Camp Ramah

Camp Ramah (Hebrew: מחנה רמה‎ Machaneh Ramah) is a network of Jewish summer camps affiliated with the Conservative Movement. The camps operate in the United States, Canada, and Israel. Ramah camps serve kosher food and are Shabbat-observant.

History

During the 1940s, the Jewish Theological Seminary established Camp Ramah as a tool for furthering Jewish education. The founders envisioned an informal camp setting where Jewish youth would reconnect with the synagogue and Jewish tradition, and a new cadre of American-born Jewish leadership could be cultivated. The founders of Ramah camps were inspired by Camp Massad and Camp Cejwin.

The first camp opened in Conover, Wisconsin in 1947. The program was drawn up by Moshe Davis and Sylvia Ettenberg of the JTS Teachers' Institute. In October 2007, Ettenberg was awarded Pras Ramah (the Ramah Prize) as part of Ramah's 60th anniversary celebrations. Many of the early staff were ex-Camp Massad people and JTS students. In 1950, the second Ramah camp opened in the Poconos and in 1953, the third Ramah camp opened in Connecticut (this camp was later moved to Massachusetts).

Camp Ramah in Wisconsin

Camp Ramah in Wisconsin is a Jewish summer camp based in Conover, Wisconsin, on Upper Lake Buckatabon. The Wisconsin camp was the first of the Ramah camps, established in 1947 by Rabbi Ralph Simon, under the direction of Conservative educator Henry Goldberg, with nearly 100 campers. It was sponsored by the Chicago Council of Conservative Synagogues and the Midwest Branch of the United Synagogue.

It draws campers from across the Midwest, primarily Chicago and the Twin Cities. The camp also hosts the Chicago region United Synagogue Youth (USY) encampment (a.k.a. "Camp Chusy"). Campers stay at the camp for either four or eight weeks, depending on their age division, or "edah". Following Nivonim, the edah for those entering 11th grade, campers are encouraged to participate in Ramah Israel Seminar. The summer following Seminar, they may apply to join the camp staff. The Camp Ramah Director is Jacob Cytryn. The Executive Director of Ramah Wisconsin and the Ramah Day Camp of Chicago is Rabbi David Soloff.