Amy Skopp Cooper, CEO, National Ramah Commission, Inc.

Reflections on Kayitz 2024 (as of July 15)

During the past week, I visited three of our day camps—Chicagoland, Boston, and Nyack—as well as Ramah New England, Poconos, and Rockies. Although I wish I could spend more time at each camp, I am grateful that each stop affords me the opportunity to talk with campers and staff, express gratitude to my colleagues, and get a glimpse of the Jewish joyfulness that makes Ramah….Ramah.

At both Ramah Day Camp in Chicagoland and Ramah Day Camp Greater Boston, I was at camp in time to wish a hearty boker tov to campers getting off of their buses. The exuberance of young children arriving at camp is always thrilling, and in both camps, the day began with spirited Israeli dancing. Dancing culture continues to grow in all of our camps. (see, for example, this video of older campers teaching rikud to younger campers at Camp Ramah New England.) I joined campers in Chicago for their weekly Monday morning havdalah and Boston campers for heartfelt tefillot. In both cases, it was wonderful to see rashei edot whom I had met at Winer 2024 rosh edah training and on our Ramah Birthright Israel Onward missions now putting theory into practice. Day camps continue to be strong pipelines to our overnight camps, and we are so proud of our growing number of day camps.

Camp Ramah New England (“Palmer”) is where I began my Ramah journey as a young adult. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with the oldest two edot and share my camp stories from the 1980s (the “train” and “brownies” stories are my favorites, as you can hear on this episode of the camp’s Ten for ROO podcast). I also shared that it was while I was a teenager working at Palmer that I realized that I wanted to become a Ramah director. “Most of you do not know what you would like to do professionally and will most likely zigzag through many experiences in the next decade,” I told the campers. “Ramah will be here to provide you with the meaningful and necessary support to become strong Jewish leaders—certainly, I hope that future Ramah directors are sitting here right now.”

The campers were balancing a busy day and dress rehearsals for their musical production of Grease (b’ivrit, of course!) that night. At a hanhallah meeting, we discussed the end-of-summer challenges for tzevet who will be leaving their camp communities and transitioning back to college. We have created such a safe space for our young adults at camp, and there is understandable anxiety about what to expect when they return to campuses. Ramah will continue to expand its programmatic offerings on many North American campuses this year.

I returned to my home at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack for Zimriyah, which always feels like a huge family reunion. Close to 2,000 people attend this event, which is an annual summer highlight for campers and their family members. Listening to the voices of our children singing is always moving and inspiring, but the songs this year had the power of tefillah, and as the evening culminated with Hatikvah, the feeling of Jewish pride and determination was palpable.

This year, minutes before the Zimriyah opened, Orna and Ronen Neutra, the parents of Omer Neutra, a Ramah Nyack staff alumnus who is one of the hostages still being held in captivity, addressed the audience. (You can view the recording of the Neutras’ speech here, and read “How to Help Bring Omer Home.”) Two of our current Nyack shlichim are close friends with Omer, and they had the opportunity to meet with Orna and Ronen earlier in the evening.

At Camp Ramah in the Poconos, I toured the brand new Mercaz, which houses programmatic space, including the incredible new Yedibake bakery where Tochnit Avodah (vocational training) participants are baking up a storm and learning valuable job skills. Magnificent staff space—including a moadon (lounge) and gym—is a testament to the investment Poconos is making in their staff.

It was wonderful speaking with the oldest edah at Poconos about spending their next summer on Ramah Israel Seminar and with counselors about our leadership programs, Ramah College Network, and academic opportunities at JTS and The Nachshon Project. Israeli campers from the NOAM teen youth movement have already arrived, and are forming deep connections with their North American peers.

I spent Shabbat at Ramah in the Rockies with Arnie Harris, NRC president. In fact, Arnie and I have spent the past three Shabbatot together visiting camps (Ojai, Wisconsin, Rockies)—such a privilege for me and for camp leadership. Everyone had returned from a masa (excursion) earlier that day, and were excited to share their experiences and the challenges they overcame. Rockies campers and staff (all covered in a dust that I imagine takes several deep cleanings to remove) are blissfully happy and extraordinarily proud of the community they have built.

Shabbat davening was extraordinary, filled with precious music and rich kavanah. Before reciting Mourner’s Kaddish, one of the shlichim spoke through her tears with great emotion about her friend who was killed in Gaza this week: “He was a beautiful and giving soul.”

During a limmud session, I asked campers and staff what they would name their camp if choosing a name today: Kesher (connection), Simcha (joy), Kavanah (intentionality), Shlemut (wholeness), and Shomrei Adama (guardians of the earth) were all contenders, and reflect the values that one sees in action. Rockies campers end their first session today, and we could already feel their longing as they held onto one another during a beautiful havdalah at the conclusion of Shabbat.

I am proud of our movement, where campers and staff continue to create joyful Jewish homes and havens, support shlichim, welcome Israeli campers, and talk about the Jewish values that permeate our communities. I projected earlier in the summer that this might be Ramah’s most important summer in our history. Having now visited most of our camps, I am confident that this is the case.

What Makes Ramah....Ramah