National Ramah Highlights [August 2023]

Read More: www.bit.ly/kayitz-2023

Role of the National Ramah Commission Support, Represent, Nurture, Build

The National Ramah Commission (NRC) is the central convening, catalyzing, and coordinating body of the Ramah Camping Movement.

Support our camps and Israel programs

Developing educational resources

Providing religious and educational guidance under the supervision of the Jewish Theological Seminary

Convening and facilitating professional cohort meetings and networking

Collecting data and providing analysis to help guide local and national decision making

Providing significant funding through grants

Coordinating all aspects of the mishlachat hiring, visa and training process

Overseeing and administration of our joint insurance program

Supporting the growth of disability inclusion programs

Sharing and helping to implement best practices on mental and physical health

Distributing additional scholarship assistance to the most needy families and to US military families

Drafting and reviewing medical, safety, and abuse prevention protocols on a regular basis

Reviewing HR protocols

Providing crisis management support

Represent the Ramah brand on national and international levels

Developing relationships with key foundations and philanthropists to garner support for national and local initiatives

Representing Ramah with our Conservative Movement partners and the camping industry

Enhancing our marketing and branding by effectively and impactfully communicating our story

Speaking with the press

Serving as field leader in the world of camp and Jewish education, sharing our expertise with others

Articulating an educational vision that ties together the Ramah Movement

Role of the National Ramah Commission Support, Represent, Nurture, Build

Nurture the leadership pipeline

Developing and coordinating staff training and leadership engagement programs including Bert B. Weinstein counselor training, Winer Rosh Edah training, intensive Maslul travel and education programs, and more

Meeting with local camp boards and providing support to new presidents and camp lay leadership

Assisting camps with the hiring of senior professionals

Build and strategically extend our movement

Increasing our presence year-round through Reshet Ramah, Ramah College Network, TikvahNet, Ramah Service Corps and other Ramah fellowships

Incrementally and strategically working with our regions to develop new day camps and overnight programs in North America and Israel

National Ramah Commission Board

NRC Officers

Keath Blatt keblatt@jtsa.edu

Ellen Brown jemjeb3@gmail.com

Sheldon Disenhouse Sheldon.Disenhouse@dentons.com

Arnie Harris arnie@ramblinpartners.com

Rob Hirsch robhirsch@gmail.com

Jeffrey Kopin Jeffrey.Kopin@nm.org

Belinda Krifcher Lehman lehman.belinda@gmail.com

Cliff Nerwen cnerwen@gmail.com

Jay Reisbaum jayr@laemmle.com

Jonathan Sherman jsherman@muchlaw.com

Camp Presidents

Atara Jacobson ayj123@gmail.com

Lee Rosen lrosen216@gmail.com

Ari Levin ari.r.levin@gmail.com

Angela Cohen angelalgoldstein@gmail.com

Liz Waksman elizabeth.waksman@gmail.com

Deborah Hoffman Gonzalez gonzalez@surewest.net

Stephen Moff stephenmoff@yahoo.com

Matt Binstock mattb@argopartners.net

Debbie Albert debbiealbert221@gmail.com

Scott Michaud scottmichaud@gmail.com

David Kushnir davidkushnir@comcast.net

Representatives

Jeffrey Kress jekress@jtsa.edu

Shelley Maidman Menkowitz menks5@gmail.com

Gordon Tucker gotucker@jtsa.edu

Charles Mann ctmann47@gmail.com

Hugh Pollack DOCTZVI@aol.com

Alan Silberman alan.silberman@dentons.com

Morton Steinberg Morton.Steinberg@gmail.com

Susan Markowitz sarahbayleh1@gmail.com

Commitees (In Formation)

