This Pesach, as we read the story of yetziat mitzrayim in synagogue and at Seders, conversation may turn, as it often does, to leadership. We may discuss Moses’ fear about taking on the mantle of leadership, Pharaoh’s pride that keeps him from protecting his people, or Aaron’s capitulation to the Israelites’ demands to build them an idol. Every summer at the Jewish Outdoor Leadership Institute (JOLI), a program of Ramah Outdoor Adventure, teenagers have the same discussions, relating these core Jewish stories to their own leadership styles in the wilderness.
Posts
Sacred Environments: Teens Learn About Sukkot in the Wilderness. By Nathaniel Eisen
You shall dwell in booths seven days; all citizens of Israel shall dwell in booths; so that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. –Leviticus 23:42-43
For many of us, building a sukkah is just a commemorative act. We may pick up our schach from a local Hillel or Chabad, rather than gathering it in the woods. We have a warm house to retreat into should the fall weather turn nasty. But when you are huddled beneath a millimeters-thick tarp during a hailstorm, you begin to appreciate how wonderful and frail shelter can be.
It has happened!
Another successful summer at Ramah Outdoor Adventure has come to an end. All is quiet on the ranch. The goats, chickens and duck have gone home; the alpacas and horses will be picked up shortly. A few hours ago, we said goodbye to the last of our chalutzim (campers). Our tzevet (staff) are packing away equipment, sweeping the ohalim (tents) and readying camp for the long nine months of hibernation. Today is one of the hardest days of the summer. There is no cheering in the Chadar Ochel (dining hall), there are no yelps of joy coming from the chalutzim biking down the single track, and there is no one hanging around the table in the middle of the kfar (tent village) playing cards during free time.
Rabbi Marc Soloway, Rabbi of Bonei Shalom in Boulder, CO, wrote the following post for his synagogue bulletin. We hope you enjoy reading.
Are you Ready for Jewish Holiday Summer Camp ?
By Rabbi Marc
This summer I got to spend two whole weeks at “Ramah of the Rockies” as rabbi in residence at this amazing Jewish camp here in Colorado. As I prepared to leave, I had a taste of the emotions of the two-week campers who were also getting ready to end their heightened summer experience; that intense sadness at having to leave the sacred place and the wonderful friendships cultivated there.
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:
At its core, the story of Chanukah is a story about the continuation of the Jewish people in a time when there was great pressure to assimilate into the secular society. There were those who advocated complete assimilation into the Hellenistic society, and those who advocated complete disengagement from the secular world. Ultimately, the answer was found somewhere in between. Greek language, traditions and symbols influenced many aspects of the Jewish community in the 2nd century BCE, but the Jewish people as a whole continued to persevere and continued to flourish even while under the rule of foreign governments. Read more
Last Sunday night, 220 people gathered in Denver to honor Don Skupsky and to celebrate our Camp Ramah.
Here are the brief thoughts I shared with everyone that evening. Also, if you have not yet seen it, check out our new fundraising video here.
The question is, what do the following people have in common?
We just added a new page to our website called BEING GREEN. We were inspired to create this page after a conversation with Sybil Sanchez, Director of COEJL. She was musing about the need for every Jewish organization to have a link on their website about ways in which they are taking the enviroment into account in their programs. We will continue to update this page in much greater detail over the coming months and years, but wanted to start somewhere. To check out the new page, click here: To read the content, without the fancy videos and pictures, scroll down:
In November of 2008, the Jim Joseph Foundation (JJF) and the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) made a big bet. They awarded the National Ramah Commission (NRC) $1.1 million to create the first outdoor specialty camp in the country with an intensive Jewish focus. Jewish children had been going in droves to numerous secular specialty camps. The JJF, FJC & NRC bet that if a Jewish camp could offer a high level of programming infused with Jewish texts, values and traditions and employ passionate young educators to serve as role models to the campers, then a Jewish Outdoor Adventure camp would not only survive, but actually thrive. And thus Ramah Outdoor Adventure was born.
