Camp Ramah in Wisconsin

National Ramah Commission Launches New Alumni Network

Check out this article in The Jewish Week about Reshet Ramah, National Ramah's new alumni network. You might even recognize some Ramah Wisconsin alumni in the photo!

Once a Camper, Always a Camper

Ramah Wisconsin in the News

A few of our Ramahniks have been popping up in the news lately. Check out these articles:

UW Hillel hosts Camp Ramah Shabbat thanks to KOACH, about an event held at the apartment of staff member Danny Mann

Overcoming challenges: Program helps blind, hearing impaired student gain independence, about one of our Atzmayim participants, Tyler Kavanaugh

Hebrew Theatre in the Forest, a Hebrew article about Performing Arts Director Jonathan Ross

Do you know of other Ramahniks who have been in the news? Post the links on our Facebook page (and don't forget to "like" our new page while you're there) or send them to arosen@ramahwisconsin.com so we can share with the community. Todah!

100 Things We Love About Camp!

1.    Friends
2.    Meeting incredible people from all over the world
3.    Kikar dancing
4.    Seeing old friends you missed all year and meeting new friends
5.    Walks around the Garbage Trail
6.    Tuna subs
7.    Listening to all the happy voices echo across the lake
8.    Shabbat Zimirot
9.    Ice cream sandwiches
10.    When young campers grow up to be responsible staff members
11.    Kabbalat Shabbat by the lake
12.    Corn bread stuffing
13.    It’s the perfect place to get engaged
14.    Becoming friends with people who are nothing like you
15.    Canteen books
16.    Yom Sport
17.    Visitors’ Weekend
18.    Camping Trips
19.    Perfect sunsets that look like they were Photoshopped
20.    Seeing the Northern Lights
21.    Zimriyah
22.    Amazingly long-lasting friendships
23.    Everyone has something to contribute
24.    Swimming
25.    Watching Nivonim run into the lake at the end of Yom Sport
26.    The Blob
27.    Hebrew musicals
28.    Ropes courses
29.    Becoming so close with your cabinmates that you’re like family
30.    Working out with friends
31.    Archery
32.    Grilled cheese with tomato soup
33.    The Marp staff
34.    Lying on the Kikar
35.    Seudat shlishit singing
36.    Nikayon
37.    Friday night dinner
38.    Nivonim summer
39.    Kayaks
40.    Gaga
41.    The food
42.    Gus Ramah Basketball Tournament
43.    The waterfront
44.    People watching on the Kikar
45.    Bishul bokers
46.    The old radio station
47.    The new radio station
48.    Meeting someone special
49.    Sunsets over the lake
50.    Northwoods Ramah Theatre Company
51.    The Machon-Tikvah chaverim program
52.    Aidah sports games
53.    Making friends from Israel
54.    Polar Bear Swim
55.    Bauer’s Swim
56.    Island swims
57.    Salad Bar
58.    The walk to Hunter Lake
59.    Stargazing on the old new tennis courts
60.    Learning Hebrew
61.    Eating in Chadar Chadash when it was no longer “chadash”
62.    Finally living on the Givah
63.    Learning on the mirpeset of the sifriyah
64.    Campers getting off the bus on the first day
65.    Omanut
66.    Nagarut
67.    Nivonim Reunions
68.    Rikudiyah
69.    The bog
70.    Getting mail/getting a package
71.    Tzurchaniya
72.    Bagel dogs
73.    Amazing discussions on the Kikar
74.    Staff week
75.    Passing a swim test
76.    Learning to read Torah
77.    Having a bar mitzvah
78.    Awesome staff members
79.    The Rope Warrior
80.    Machon Travels—Canada, OSRUI, Moshava
81.    Praying in the Ohel
82.    Painting a makom tefillah
83.    Planning a great program and knowing the campers got something out of it
84.    Seeing turtles lay eggs in the parking lot
85.    Fourth of July talent show
86.    “Make Your Counselor Laugh”
87.    Peulot tzrif
88.    Chanutiyah
89.    The fruit bowl
90.    The awesome maintenance/housekeeping staff
91.    The Point
92.    The plaques
93.    Jerseys made out of tape and spray paint
94.    Shira after meals
95.    Being in a completely Jewish community
96.    Having a birthday at camp
97.    Being a CIT
98.    Learning new Israeli songs
99.    Shabbat-o-grams
100.    Hanging out on the mirpeset with friends

Investing in Camp Ramah

Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, Executive Vice President of the Rabbinical Assembly, recently wrote a blog post about the importance of Camp Ramah. Click here to read her post on the Rabbinical Assembly blog or see the full text below.

