Dor Shlishi: A 3rd Generation at a 4th Ramah Camp
Amy Skopp Cooper, National Ramah Director
Reflections on Kayitz 2023 - as of Thursday, June 29, 2023
It’s Thursday, June 29, and as of yesterday, all of our North American camps and Ramah Israel Seminar have welcomed campers for summer 2023!
Morning gathering at Ramah Day Camp Greater DC
Today I had the opportunity to visit Ramah Day Camp Greater DC, a program of Ramah New England. Now in its ninth year, our Greater DC day camp is a joyful hub of activity for campers ages 5 to 10. Following a beautiful welcoming ceremony where every camper was greeted individually, activities began. Day camps are busy places and campers and counselors skip around camp as they navigate a packed schedule. Today, due to air-quality issues, the schedule, which typically includes morning rikud (dance) swim, sports, omanut (arts and crafts), mada (science), climbing, chetz v’keshet (archery), Yahadut (age-appropriate Jewish learning) and a host of electives, was modified and most activities were held indoors. By 4:00 pm, campers had boarded their buses and, despite the schedule modifications, departed camp happy, confident, and tired!
I’ll write more about the importance of day camps next week, but wanted to share what was incredibly special about today’s visit. My oldest grandson, now attends the DC camp and has joined the growing ranks of third-generation Ramahniks. My husband and I met at Ramah New England and our children were raised at Nyack and Berkshires; two of them attended the Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY) high school semester program and Ramah Israel Seminar.
As the years go on, the number of families with three or four generations of Ramahniks is swelling, and grandparents are kvelling! I know I speak for many of us when I say that Ramah was the most important choice we made for our children. Seeing our adult children now make the same choice for their children reaffirms what we all know: For 76 years, Ramah has created vibrant and meaningful Jewish communities sustained by literate and engaged Jews. It continues to be a formative Jewish experience shaping adolescent and young adult lives, and has produced thousands of enduring friendships spanning decades.
If you are a member of one of the hundreds of three- or four-generation Ramah families, we would love to hear from you! Please send your family photos to photos@campramah.org with the names of your family members and the names of the camps that they have attended. Or post them on social media with the hashtag #manygenerationsramah.
(We know of just a few four-generation Ramah families, including the family of JTS Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz. Please enjoy reading Camp Ramah and the Rubin Family – Four Generations and Counting.)
Thousands of campers and staff members are now looking forward to spending a joyous and meaningful Shabbat together. Wishing all of you, too, a Shabbat Shalom.