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Making Camper Care a Priority With Year-Round Staff Training

By Davey Rosen, Assistant Director

Camp Ramah makes camper care its highest priority.  Our campers' experiences are highly influenced by their relationships with their counselors and the social dynamic among the campers in each bunk.  To ensure the best camper care, we provide extensive support and training for our staff, especially our counselors.  During the summer, staff members receive a week of training before campers arrive, and continue to receive training throughout the summer. 

But staff training does not end in August.  Ramah New England staff members have several opportunities during the school year to continue strengthening their counseling skills.  Two opportunities in January, created by the National Ramah Commission, are the Ramah/JNF Israel Program and the Weinstein Institute for Counselor Training. 

Four New England staff members will travel to Israel for the Ramah/JNF program.  This one-week trip for college sophomores and juniors will include hands-on social service projects, limmud (learning) and hadracha (leadership) training.  This year, the New England participants will be Mira Mendick, Hannah Simons and Danielle Guitelman.  In addition, Ariella Rosen, Rosh Amitzim in 2009, will be our lead educator for the trip. 

Eight other New England counselors (more than ever!) have been chosen to participate in the Weinstein Institute, to be held in Ojai, California.  Merav Bayar, Ben Cohen, Solomon Flax, Judy Gerstenblith, Jana Katz, David Offit, Ilana Rosenbaum and Adina Rubin-Budick will be joined by Leora Kimmel Greene, our veteran Assistant Director of Programming.

All participants in these two training programs will be returning to camp for Kayitz 2010!  We are gratified that these staff members understand the value of ongoing counselor training, and will be working to ensure that our campers have an amazing camp experience.

This article originally appeared in the Camp Ramah in New England, December 2009 E-Newsletter

Watch Ramahnik Sam Cantor & the Tufts Beelzebubs Perform on NBC's The Sing Off!

Sam Cantor, from West Hartford, CT, Ramah New England camper and 2009 madrich (counselor), is a freshman member of the Tufts University a capella group the Beelzebubs. As we mentioned last week, the group has been chosen to participate in the new reality TV show 'The Sing Off' on NBC, hosted by Nick Lachey.

Check out their performance of The Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles!

Giving and Receiving Gifts

Like it or not, this is the season of giving and receiving gifts.  We are thinking about gifts we will give to our children, their teachers, our co-workers, family members, even our letter carriers.  We may even think about gifts for ourselves!  There is always the hope that we will receive as well as give.

I have been thinking a lot about gifts lately.  This past Thursday, I participated in a Mitzvah Fair at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun (BJ).  It was attended by 70 fifth, sixth and seventh grade students, as well as by their parents and teachers (including our own Jason Fruitlandler!).  The truth is, I participate in a number of “fairs” during the off season—but they are usually camp fairs, where people learn about camp programs for children with special needs.

This fair was different.  Over a 90 minute period, B’nai Jeshurun Hebrew school students would visit 18 different tables in a “round robin format,” where they would hear a three or four minute presentations from various organizations, including Hazon, the Peres Center for Peace, From Table to Table, Soaring Words, and Give a Mitzvah, Do a Mitzvah (a UJA-Federation of New York program), etc.  The truth is, I didn’t get to visit all of the tables, as I was speaking about our own Tikvah Program.

Before the round robin began, students sat in small circles with their teachers, learning about Tikun Olam, the Jewish concept of “Repairing the World.”  As I spoke about the Tikvah Program, I remembered a conversation I had recently with a Tikvah parents.  I had been telling her the idea I had come up with, where BJ students would plan and participate in several social activities throughout the year with New York-based members of our Tikvah Program.  My vision was for three or four BJ students, three or four Tikvah campers, and two or three Tikvah counselors (or friends of Tikvah) who attend college in Manhattan to jointly plan and participate in such activities as bowling, arts and crafts,  holiday celebration, etc.  I wanted to continue into the “off season” the very meaningful social and Jewish experience that our Tikvah campers have in the summer.  This mother was enthusiastic and supportive, but she wanted to make sure her daughter was not simply the recipient of the kindness of the BJ students.  She was absolutely right!

And here is where gifts come in.  As I explained to the BJ students, we all have unique gifts.  By working with our Tikvah campers, they would be giving, and also receiving.  Our Tikvah campers would be receiving, but also giving.  

