Ramah Vision and Aspirations
We inspire lifelong commitment to Judaism by joyfully observing mitzvot.
We live according to Jewish time—we celebrate Shabbat, engage in daily tefillah, frame our meals with brachot, and guide our actions with Jewish values. We feel awe and wonder in our encounters with Divinity at camp. Such joyful observance brings our kehillot together and generates a longing to experience the vibrancy of camp-style Jewish living year-round, and for a lifetime. Ramah camps are living laboratories for adapting Conservative Judaism to the present and future, while still holding on to our most treasured traditions.
עבדו את ה׳ בשמחה
We consciously make education the centerpiece of our work. Everyone sees themselves as both learners and teachers.
Camp Ramah is a comprehensive Jewish educational experience, from formal study sessions to bunk activities to playing sports and more. Our educational philosophy emphasizes active listening, engaging with diverse perspectives, and seeking to understand the human being behind each idea we encounter. We prioritize process over product, and participation over achievement.
תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם
We foster a love and sense of responsibility to the land and people of Israel, the Hebrew language, and World Jewry.
We see serious engagement with Israel as a critical expression of contemporary Jewish life. We welcome large mishlachot of Israeli staff members to facilitate cultural and educational exchange, and friendship. We infuse Hebrew into everyday life at camp, including through full immersion programs at our day camps. We promote solidarity with Jews all over the world, helping our campers and alumni appreciate our global diversity. We appreciate the vast cultural production of our People, and we make our own contributions to Jewish culture in such areas of music, dance, food, and visual art.
כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה
We are the curators of big ideas and are committed to harnessing the talents and innovation of our future leaders.
Our camps are incubators of innovation in Jewish life and leadership, and they inspire attitudes of openness and curiosity. We challenge and educate Ramahniks to become lay and professional leaders, in the Conservative Movement and beyond, prepared to approach 21st century challenges rooted in Jewish perspectives, especially justice and responsibility. The word “Ramah” means “high level.” We have ambitious goals for our young people. We see our informal setting and the young age of our campers and staff as assets, and believe that they are capable of exercising such leadership now and in the future.
ולא אתה בן חורין להיבטל ממנה
We foster Jewish friendships across lines of difference and support Ramah communities that thrive well beyond the camp years.
At Camp Ramah there is no “other,” only “each other.” Every member of our community is of equal and supreme worth. Therefore, we strive to create accepting environments that celebrate people of all Jewish backgrounds. We are particularly proud that our Tikvah programs have opened the Ramah experience to children, teens, and young adults with disabilities. The friends made in our diverse communities are friends for life, through joys and sorrows. They’ll be at each other’s b’nai mitzvah celebrations, at college, as they enter the job market, at weddings, and beyond. As they grow up, Ramah campers will discover a vast network of Ramahniks to help and support them throughout their lives.
ואהבת לרעך כמוך
We recognize that Jewish values and gemilut hasadim are essential bedrocks of moral leadership, and frame everything we do with kindness, respect, empathy, gratitude, and compassion.
The foundation of all morality is the question: “How shall we live together?” At camp, this question could not be more literal. Campers and staff members spend their entire days together in close community, resolving the constant moral questions that emerge. Children who learn how to share space in their bunks become adults who think critically and compassionately about how resources should be allocated in their communities. At Ramah, we take seriously the responsibility of training the next generation of Jewish leaders to act with kindness in the world.
עולם חסד יבנה
We are guardians of our land.
Ramah camps are located in some of the most breathtaking landscapes of the North American continent. Our lakes, mountains, forests, farms, and rainbows inspire radical amazement. Vitality courses through Ramahniks as they play and learn in these great outdoors. Surrounded by such beauty, Jewishness and daily living merge in a very natural way. We preserve these magnificent places for future generations and build an ethic of conservation among our young people.