Jewish Camp in Portuguese? In the Winter?
by Dr. Daniel Olson, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Research, National Ramah Commission
This summer, at Ramah camps in all corners of North America, I’ve seen the best of our movement—dynamic programming, lively singing and dancing, caring support of campers, cooperation on the sports courts, and so many other examples of Ramah magic.
Daniel Olson with Sean Rozebaum, Mazkir HaMachané
What I didn’t fully appreciate about this magical work until recently is that we do it in a global context. Ramah is not the only camping arm of international Conservative Judaism. Thanks to new and newly strengthened partnerships with NOAM (Noar Masorti), the youth movement of Masorti Olami, and the Pincus Center for Innovation and Development in Jewish Education of the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano, I now see how much we have to learn from and share with a wider set of partners.
These partnerships go in both directions. Thanks to the generous support from a foundation, we have brought dozens of NOAM campers from Israel to six North American Ramah camps this summer. Our camp communities are enriched by their presence, and we hope they will return to Israel at the end of the summer with new friendships and new inspiration.
And, on top of traveling to Ramah camps this summer, I have spent a week in São Paulo, Brazil, at the invitation of Rabbi Leandro Tomchinsky Galanternik, Director of the Pincus Center, seeing firsthand the machané choref (winter camp) of the fantastic NOAM chapter here.
Group aliyah for Kochavim (youngest chanichim and chanichot)
Their work is remarkable. A dedicated group of volunteer madrichot and madrichim, the same age as most Ramah summer staff (18-20), spend months prior to camp planning a week’s worth of nearly non-stop experiential and educational pe’ulot (activities) for the chanichim and chanichot (ranging in age from 6-16). These included a moving exploration of Jewish immigration stories to Brazil, a discussion confronting racism in contemporary Brazilian society, and a debate about how Brazilian Jews can maintain a commitment to Zionism and Israel from Brazil.
Chanichim and chanichot
These pe’ulot, in addition to offering high-level content, are creative, engaging, and fun. Though I barely speak Portuguese, I was able to follow along thanks to the enthusiasm of the participants. Experiential education at camp is truly a universal language.
While the weeklong camp is almost entirely led by these young madrichim and madrichot, it would not be possible without the visionary leadership of Rabbi Fernanda Tomchinsky Galanternik, one of the original founders of NOAM São Paulo. Her work over the years developing a rich Jewish life for this movement shines through each morning at camp as campers and staff members sing through Tefillah with spirited kavanah.
Rabbi Fê, as she is known here, has built a Jewish community committed to egalitarianism and inclusion. People of all genders participate equally in Jewish life and the camp creates space for people of diverse backgrounds to be comfortable as themselves.
I feel fortunate that beyond having the opportunity to observe and participate in camp, I was also asked to contribute some of what I’ve learned at Ramah over the years with the campers and counselors here. I’ve taught Ramah music, including the beloved “Mah Rabu,” which I heard constantly around camp. It’s an earworm no matter where you are in the world!
Panel on LGBTQ+ Inclusion (Ministry of Tourism / São Paulo Hebrew Congregation)
In the days leading up to machané choref, I presented an overview of the Ramah camping movement and led an interactive workshop about Ramah’s approaches to disability inclusion. I was heartened by the commitment from madrichim and madrichot here to move that work forward in Brazil. I participated in a public panel in São Paulo on LGBTQ+ inclusion in Jewish education. I shared some of my own story, as well as Ramah’s, and the larger Conservative Movement’s, commitment to making our camps and communities safe and welcoming places for all.
Madrichim and madrichot (wearing Ramah t-shirts)
This work with our partners at the Pincus Center, at NOAM, and Masorti Olami does not end with our summer (and Brazil’s winter). We have exciting further collaboration in the works. We plan to send a delegation of returning Ramah madrichim and madrichot to Argentina in December to visit one of the NOAM summer camps there and volunteer in the local community. We are hoping to welcome a delegation of NOAM and other Tnuot (Zionist youth movements) counselors from South America to our Weinstein training conference in January. And, I’ve invited NOAM São Paulo madrichim and madrichot to consider working at a North American Ramah camp for a summer.
At the end of each day here, as I heard the familiar tune of “Rad HaYom” sung in Hebrew and Portuguese, I knew that these camp people, thousands of miles south from Ramah, were part of the same global community, advancing a shared vision for Jewish life and youth flourishing.