Four years ago, I sat in our first incubator camp session along with directors of four other Jewish specialty camps dreaming of what our camp would look like. Based on the model of a business incubator, where businesses share resources and knowledge early on to create a new business, the FJC organized a four year program to help five new specialty camps come to market. In that first meeting, the professionals running the camp incubator spoke to us about creating a 501(c)3, articulating a mission and list of values and conducting a SWOT analysis to figure out how we could compete in a crowded marketplace with 190+ other Jewish camps and hundreds of other excellent private camps. Over the ensuing four years, we have continued to gather as a cohort in our incubator sessions five times per year. We have moved from talking about camp as a theoretical idea to serving hundreds of young campers and staff each season. We have moved from talking about our “theory of social change” to implementing programs where we are actually changing children’s lives. We have moved from a group of 20 & 30 somethings with an idea about what an ideal camp could look like to a community with campers age 8-18, over 200 college/ graduate school age staff members and countless enthusiastic fans from parents to teachers to other camp professionals who are copying aspects of our program.
Last week in New York, the directors of all five incubator camps gathered for our final official incubator meeting to celebrate our collective success and welcome the directors of four new specialty camps who are setting out on their own journey to make their own camp dreams a reality. Standing in the room with the other directors, the heads of our respective agencies and many members of the FJC team who have helped bring us to this point, I could not help but feel a sense of collective pride in the thousands of Jewish children who have attended our five camps, many of whom would not have gone to a Jewish camp without the introduction of these incubator camps to the broader Jewish Camp marketplace.
And as I sit here, four years later, I think the three most important lessons I have learned are as follows:
- Always stay true to your mission and values, even if it means losing some sales. In the long term the dedication to our core values are what has made Ramah Outdoor Adventure such a special place and continues to guide each of our decisions about how we continue to improve our program.
- Hiring passionate, dedicated staff members who come to camp because of their love for the outdoors and their desire to advance our mission ensures the success of the program each summer. Our facility is one of the most rustic in the Jewish camping world and few children come to camp for our basketball but I have no doubt that our staff is among the absolute top in the entire camping industry.
- Many children want to be challenged, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Ramah Outdoor Adventure is a place with a clear “aspirational arc” in each of our program areas. At each stage of the program, campers are able to aspire to a new level. Whether this is in the teffilah program where we offer different prayer options to different age groups, or the archery range, where we have a traditional range with round targets and a 3D range for more advanced shooters, or our masa program where younger campers go for day trips and short overnights and our older campers head out for 4-6 days on the trail, at each stage we celebrate where a camper is, and show him/her where s/he can continue going.
With days left in our super-early bird registration, we have more campers registered for camp today than at this point in any previous year. In fact, we have more campers enrolled today than who came to camp in our opening summer only three years ago. It truly has been a fantastic ride, and I know that we are only at the beginning of ensuring that Ramah Outdoor Adventure continues to be a place where Jewish children come to spend their summers for years to come!
As we prepare for Rosh Hashanah and reflect on the year that has passed, those of us who had the fortune to spend time at the Ramah in the Rockies ranch will inevitably recall highlights we experienced at 8000 feet. We will remember the songs we sang, the trails we biked and the mountains we climbed. And almost all the chalutzim (campers) will remember the hours they worked on our new mural depicting the seven days of creation. Read more
It had to happen!
Another successful summer at Ramah Outdoor Adventure has come to an end. All is quiet on the ranch. Eight of our twenty horses have left. The Alpacas, goats, chickens and ducks have gone home. A few hours ago, we said goodbye to the last of our chalutzim (campers). Our tzevet (staff) are packing away equipment, sweeping the ohalim (tents) and readying the camp for the long nine months of hibernation. Today is one of the hardest days of the summer. There is no cheering in the ohel ochel, there are no yelps of joy coming from the chalutzim biking down the single track and there is no one hanging around the table in the middle of the kfar (tent area) playing cards during free time.
Last night, at Havdallah, a member of each edah spoke about his/her experience at camp. Each offered moving words. Below is a piece written by Shanna, who is an inaugural chalutza (camper) in our Tikvah program. Shanna arrived at camp less than 2 weeks ago, and she and the other chalutzim in the Amitzim edah (the name of the Edah in the Tikvah program) have come together as an amazing group, experiencing all that Ramah has to offer. These individuals have demonstrated that Ramah Outdoor Adventure can provide a wonderful place for children with developmental issues to spend part of their summer. We plan to continue to expand our Tikvah program in the coming year with two two week sessions.
