Camp Ramah in California -- December 3, 2016

Camp Ramah in California is a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...

located in

Ojai, California Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...

. The camp is affiliated with the Conservative Movement and observes the laws of

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

, and the laws of

Kashrut (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

History

The camp was founded in 1956 by Rabbi

Jacob Pressman Jacob "Jack" Pressman (October 26, 1919 – October 1, 2015) was an American Conservative rabbi. He served as the rabbi of Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles, California, from 1950 to 1985. He was a co-founder of the American Jewish University in B ...

.Larry B. Stammer
A Witness to Hate and Hope
, ''The Los Angeles Times'', October 23, 1999 In 2007, the camp installed the largest private non-profit solar power generator system in the state of California, a 270 kW system. Population-wise, it is the largest of the

Ramah Ramah may refer to: In ancient Israel * Ramathaim-Zophim, the birthplace of Samuel * Ramoth-Gilead, a Levite city of refuge * Ramah in Benjamin, mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah and also in the Gospel of Matthew * Baalath-Beer, also known as Ramo ...

summer camps, and it caters to the communities of the west coasts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, as well as the non-contiguous states of Hawaii and Alaska. It has also hosted campers from the United Kingdom. It is one of the only Ramah camps that operates a winter camp and holds winter weekends owing to the favorable winter climate. The summer season is split up into two four-week sessions attended by over 1,350 campers. Prayers are held in a synagogue in the round.

Administration

The current executive director is Rabbi Joe Menashe. He follows Rabbi Daniel Greyber, Brian Greene and Rabbi Edward Feinstein.

Chaim Potok Chaim Potok (February 17, 1929 – July 23, 2002) was an American author and rabbi. His first book ''The Chosen'' (1967), was listed on ''The New York Times’'' best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies. Biography H ...

, author of ''

The Chosen Chosen or The Chosen may refer to: The chosen ones *Chosen people, people who believe they have been chosen by a higher power to do a certain thing including **Jews as the chosen people Books * ''The Chosen'' (Potok novel), a 1967 novel by Chaim ...

'', '' The Promise'', and ''

My Name is Asher Lev ''My Name Is Asher Lev'' is a novel by Chaim Potok, an American author and rabbi. The book's protagonist is Asher Lev, a Hasidic Jewish boy in New York City. Asher is a loner with artistic inclinations. His art, however, causes conflicts with his ...

'', was director of the camp in 1957-59 before embarking on his career as a writer. Brian Greene and Rabbi Daniel Greyber have been executive directors of the camp. Following Chaim Potok, the camp was led by Tzvili Yardeni, Dr. Walter Ackerman, Rabbi

Zvi Dershowitz Zvi Dershowitz (born May 4, 1928) is an American rabbi, and is currently Rabbi Emeritus at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. Early life Dershowitz was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia in 1928. In 1938, just 33 days before the Nazis invaded, Dersho ...

, Rabbi Ronald Levine and then Asher Meltzer. Rabbi

directed the winter camp program and was the administrative director during the summer program from 1963 until 1973 (during which Dr. Walter Ackerman was the director of the summer camping program). Rabbi Dershowitz helped to start the winter weekends and helped to create what is now the current campus on 385 Fairview Road. To this date, he remains Camp Ramah's longest serving director consecutively.

Divisions

The campers are split up into age groups, called ''Edot'' (Plural) or "Edah" (Singular): *Gesher ("bridge") is a special 2-week program for younger campers entering 3rd to 5th grade who want to be acclimated to camp-life in shorter sessions. *Nitzanim ("sprouts"), entering 4th and 5th grade *Giborei Yisrael ("heroes of Israel"), entering 6th grade *Adat Shalom ("the tribe of peace"), entering 7th grade *Sollelim ("trail blazers"), entering 8th grade *Tzophim ("scouts"), entering 9th grade *Kochavim ("stars") entering 10th grade *Machon ("foundation") entering 11th grade *Amitzim ("the strong ones") is an ''edah'' for

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...

children of camp-age. *Abirim ("knights") entering 5th grade when Nitzanim is too large to be one edah Machon is the oldest age group for campers. The following summer, former campers (or "Ramahniks") are eligible for a six-week tour of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

called the Ramah Seminar. Mador is a program for first-time counselors and Madrega is a program for first-time specialists, those entering 12th grade. For special-needs adults, there is a program known as "Ezra" ("help"), for them to be on staff in preparation for careers. The "Tzevet" ("staff") is divided into "Madrichim" (counselors) and "Moomchim ("specialists"), while each ''Edah'' is led by a "Rosh Edah" ("head of the age group").

Special programs

The camp holds a family Memorial Day weekend, as well as a week-long program in August for families with children with special needs. In addition, Camp Ramah is rented out by

Rotary club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

s in order to host RYLA, a student leadership camp. The event lasts about four days and invites students from all over California.

Notable staff and alumni

Ben Platt Benjamin Schiff Platt (born September 24, 1993) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of ''The Sound of Music'' (2006) and ''The Book of Mormon'' (201 ...

attended as a camper and counselor and starred in camp musicals. *

Max Bemis Maxim Adam Bemis (born April 6, 1984) () is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, primary composer and primary lyricist of the band, Say Anything (band), Say Anything, before their hiatus in 2018. He sang alongside C ...

of the band "

Say Anything Say Anything may refer to: Film and television * '' Say Anything...'', a 1989 American film by Cameron Crowe * "Say Anything" (''BoJack Horseman''), a television episode Music * Say Anything (band), an American rock band ** ''Say Anything'' (alb ...

External links

*
National Ramah Commission website"Research Findings on the Impact of Camp Ramah," 2004American Jewish University

References

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California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Ojai, California Conservative Judaism in California Youth organizations based in California Buildings and structures in Ventura County, California