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

Reflections on Kayitz 2024 (as of July 29)

During the past six weeks, I have zigzagged across North America visiting the 15 Ramah overnight and day camps on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. It has been an extraordinary adventure and I am in awe of the work my colleagues and their staff are doing.

This past week, I arrived at Ramah Day Camp in Philadelphia in time for Zman Yisraeli (“Israel Time”). Each week, shlichim orchestrate a variety of wonderful Israel programs, which during my visit included Israel-themed games, rikud (dancing), bishul (cooking), and some awesome rapping. Shlichim play a prominent role in the camp, serving as both Sha’ar Hebrew immersion counselors and specialists, and you can feel their energy everywhere!

I made my annual trip to their lush ginah (garden)—truly a Gan Eden—where campers are always tilling the land. With this summer's hot weather, it's been a treat for campers and staff to have slushie drinks using simple syrup flavored with herbs from the Ginah: fennel, mint, lemon balm, and lavender. I also had a chance to say a quick hello to the oldest edah as they headed out for a day of volunteering in the local community.

During a return trip to Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, I had the opportunity to visit campers in the Tikvah program. The program, launched last year (view video), is lovingly introducing campers to the magic of Ramah. It is amazing to see how the campers are naturally acclimating and integrating into camp life. On their second day of camp, campers in the Tikvah program had the opportunity to work with the "David Cards" used in our new National Ramah Israel Curriculum. David Cards depict a variety of illustrations of the star of David and are used to inspire meaningful conversations about Jewish identity, Israel, and Jewish Peoplehood. A camper in the Berkshires Tikvah program created his own David Card, shown here.

Campers in the Tikvah program "treetop trekking" at Ramah Canada

Visits to our Tikvah programs for children, teens, and young adults with disabilities have in fact been a highlight of every camp visit. This past Shabbat at Camp Ramah in Canada, I had the opportunity to catch up with several Tikvah campers whom I have gotten to know over many years. They personally invited me to their Shabbat shira, where we sang (and laughed) for close to an hour. Many campers join this Tikvah gathering each week and it is truly joyful.

In recent years, Ramah Canada has built several new facilities that are having a profound impact on camp life. An adventure course and a gorgeous kitchen for outdoor bishul are enhancing the camp program, and a new staff dormitory is enabling the camp to hire additional senior-level professionals to join the summer team.

Gesher, the oldest edah at Ramah Berkshires, was visiting for Shabbat, so it was a perfect opportunity to speak with them and Alonim (Canada’s oldest edah) about Ramah Israel Seminar and the next steps in their Ramah trajectory. By the end of Shabbat, both edot were asking if they could be together next year on Seminar!

It was wonderful greeting our Israeli teen campers from NOAM, the Masorti youth movement in Israel and Campers2Gether over Shabbat. Both groups are acclimating to camp life and were arm-in-arm in havdalah circles with their new North American friends as Shabbat drew to a close.

This week, I will head to Israel to visit our Ramah Jerusalem Day Camp and spend the final Shabbat with our 180 Ramah Israel Seminar participants. I’ll have a lot more to write after meeting with these young adults who have joined Am Yisrael in carrying Jewish memory, Jewish joy, and Jewish destiny on their shoulders. They will never forget this summer—neither will we.

Zigzagging Across North America