Weinstein Leadership Institute 2022
by Jared Skoff, National Ramah Program Director and Adina Scheinberg, National Ramah Program Associate
Weinstein Leadership Institute - January 5-6, 2022
Last week, over 100 madrichim and madrichot (counselors), rashei edah (division heads), vocational participants, Maslul Yisrael Fellows, and Amitei Ramah (year-round Ramah Fellows) from across the Ramah Camping Movement joined together to participate in the Weinstein Leadership Institute, an inspiring two-day virtual staff training conference.
Our participants brought their ruach, positive energy, and passion for Ramah to the virtual space, gathering together to learn, share best practices, and create an immersive feeling of Ramah kehillah. Participants enjoyed learning from 40 Ramah educators and guest presenters, with 30 sessions to choose from. In addition, 25 participants extended their time at Weinstein to complete Youth Mental Health First Aid Training and Certification.
(Click here to view the program for the conference.)
Standout Moments & New Program Tracks
This Weinstein included a few first-time highlights. In partnership with the Shalom Hartman Institute, we launched this year’s Maslul Fellowship, with select Ramah counselors focusing year-round on enhancing Israel education at camp. Our partners from the Hartman Institute also engaged our full Weinstein group with Israel education workshops, with topics including “Beyond Camels and Kibbutz: Sculpting our Aspirations for Israel at Camp” and “Justice as a Jewish Value in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.”
In addition, at this year’s Weinstein Institute we launched a vocational training track, which provided professional development to Tikvah-supported Ramah staff and vocational participants who will be working at a Ramah camp this summer. Six participants from across our camps joined the inaugural vocational training track and also enjoyed participating in our general Weinstein programming and staff training sessions. The vocational training track, under the vision and leadership of Maya Albin, National Ramah’s TikvahNet Program Coordinator, was a resounding success, and we look forward to including vocational training as a program track at our future Weinstein gatherings, both in-person and virtually.
On Thursday, we also had the opportunity to gather as a community to say thank you to Rabbi Mitch Cohen, who recently transitioned from the role of National Director to Senior Advisor of the National Ramah Commission. Ramah directors and participants had the opportunity to share reflections of Mitch’s leadership and mentorship, as well as express what Ramah means to them in recognition of Ramah’s 75 years of Jewish camping. This special moment brought all of our Weinstein participants together to feel a true sense of movement-wide inspiration and pride.
Ramah at 75: Honoring Rabbi Mitch Cohen Video Tribute
Highlights from Our Sessions
Weinstein participants enjoyed the opportunity to gather and discuss important movement-wide agenda items, while also gathering with the leadership of their own camp to discuss the practical details of planning for camp this summer. In addition, they appreciated diving into topics they are passionate about through electives. Our elective sessions included:
Camper Care & Mental Health: Making Each Camper Feel 10 Feet Tall
Managing Behavior and Discipline
Technology & Its Impact on Camp
A Practical Framework for Tefillah at Camp
Rosh Edah Leadership Panel
Building Inclusive Communities
Strategies for Working with Your Co-Counselor
Developing a Daily Routine for Yourself and Your Campers
Midah L'edah: Bringing Midot (Jewish Values) to Life at Camp
Back-Pocket Mental Health Strategies
Navigating Mental Health Through Camp and Pandemic
Ramah Behind The Scenes: The Business of Camp
Weinstein 2022 Program Booklet
In classic Ramah fashion, we ended each day of Weinstein with a peulat erev. On Wednesday, directors and assistant directors from four Ramah camps (Rabbi Ethan Linden – Berkshires, Anna Serviansky – Darom, Michelle Sugarman – New England, and Rabbi Ami Hersh – Nyack) competed head-to-head in a game of Family Feud Live: Directors Face Off. In each round of the game, Weinstein participants anonymously answered a camp-related question, and directors guessed the most popular responses. At the end of the peulah, everyone unmuted their microphone to sing Rad Hayom.
