Ramah Begins Its 76th Summer of Excellence
Dear Friends of Ramah:
We are thrilled to announce that the 2023 Ramah camping season officially opened for campers last week! The singing, dancing, playing, praying, and learning have all begun for more than 11,000 campers and staff who will participate in a Ramah program this summer.
Last Wednesday was opening day for campers at Camp Ramah Darom in Georgia. This week, Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, Ramah in the Rockies, and Camp Ramah in California all welcomed campers.
This Sunday, June 18, 122 teens will set off for the Ramah Poland Journey, their one-week pre-Israel Seminar trip. By the end of June, all of our North American overnight and day camps and Seminar (with 280 total teen participants) will have begun. And our Ramah Jerusalem Day Camp opens in mid-July.
This summer, we also celebrate:
the opening of Ramah’s first overnight camp in Israel;
the expansion of Ramah Day Camp Greater Boston, a program of Ramah New England, from a one-week pilot program in 2022 to a full-season program with more than 150 campers; and
the second season of REGL (Ramah Eastern Great Lakes), Camp Ramah in Canada's one-week junior overnight camp program in the Cleveland area.
With the help of many Federations, foundations, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (JCamp180) and Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC), 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 76th 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 11,000 participants in our camps and programs.
Wishing everyone a safe, enjoyable and meaningful summer,
Arnie Harris, President
Amy Skopp Cooper, Director
Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, Senior Advisor