling to cope with the situation on many levels. Three groups immediately come to mind.

Blog/Reflections, Israel and HebrewNRC WebmasterJuly 23, 2014Israel, Mitch Cohen, Summer 2014

Israeli emissaries at US summer camps wonder how best to serve

PALMER, Massachusetts — At Camp Ramah in New England this weekend, Israeli emissary Yakov described feeling very far away from what’s happening in Israel while sitting in the idyllic Massachusetts forest surrounding his Jewish sleep-away summer camp. He spoke about a disconnect with his otherwise peaceful town of Nazareth Ilit as tires burn in the nearby Arab village where he usually eats “the best shawarma in all of Israel.”

Israel and HebrewNRC WebmasterJuly 15, 2014Israel, Mishlachat, Summer 2014, New England, Howard Blas

Yes, Israelis say, we are ‘Happy’

Joining worldwide craze, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem residents dance in the streets to Pharrell Williams’ hit

Israel and HebrewNRC WebmasterMarch 21, 2014Israel, TRY

In Hebrew Immersion Day Camps, Summer Fun Augmented With Learning

It used to be that parents who wanted to expose their children to conversational Hebrew over the summer had to travel to Israel. Now a growing number of American Jewish day camps are offering Hebrew-immersion programs, where kids do the standard day camp activities — swimming, arts and crafts, music, zip-lining and field trips — but “hakol b’ivrit.”

Israel and Hebrew, Ramah in the NewsNRC WebmasterFebruary 19, 2014Hebrew, Nyack

New Initiative Seeking to Improve Hebrew Literacy Among American Jews

For the first 3 1/2 weeks of the summer, one group of 5-year-olds at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, N.Y., was “very quiet” as the children went about the typical camp activities, according to Amy Skopp Cooper, the camp’s director.

Israel and Hebrew, Ramah in the NewsNRC WebmasterDecember 2, 2013Hebrew, Nyack

Israeli Arab Tennis Player Goes To Camp Ramah

Each summer, Camp Ramah in New England (CRNE) brings close to 60 post-army emissaries to serve as bunk counselors and teach in such specialty areas as dance, sports, swimming, nature, woodworking, Hebrew and Jewish Studies, ropes and krav maga. Campers and staff are accustomed to such names as Neta, Ela, Tal, Ofer…

Israel and Hebrew, Ramah in the NewsNRC WebmasterOctober 31, 2013New England

Introducing Mishlachat 2012

I just returned from an exciting and inspiring trip to Israel with a delegation of Ramah directors and assistant directors. We spent five days at Kibbutz Shefayim, training the 250 shlichim who will be working at Ramah camps in North America this summer. During our time together, we talked about the core values of Ramah, the prominent role of Israel within our camps, and how shlichim can successfully integrate within our communities.