Summer 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.
Summer Staff Experience
Ramah in the Rockies aspires to educate and inspire a new generation of young Jewish leaders who:
- are Jewishly and environmentally literate;
- are committed to living enlightened Jewish lives;
- actively strengthen the broader Jewish community;
- preserve and protect the earth’s natural gifts;
- inspire positive change in the global community through their example of environmental stewardship and the perpetuation of Jewish values.
Click HERE for a little taste of our staff experience!
JOIN OUR TEAM
Ramah in the Rockies is hiring on a rolling basis. Check out our different program areas and roles below, and see which ones best fit your interest and skills. Contact Mirit Sands, Camp Life Director, at mirit@ramahoutdoors.org with any questions.
Summer Team
Our Program Areas:
2025 Staff Dates & Requirements
2025 Staff Dates
Tuesday, May 27 – Wilderness First Responder (WFR) Course Begins (Open to Selected Staff)
Tuesday, May 27 – Operations/Hospitality/Kitchen Arrival
Thursday, June 5 – Hanhallah (Leadership Team) & Israeli Staff Arrival
Sunday, June 8 – Staff Arrival
Thursday, July 10 – Second Session Staff Arrival
Monday, July 14 – First Session Staff Departure
Thursday, July 31 – Six Week Staff Departure
Wednesday, August 13 – Staff Departure
Thursday, August 14 – Hanhallah (Leadership Team) Departure
Ramah in the Rockies summer staff must have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Seasonal Staff Payscale
Available Positions for Summer 2025
In late October we will start hiring for the 2025 season, and we will update this page regularly with information about open positions starting January 2025. Currently, all roles are available for summer 2025. Please email Mirit Sands to inquire about a specific role.
Job Descriptions
Click below to read a general job description of our various positions.
Mirpa’ah (health center) Assistant
Rosh Anaf – Activity Supervisor
Rosh Chinuch – Head of Education
Sgan Rosh Edah/Anaf – Assistant Unit/Program Area Head
Yoetzim & Inclusion – Camp Wellness & Camper Support
Staff Training Opportunities
Working at camp is more than a job – it is an opportunity to develop skills and experience ongoing learning opportunities.
We offer both informal and formal training to our summer staff, including:
Wilderness First Responder certification through SOLO Wilderness Medicine
Mental Health First Aid
Backcountry leadership training
Jewish leadership development
Year-Round Opportunities for Summer Staff
Training and Conferences
As part of the Ramah camping movement, we offer a variety of off-season training opportunities to our summer staff.
- Bert B. Weinstein Institute for Counselor Training – for first-year counselors
- Leadership Institute for College Sophomores – for experienced senior counselors
- Louis & Shoshanah Winer Institute for Rosh Edah Training – for division heads
Ramah Service Corps Fellowship
Ramah in the Rockies staff can also participate in the Ramah Service Corp Fellowship.
Click here to meet our 2023-2024 Ramah Service Corp fellows!
Ramah College Network Coordinator
Are you interested in bringing the ruach and values of Ramah to your campus? Become a Ramah College Network Coordinator! Skilled leaders on their campuses, Ramah College Network Coordinators are passionate about Ramah and creating strong, engaged Jewish communities. Coordinators plan 6-8 events on their campuses throughout the academic year for Ramah alumni and extended friends of Ramah.
Reshet Ramah Internship Program
Are you looking for an internship that will allow you to grow your skills and professional networks and also return to work at camp? Check out the Reshet Ramah Internship Program for current internship opportunities in a field of your choice, in addition to a stipend added on to your camp paycheck.
For questions about any of these opportunities, contact Adina Scheinberg, National Ramah Program Director.
Staff Handbook
Interested in the nitty-gritty details of being on staff? Check out our staff handbook here!
For questions about staffing and the application process, please contact Mirit Sands at mirit@ramahoutdoors.org or (303) 261-8214 x 106.
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 and is a Schusterman Senior Fellow. He is joined each summer at camp by his wife, Dina Danon, and their three children.
Gabi Wasserman
Finance Director
Gabi has been closely involved with Ramah in the Rockies in different capacities since 2011 when he worked his first summer as mountain bike staff (despite having never ridden a mountain bike). Fast forward 10 years, Ramah in the Rockies has had a transformative impact on Gabi‘s life. In addition to being a avid mountain biker, climber, and coffee drinker, Gabi is deeply committed to the mission of Ramah in the Rockies and has seen up close the impact that the organization can have on Jewish youth. Gabi brings ruthless organization, a keen sense of risk management, and a passion for writing bios to the year-round team, and he is truly excited to be able to serve Ramah Rockies in his current capacity as Finance Director. During work hours, you can find Gabi in one of eight possible coffee shops in the Denver metro area working hard to ensure Ramah’s financial stability for years to come.
