Jewish outreach on college campuses and through synagogues has, over the past two decades, become the norm. We are no longer surprised to hear that freshmen who never self-identified as Jews were invited to a Shabbat dinner on campus, or that synagogues are revamping their schools to accommodate competition from soccer practice and the plethora of activities many families choose over their children’s Jewish education.
Read MoreThe first-ever partnership between JDate and a Jewish camping movement has launched. A project of the Reshet Ramah alumni and community engagement initiative, RamahDate will offer former Ramah campers and staff members the opportunity to connect online with other Ramah alumni 18 years of age and older who share the passion for vibrant Jewish life that characterizes the Camp Ramah experience.
Read MoreFor as long as I can remember, Camp Ramah has been a central part of my life. In fact, I vividly remember standing in the kitchen with my mom when I was eight years old trying to figure out my plans for the upcoming summer. My mom told me it would be wonderful if I chose a Jewish camp. With friends at Tamarack and my older siblings at Ramah, the decision seemed almost impossible to make. But I did ultimately decide to go to Camp Ramah in Canada.
Read MoreFor those who went to sleepaway camp, there is a special nostalgia for that summer experience. Even romance. The company JDate will soon tap into that feeling in what will be the first Jewish camp-specific dating service. It’s called Ramah Date and will cater to alumni of Camp Ramah.
Read MoreBeth and Jeff Kopin are one of an estimated 700 married couples to have met at one of the Conservative movement’s Ramah camps. The Kopins, who fell in love at Ramah Wisconsin in the 1970s, went on to raise a flock of “Ramahniks.”
“There’s this family feeling if you meet another Ramahnik,” says Beth Kopin, who calls herself a “Ramah lifer” and splits her time between Chicago and Jerusalem. “There’s the communal experience of Shabbat singing, of keeping kosher, of being in a Hebrew musical, of exploring Israel together. It’s being part of a smaller tribe within a larger tribe.”
Read MoreThis past weekend, I was reminded about the true meaning of Judaism.
But not from reading the Torah or the Talmud or from talking to a rabbi.
Last weekend, 15 rowdy teenagers from across North America taught me everything I need to know about what it really means to be a Jew.
It’s not like this was my first opportunity to connect with my heritage. Growing up in Montreal, we were members of the still-in-its-infancy Reconstructionist synagogue. My parents chose to send their five kids to Jewish day school, and I even opted to continue on to a Jewish high school. I was active in BBYO, serving as chapter and regional president.
Read MoreThe top ten Ramah colleges for this year are (in descending order): Michigan, Binghamton, Brandeis, Indiana, Maryland, Washington University in St. Louis, Western University, Queen's University, JTS: List College, and University of Florida.
In a first-ever program partnership, the Ramah Camping Movement and Young Judaea have announced the Learning Hub project. This new initiative will actively engage young professionals in ongoing Jewish learning organized by camp alumni peers in four cities - Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. The initiative, which will be funded largely by the Jim Joseph Foundation with an investment of $250,000 over two years, will aim to connect camp alumni to serious Jewish learning and to greater engagement within their Jewish communities.
Read MoreAdina Allen is a Camp Ramah poster child. She spent six summers at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin as a camper and as many summers since on staff.
This was her second summer as a rosh edah (division head). In her “off season,” Allen tries to connect with those counselors who, like she, attend Washington University in St. Louis.
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