National Ramah - Virtual Jewish Learning

These Tzevet Limmud offerings are virtual learning opportunities designed for our committed summer tzevet and young alumni. Through these sessions, Ramah hopes to continue nurturing the professional development of our madrichim, bridging our Jewish experiences with our pressing challenges in the modern day, and providing intimate spaces for Torah Lishma, the study of Torah just for the sake of learning.

Questions or ideas? Please contact Jared Skoff, National Ramah Program Director, at jared@campramah.org.

Upcoming Sessions

Check back soon for updates.

Previous Sessions

Daf Yomi Shiur

Facilitator: Rabbi Dr. Gail Labovitz, Professor of Rabbinic Literature, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
Date: Tuesday, June 30
Time: 12:30 - 1:30 PM ET
Description: Rabbi Labovitz will teach a lesson on the daily daf (page) of Talmud, as part of the Daf Yomi (one page a day) Talmud study cycle. (No registration needed.)

Let Justice Roll Down Like Water: A Prophet for Today

Facilitator: Rabbi Dr. Amy Kalmanofsky, Dean, Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies and Associate Professor of Bible, The Jewish Theological Seminary
Date: Monday, July 6
Time: 8-9 PM ET
Description: The prophet Amos lived during a period of tremendous wealth and social division in ancient Israel and became the social justice prophet. We will examine his message and consider its relevance for today.

Shulchan Ivrit

Facilitators: Ramah Mishlachat
Date: Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning July 7
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 PM ET
Description: An hour of Hebrew conversation twice a week for tzevet and alumni, led by several of our experienced and talented Ramah mishlachat educators. Shulchan Ivrit will include multiple levels, suitable for beginners as well as experienced Hebrew speakers.

Antiracism Book Club

Facilitator: Ariel Goodman, National Ramah
First discussion date: Tuesday, July 7 
Time: 8-9 PM ET
Description: Join us as we engage with prominent and crucial texts on racism in the US, as well as the intersection of Judaism and racial justice, through a monthly book club. As many of these important books are currently backordered, we will begin with Ta-Nehisi Coates’s 2014 long-form article, “The Case for Reparations.”

Powerful Educator, Quiet(er) Educator - Introverts, Extroverts, and Impactful Teaching

Facilitator: Dr. Shira Epstein, Dean, William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education and Assistant Professor of Jewish Education, The Jewish Theological Seminary
Date: Thursday, July 9
Time: 8-9 PM ET
Description: In popular culture, educators and leaders reflect the ideal of "effective=extrovert." How might we embrace a more expansive view of impactful experiential education? In this session, we will explore a model of "staff voice" that is inclusive of introverts and extroverts, and supports us in authentic leading.

The Promise of an Afterlife: A Comfort or a Terror?

Facilitator: Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson, Dean, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and Vice President of American Jewish University (Los Angeles)
Date: Tuesday, July 14
Time: 8:00 - 9:00 PM ET
Description: A conversation and text study on the Jewish philosophy of the afterlife. We will explore the imagery and ideology of the afterlife in chapter 25 of the rabbinic text, Avot De-Rebbe Natan.

An Evening with Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz: The Changing Landscape of American Judaism

Facilitator: Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary
Date: Thursday, July 16
Time: 8:00 - 9:00 PM ET
Description: A conversation about the changing landscape of American Judaism and her vision for the future of our Jewish communal institutions. Chancellor Schwartz most recently served as JTS Provost and Dean of the Gershon Kekst Graduate School at JTS. (Read more)

Racial Unity, Community, and Music: A Conversation with PLVNK and Ramah

Facilitator: Rabbi Mitch Cohen, National Ramah Commission
Date: Thursday, July 16
Time: 9:00 - 10:00 PM ET
Description: Join Ramah California Executive Director Rabbi Joe Menashe in conversation with PLVNK about racial unity, community and music. PLVNK (pronounced "plank") is an LA-based band. Rapper JohnBoyCool represents the new wave of the Compton music scene that brought both Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar to prominence. Singer Nachum Peterseil from Israel (and Ramah California) and UK drummer Mal result in an eclectic texture of music. PLVNK'S members bring the flavors of the cities they grew up in: Compton, Jerusalem, and London.

There's a Fire in the Bet Midrash: The Sages and their Temptations

Facilitator: Dr. Joshua Kulp, Co-Founder and Rosh Yeshiva of the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem
Date: Sunday, July 19
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET
A study of Talmudic texts detailing our rabbinic sages, their personalities, and their risqué temptations.

Jews and the Origins of Race in the Middle Ages

Facilitator: Dr. Hartley Lachter, Director, Berman Center for Jewish Studies and Associate Professor of Religion Studies at Lehigh University
Date: Tuesday, July 21
Time: 8:00 - 9:00 PM ET
Description: A discussion on the development of the idea of race and the subjugation of people along racial lines in the Middle Ages, and how these racialized ideas played a role in Christian and Jewish discourse.

Facilitators: Howard Blas, Director, National Ramah Tikvah Network; Dr. Audra Kaplan, Director of Camper Care and Tikvah Support Program at Ramah Darom
Date: Wednesday, July 22
Time: 8:00 - 9:00 PM ET
Description: A discussion about the growth and impact of Ramah’s Tikvah programs over the past fifty years, through the lens of Tikvah alumni, participants, and staff

• Alumni: Sam Busis (New England); Austin Reynolds (Wisconsin)

• Parents: Claude and Daniel Winn (NE and Darom); Sheri and Karl Zeff (NorCal)

• Staff: Ralph Schwartz (Director of Special Needs Programs, Wisconsin; Maya Albin (Vocational Program Coordinator, Darom)

• Community Member: Adina Beiner (Rosh Edah, Darom)

ASL interpretation will be provided.​

The Conflict, Annexation & Me

Facilitator: Benji Davis, Founder and Director of IMPACT Seminars, an educational organization specializing in the geopolitics of Israel and the Middle East

Sunday, July 12, 2-3 PM ET
Nakba or Atzmaut – Framing Israeli and Palestinian Narratives on the Conflict

Sunday, July 19, 2-3 PM ET
Conceptualizing Annexation Through Social Justice, Geopolitical & Fundamentalist Lenses

Sunday, July 26, 2-3:30 PM ET
Panel: Israeli and Palestinian Voices on the Issue of Annexation

Kolot Ramah: A Virtual Rally Of Song, Spirit, & Celebration!
Date: Sundays, July 12, July 17, August 2, August 9
Time: 8:00 - 8:30 PM ET
Description: Join Rick Recht and Rabbi Josh Warshawsky for this virtual rally of song, spirit, and celebration featuring Ramah leaders, tzevet, chanichim, alumni, and shira leaders. (No registration necessary).

Kolot Ramah Season 2 is made possible through the generosity of the Marc and Susan Sacks Family, Deerfield, IL.