One of the most ubiquitous programs at Jewish summer camp used to be the mock IDF boot camp. Israeli counselors would take their charges into an open field, or maybe an obstacle course, and make them respond to commands in Hebrew. Campers would be ordered to stand still at attention, or to march in formation,…
At a moment in which liberal leaning American Jews — that is to say, the vast majority of American Jews — are feeling dismay at the coziness of fellow demagogues Trump and Netanyahu, the appointment of Labor leader Isaac Herzog to lead the Jewish Agency (in a sharp break with tradition, in which the prime…
“Are you ready for the summer?” goes the phrase from the Bill Murray comedy “Meatballs.” When asked if the ritzy Camp Mohawk is worth the price, Murray’s character rattles off its unique programs — a roundtable with Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat rapping with the kids and a not-so-P.C. version of sexual awareness week. If a…
Across the country, Jewish kids are counting down the days to the end of school, and the start of camp and its summertime pleasure of swimming, dancing and color wars. But even as families begin packing, the Conservative movement’s Camp Ramah has refused to allow a left-wing Jewish advocacy group that opposes the Israeli occupation…
On March 22, following months of gathering testimonies and public campaigning urging Ramah and other Jewish summer camps to talk about the Occupation and include Palestinian perspectives, we — alumni of six Ramah camps and members of IfNotNow— had the opportunity to sit down with National Ramah Commission Director Rabbi Mitch Cohen to share our…
Around 20 young people held a rally on Tuesday outside the New York headquarters of Camp Ramah, the Conservative movement’s summer camp system, to protest what they saw as the camp’s inadequate discussions of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians. The protest and teach-in was organized by IfNotNow, a left-wing Jewish activist group that has started…
In January of this year, Ramah in the Rockies is opening BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy, the nation’s first Jewish wilderness therapy program, serving young adults struggling with trauma, mental health issues, substance abuse, and those struggling on their journey from adolence to independent adulthood. The Jewish tradition provides such powerful guidance, support, and strength. And it…
This summer, I joined many fellow parents across the country in doing something that may seem to some to be irrational — I entrusted my two daughters, ages 8 and 12, into the care of complete strangers for a month at Jewish summer camp. In my particular case, I’ve been lucky enough to serve as…
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