Mark Cohen markhscohen@gmail.com

Matt Levin matthewjordanlevin@gmail.com

Jacob Rabinowitz jlrabinowitz1@gmail.com

Steven Topal sltrtmk@gmail.com

Michael Small msmall@foleylaw.com

Secretary

VP, Development

VP, Governance and Bylaws

President

VP, Finance and Operations

VP, Israel Programs

VP, Camper Care

VP, Health and Safety

Immediate Past President and Chair, Presidents Council

VP, Legal Affairs

Berkshires

California

Canada

Darom

New England

NorCal

NorCal

Nyack

Poconos

Rockies

Wisconsin

JTS

JTS

JTS

Finance

Finance

Finance

Finance

Legal and Governance

National Ramah Resources

Shared Resources Drive

Board and Governance

Communications

Board and Governance Folder

Scan or visit: www.bit.ly/Board-Governance

Business Managers

Camper Care

Directors and Assistant Directors

Curricular Units

Development

Program Directors and Kerem

Hadracha

Rashei Edot

Tefillah, Shira, and SLBC Resources

Tikvah

Professional Development Webinars

Scripts, Musicals, and Rikud

Reshet Ramah

Year-Round Engagement

Young Adult City Programming

Ramah College Network

Movement-Wide Signature Programs

Shabbat Across Ramah

Wear Your Ramah T-Shirt Day

Virtual Programs and Networking

TikvahNet Vocational Training and Socialization

Ramah Beyond

Ramah Beyond: Retreats and Immersive Experiences

Ha’Dor Yizkor Poland Journey (for rising Jewish leaders ages 22-30)

Ramah Israel Bike Ride and Hiking Trip

Tikvah Birthright Trip

Retreats and Travel (RII and camp programs)

Camp Alumni Networks

Ramah Beyond Retreats and Immersive Experiences

Please join us for a daylong Jewish mindfulness retreat of renewal and connection, just one hour from the Toronto area! Our day will feature powerful song and teaching with Aviva Chernick, artist in residence at Beth Tzedec’s Centre for Spiritual Well-Being, as well as Jewish mindfulness instruction and teaching with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell of Ramah Beyond.

Our practice will take advantage of the beautiful, rural setting of Bela Farm, and will include opportunities for mindful outdoor walking, sitting and hands-on stewardship of the land with the skilled teachers from Shoresh. Don’t underestimate the power of a daylong retreat close to home to renew and inspire! Ideal for those new to a mindfulness practice as well as those with a background in mindfulness.

This retreat is for those who serve our communities—offering an opportunity to connect, feel renewed, and inspired. Together, we will hike and engage in meaningful learning, Jewish spiritual practice, and uplifting song and tefillah. Open to all Jewish professionals: educators, synagogue professionals, community professionals, clergy, Hillel professionals, rabbinical/cantorial students, etc. (no prior Ramah experience necessary).

On this retreat, our practice will involve some periods of silence. This silence is intended to facilitate a closeness with our experience—a reprieve from feeling that we need to fill space with chatter. And, there will be ample opportunities on this retreat to be social and connect with others in the group.

Featuring: Beautiful accommodations and award-winning cuisine, options for daily sea kayaking in the world-renowned Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and hiking along the lakeshore cliffs and forests. Each day we will feel the power of Ramah community and have opportunities for Jewish learning and mindfulness, guided yoga, and inspiring prayer. Come and feel renewed and elevated as we experience the warmth and power of vibrant Jewish living amidst the spacious beauty of Lake Superior water and sky.

On this unique Ramah experience we will spend much of our three full days of programming (8/21-8/23) away from the retreat center, either kayaking or hiking in the beautiful Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. There will also be the option to remain at our beautiful retreat center, relaxing and enjoying the gorgeous grounds and comforts of Wild Rice Retreat.

Birthright Trip, February 2023

A Magical Tikvah Birthright Trip

by Howard Blas, National Ramah Tikvah Network Director

Our magical Tikvah Ramah Birthright Trip with Tailor Made Birthright Israel concluded yesterday with visits to the Old City and Machaneh Yehudah yesterday, and we are now back in North America. We experienced so many of the wonderful things that Israel has to offer, and we have made friends from other Ramah camps.

Our journey started in the north, where we interacted with nature at Agmon Hahula, saw ancient synagogues in the Golan, hiked, and experienced a music workshop and the mystical city of Tzfat. After taking care of horses, we arrived in Tel Aviv for Shabbat—this bustling city along the Mediterranean is a sharp contrast to the peace and quiet of the north.

Shabbat in our hotel was truly inspirational—Kabbalat Shabbat singing in our hotel and Shacharit on the beach were highlights. It really felt like Shabbat in camp, only we had so many camps singing and dancing all together. Ice cream at Golda’s after Shabbat was a high point of our trip!

Sunday was museum day with two very different interactive experiences—the ANU Museum of the Jewish People and Invitation to Silence at the Israel Children’s Museum. We were impressed at how attentive and engaged our participants were, as our deaf guide helped them experience the world of the deaf. A tasty meat lunch at Chuma after some dancing in Kikar Rabin were nice touches too!

National Ramah Tikvah Network

Birthright Trip, February 2023