Ramah Reopens, Stronger than Ever!

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June 15, 2021 / 5 Tammuz 5781

Dear Friends of Ramah:

We are thrilled to announce that the 2021 Ramah camping season has officially begun. Children are returning to our camps and the singing, dancing, playing, praying, and learning have all begun. Yesterday, the Chicagoland Ramah Day Camp opened. Today is opening day for campers at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, tomorrow is opening day for campers at Camp Ramah Darom in Georgia, and Thursday is opening day for Ramah in the Rockies. In the coming weeks, all of our ten overnight camps, five day camps, and our Israel Seminar will begin.

Overall, more than 10,000 campers and staff will participate in a Ramah program this summer.

There are three phrases from Jeremiah 31 that are particularly appropriate to recall at this incredible moment in history (read more):

  • קול ברמה נשמע (Kol b’Ramah nishma) – Voices are once again heard at Ramah;

  • יש תקוה לאחריתך (Yesh tikvah l’acharitech) – There is great hope for the future; and

  • ושבו בנים לגבולם (V’shavu vanim ligvulam) – The children have returned to their borders.

Never has summer camp been as important as this year. While it hasn’t been easy, our leaders at every one of our camps have worked incredibly hard to be able to open safely, with the blessings of our medical committees and local departments of health.

We look forward to all of our American camps opening by July 1, Camp Ramah in Canada opening on July 7, and our Ramah Israel Seminar, with record enrollment of 345 participants, arriving in Israel for their six-week adventure on June 30. (We are even starting a new Ramah project this summer – Ramah Great Lakes – with a Taste of Ramah program in Chardon, Ohio, from August 8-11.)

With the help of many Federations, foundations, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (JCamp180) and the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the support of many of our partner synagogues, and the extraordinary efforts of our camps' professional leadership, boards of directors, and individual donors, Ramah has been able to meet the financial needs of the overwhelming majority of families seeking a Ramah experience for their children, providing over $5 million in financial assistance.

As we begin our 74th summer of intensive Jewish identity-building within the fun, informal atmosphere of excellent summer camping, all of us at Ramah feel privileged to have the opportunity to contribute to the powerful experiences that influence the lives of more than 10,000 participants in our camps and programs.

Wishing everyone a safe, enjoyable and meaningful summer,

Jay Reisbaum, President

Arnie Harris, Senior Vice President

Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, Director

Amy Skopp Cooper, Associate Director

National Ramah Commission, Inc. of The Jewish Theological Seminary

Becca Stern-Shock