And just like that, our 2012 masa (excursion) season has come to an end. A few minutes ago, our last masa rolled back into camp. This past week we had groups hiking, biking, spelunking, and climbing in the back country. Our Ilanot (3rd/4th graders) slept out on our ranch and then had a day hike up Givat Ilanot (Hill of Trees); last night, they had the first ever Ramah Space Station overnight (see the link on Facebook for more info)! Amitzim chalutzim (campers with special needs) had a horse overnight and went to a wolf preserve today. This week we ran a new masa for a group of Bogrim chalutzim (9/10th graders). They left on Sunday and spent the entire week horseback riding with an outfitter near the Wyoming border, from the initial report, this new masa was a galloping success (pun intended).
One of the core values of Ramah Outdoor Adventure is that Chalutzim (campers) will feel connected to the land and people of Israel, articulate how their lives are impacted by Israel and its citizens’ choices, and be able to engage in conversations about Israeli society. We accomplish this goal through a variety of methods: we hire a number of Chevrei Mishlachat (Israeli staff members) to work at camp. We bring Israeli chalutzim to camp. We sing Israeli songs, hang Israeli flags, conduct learning sessions about Israel related topics, and use Israel themes throughout much of our program.
At the beginning of each camp season, a herd of horses and a number of farm animals are delivered to our ranch for us to use in our camp program. For nine weeks, our tzevet (staff) and chalutzim (campers) care for these animals as their own pets. They learn the value of tzar baalei hayim (taking care of animals) as well as the work ethic involved in raising farm animals.
Finding animals for camp is one of the more interesting aspects of my job as director and rabbi of Ramah Outdoor Adventure. After years of living in Boston, New York, Palo Alto and Jerusalem, my experience with farm animals was very limited before starting this job. My understanding of how the rental market for horses & chickens in the West works was even more limited.
The following Blog Post was written by our Staff Trainer, Toby Joy Zelt. Toby describes her experience teaching the Metayalot girls (grade 5/6) during their “orienteering” activity this afternoon.
Around my knuckles I drew concentric circles, representing the mountain tops, which appeared on our topographical map. Through this demonstration, the chalutzot came to understand how the black and white map of curved lines, circles, and numbers related to the valleys and peaks of ROA’s surrounding wilderness. It is a genius method, using the knuckles to teach about topography, utilized in previous years by Joel, who coordinates all of our Masaot. With many years of backcountry experience, it was an exciting opportunity to teach some of the skills I find so rewarding and freeing; I know that these skills have allowed me a freedom to explore the beauty of this world that most people only dream about. When you can understand the landscape and use orienteering skills to navigate off trail, the world becomes open for adventure and discovery, the road less traveled invites you, and no longer are you forced to step where others have before. Many off trail, multi-day trips all over North America in spectacular scenery like Yosemite, Banff, Shenandoah, and Joshua Tree wouldn’t have had the same impact on me had I been restricted to paths. These navigational tools strengthen one’s confidence, independence, and self-reliance. When I was asked to teach this session to the girls, there was no question in my mind.
Read more
Our first full day of camp has drawn to a close. Chalutzim (pioneers/campers) were rock climbing, painting, playing Frisbee and so much more. While our oldest chalutzim chose their activities according to their interests, our younger ones went around as an ohel (tent) for most of the day. From the smiles on their faces, it seems that most of the chalutzim are making an easy transition into our community. Our meals today were also scrumptious, consisting of yogurt and homemade granola for breakfast, an extensive salad bar (with homegrown lettuce) and enchilada casserole for lunch, and salad and tuna casserole for dinner. Of course, while we try to serve healthy meals, the culinary highlight of the day was the homemade fudge soynut butter brownies!