At Ramah, we see campers in other edot giving to Tikvah—by helping friends in motorized scooters navigate the rocky terrain, by socializing with them at various camp activities, or by asking guests to bring art supplies or musical instruments to their bnei mitzvah.  The Tikvah Program has received some wonderful donations to the program, thanks to the kindness of fellow campers who thought of their Tikvah friends as they celebrated bnai mitzvah.  Tikvah campers have also received a great deal through our various buddy programs, which include Bogrim Buddies and Machon Helpers. 

And, Tikvah campers have given so much—to each other, to campers in other edot, and even to staff members.   So many of us can picture Eva and others pushing fellow Tikvah camper, Sarah’s, wheelchair.  Tikvah campers have spoken on panels during chinuch about having special needs.  And Tikvah campers have participated on competitive sports teams and lead Friday night camp wide Shabbat services; through their involvement on sports teams and through serving as prayer leaders, they have shown their fellow campers that we each have strengths as well as weaknesses.  We even had a Tikvah staff member who, as a camper, was tutored for his bar mitzvah by a Tikvah camper with particularly good synagogue skills.  What a true gift!

I am touched by BJ’s including me and Tikvah in their mitzvah fair.  I will need to remind the BJ organizers and volunteers that a mitzvah/tikkun olam project clearly goes both ways.  Givers receive and recipients give!

 

The True Miracle of Chanukah

by Rabbi Ed Gelb, Director

What is the miracle of Chanukah?  The classic answers: the underdog Jews, led by the Macabbees, defeated the armies of Antiochus; then, they rededicated the Temple and relit the lamp with oil sufficient only for one day, but it burned for eight days while new oil could be produced.  Miracles no doubt, but I think the true miracle of Chanukah is that they lit the lamp at all.  Let me explain.

Many people consider the story of Chanukah not so much as a battle of the Jews versus Antiochus, but instead as a civil war between the traditional Macabbean Jews and the more modern Hellenistic Jews.  It is a cautionary tale for our times.  Hellenism did not try to stamp out other religions, but rather influence them to assimilate their ways and become more "Greek." Sound familiar?  The Macabbees represented a movement to preserve traditional ways of observance.  This Macabbeean effort brought the armies of Antiochus in on the side of the Hellenistic Jews.

Judaism, at its core, is a counter-culture religion.  Our role has been to model a life of doing what is right and not what is in vogue.  Three interrelated, fundamental themes of Judaism stand out and illustrate this point. 

1.    Championing the underdog.  The other day, I was watching a meaningless football game.  Meaningless in that I had no rooting interest.  I found myself rooting for the underdog.  The question struck me, why?  Are human beings wired to root for the downtrodden or to back the favorite?  More often than not, I believe we are conditioned to back winners and power.  Judaism stands in sharp contrast to that impulse.  Our foundation myth revolves around a bunch of slaves escaping and becoming a powerful nation.  Everywhere the Torah talks about safeguarding the widow, orphan and stranger.  For, as the Torah repeatedly says, "you were once strangers in a strange land."  Our system of justice reflects this bias for the underdog.  That is counterculture. 

2.    Right makes might, not might makes right.  From the moment Abraham argues with God about the destruction of Sodom, our heritage is one of speaking truth to power - even arguing with God.  Chutzpah? Perhaps.  However, standing up to authority in the ancient world and today often poses more risk than reward for the advocate of justice.  In most cases the powers that be crush those who question them.  Judaism demands we do it anyway.  This Shabbat we read the famous lines of the prophet Zechariah in the haftorah, "Not by might and not by power, but by my spirit alone." 

3.    Every individual counts.  When man is created, the Torah specifically points out two things: one, that man was created singularly and we all come from one person and two, that we are created in God's image.  Our common origin makes us equal in our heritage.  No one person is worth more than another.  And if we are created in God's image, then each individual has value.  These ideas were and are revolutionary.  Judaism rose up in a world of human sacrifice and slavery.  We still live in that world today.  Our job is to fight for our belief wherever it has yet to take hold.

When the band of Macabbees lit the lamp in the Temple, they were reaffirming these principles in an era when it would have been much easier to just go along and Hellenize the religion.  Lighting the Menorah was a rededication to taking up the central causes of Judaism.   To me, the fact that they chose to light the oil was a miracle.  Tonight, when millions of Jews light their Chanukiot, we are joining that miracle and pledging to rededicate our lives to upholding the values we hold so dear.  We join the mission of Judaism that includes championing the underdog, that right makes might, and that each person counts.  When we take that leap and light our candles, we allow God to enter the world as well, and we hope that just as God amplified one day's worth of oil into eight, so too will God amplify our actions and give them greater effect.  Happy Chanukah!

