Ramah Service Corps Fellows Training, January 2015

Guest blogger: Eva Jablow, Ramah Service Corps Coordinator and NRC Office Manager & Program Associate

It was our absolute pleasure to gather Ramah Service Corps Fellows together last week at Ramah California. During our four days, we enjoyed getting to know one another, studying together, program sharing, and reflecting on the past few months of work. Emphasis was placed on the most effective ways of encouraging more families to send their kids to Ramah. “I really appreciated the chance to sit down and just talk with some of the other Fellows,” said Hannah Glickman of Ramah New England. “I know that they are doing work similar to mine, but getting to actually spend time together and share what we’re doing brings the experience to a much more tangible level.”

We spent our first day presenting the work we do at our sites and studying theories of Jewish informal education. On the second day, RSC Fellows and Coordinators headed to Los Angeles for a day of experiential learning. We started the morning off with tefillot at the Pressman Academy, led by RSC Fellow Josh Warshawsky (Ramah Wisconsin). “It was incredibly fun to have the other Fellows come into school and really see what I do,” said Josh. “Any my students loved seeing some of their counselors and rashei edah, too!”

Fellows spent the next part of the day exploring the Zimmer Children’s Museum, chatting with CEO and Ramah alumna, Esther Netter. After learning about the museum’s history and Esther’s Ramah background, we shifted into a service learning project. Alisha Pedowitz, Teen Experiential Education Specialist at BJE: Builders of Jewish Education, graciously spoke to us about the importance of learning and reflection alongside service projects as we helped the Zimmer staff prepare and clean exhibit materials.

The rest of the time at the conference was spent in various sessions, reflecting on our day trip, sharing program ideas, considering best practices, discussing some of the challenges we have faced, and studying text with Dr. Zach Lasker and Rabbi Joel Alter of The Jewish Theological Seminary. It was a packed four days that has left each Fellow and Coordinator with a lot to think about. “I’m feeling ready to head back to my site,” said Jon Weinreich of Ramah Berkshires. “It’s been a great week and I’m excited to put what we’ve discussed into action for the rest of the year.”