Throughout this month, in these shorter blog posts, I hope to feature different programmatic aspects of our camp program. Tonight’s thoughts are on the newest addition to our camp program: Step Aerobics. In the fall, one of our returning mishlachat (Israeli embassador) members, Or G, asked whether she could introduce aerobics into the camp program this summer. Not wanting to every say no to a good idea, I told her that she was welcome to try it. Or, who is a certified aerobics instructor in Israel, gave a list of items she would need for the program, including steps, small carpets (to pad the floor) and a wall of mirrors.
Being an environmental camp can mean so many things. Certainly it refers to how we live in concert with nature, according to the cycles of the sun. It also means eating a healthy diet with an awareness of what we are putting into our bodies. But it also means being mindful in the procurement of materials and often buying used items that would otherwise be thrown away. Our Step Aerobics program is comprised of 100% recycled materials: The steps came from a gym in in Denver that was no longer offering aerobics, the mats came from a company called www.recycledfloormats.com, and the mirrors were bought at a foreclosure auction of a nightclub.
For a camp program to be successful, it not only needs an excellent teacher and appropriate materials, but also chalutzim who want to participate. In the case of step aerobics, its popularity has surpassed our expectations and has become one of the most subscribed offerings at camp for the older chalutzim. Last session, about 12 chalutzim, males and females, participated in the program. This session it is closer to 20 chalutzim, and a cadre of staff. Each comes because of the intense workout, the excellent Israeli music, and the fun nature of the class.
Step
At the moment, step is only being offered to our Bogrim chalutzim (9/10th graders). The younger chalutzim have an option for gymnastics, and we thought that this would be a suitable substitute. However, given the popularity of the step program, it is possible that we will revisit this decision for session IIB when all the chugim (classes) will be changing in any case.
The initial success of our step program suggests that while chalutzim choose to come to Ramah in Colorado for the outdoor sports, there is also a desire for regular athletic programs that provide additional physical challenges. Step aerobics requires a level of stamina similar to mountain biking, but an amount of grace and coordination of dancing. Seeing as it is only offered during the last perek (period), is a perfect way to end the day at Ramah Outdoor Adventure, and something that will hopefully remain part of our program for years to come.
Note: We were waiting to post this until our session slide show was ready with a hyperlink. Due to copyright issues, we are not able to post the session slide show on Youtube at the moment.
Tuesday Morning:
Our session I chalutzim have left the chava(ranch). Our Madrichim are preparing for our session II chalutzim who will be arriving in less than 24 hours. Beds are being moved, bikes are being fixed and the dining tent is being scrubbed. And just like that we have drawn the curtain on our largest first session ever at Ramah Outdoor Adventure.
The past four weeks have been a terrific success. We biked, climbed, visited wolves, witnessed fantastic rainbows, crossed snowy mountain passes and bathed in refreshing Colorado streams. We laughed and we cried, we hugged and we played. We shared scrumptious meals in the back country and set Shabbat tables in our new dining tent. We learned and we taught. And perhaps most importantly, we all grew spiritually, emotionally and physically through the weeks together at our alpine ranch. While there is no way to adequately capture a month of excitement in a few words or pictures, given that most parents and supporters of camp never have a chance to experience the Ramah Outdoor Adventure excitement, I will offer a few vignettes on this session.
Sunday morning:
If I had to choose one word to describe Shabbat at Ramah Outdoor Adventure, it would be “Kehillah” “[community]” One feels this sense of Kehillah, when we gather, all recently showered and wearing white clothing, in the Kfar (tent area) for Israeli dancing on erev Shabbat. One feels this sense of community, when we walk down to the pardes Teffilah for camp-wide services and everyone is singing together to the beat of the drum and the strumming of the guitar. One feels this sense of community at the singing after dinner on Friday night, which this past Friday night was some of the most spirited I have seen in my summers at Ramah Outdoor Adventure. One feels this sense of community during Shabbat day when chalutzim (campers) of different ages are hanging out with each other playing gaga. And one feels this sense of community at the end of Shabbat when the entire camp, gathers in one huge circle to sing Havdallah and bid farewell to Shabbat.