Former Assistant Director Rabbi Ethan Linden Writes about his Favorite Movie!

Last week we mentioned that Rabbi Ed Gelb had written a blog post for MotionPicturesComics.com about his favorite movie.  Now former CRNE Assistant Director Rabbi Ethan Linden has gotten in on the fun, writing about HIS favorite movie: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?  Click here to read Ethan's post!

MotionPicturesComics.com is the home of Motion Pictures, the movie-parody web-site written & drawn by our Director of Programming, Josh Edelglass.  Josh also writes on the site about movies, TV shows, books, comic books, and all sorts of other fun stuff.  For the past several weeks he's been running a series of guest blogs written by friends and co-workers, each writing about their favorite movie of all time.  Click on over to MotionPicturesComics.com to check it out!

Ramah Tailgaiting With Mrs. Myra Kraft

Today Ramah staff members Rabbi Ed Gelb and Noam Katz (happy 23rd birthday Noam) were at the Patriots game when Mrs. Myra Kraft stopped by.  Notice the Chaunkiah on the car.  Ramah campers Jonah Butler and Yoni Gelb were there along with parent Andy Butler.  The tailgait was hosted by Naty Katz who is Noam's dad and executive director of Maimonides School.  Andy Butler is also president of the South Area Schechter Day School. 

"I Love Ramah Because..."

National Ramah has been running a contest asking Ramaniks young and old to tell them in a 15-second video about why they love Camp Ramah.  A few weeks ago, we posted an entry from Ramah NE staff member Elisheva Layman.

At last month's camp reunion in Palmer, Davey and I challenged the attendees to create some short videos of their own.  Here is some of what the kids came up with!

Solelim 2009:

The Bermel brothers:

Sarit Horwitz (2009 Rosh Shoafim) and Dani Carrus (2009 Magshimim counselor):

Check back next week to see what some of our TZAD BET campers came up with!

Sam Cantor, Ramah staff member, to appear on NBC's The Sing Off

Monday, December 14, at 8 PM on NBC

Sam Cantor, from West Hartford, CT, Ramah New England camper and 2009 madrich (counselor), is a freshman member of the Tufts University a capella group the Beelzebubs. The groups has been chosen to participate in the new reality TV show 'The Sing Off' on NBC, hosted by Nick Lachey.

Eight a cappella groups will be competing in the competition for a $100,000 prize and an Epic Records/Sony recording contract. The a cappella groups competing include: Beelzebubs from Boston, Massachusetts; Noteworthy from Provo, Utah; Face from Boulder, Colorado; Maxx Factor from Baltimore, Maryland; Nota from San Juan Puerto Rico; The SoCals from Los Angeles, California; Solo from Omaha, Nebraska and Voices of Lee from Cleveland, Tennessee.

The show will begin airing on December 14th from 8-10 pm, with the second and third episodes on December 15th and 16th and the final show on the 21st.

B'hatzl'achah Sam!

Happy Birthday Jess!

Today in the office we celebrated Jessica Levine's birthday!  Jess is a graduate student at Brandeis, a Palmer alum and our Development and Marketing Intern.  We had cake, it was delicious!

Pictured, from left to right: Noam Katz, Davey Rosen, Jessica Levine, Hagit Marciano and Randy Bergel.

Calling all Tzevet Ramah 2009…

You are invited to a Shabbaton for Ramah staff members (from all of the Ramah Camps)

January 22-24, 2010  at CampRamahNew England in Palmer, MA.

 

The weekend will start at 3:30pm on Friday and conclude Sunday at 11:00am.

In order to attend this Shabbaton, you must register with National Ramah and make a payment either through Paypal or by check payable to the NRC.

To register and to make payments, http://campramah.org/content/NorthAmericanRamahStaffShabbatonForTzevetRamah2009.php

The cost of the Shabbaton is $36 and there is an additional $20 fee if you require round trip transportation from either Boston or New York City (totaling $56).

The deadline for registration is January 12, 2010.

If you have any questions, please contact Leora Kimmel at the National Ramah Office at 212-678-8881 or via e-mail at Leora@campramah.org.

We hope to see you at the Shabbaton, and look forward to spending a wonderful Shabbat together.