Howard Blas Receives Prestigious Covenant Award

What a wonderful evening for Ramah, Tikvah, the disabilities inclusion field, and Howard Blas! This past Sunday night, October 27, Howard Blas received the prestigious Covenant Award at the Covenant Foundation’s annual awards dinner at the Chicago Hyatt Regency. This award is given each year to three outstanding Jewish educators. With hundreds of people in attendance, Howard was acknowledged for his leadership of the inspiring Tikvah program at Ramah New England, supported by camp director Rabbi Ed Gelb and the entire Ramah New England team. He was also recognized for his role as a consultant to the National Ramah Tikvah Network; his year-round teaching of children with disabilities for their bar or bat mitzvah; and his advocacy for inclusion in Jewish education. Howard was nominated for the award by Shira Arcus, the immediate past coordinator of the Ramah Tikvah Network and a long-time Ramah New England camper and staff member.

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Reflections on Al Pi Darko: National Ramah Symposium on Special Needs Programs

We have all heard these sentiments expressed before: “Camp was my child’s best Jewish experience,” “Camp changed our lives,” “”I love Camp Ramah!” What was special about hearing these words last week was that they came from Ramah camper alumni with disabilities and parents of campers with disabilities. These families never dreamed that they could have a Jewish camp experience.

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Why Our Camps Are Named Ramah

On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we read the moving haftarah from Jeremiah 31:14, with the following words: “Kol b’Ramah nishma—A voice is heard in Ramah.” Could this be the origin of the name “Camp Ramah,” founded in Conover, Wisconsin, in 1947? I have yet to find a document that discusses the reasons why our founders chose this name; many speculate that this haftarah provides the answer. While we might reject this reference given its context—Rachel weeping for her exiled children, refusing to be comforted—the following verses add consolation and hope: “There is hope for the future, said the Lord, and your children shall return to their borders—v’shavu vanim ligvulam.”

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