Arriving in Poland, Again

just 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.

Blog/ReflectionsNRC WebmasterOctober 15, 2015Mitch Cohen

At Camp Ramah in Ojai, teens learn the mitzvah of making tefillin

In 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.

Ramah in the NewsNRC WebmasterSeptember 4, 2015California

Jewish Summer Camp Strengthens Resumes and Character

Mikayla, 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.

Ramah in the News, Blog/ReflectionsNRC WebmasterSeptember 4, 2015National Ramah, Mitch Cohen

Inclusion at Ramah: Highlights from Summer 2015

Since 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.

Tikvah/Special NeedsNRC WebmasterSeptember 1, 2015Tikvah, Summer 2015

Camp, to Last a Lifetime

When 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.”

Alumni, Ramah in the NewsNRC WebmasterAugust 31, 2015Reshet Ramah

Reflections on Teaching at Ramah, Summer 2015

I 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.

Blog/ReflectionsNRC WebmasterAugust 18, 2015JTS, Wisconsin, Nyack, Summer 2015

Atzmayim Vocational Program Entering its 12th Year

Camp 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.

Tikvah/Special Needs, Ramah in the NewsNRC WebmasterAugust 5, 2015Summer 2015, Wisconsin, Tikvah, Voc-Ed

Davidson Detroit Fellowship Grant Renewed for Two Additional Years

The National Ramah Commission is delighted to announce that the William Davidson Foundation has awarded a $530,000 grant to Ramah to renew the funding of the Ramah Davidson Detroit Fellowship for an additional two years.

AnnouncementsNRC WebmasterJuly 27, 2015National Ramah

Camp Ramah opens in Monterey Bay next summer

A new Jewish summer camp is coming to Northern California. Camp Ramah NorCal will open next summer near the shores of Monterey Bay with plans to host as many as 300 campers over three sessions, camp director Sarah Shulman told J. Registration is expected to open in late August. Camp Ramah is the camping arm of the Conservative movement. It currently operates eight overnight camps and five day camps in North America and Jerusalem, including one in the Southern California city of Ojai that has drawn kids from throughout the Western U.S. and Canada since opening in 1956.

Ramah in the NewsNRC WebmasterJuly 24, 2015Galim