70 YEARS OF TRANSFORMATIVE JEWISH EXPERIENCES
RAMAH’S
MISSION
To create and sustain excellent summer camps and Israel programs that inspire commitment to Jewish life, and develop the next generation of Jewish leaders.
5 DAY CAMPS “RAMAH TAUGHT ME TO LOVE BEING JEWISH.” Ramah Poconos alum
11,500 + "SEMINAR GAVE ME A STRONG, EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO ISRAEL." Ramah Israel Seminar alum
4
ISRAEL PROGRAMS
CAMPERS AND STAFF EACH SUMMER
200,000 + ALUMNI
10
OVERNIGHT CAMPS
“RAMAH WAS THE SINGLE MOST FORMATIVE JEWISH EXPERIENCE I HAD GROWING UP.” Ramah Berkshires alum
70 YEAR TRACK RECORD
CREATING ENDURING
CONNECTIONS TO ISRAEL
Every summer, hundreds of young Israelis join our staff as shlichim at Ramah camps in North America. And every year, 250-300 teenagers experience Israel on Ramah Seminar and Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY), Ramah’s unique summer and semester-long programs. Hebrew is taught and spoken at all our camps.
CLOSE TO 100% OF RAMAH ALUMNI HAVE VISTED ISRAEL
“IT IS BECAUSE OF RAMAH THAT I LIVED IN ISRAEL, HAVE ISRAELI FRIENDS FROM THE MISHLACHAT AT CAMP, AND FEEL PASSIONATE ABOUT ISRAEL EDUCATION.” Ramah Nyack alum *SOURCE: The Alumni of Ramah Camps: A Long-Term Portrait of Jewish Engagement, Steven M. Cohen 2016; Pew Study, A Portrait of Jewish Americans 2013
ENSURING JEWISH CONTINUITY ACCORDING TO CAMP RAMAH ALUMNI SURVEY RESPONDENTS*: 83% say being Jewish is very important to them (vs. 54% of all US Jews) Over 90% say it is very important or essential to raise Jewish children, celebrate Jewish holidays, and feel attached to Israel 94% are married to Jews (vs. 56% of all US Jews) and over 40% met their spouses through a Ramah connection They are 3 times more likely to attend weekly synagogue services than the US average
"RAMAH NOT ONLY INFLUENCED MY SENSE OF BEING JEWISH , BUT ALSO MY ENTIRE IDENTITY. " Ramah in the Rockies alum
LONNI & JOSH'S INSPIRING RAMAH STORY LONNI ROMIROWSKY GAJER, A MARKETING EXECUTIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA, AND JOSH GAJER, AN ATTORNEY ORIGINALLY FROM LONG ISLAND, WERE INTRODUCED BY A MUTUAL RAMAH FRIEND IN NYC
“RAMAH IS THE CENTRAL AND DEFINING JEWISH EXPERIENCE OF OUR LIVES.”
2007
DURING A YEAR IN JERUSALEM IN 2007, JOSH SHARED AN APARTMENT WITH TWO RAMAH FRIENDS
AFTER COLLEGE, LONNI SHARED AN APARTMENT WITH RAMAH FRIENDS AND TOGETHER THEY RAN THE NYC MARATHON IN MEMORY OF RAMAH FRIEND ANDY SCHLOSS
2008 2009 LONNI & JOSH MET IN NYC IN 2009 AT A PARTY HOSTED BY A RAMAH BERKSHIRES ALUM
MAYTAL WAS BORN DECEMBER 2016
2016
2017
LONNI & JOSH REGULARLY ATTEND RAMAH BERKSHIRES AND POCONOS REUNIONS
JOSH PIC
LONNI
JOSH
RAMAH POCONOS CAMPER 1994-1999
RAMAH BERKSHIRES CAMPER 1996-2000
RAMAH POCONOS COUNSELOR AND TENNIS STAFF 2002-2003
RAMAH SEMINAR PARTICIPANT 2001 RAMAH BERKSHIRES COUNSELOR 2002-2005
RAMAH SEMINAR MADRICHA 2006
LONNI & JOSH ON WEAR YOUR RAMAH T-SHIRT DAY
2013
2014
LONNI & JOSH MARRIED IN 2013, SURROUNDED BY DOZENS OF RAMAH FRIENDS
2026
LONNI & JOSH’S CLOSEST FRIENDS ARE ALL RAMAH ALUMNI
2017
WILL MAYTAL ATTEND RAMAH BERKSHIRES OR RAMAH POCONOS? LONNI & JOSH ARE STILL DISCUSSING THAT!
RAMAH TIKVAH PROGRAMS BOLD, INCLUSIVE, PIONEERING
Since 1970, Tikvah has provided the transformative Ramah experience to Jewish children, teens, and young adults with learning, developmental, cognitive, and social disabilities. Tikvah benefits the entire camp, creating a community where everyone learns the values of diversity, acceptance, and inclusion.
"I BELIEVE THAT THE WAY THE PROGRAM INVOLVES THE CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES WITH THE REST OF THE CAMP IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE AND LIFE‐CHANGING FOR EVERYONE.” Parent of a Tikvah camper at Ramah New England "IT'S THE GREATEST FEELING IN THE WORLD!" Vocational training program participant at Ramah California WE BELIEVE ALL JEWISH CHILDREN SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF JEWISH SUMMER CAMP
RESHET RAMAH
YEAR-ROUND ALUMNI & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT “THE RAMAH SHABBAT DINNER WAS AN AMAZING WAY OF BRINGING THE RAMAH COMMUNITY TOGETHER ON MICHIGAN’S CAMPUS.” Ramah Wisconsin alum
RESHET RAMAH BRINGS TOGETHER YOUNG ADULT ALUMNI FOR EVENTS, SHABBAT DINNERS, STUDY, AND MORE
OUR COLLEGE NETWORK OPERATES ON CAMPUSES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
“IT HAS BEEN FIVE YEARS SINCE MY LAST RAMAH SUMMER, BUT AT THE RESHET RAMAH EVENT, I QUICKLY FELT A STRONG CONNECTION WITH FELLOW ALUMNI.” Ramah Darom alum
RAMAH ISRAEL INSTITUTE OFFERS ADULT & FAMILY JEWISH HERITAGE TRIPS TO ISRAEL, MOROCCO, POLAND, AND MORE
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS TRAINING FOR EMERGING LEADERS - Bert B. Weinstein Institute for Counselor Training - Leadership Institute for College Sophomores - Louis & Shoshanah Winer Institute for Rosh Edah Training SPECIALIZED STAFF TRAINING PROGRAMS - Daber and Sha’ar Seminar - National Ramah Tikvah Network Training - Songleader Boot Camp Ramah Shabbaton - Amitei Ramah Training ISRAEL-BASED TRAINING - Mishlachat Training Seminar - Ramah Shabbaton in Israel FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS - Alexander M. Shapiro Fellowship - Morton M. & Miriam Steinberg International Travel Fellowship - Kerem Young Professionals Network
“CAMP RAMAH PROVIDED ME WITH A CLOSE KNIT COMMUNITY OF FRIENDS WHOM I FEEL CLOSER TO THAN ANY OTHER FRIENDS I'VE MADE OUTSIDE OF CAMP, IT INSTILLED JEWISH VALUES IN ME THAT I HOLD TO THIS DAY, AND IT IS THE PLACE WHERE I EXPERIENCED SOME OF THE HAPPIEST AND WARMEST MEMORIES OF MY LIFE.” Ramah Canada alum
OVERNIGHT CAMPS
DAY CAMPS
CAMP RAMAH IN THE BERKSHIRES WINGDALE, NY ramahberkshires.org
RAMAH DAY CAMP – CHICAGO AREA WHEELING, IL ramahday.com
CAMP RAMAH IN CALIFORNIA OJAI, CA ramah.org
RAMAH DAY CAMP IN NYACK NYACK, NY ramahnyack.org
CAMP RAMAH IN CANADA UTTERSON, ON campramah.com
RAMAH DAY CAMP IN PHILADELPHIA ELKINS PARK, PA ramahdaycamp.org
CAMP RAMAH DAROM CLAYTON, GA ramahdarom.org
RAMAH JERUSALEM DAY CAMP JERUSALEM, ISRAEL daycamps.ramah.org.il
CAMP RAMAH IN NEW ENGLAND PALMER, MA campramahne.org
RAMAH DAY CAMP OF GREATER WASHINGTON, DC GERMANTOWN, MD ramahdcdaycamp.org
CAMP RAMAH IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (RAMAH GALIM) WATSONVILLE, CA ramahnorcal.org CAMP RAMAH IN THE POCONOS LAKEWOOD, PA ramahpoconos.org RAMAH IN THE ROCKIES DECKERS, CO ramahoutdoors.org RAMAH SPORTS ACADEMY FAIRFIELD, CT ramahsportsacademy.org CAMP RAMAH IN WISCONSIN CONOVER, WI ramahwisconsin.com
ISRAEL PROGRAMS RAMAH ISRAEL INSTITUTE rii.ramah.org.il RAMAH ISRAEL SEMINAR seminar.ramah.org.il RAMAH JERUSALEM DAY CAMP daycamps.ramah.org.il TICHON RAMAH YERUSHALAYIM (TRY) try.ramah.org.il
“The basketball and swimming that I observe at Camp Ramah take place in Jewish space and time. The budding romances and intimate conversations of which I catch glimpses are Jewish, too. So are the experiences of fun and friendship that Tikvah program campers with disabilities share with others. Text study and tefillah, both standard at camp, are different than they are elsewhere because here they take place in the context of all the rest of what is Jewish. So too the use of Hebrew. The Jewish community of North America does not have the billions to spend on selling Judaism that retailers routinely expend on advertising. What we can do, though, is provide experiences of community and meaning, one person at a time, summer after summer.”
ARNOLD EISEN - Chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary From “Why Ramah Works — and Why It’s Essential” (2017)
"THIS CAMP HAS REALLY CHANGED THE WAY I LOOK AT JUDAISM , AND MAKES ME THINK ABOUT HOW GREAT IT IS TO BE JEWISH." Ramah Galim camper
NATIONAL RAMAH COMMISSION, INC. OF THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 3080 BROADWAY NEW YORK, NY 10027 212.678.8881 campramah.org info@campramah.org NATIONAL DIRECTOR: RABBI MITCHELL COHEN mcohen@jtsa.edu
מחנות רמה
Ramah Camping Movement
NATIONAL ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: AMY SKOPP COOPER amy@campramah.org