General Staff Information
Ramah in the Rockies hires an outstanding team of people who have extensive wilderness training and backgrounds in outdoor education. We pride ourselves on having an extraordinarily mature, experienced, and well-trained tzevet (staff) that is uniquely accomplished and is amongst the most highly regarded of any Jewish summer camp in the country. We know that safety is absolutely critical to the success of our program, and as such, ensure that every excursion that leaves our base camp is staffed with at least one madrich (counselor) who has been trained as a Wilderness First Responder.
Our madrichim also act as role models for our chalutzim. Through sharing Jewish values and traditions, teaching outdoor activities, and connecting personally with chalutzim, our summer staff serves as a fully mobilized support system for all campers. This supportive, non-competitive and friendly environment encourages chalutzim to move beyond their comfort zones to experience new, unexpected levels of confidence and personal achievement.
Rabbi Eliav Bock
Executive Director &
Camp Director
Eliav brings extensive experience in outdoor camping and leadership to Ramah in the Rockies. A native of the Boston area and former Boy Scout, he has spent 11 summers working in other 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. Eliav has been awarded the Pomegranate Prize by the Covenant Foundation is a Schusterman Senior Fellow. He is joined each summer at camp by his wife, Dina Danon, and his three children.
Matt Levitt
Chief Operating Officer
Matt brings his passion and dedication to experiential Jewish education to Ramah in the Rockies. A native of Chicagoland, he participated in United Synagogue Youth’s College Leadership Program in Israel, Nativ. After studying in Israel, Matt attended Indiana University (Class 2011) 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 Ramah in the Rockies team since the beginning, working during the summer months as a rock climbing instructor, counselor, and logistics coordinator for camp until joining the the year-round team in 2012 as the Program Director and then as the organization’s Assistant Director until 2016. Matt took a brief break to return to graduate school at Oklahoma State University to complete an MBA and certificate in non-profit management. Upon earning his Master’s degree, Matt joined our team once again in a development role and now serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Ramah in the Rockies and BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy. He lives with his wife, Sara, son Lior, and their two dogs in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Julia Chatinover
Assistant Director
Originally from Seattle, Julia spent many summers at Jewish camps in the Pacific Northwest before joining the Ramah in the Rockies. Julia attended the Nativ College Leadership Program in Israel before earning a dual BA’s in Earth Sciences and Talmud from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Julia first fell in love with the Rocky Mountains in 2012 as a madricha and biking instructor before joining the year round team in 2016. She is an alumna of the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Yitro Leadership Program (Cohort IV) and the Yeshivat Hadar Fellowship. Julia’s husband, Jacob, a rabbinical school student, joins her at camp each summer.
Stacy Wasserman
Director of Community Engagement
Stacy is originally from Michigan, where she attended Tamarack Camps and fell in love with the combination of immersive Jewish experience and outdoor adventure. After graduating from Michigan State University, a love of hiking and camping brought her to Colorado. Stacy has spent her professional career working with children and their families across many aspects of Jewish life in Denver, including 17 years at the Hebrew Educational Alliance (HEA) as the Youth Director, Religious School Director, and most recently, the Preschool Director. It was at the HEA that Stacy first learned about Ramah in the Rockies, and has been a part of our camp community since the beginning. Stacy lives in Denver with her husband Scott and their kids Hannah and Reuben. She is so excited that both of her children are finally old enough to attend Ramah in the Rockies together!
Zach Usmani
Director of Camp Wellness
As the Director of Community Wellness at Ramah in the Rockies, Zach works to create an inclusive environment that holistically supports the needs of campers, staff, and the broader community. Zach first joined the Ramah in the Rockies team in 2011, where he discovered his passion for the outdoors and found a supportive setting to challenge himself and grow in so many ways: spiritually, intellectually, physically, and professionally. He returns year after year to facilitate and witness the magic of those moments of growth in campers and staff.
During the school year, he is a school social worker in Columbus, OH, and has experience as a teacher and social worker across pre-K through college in Tulsa, OK and New York, NY. He has a BA in sociology from The Ohio State University and an MSW from Columbia University.
During the school year, he is a school social worker in Columbus, OH, and has experience as a teacher and social worker across pre-K through college in Tulsa, OK and New York, NY. He has a BA in sociology from The Ohio State University and an MSW from Columbia University.
Sandra Yaron
Registrar
Sandra grew up in Denver and was a member of the first class of the Theodor Herzl Jewish Day School (now Denver Jewish Day School). Her summers were spent participating 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.
Avram Pachter
Director of Operations
Avram combines his love of sports and his passion for Judaism in Jewish camping and youth group activities. Following an education in Jewish Day Schools, Avram attended USY’s NATIV program, and has served in USY as a youth advisor, regional staff member, and basketball coach as well as staffing USY’s International Convention. Avram spent more than half his summers at Jewish camps – as a camper are Ramah Day Camp Jerusalem, Ramah Wisconsin, and Ramah Darom; as a counselor at Ramah Day Camp Chicago; and, most recently, as Food Service Director for Ramah in the Rockies (2013-2016). Avram was the Director of Hospitality and Catering Manager of Circle of Life Kosher Catering, a company he created, at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, in Highland Park, Illinois. While at culinary school, Avram interned under James Beard award-winning chef, Jeff Nathan. When not cooking, he enjoys playing sports, being active in the Jewish community, traveling, and the Michigan Wolverines. Avram looks forward to relocating to Denver and becoming part of its community.
Kevin Theobald
Ranch Manager
ranchmanager@ramahoutdoors.org
Kevin joined the Ramah in the Rockies team in 2019. He has been involved with various youth camp programs for the past 32 years, and believes it keeps him young at heart. Kevin loves the challenge of managing our 360-acre ranch, and is excited for what the future holds for our whole community. Kevin lives up at camp with his wife Liz.
BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy, a program of Ramah in the Rockies, supports emerging adults who are struggling on their journey from adolescence to adulthood and serves at-risk young adults (18+) struggling with mild to moderate social, emotional, behavioral, and academic challenges. Click here to learn more.
Jory Hanselman has dedicated her personal and professional career to engaging youth and emerging adults in meaningful outdoor experiences and helping youth build personal resiliency and the skills necessary to grow and thrive in a complex world. Jory has experienced wilderness programs from the client and staff perspective, from the field and the office, in Jewish and secular settings, and in the private industry and the non-profit sector. She has spent 400 professional “field days” managing youth from 13-26 through organizations focused on education, recreation, therapy, and workforce development. Jory is extremely excited to be joining the Ramah in the Rockies’ team, and to help move the Jewish Wilderness Therapy program from theory to actuality. Jory sees the wilderness therapy model as an extremely powerful environment, and believes that Ramah in the Rockies can help magnify that impact, and through Jewish learning provide a foundational tapestry for clients that builds Jewish identity and provides the framework for youth to experience meaningful transitions to independent and healthy adult lives.
APPLICATION
Thank you for your interest in a seasonal summer position with Ramah in the Rockies. This application will take you approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.
If you have any questions, please call 303-261-8214 x104 or email eliavb@ramahoutdoors.org.
We look forward to reviewing your application. Thank you!
Please provide a non-university or school connected email address and mailing address for your account.