 

Investing in Camp Ramah
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld
Executive Vice President, Rabbinical Assembly

Camp Ramah registrations are arriving in mailboxes around the country. Mine arrived last week.

In August, on the last day of Camp Ramah Nyack, I attended the annual רקודיה, "Festivale," as a parent. Perhaps the most potent endorsement for the camp was the clarity with which every camper, counselor and staff member projected a sense of being comfortable in their own skins. The day was rich with power and energy because that which was clear and bounded, such as people and time, and that which was unbounded and infinite, such as connection and community were fully inhabited. God and God's Torah were everywhere.

Recent studies have shown that camping is one of the most effective uses of communal funds and Ramah is widely considered to be the most effective Jewish camping system.

7% of Conservative kids attend Ramah. 7% has been enough to shape generations of Jewish leaders, but it is statistically too small a number to grow a religious movement and to provide young adults with a critical mass of peers. When we see Ramah kids go elsewhere in adulthood, it is not because Ramah didn't work or Conservative Judaism didn't work. It's all about the numbers.

Nurturing children to become Jewish leaders is an eminently worthy goal and one of which we can be immensely proud. But if we want Ramah camp to contribute substantially to the revitalization of a religious movement, 7% is not enough to make the impact we seek.

How can we best leverage Camp Ramah to build the Conservative Movement?

I have heard many suggestions that we try to make several parts of our Movement "more like Ramah."

Ramah remains a decades-long leader in camping. Can experts in camping contribute to Hebrew schools, youth groups and informal synagogue education? If they want to try it, we should support their efforts and we'll find out.

We know for a fact that our camping experts are "best in the business" at camping. I have even heard more than one Conservative movement skeptic say so in public.

The most direct way to make more of the Conservative movement "more like Ramah" is to "make more Ramah," and provide the necessary financial resources and incentives to get more kids there.

It's an ambitious goal, but we must try to imagine ourselves 20 years into the future, and ask "what actions can we take today to make the great impact down the road?"

We can see the outstanding results of getting 7% of kids to camp, what would 15% look like? We have three Ramah day camps. Can we get to six in North America? We have one outdoor adventure camp. Can we get to three?

As Conservative leaders, it is hard to remember how to dream because our Jewish religious vision symbolizes something that the community knows is necessary but fears is unachievable. As top down structures in all sectors of society have given way to looser, more competitive networks, Jewish leaders have successfully quarantined much of their anxiety in the Conservative Movement. Promoting an ongoing array of speculative new ideas, they have thus evaded the obligation to answer the eternal questions of community and commitment that Conservative Judaism lays at our feet.

Miraculously, advocates and skeptics agree about Ramah. Let's take yes for an answer. If we get behind an effort to dramatically grow the Ramah system, we will be surprised by who comes along with us.

The last day of Camp Ramah was a great day for Aytan and me because we were grateful to give our children an experience that was so good for them. The last day of camp was bittersweet, however, for Noam and Gabi, who left behind a community where they could take on big challenges and succeed. It meant everything to them.

Now the summer is over and the challenge to embark on a path to success lies before us. We are all searching for ways to reignite a Jewish religious movement whose success we know is crucial to the future of our people. We can divide our energies in a hundred directions or we can take a model, proven to work, and give it the resources it needs to have the full impact it can achieve. Let us take yes for an answer.

Best wishes for a light filled Hanukkah to you and your families.

Support the Camp Ramah in Wisconsin Scholarship Fund

Help us spread the word!

Join, donate and invite others to the Facebook cause:

"Support the Camp Ramah in Wisconsin Scholarship Fund"


Donate your Facebook status by posting the following:

You can help a child attend Camp Ramah next summer!

Join the cause: "Support the Camp Ramah in Wisconsin Scholarship Fund"
http://tinyurl.com/395pgj8

Win a Trip to Camp in the Winter!

Back by popular demand
The Ultimate Ramah Experience:
A Visit to Camp in the Wintertime!

Click on the image above to hear about the trip from last year's winner!

Camp will fly* your child, one of his/her camp friends plus one parent to a fun-filled day of adventure at camp! Sledding down the kikar, an outdoor photo shoot by the Point, walking on Lake Buckatabon (it's frozen - no worries), snow angels on the basketball courts, hot cocoa in the chadar ochel - the entire day will be yours to explore Camp Ramah in the wintertime!

