Entries by Rabbi Eliav

2023 Session I Reflections

Dear Ramah in the Rockies Community,

This morning I woke up to the light streaming through my window and to the sounds of chirping birds and rustling trees. I saw no campers playing along the road or in Ohel Koby, and no one was there to yell “Bo-bo-bo-boker Tov!” The blue sky and mountain air still greeted me when I opened my door, but I miss seeing the chalutzim (campers) bustling about, scurrying to the bathhouse or lounging at the picnic tables.

Summer 2023 Reflections

Dear Ramah in the Rockies community,

I woke up today to the sound of silence. Usually that would sound like heaven, but after ten weeks of awakening every day to the sounds of chalutzim (campers) and tzevet (staff) busily preparing for their day, it seemed unnatural not to hear children running to the bathhouse or playing ping-pong at Ohel Koby. This summer, over 550 youth joined us on our ranch, with as many as 340 members of our community here at one time. With our final tzevet departing in the coming hours, we will have to wait nearly ten months until our community is whole again. Though it is impossible to truly encapsulate what has happened this season, I hope to give you a taste of the energy present on our chava (ranch) this summer.

End of Session I

Dear Ramah in the Rockies Community, Yesterday, our tzevet (staff) returned from their two day break. Today, we spent our time reflecting on the session that had passed and time planning for the session to come. Twenty JOLI (Jewish Outdoor Leadership Institute) participants are camping elsewhere on our chava (ranch) and in a few short […]

We asked, You shared, We listened

Over the past six weeks, our year-round team listened to hundreds of parents, chalutzim (campers), and tzevet (staff) about their experiences at Ramah in the Rockies. We appreciate the honest feedback offered by all. Below are a few highlights of lessons learned from kayitz 2022, along with some areas for growth, as we begin planning for 2023.

Purim Program Updates

With each passing week, we are becoming more excited about the reopening of our ranch. You have likely read so much from us about our reopening COVID protocols that you have wondered whether we are also thinking about how to improve the actual camp experience. Rest assured that we have been hard at work planning […]

Reflecting on our environmental habits – TuBishvat 5781

Snow and ice cover the ground outside my house; the windchill makes it feel well below 20 degrees. My mind, however, is in my spiritual homeland, where the first buds of the almond tree are beginning to bloom. It is where, in most years, I would be this week interviewing our Israeli Mishlachat members who […]

Nature Up Close

Morah Nehamah Liebowitz, the late Torah commentator, is said to have hated the concept of Mother’s Day; she thought it crazy that we would take one day to be nice to mothers— according to her, every day should be a celebration of mothers! When thinking about Tu B’Shevat, what has become Judaism’s annual version of […]