Each summer we pick an educational theme on which to build our program. In past summers, we have chosen themes related to Holy Space—Makom(ot) Kadosh(im), and the basic elements of fire, earth, water and wind. This summer we will be exploring the theme from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers) 5:24 of haphoch ba-haphoch ba, d’kolai ba—literally “turn it and turn it for everything is in it.”
Denver, CO – Ramah in the Rockies received $10,000 from the Gendler Grapevine Initiative for its innovative approach to solar hot water heating using commercial grade 500 gallon drinking-water bladders and a solar hot box. The black bladders, similar to those used by the military to delivery large quantities of water to military zones, absorb the sun’s rays and heat the water inside. The system successfully increase
Imagine for a moment that you are a twenty‑one year old American heading to Spain to work at a summer camp that teaches children how to become more independent, and to create a lasting bond to America. You are tasked with being not only a wonderful counselor, but also a representative of the United States.
This is a rework of a blog post originally written prior to our opening summer. Many of the issues remain the same. I have updated it to reflect lessons we’ve learned from our first three summers.—Eliav ————————- Over the past few weeks, I have had a few conversations with parents regarding religious expectations at camp. The issue that has surfaced on numerous occas
As I mentioned in a blog post back in October, we know that one of the main areas of camp on which we must focus this summer is increasing the level of satisfaction with our food. Before I begin, I will say that we take enormous pride in the food we serve. Food for us is much more than just a way of obtaining calories, it is a way of expressing our values; food is a way for us to connect to the land, to connect to
It sounds like the beginning of a math problem from school: What does it take for Ramah Outdoor Adventure to move 100 donated free range chickens from a freezer in Manhattan to a freezer in Denver? In the pre-season, we reach out to food suppliers who can supply us food that fits into our broader values of serving sustainable food. (For those who never make it to camp, please note: we teach our chalutzim that sustai
As we approach the middle of February, I could not be more delighted with the staff we have already assembled for this summer. Frequent readers of our blog know that I give most of the credit for the success of this camp to the outstanding individuals who make up our Tzevet (staff) each summer. Most do not come from a traditional Ramah camping background, and almost none have grown up at Ramah Outdoor Adventure.
By Zach Usmani, Director of Camp Care; Sara Levitt, Summer Program Director At Etgar B’Ramah (Ramah Outdoor Adventure), one of the things on which we pride ourselves is that we have created a place where chalutzim (pioneers/campers) don’t need to conform to gender role stereotypes. During the summer, one can witness chalutzot (female campers) doing hagba (raising the Torah) or prakim (periods) of aerobic dancing fil
With the end of the calendar year upon us, I wanted to send a recruitment update. We had a fantastic finish to our early bird registration earlier in the week. At the moment we have over 200 children enrolled in the 2013 season. As of Thursday December 20, 2012 we have Session I: Openings in all tents, with at least two spaces in each Session II: At least two spaces left in all tents except:
