Final reflections on Summer 2024

Dear Ramah in the Rockies Community,

Time at camp passes very differently than in the “real world”. Each day here feels like five days, with so much packed into every moment. It is intense, exhausting, and exhilarating. Waking up to the quiet today, with no chalutzim (campers) playing in Ohel Koby and no one laughing and talking on their way to the bathhouse, is jarring. Our purpose in being here, to create a radically inclusive, joyous Jewish community, has been achieved. All that remains is to clean up, celebrate what we accomplished, and reflect on the past ten weeks. As I’ve started reflecting on kayitz 2024, I wanted to share a glimpse into some highlights of the summer.

Israel

Coming into this summer, no issue felt more urgent than how we would discuss Israel with our chalutzim (campers) and tzevet (staff). We knew how important it would be to create a space for people to celebrate and further strengthen their ties to the land, people, and state of Israel. Many of our tzevet are college students, many of whom were coming from campuses that were rife with anti-Israel protests. We also hired 35 mishlachat (Israeli staff members) this summer, over 65% of whom had served in the IDF this past year. We knew we had to set some ground rules for how we talked about Israel, and working with an artist, created the poster below to explain our theory of education. In short, our main job at camp, when it comes to most education, is to create strong connections and a deep love for the subject matter we are talking about.

With love and empathy as a starting point, we made sure that camp was a place for all Jews to openly discuss their relationship to Israel. An incredible aspect of our Israel programming and conversations was not only the fact that they happened at all, since too often in the Jewish communities we do not discuss Israel, but also that when chalutzim and tzevet were discussing Israel, they were able to listen to conflicting and complex ideas. We know that discussions about Israel include a lot of nuance, and we pride ourselves on embracing those aspects of conversation rather than shying away from them. In that spirit, we were able to offer a number of informative limmudim (formal lessons) about Israel, including many taught by visiting rabbis and scholars. These included topics like understanding different historical narratives, examining the role of messianism in Israeli and American politics, and discussing what it means to be “pro-Israel.”

  A highlight of our Israel programming this summer was Yom Yisrael, planned by our chevrei mishlachat for each session. The amount of care and effort that was poured into these days both sessions was inspiring. These days were a good balance between having fun, learning about different parts of Israeli society, celebrating Israeli culture, and also mourning the tremendous losses and tragedies that have occurred in the past year. A magical moment that occurred each time was when the entire camp came together to learn and perform Matisyahu’s One Day in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.

Rather than describe this moment, click here to see first session’s rendition in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elrZ3NwMz-4

Shabbat

Shabbat is always a highlight of the summer. Taking one day each week to slow down, put on clean clothes, and spend time hanging out with friends is something that no one at camp should take for granted. One aspect of Shabbat that stood out to me this year was the ruach (spirit) in our tefilot (prayers).

While Kabbalat Shabbat has been incredible for a long time, this year, we placed an added emphasis on Shabbat morning services, especially for our older campers. In addition to our traditional Shira B’Ramah service, two madrichim (counselors), Jamie Berman and Yaakov Segal, took the lead in creating a wonderful shlaima (full) minyan in the Beit HaYitzeirah (art pavilion), with a full kriat haTorah . After the Musaph service concluded instead of having freetime, over 50 chalutzim and tzevet would gather to sing zemirot (psalms) and share words of Torah until it was time for lunch.

I spend much of my week is spent in meetings, problem solving issues and dealing with logistics behind the scenes. I try to go to programs and do activities throughout the week, but often there are more pressing issues that I need to address. But without fail, on Shabbat morning, I stand outside the front of Beit Kesher where I can hear two services simultaneously: Minyan Shlaima from the Beit HaYitzeirah and Shira B’Ramah from the Ohel Moed. In these few minutes of quiet, while looking at the gorgeous backdropof Prospector Mountain, I am reminded of the power of community, the awe inherent in the natural surroundings and why I have chosen to make Ramah my pulpit.

Yom Sport

As I often tell our staff, we are a camp that prides itself on having one of the worst organized team sports programs in the entire Jewish camping community. Instead of focusing on team sports, a mantra we have at camp is “challenge by choice.” It is the idea that one is in competition only with oneself. This is why a top-level triathlete can compete in our duathlon program along with a novice; each is racing only against themself to beat their own best time.

The exception to this rule is Yom Sport, when our camp divides into three teams for a day of fierce athletic competition. Chalutzim face off in multiple team sports, a campwide relay race, and also in singing, dancing, and art competitions. It is the latter that I found to be the most moving this summer. This year’s Yom Sport was a beautiful combination of both ferocious competition and inspiring unity.

As usual, Yom Sport provided a chance for our JOLI campers to step up and lead the entirecamp. It was fun to see the camaraderie between different edot (age groups) throughout the whole day. My favorite part of Yom Sport is the final hour before dinner when each team presents their plaque, dance, and team cheer. For as loud as we usually are here at camp, it was remarkable to see all the chalutzim sitting on the floor of the chadar ochel, attentively watching and listening to the performances and presentations of their peers. And of course, these moments of silence are broken by raucous cheering when each team finishes their presentations.

The day ends with a speech by our Summer Assistant Director, Zach Usmani, in which he explains to a room full of eager chalutzim that not everyone at Ramah can be a winner every time. Winning a competitive day like this is only fun when there are losers, and in a moment, two thirds of them will find out that they lost. Losing is part of life; but when the games are over, they are over, and we all come back together as one kehillah kedoshah. It is a lesson I hope chalutzim will take with them far beyond our ranch.

Conclusion

There are moments in life where one is filled with gratitude. Some occur spontaneously, and others come at regular intervals, like birthdays, anniversaries, and Jewish holidays. For those of us who work at camp, the end of the summer season is one such moment. Each summer, hundreds of families entrust us to care for that which is most precious to them: their children. As I reflect on this past summer, I could not be happier to have completed another incredible kayitz and am enormously grateful to everyone who is part of our camp community. To our chalutzim, who choose to spend their summers here; to their parents, who choose to send their children here; to our incredible tzevet, who choose to work here; and to all who choose to support our mission, year after year.

Our team is going to be taking some time off through the Labor Day Weekend. Aside from those running our retreats, we will all be offline. We look forward to reconnecting afterwards with chalutzim, parents, tzevet, and donors to further reflect on Kayitz 2024 and begin planning for Kayitz 2025 and beyond. In the meantime, if you have not already shared your feedback with us, please fill out this third-party survey administered by the Foundation for Jewish Camp.

With gratitude,

Rabbi Eliav Bock

Camp Director