A MESSAGE FROM...

Atara Jacobson, Susie Charendoff, President Interim Camp Director

At Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, 2022 presented unexpected challenges as well as a welcomed sense of connectedness for the Wingdale community We happily saw our health protocols return to near normalcy after two seasons that were impacted by COVID-19 This enabled campers to participate fully in the Ramah experience –singing, dancing, and spending time together as they had in pre-pandemic summers At the same time, we experienced an abrupt leadership transition that made the day to day operations more difficult than in past years. Thankfully, we felt the power of our community as many of our year-round and lay leaders, as well as National Ramah Commission leadership, stepped forward – offering their time, hard work, and support - to make the summer successful for our chanichim (campers)

In addition to very-needed opportunities for unwinding and relaxation, campers had their choice of activities and sports with peers, as well as exciting moments of community joy including edah plays; beautiful and spirited Kabbalat Shabbat services and shirah (singing) overlooking the agam (lake); the rikkudiyah (dance festival); and Yom Sport (color war) While Visiting Day – a typical staple of our summer – was replaced, Camp offered an amazing day of fun with ice cream trucks, inflatable toys, and swag thoughtfully placed on each full-summer camper ’ s bed.

Last summer, we welcomed the usual bevy of farm animals – chickens, pigs, goats, rabbits which delighted our younger campers – and our farm exploded with fresh produce making the farm-to-table dining elective incredibly popular Our older campers traveled to places like Boston and Philadelphia, biked local trails, and experienced the outdoors through camping and hiking adventures And everyone in Camp experienced Project 613, the commissioned scribing of our own sefer Torah Future generations of Berkshires Ramahniks will benefit from this new Torah, inscribed with care by our 2022 campers and staff

Our community came together with the full force of our strength – just when we needed it most: When more than half of our kitchen crew was out with the COVID virus during the first week of camp, dozens of parents and Board volunteers kept meal services going They prepped, served, and cleaned in the chadar ochel (dining room) and kept their wits about them! Similarly, when one of our water pumps required servicing, our leadership team quickly mobilized and drove to the local markets to fill their trunks with more bottled water than needed And for those able to join us, this year ’ s Gala was an amazing show of community at a sold-out event that celebrated generations of Ramahniks and the power of friendship, family, and love

As we lean into Kayitz 2023, we reflect back on the experiences of Kayitz 2022 and the many lessons we learned along the way – the responsibility to deliver clear communications, the importance of social connectedness to support mental and physical health, and the transparent reinforcement of our child safety protocols in every corner of Camp We also appreciate that more than anything, the Ramah Berkshires community is strong, supportive, and caring It’s these values that make our Camp special

We remain grateful to each and everyone one of you for your support of Ramah Berkshires over the past year It is truly our kehillah kedoshah – our holy community– who make our Camp family so special

Project 613

In 2022, we launched an exciting new initiative called Project 613 to commission and scribe our very own Ramah Berkshires Torah. This brought together hundreds of people across our community alumni, campers, parents, and staff to collaborate on a meaningful project based on the 613th commandment, which is for every person to write a Torah scroll for themselves. Leading up to Kayitz ’22, we held events at Temple Israel Center in White Plains, NY and Park Avenue Synagogue in NYC for members of our Ramah Berkshires community to scribe their own letter in the scroll. And during the summer, every chanich/a (camper) and staff member also had the opportunity to contribute to our Torah by writing their very own letter. We had a huge celebration at Camp once the Torah was completed, and our Gesher campers will utilize the Torah in the summers to come.