To be eligible to win this all expenses paid trip, you must be a returning camper and you MUST be enrolled and have paid your deposit for Summer 2012 by December 15, 2011, at 12:00 noon CST. All campers who are currently enrolled with a paid deposit are eligible. The drawing will take place shortly thereafter and the winner will be announced in HaMirpeset Shelanu.

 Click here to register for Summer 2012 now!

*Camp will cover the cost of (3) domestic round-trip tickets from home cities to camp.

Don't miss out! If you have any questions, email registrar@ramahwisconsin.com or call 312-606-9316 x 221.

Tomorrow is Wear Your Ramah T-Shirt Day!

Join thousands of Ramah alumni, campers, and staff members and wear a Ramah T-shirt (or hat, or sweatpants) to school, work, or anywhere!

Check out the official Facebook event.

This is the fifth annual event. It began as one Ramah camper's efforts to get all his camp friends to wear their Ramah T-shirts on a certain day. Now, every second Thursday in November, thousands of Ramahniks around the world can show their Ramah pride and spirit by wearing their Ramah gear.

Visit the Facebook Event Wall to upload photos of your Ramah T-shirt Day pride and to view the full album. You can also email your photos to arosen@ramahwisconsin.com for a chance to be featured right here on our blog!

Upcoming Recruitment Visits

Camp Director Rabbi Loren Sykes and Assistant Director Jacob Cytryn are embarking on their tour around the Midwest to visit with past, present and future campers! Check out the updated schedule on the website, and be sure to check back for details on the visits. If you're a veteran Ramahnik, we would love to see you at these meetings, and be sure to bring your friends. If you're new to Ramah and thinking about spending the summer with us, these meetings are for you! You'll get lots of information, hear from current campers and alumni, and see the new promotional DVD. We hope to see you there!

NSS Beth El Friends of Ramah Event

On Sunday, October, 30, 80 people from the North Suburban Synagogue Beth El community came together to celebrate Ramah: Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and Ramah Day Camp. There were current staff, alumni, veteran campers and families, and even prospective families gathered together celebrating, reminiscing and wishing it was already summer. While the parents shared memories, asked questions, and spoke with Rabbi Sykes, Director of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, and Lori Stark, Director of Ramah Day Camp, the kids were busy playing at ‘camp.’ There was a moon bounce, basketball game, knock hockey, omanut (art) station, gaga pit, and more. The kids reconnected with old camp friends and met new prospective campers all while bouncing from one activity to the next. The evening was topped off by pizza and a make your own sundae station. People did not want to leave the warm, energetic Ramah environment, but when it was finally time to go, there was a sense of excitement and anticipation for the summer to already begin. The evening was a blast!

First Twin Cities Visit of the Season is a Great Success

Two weeks ago, I spent a couple of fantastic days in the Twin Cities. Organized by Barrie Orloff, the new Camp Ramah in Wisconsin representative in the Twin Cities, I visited The Amos and Celia Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School (HMJDS) where I had lunches with groups of 3rd and 4th graders, 5th and 6th graders, and 7th and 8th graders. It was nice to see so many current Ramah campers at the lunches, along with new campers already signed up for next summer, and students who are thinking about joining us next summer. I had a wonderful albeit brief visit with our Rosh Ivrit, Batsheva Berman, and a rich and productive visit with Dr. Ray Levi, Head of School.

I met with a group of parents that are seriously considering sending their children to camp for the first time. It was a great and open discussion about what Camp Ramah in Wisconsin has to offer their children as well as what their Jewish aspirations are for their children as they continue to grow and mature.

The afternoon was filled teaching classes at The Talmud Torah of Minneapolis. Suzie Schalom was so gracious in giving me time to actuallly teach groups of students. Using the G-DCAST.com video titled "Shofar Calling, "a hip-hop midrash on the two Torah readings for the mornings of Rosh HaShanah (click here to check out the video), we talked about Teshuvah, what it means to do serious self-reflection, and to fulfill our mission for this world. The students were engaged and had some deep comments about the upcoming High Holiday season.

On Tuesday, Barrie and I were treated to a tour of the Talmud Torah of St. Paul given by Head of School and Camp Ramah in Wisconsin alumna, Sara Lynn Newberger. There was such great energy in the classes and we had a wonderful lunch with a combination of current and future campers. I am always fascinated by the questions children ask about camp, ranging from "How many times a week do you serve macaroni and cheese?" to "Are the counselors nice?" and everything in-between.

Thanks for a great trip. I can't wait to get back to the Twin Cities again later in the fall.

Rabbi Loren Sykes, Director