Our Summer Team:
Ramah Outdoors Adventure hires outstanding madrichim (staff) who have extensive wilderness training and backgrounds in outdoor education. We strive to provide chalutzim (campers) a positive Jewish camping experience while instilling a sense of passion about our natural environment. It is our hope that a Ramah Outdoors experience will serve as an inspirational and memorable guide as chalutzim journey through life.
Safety is critical to the success of our program. Every excursion that leaves our base camp is staffed with a madrich who is certified in Wilderness First Aid. As with all Ramah camp staff members, our madrichim serve as role models by teaching Jewish values through storytelling, sharing traditions, and connecting to chalutzim on a personal basis. This non-competitive and friendly environment encourages chalutzim to move beyond their comfort zones to experience new, unexpected levels of confidence and personal achievement.
Our Year-Round Team:
Rabbi Eliav Bock
Director
eliavb@ramahoutdoors.org
(303) 261-8214 x104
Favorite Camp Activity: Capture the Flag
Favorite Camp Meal: Seitan Brisket
Favorite Camp Place: Near the new gravel pit
Eliav brings solid experience in outdoor camping and leadership to Ramah Outdoor Adventure. A native of the Boston area and former Boy Scout, he has spent 11 summers working in Ramah camps in a variety of specialty areas including five years as an outdoor adventure leader in Camp Ramah, Canada. Ordained as rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2009, Eliav is especially interested in helping youth connect to their Jewish souls through nature and the great outdoors. Prior to rabbinical school, Eliav worked in the finance industry in New York City. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible and a Master of Arts degree in Jewish Education, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies from Columbia University. In 2013, Eliav was awarded the Pomegranate Prize by the Covenant Foundation which is given annually to five Jewish professionals who are making a significant impact on the field of Jewish education. Eliav lives in Denver, CO with his wife, Dina Danon and son, Matan.
Tammy Dollin
Project Director
tdollin@ramahrockies.org
(303) 261-8214 x102
Favorite Camp Activity: Rock Climbing
Favorite Camp Meal: Lentils and sweet potatoes
Favorite Camp Place: Rock Garden
Tammy joined the staff in 2008 even before our first summer. She organizes the board of directors, raises funds and coordinates planning between Ramah in the Rockies (the site) and Ramah Outdoor Adventure (the program). She attended URJ Camp Swig (now called Newman) as a camper, counselor, song leader and Israeli dance instructor. She has worked in all the institutions of Jewish life: JCC’s, day schools, camps, Federations and synagogues. Tammy graduated from UC Berkeley in Middle Eastern Studies, and earned graduate degrees in Social Work and Judaic Studies from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. She was part of the first class of Wexner Graduate Fellows. She loves hiking, biking and being outside. Tammy is married to Rabbi Bruce Dollin and mother to Yoni, Shai, Kivi and Aviva, who are all pioneers of Ramah Outdoor Adventure.
Douglas Wolf
Business Manager
douglasw@ramahoutdoors.org
(303) 261-8214 x101
Favorite Camp Activity: Mountain Biking
Favorite Camp Meal: Tuna Casserole
Favorite Camp Place: Ramah Valley
Douglas brings a love of non-motorized recreation and adventure travel to Ramah Outdoor Adventure. He has backpacked long sections of the Appalachian Trail on the east coast and the John Muir Trail in California. He has bicycled around Lake Champlain, to the end of Cape Cod, and the Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to Georgia. He has paddled the Altamaha River in Georgia, and the Colorado River through Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. Douglas has spent many days exploring the mountains, canyons, and rivers of the Rocky Mountains, from Glacier National Park in Montana to Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico, and is always happy to suggest itineraries to visitors to Colorado.
Douglas grew up in Maryland. As a boy, he attended the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School and Camp Ramah in Palmer, Massachusetts. Douglas earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and graduate degrees from Georgia Tech.
Matthew Levitt
Program Director
mattl@ramahoutdoors.org
(303) 261-8214 x106
Favorite Camp Activity: Rock Climbing and Mining
Favorite Camp Meal: Shabbat Lunch Salad Bar
Favorite Camp Place: Rock Garden
Matt brings passion and dedication to experiential Jewish education. A native of Chicagoland, Matt participated in USY’s College Leadership Program in Israel, Nativ. After Israel, Matt attended Indiana University where he double majored in Jewish Studies and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and minored in Hebrew and Education. Matt has been part of the team since the beginning working during the summer months as a rock climbing instructor, counselor, and logistics coordinator for Ramah Outdoor Adventure. Starting in the fall of 2012 Matt joined the year-round team in Denver as Program Director. Recently married, Matt now lives with his wife, Sara, in Denver.
Elyssa Hammerman
Tikvah Director
elyssah@ramahoutdoors.org
(303) 261-8214 x103
Favorite Camp Activity: Shabbat Dancing and Shira (singing)
Favorite Camp Meal: Baked Ziti
Favorite Camp Place: Kfar Rimon (Tent Village)
Elyssa brings her life-long love of camp to Ramah Outdoor Adventure. She has spent the past 18 summers at residential camps, 11 of which she worked as staff. Her favorite memories include canoeing and camping through Algonquin Park in Canada. For six summers, she counseled at a therapeutic-based camp for adolescents with learning disabilities, behavior and emotional disorders. Elyssa is from Long Island, New York, and has a Bachelor of Science in inclusive elementary and special education from Syracuse University. She continued her studies at Indiana University where she received her Masters of Science in recreation with a focus in camp administration. Elyssa is an elementary school teacher at a Jewish day school and enjoys enriching the lives of Jewish youth. She loves the outdoor lifestyle and spends her free time skiing and hiking the Rocky Mountains. Elyssa is looking forward to another great summer at Ramah Outdoor Adventure, her second summer as Tikvah Director.
Zach Usmani
Director of Camper Care
zachu@ramahoutoors.org
(303) 261-8214 x107
Favorite Camp Activity: Mountain Biking
Favorite Camp Meal: Yom Yisrael Lunch
Favorite Camp Place: Hay Loft
Zach became interested in Ramah Outdoor Adventure because of his passion for working with children and his desire to help children connect to their Jewish identities, but it was the strong community atmosphere that has given him no choice but to return. He found an environment where he could empower kids to challenge themselves beyond what they thought was possible while at the same time challenging himself and growing personally, professionally, and spiritually. Zach grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in sociology in 2010. Following graduation, Zach taught pre-kindergarten and kindergarten in Tulsa, OK through the Teach For America program. He is now pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Columbia University and hopes to work with students from low-income communities as a school counselor.
Sara Levitt
Summer Program Coordinator
saral@ramahoutdoors.org
(303) 261-8214 x114
Favorite Camp Activity: Shira!
Favorite Camp Meal: Shabbat Dinner
Favorite Camp Place: Pardes Tefillah
Sara comes to Ramah Outdoor Adventure after many years in Jewish Summer Camping as both a camper and staff member. She brings an enthusiasm and excitement for informal Jewish experiences that are an integral part of a summer at ROA. Sara is from Orlando, Florida where was involved in youth group and in synagogue life, as well as spending her summers at summer camp. She graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelors degree in Jewish Studies and minors in Hebrew, Non-Profit Management and Sociology. After her undergraduate studies, Sara worked as a Middle School Judiaca teacher in Orlando and then as Youth Director at a large conservative synagogue in Chicago. Sara now lives and works in Denver, and is starting her Graduate career in Social Work next fall. Recently married, Sara lives with her husband, Matt, in Denver. Sara is thrilled to be the Summer Program Coordinator at ROA this summer!
Sandra Yaron
Office Manager
sandray@ramahoutdoors.org
(303) 261-8214 x105
Favorite Camp Activity: Coming Soon!
Favorite Camp Meal: Coming Soon!
Favorite Camp Place: Coming Soon!
Sandra grew up in Denver. She was a member of the first class of the Theodor Herzl Jewish Day School (now Denver Jewish Day School) and attended Cherry Creek High School. Her summers were spent in a wide variety of activities including Jewish summer camps in Colorado and Pennsylvania. While in high school Sandra participated in the Israel Study Tour between her Junior and Senior years. She attended The University of Colorado and Mount Holyoke College and continued her studies at Haifa University and Tel Aviv University. She lived for twelve years in Israel and became fluent in Hebrew. Her Sabra husband Eyal insists that she speaks Hebrew like a native. Sandra has worked in the Jewish Community for the past eight years. During that period she was the BBYO office manager and the JCC Program Registrar. She has also been a teacher in the Temple Sinai Religious School. Sandra and Eyal have two children – Lior and Aviv.