Mirit Sands
Camp Life Director
Mirit brings her passion for relational engagement, curriculum development, and leadership training to Ramah in the Rockies. Hailing from New Orleans, Mirit grew up attending the New Orleans Jewish Day School, participating in Young Judaea and United Synagogue Youth, and spending her summers at Camp Ramah Darom. She graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Psychology and the Jewish Theological Seminary with a B.A. in Bible and a Master’s in Jewish Education. Prior to joining the Rockies team, Mirit worked at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires as a Rosh Aidah and Program Coordinator and at Central Synagogue in New York City as the Assistant Director of their religious school. During her spare time, Mirit can be found listening and dancing to live music, rooting for the New Orleans Saints, and making her way through New York Times recipes.
Ben Kahn
Program Manager
Ben joined our community as a JOLI participant in 2015 and has returned almost every summer since. In the 2022-2023 off-season, Ben was a Ramah Service Corps Fellow, which allowed him the opportunity with Ramah in the Rockies on recruitment and operational areas of camp. Ben also previously worked at Bonai Shalom and facilitated Jewish programs for Moishe House in Boulder, CO. In his role of Program Manager, Ben oversees all aspects of our masa (backcountry excursion) program during the summer and supports both our program and operations team in the off-season.
Talia Horowitz
Director of Camp Wellness
Talia brings an integrated approach to the Ramah in the Rockies Wellness Team by drawing on her experience as a clinical social worker, her training as a yoga teacher, and her passion for Jewish practice and spending time in nature. A Denver native with deep roots in the Denver Jewish community, Talia has a BA in Art History and Hebrew from Brandeis University and received her Masters in Social Work from Simmons College in 2013. Having worked with children and families in a variety of settings throughout her career, Talia strives to foster an environment of social-emotional health for campers, staff, and families alike. She brings warmth and openness to every encounter, focusing on the unique needs of each individual in balance with the goals and wellbeing of the larger group. Talia will be joined each summer at camp by her husband Jeff (also a social worker!), and her two future campers, Yona and Lev.
Zach Usmani
Summer Assistant Director
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 teaches in the master’s program at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. He has a BA in sociology from OSU and an MSW from Columbia University.
During the school year, he is a school social worker in Columbus, OH, and teaches in the master’s program at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. He has a BA in sociology from OSU 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.
Brent Bohs
Ranch Manager
303-647-2260
An avid outdoor enthusiast and native of Indiana, Brent brings a diverse array of skills to Ramah in the Rockies. Brent spent many years living and managing an 8-acre homestead where he practiced organic vegetable and poultry farming. His focus on self-sufficiency has led to an extensive knowledge of carpentry, plumbing, electrical and metal fabrication. In addition to practical maintenance, his 15 years of live entertainment production/management has given him a unique skill set geared towards logistics and inventory management.
When not working on the ranch, Brent is also a seasoned outdoorsman adept at ultra running, canyoneering, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, backpacking, and mountain biking, to name a few. Regardless of the weather or season, expect to find Brent outside doing something exciting!
As a lifelong learner, Brent is constantly looking for opportunities to expand his skill set. In 2021 Brent earned his NOLS Wilderness First Responder and SSI SRT-1 Swiftwater Rescue Technician certifications. As Ranch Manager, he is looking forward to continually improving the grounds and facilities at Ramah in the Rockies while conserving the beautiful ecosystem we love dearly. He is fortunate to live year-round up at the ranch!
When not working on the ranch, Brent is also a seasoned outdoorsman adept at ultra running, canyoneering, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, backpacking, and mountain biking, to name a few. Regardless of the weather or season, expect to find Brent outside doing something exciting!
As a lifelong learner, Brent is constantly looking for opportunities to expand his skill set. In 2021 Brent earned his NOLS Wilderness First Responder and SSI SRT-1 Swiftwater Rescue Technician certifications. As Ranch Manager, he is looking forward to continually improving the grounds and facilities at Ramah in the Rockies while conserving the beautiful ecosystem we love dearly. He is fortunate to live year-round up at the ranch!
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.