Our first full day of programming has come to a close. As I write this, all of our chalutzim (campers/pioneers) are fast asleep in their ohalim (tents). I, like so many of our chalutzim, have spent most of the year dreaming about being back in camp, and then in a blink of an eye we are here and we have one full day under our belts. As I walked around our chava (ranch) today, I saw chalutzim riding horses, mountain biking, shooting arrows at the archery range and so much more. Our orienteering staff built an awesome 3D topographical map using mounds of dirt and piping. Campers at the farm had a chance to take care of our alpacas and goats and to collect eggs from the chicken coup. Overall, it was a terrific day.
It is hard to believe that we have been at the Ramah Ranch for over a week. Last Thursday a large group of counselors from across the URJ (Reform) & Ramah camping movements arrived for Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training. During this time, we switched off between intensive first aid training, eating delicious meals together and spending time engaged in ritual practice and Jewish learning. All in all, it has been a fantastic week. While almost thirty five individuals have been learning first aid, about ten others have been helping to physically prepare our site for the rest of the camp staff who arrive this Sunday for staff week.
While our first session campers do not arrive for another 12 days (!), if the past week is any indication, the dedication to living according to our core values and creating a wholesome atmosphere, which has been the hallmark of our community here in the Rockies, will once again define us as a summer camp and ensure that we all have a wonderful summer.
A few examples from this past week:
- On Sunday a group of volunteers arrived at our ranch from the Denver area ready to build tents, to weed the garden and to plant trees. These volunteers, most of whom will never come to camp as campers (sadly they are too “old”), worked throughout the morning and early afternoon for nothing more than a Thank You, and the knowledge that they were helping to build a Jewish community in the Rockies. While most of the volunteers were familiar with Ramah in the Rockies, one family joined us because they had heard from the Deputy Sheriff in the area that we are looking to borrow an alpaca for the summer. This family, who live about 25 miles from camp in the town of Pine, not only have an alpaca to lend, but also wanted to help ready camp for our campers. They had so much fun that they asked whether they could join us for a Friday night service and perhaps return on a future Sunday to help out again.
- This week, a group of our counselors have been at the ranch moving beds, erecting tents, and doing loads of manual labor to ensure that camp is ready to open on June 19th. One of the largest structures that they assembled was our white tent in front of the art room, which we call the Ohel Eshel (after Abraham’s tent that was also open on all four sides). At two different points in the construction process, we needed the help of about twenty other people to lift and move the tent. After a meal, I asked for volunteers, and almost everyone from the URJ camps AND the Ramah camps came to help out. While it is not surprising that people are willing to lend a hand, it is the positive and happy attitude that they have that ensures that tasks are not only completed, but are finished with a sense of pride and purpose. Once our Chalutzim (campers) arrive, we will continue to emphasize that communities are strengthened when people help each other.
- Just like we will do during the summer, we have awoken each morning to the booming voice of Juiceboxx and G‑baby (their parents named them Dan and Gabi, but chalutzim refer to them by their camp names) who yell Bo- Bo‑ Bo‑ Boker Tov! Some of our counselors have already been awake for forty five minutes practicing yoga by the time the shout it heard. Others have been for a run, and most are just beginning to stir. Each morning, thirty minutes after our ‘wakeup call’ we gather for teffilot. It is hard to describe the sense of awe that one feels here each morning. Because we have been mixed with the URJ participants, we have offered a variety of “alternative” teffilot, from meditation, to nature walks to yoga. We have also had some more traditional forms such as a musical teffilah yesterday and a traditional Torah reading service today. A personal highlight was our Reform lead service that took place in the hay loft on Sunday morning. Although the hour is early, and the temperature cool, we have had inspirational teffilot that I hope will become even more inspirational once the rest of our staff and chalutzim arrive.
Each summer in early June we all feel a sense of nervous excitement. Will this be a good summer? Will I like my counselors? Will I meet new friends? Will I like the food? As the camp director, I too am filled with nervous excitement, although my list includes items that campers might not worry about, such as: will the food truck arrive on time? Will the water pipe leak? Will the internet keep our phones running? Thankfully, one week into our summer season, I am pleased to report that almost everything has been running better than expected. If we can replicate nine more weeks like this past one, we will be in great shape!
