Jewish Innovation in Los Angeles - and at Disneyland
Ramah’s Vatikim Leadership Institute, January 2020
At the conclusion of this year’s National Ramah Weinstein Winter Leadership Training Conference at Camp Ramah in Ojai, California, over 40 participants joined an extended Ramah leadership institute. Our cohort of Vatikim (veteran counselors), along with rashei edah (division heads) and year-round Amitei Ramah Fellows, spent Sunday exploring innovative Jewish institutional models in Los Angeles - Beit T’Shuvah, an addiction recovery center and congregation, and IKAR, a modern vision of an inclusive congregational community. Participants learned with Rabbi Mark Borovitz, founding rabbi of Beit T’Shuvah, and Rabbi David Kasher of IKAR.
On Monday, this group spent the day at a Disneyland Leadership Institute, drawing connections between Disney and Ramah’s shared principles, and discussing methodologies of leadership and teamwork. During our three-hour Disneyland Leadership Institute designed for Ramah’s college and post-college participants, Disney educators taught Walt Disney’s approach to leadership and teamwork through a variety of experiential methods. Through different exercises, participants applied these leadership concepts to their practical roles as madrichim (counselors), brainstorming effective ways to reinvigorate programming and tefillot. It was inspiring to watch our Ramah madrichim and rashei edah connect the dots, integrating Disney’s wisdom into their vision for the coming summer at Ramah.
The following are excerpts of participant reflections from their experiences during the Vatikim Leadership Institute:
“As a camper, both Disney and Ramah in the Poconos felt like the safest, most magical places in the world. As I got older and became a staff member, this magic changed. My “matured” imagination kept me from believing in the magic of fairy dust and princesses. I similarly learned that camp doesn’t run with a flick of the wand. While this was initially heartbreaking, I soon found a new kind of magic: the magic of creating magic. On one of our many Disneyland adventures, we had to navigate our way through a dark tunnel. Instead of quietly following the path, in typical Ramah fashion, we joined each other in song: “Kol ha’olam kulu, gesher tzar me’od…v’haikar lo lefached klal.” In this moment, I understood that the role of tzevet is to make magical places feel more magical. We brought the magic to Disney.”
“Our Disney educator, Raeleen, greeted us by saying how she had woken up late that morning and didn’t brush her hair. However, despite her constant apologies, and the fact that she has been working at Disneyland for around 30 years, she seemed as enthusiastic as though it was her first day on the job.
It is not up to the campers or visitors to create the magic of the place. Walt Disney’s vision of a theme park for people of all ages has stayed successful because people have bought into it and come to work each day with the enthusiasm of their first.
What Raeleen and I share is that we both think we have the best job in the world, getting to teach people about what we love in a place we love. If she can wake up late in her 31st year of a job and make me feel like my being there is the greatest thing to ever happen to her, there is no reason for any camper to get bored of camp or for me to ever give up on a difficult lesson plan or a frustrating situation. Disneyland runs not only on Raeleen’s constant exuberance, but also on the enthusiasm of the Mickey Mouse actors and trash collectors and all of the cast members; that is the magic which keeps the place running. And since my job actually is the best one in the world, I intend to bring some of that magic and passion with me this summer.”
“Our experience at Beit T’Shuvah taught me how to practice t’shuvah in my everyday life. To me, t’shuvah has always been about repenting for a year’s worth of sins on the High Holidays; however, the rabbi demonstrated that it can be applicable in our everyday lives. T’shuvah can be as small as “missing the mark,” but we must remember to think about the repercussions of our actions and the ways in which we can improve ourselves for the better. I am excited for this summer and to provide a better experience for my campers with my newly acquired knowledge. This summer I plan to mediate disputes between my campers by teaching them this method of doing t’shuvah, and allowing them time to themselves for reflection. Beit T’Shuvah taught me to examine situations through a wider lens which I will enthusiastically share with my campers.”
“The ability to slow down and reflect on our actions is not something that we often take the time to do at camp, due to the fast-paced nature of the daily schedule. We talk a lot at camp about treating friends the way we want to be treated, but how can we really enforce that lesson if we are not taking time to understand exactly how our actions affect others? As a counselor, having the ability to sit down with my campers and ask these important questions that we were guided to fill out at Beit T’Shuvah can open the opportunity and provide an environment for my camper’s growth and self-improvement.”
“As young adults, many of us attend universities across North America and are working to define ourselves as individuals and as Jews. As we do this, we are faced with the challenge of finding how our religion fits into our lives as we grow in the secular world. Our conversation at IKAR got me thinking about how I find this balance in my own life. We may all have different priorities and we may not agree on what the ultimate balance looks like, but this visit gave us the opportunity to sit together and have a respectful, thought-provoking conversation about it.
As tzevet at various Ramah camps, we are always thinking about how to make t’filah meaningful for ourselves and our campers. Our experience at IKAR was a start to thinking about how we can engage Torah with the various personal and societal values we hold as Jews in the twentieth century. Whether its alternative t’filot or facilitated discussion, we can encourage our fellow tzevet, as well as our campers, to think about what this balance means in their lives.”
“Through our experiences at Disneyland, Beit T‘Shuvah, and IKAR, we saw that when we are driven to execute a vision (despite its size and perceivable limits) it can be achieved with focus, dedication and passion. All of the people we met and communities we explored over the two day period, all shared the common feature of a love for their work, their goal, and most importantly, Judaism. This was an amazing note to end the conference on as future leaders as it showed that even if something doesn’t exist yet or is just an idea we have in the back of our minds; we have the capacity to execute it.”