Mental Health Support for Counselors and Campers

NRC is committed to supporting mental health and staff wellness initiatives. NRC funds raised for mental health were used to directly support camp initiatives including the hiring of additional social workers and psychologists, expanding the camper care team, and bringing in external trainers to equip our staff with tools to address campers' mental health needs. Staff wellness initiatives included dedicated wellness coaches and coordinators who organized engaging programs such as yoga, meditation, nighttime swims, movie nights, and a basketball league. NRC also assembled a panel of mental health experts and provided comprehensive training sessions addressing the prevention of abuse and harassment in Jewish settings, supplementing the senior-level training we consistently offered to year-round staff.

Click to access the mental health briefings documenting summer 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Disabilities and Inclusion Programs

Tikvah Programming

NRC funds raised for Tikvah programming supported a range of initiatives across multiple Ramah camps. Ramah Nyack piloted a supported employment program; Ramah Berkshires launched a 12-day Tikvah program; Ramah Canada introduced Taste of Tikvah, a five-day program for 9 to 12-year-olds; and Ramah Day Camp Greater Boston introduced a vocational training program. Other Ramah camps provided additional training for Tikvah staff members, organized out-of-camp trips for Tikvah campers, and enhanced sensory spaces. 

Expansion of Vocational Education Opportunities

In February 2023, Ramah partnered with Tailor Made, a Birthright provider, for a 10-day Taglit-Birthright Israel Trip specifically tailored for Tikvah vocational training participants and alumni. Twenty-three participants ranging in age from 18 to 31 and representing six Ramah camps were joined by nine staff members, including Tikvah directors, rashei edot, camp area heads, camper care directors, and counselors.

Israeli Campers 

Seven Ramah camps welcomed 65 Israeli campers from NOAM, the Masorti youth movement in Israel. The Israeli campers had the opportunity to engage with their North American counterparts, promoting cross-cultural understanding. The program plays a crucial role in building relationships between Israeli and American Jewish youth, fostering lasting friendships, and creating a vibrant and inclusive camp environment.

“I love being Jewish and I feel like that’s who I am. I like to do tefillah in the morning. We don’t do it at school. Tefillah is very different. Here we have songs and dancing. It’s a different, different, different experience. At home, we talk and say tefillah and here it is really fun. It makes me happy and feel free.”
— NOAM camper

New Camps and Initiatives

Ramah Day Camp in Boston

This year, Ramah Day Camp Greater Boston opened for six weeks with 169 campers and 49 staff members.

Ramah Overnight Camp in Israel

Ramah's overnight camp in Israel, our first overnight camp in Israel, welcomed 50 campers in grades 6-8. The 10-day program was housed at the Ben Shemen Youth Village in Central Israel. View photos

Movement-wide Program and Resource Bank

NRC created a program and resource bank that is available to all year-round professionals, seasonal staff, and board members. The program/resource bank includes curriculum, hadracha material, music/dance videos, tefillah resources, programs, and Hebrew scripts as well as private access materials for directors, business managers, medical directors, and board members.

Affordability Initiative

NRC is committed to supporting families who would otherwise be unable to provide their children with a Ramah experience. Your support enabled NRC to distribute camper scholarships to families facing economic hardships and provided scholarships for teens to spend their summer on Ramah Israel Seminar. Campers were immersed in vibrant camp-style Jewish living, benefiting from a robust Jewish educational experience. They gained a deep love and sense of responsibility for Israel, the Hebrew language, and the global Jewish community. By living and traveling through some of the most breathtaking landscapes in North America and Israel, they learned the importance of being stewards of our land. They cultivated lifelong friendships and will continue to support each other throughout their lives. Our camps are the incubators of innovation in Jewish life and leadership and these Ramahniks will become the next generation of Jewish communal leaders, lay and professional, in the Conservative movement and beyond.