June 22, 2000, 19 Sivan 5760

Last evening the Jewish Theological  Seminary of America honored Alan and Margaret Silberman with the prestigious National Community Service Award. Both Alan and Margaret have long and distinguished careers with Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. Alan began as a camper in 1952, eventually spending several summers as a staff member. He served as president of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin from 1987 to 1994, when he assumed the presidency of the National Ramah Commission. He continues today as a member of our Executive Committee and as president of the Camp Ramah in Wisconsin Endowment Corporation. Margaret first came to Ramah as a camper from Detroit and later served on the staff as a counselor. She currently is chairman of the Tikvah program at camp and also serves as a member of our Executive Committee.

At the awards ceremony, the chancellor of the Seminary, Dr. Ismar Schorsch made an impressive address to the hundreds of people in attendance. He devoted virtually his entire address to the importance of the Ramah camps within the Conservative Movement and the importance of Ramah to the thousands of children and young adults who attend Ramah camps annually. He began his remarks by saying "Ramah is the seed bed of Conservative Judaism..." and he emphasized that "the future of the Conservative Movement is being shaped every day at the Ramah camps." He told of a conference of Conservative rabbis he attended a few years ago in Israel. During the course of meeting with these rabbis he realized that every single one of them was a product of the Ramah camps in the United States who had been inspired to enter the rabbinate and ultimately make aliyah. The chancellor stated uncategorically that "Ramah has trained the leadership of the Conservative Movement" and he went on to proclaim that "the Ramah Movement is the greatest success of the Conservative Movement."

These are glowing accolades which, regardless of their source, would be welcomed by the present staff and leadership of Camp Ramah as recognition and validation of their work. Coming, however, from the chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the leading educational and religious authority within the Conservative Movement and certainly one of the most recognized contemporary scholars of American Jewry, makes these superlatives even more significant and appreciated.

Alan's acceptance of the National Community Service Award was beautiful, moving and indeed inspirational. He pointed out that the successes were not achieved by him and Margaret alone. Rather, they, the Silbermans, are the representatives of a long list of visionaries who founded Camp Ramah in 1947 in Conover, Wisconsin and who nurtured it throughout the years. While Alan could not possibly name all of the people who contributed to the success of Ramah over its 53-year history, he did mention certain individuals who deserved recognition: Ralph Simon, Maxwell Abel, Lou Winer, Bert Weinstein, Joe Levin, Al Kopin, and Irv and Jan Robin, who provided community leadership to the camp, Seymour Fox, Burt Cohen and David Soloff, whose professional leadership has taken Ramah to the heights described by Dr. Schorsch, and, of course, his and Margaret's parents, whose desire for Jewish education led Alan and Margaret to Ramah and each other.

All of us in the Ramah Wisconsin community take great pride in the achievements not only of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin but of all the Ramah camps, and also in the words of praise shared by Dr. Schorsch with the Chicago Jewish community. To our good friends Alan and Margaret Silberman, we say "kol hakavod" on the occasion of receiving the National Community Service Award for your past achievements and contributions, and we look forward to continuing our work together for the betterment of the Ramah Camps.

Morton M. Steinberg

President