On Thursday evening, we closed out the conference with a mishmar to prepare for Shabbat with music and words of Torah. Gedalia Penner-Robinson, a cantorial student and Rosh Shira at Ramah Berkshires from this past summer, welcomed participants with a quote from Parshat Bo about togetherness during unconventional times. In addition to Gedalia, Aaron Bruce, a madrich from Ramah New England, Steph Sussman, a madricha from Ramah California, and Rabbi Joel Seltzer, the Executive Director of Ramah Poconos, sang and played some of their favorite shirah tunes from camp. Ramahniks' faces lit up across the Zoom screen as they sang along to familiar melodies like Hame'ira, Acheinu, and Oseh Shalom. With participants calling in from across the globe and representing over ten Ramah camps, it was the perfect way to gather virtually with our Ramah kehillah in preparation for Shabbat.
Weinstein Winter Leadership 2022 Highlight Video
Year-Round Weinstein Opportunities
This year, in addition to our virtual Weinstein Institute, we added new opportunities for our Ramah tzevet to connect and develop their professional skills through National Ramah staff training. Leading up to the conference, 30 Ramahniks participated in our Weinstein Vaadot, an opportunity to do a deep dive into a specialized area of growth over the course of several collaborative sessions. Our fall 2021 Vaadot offerings included:
Camper Inclusion & Differentiation, led by Howard Blas (Director of the National Ramah Tikvah Network)
Peulah Planning Incubator, led by Daniella Elyashar (Assistant Director, Ramah Wisconsin) and Michelle Sugarman (Assistant Director, Ramah New England)
Yoetz/et-in-Training: Supporting Camper Mental Health, led by Rachael Abrams (Director of Camper Care and Staff Development, Ramah Poconos) and Dr. Aviva Levine Jacobs (Director of Camper Care and Staff Wellness, Ramah California)
Interactive & Out-of-the-Box Torah, led by Dr. Daniel Olson (Director of Strategic Initiatives and Research, National Ramah)
We also had the privilege of including the Nativ College Leadership Program in our Weinstein programming. Based in Jerusalem, six Nativ participants participated in our Weinstein Israel Fellowship, meeting weekly with Ramah senior educators to focus on topics of Israel education, Jewish leadership, and being a dugma. Our Nativ educators included Amy Skopp Cooper (Director, National Ramah), Jared Skoff (Program Director, National Ramah), Ilana Sandberg (Ramah Galim leadership), and Vanessa Better (coordinator of the Weinstein Israel Fellowship).
We are excited to offer additional opportunities for Ramah tzevet members to connect and expand their skills in Spring 2022.
Reflections from Our Participants
In addition to our inspiring sessions and presenters, we are so grateful to our Weinstein participants for showing up with their positive energy, creativity, wisdom, and camp ruach, which was ultimately the secret to making these couple of days feel like Ramah. We cannot wait to continue to learn from our Ramah tzevet as we plan our spring hadracha offerings, and as we move towards the kayitz, we know that Ramah continues to be in great hands.
It is only fitting that we close with a few uplifting reflections that our Weinstein participants shared about their experience:
“Weinstein was a wonderful educational experience, but even more so, a bonding experience between all the Ramah camps. We learned new skills from one another and each gained new perspectives and points of view.”
- Shelby Blatteis, Berkshires
“Meeting other people from all over the country who are as equally committed to the vision of Ramah as I am reminds me that the work I do is not just for my campers and their families, but for the entire Conservative Jewish community.” - Devasha Solomon, New England
“Weinstein gave me the opportunity to learn from my peers at other Ramah camps and think together about how to give my campers the best possible Ramah experience.” - Lena Bromberg, Wisconsin
“Participating in Weinstein gave me the tools to be a better madricha. It gave me a glimpse into how many people have been positively impacted by Machane Ramah. Even though it was over Zoom, Weinstein still managed to strengthen my connection to the Ramah kehillah.” - Roni Jablon, California