History
The first Ramah camp was built on a site purchased by the Jewish Theological Seminary on Larsen's Bay. The property was aDivisions (''eidot'')
* Ruach Ramah (Spirit of Ramah) (entering 3rd grade; 5 days long) * Kochavim (Stars) (entering 4th grade; 12 days long) * Garinim (Seeds) (entering 5th grade; 4 weeks long) * Halutzim (Pioneers) (entering 6th grade; 4 weeks long) * Solelim (Trail Blazers) (entering 7th grade; 8 weeks long) * Shoafim (Yearners) (entering 8th grade; 8 weeks long) * Bogrim (Mature ones) (entering 9th grade; 8 weeks long) * Machon (Institution) (entering 10th grade; 8 weeks long) * Tikvah (Hope) (Program for campers with learning and social disabilities; 4-week and 8-week sessions, as well as an 8-week vocational program) * Nivonim (Wise Ones) (entering 11th grade; 8 weeks long)Tikvah programs
Tikvah
The Tikvah program was established at Ramah Wisconsin in 1973, and it aims to offer the Ramah experience to teens with special needs. The Tikvah program is designed for campers with learning and social difficulties, includingAtzmayim (Vocational program)
"Atzmayim", meaning independent ones, is the name for the Tikvah vocational program. This is an eight-week program established shortly after 2002 focused on former Tikvah campers who are post-high school age. Participants work in the nearby town of Eagle River five mornings a week. Job locations include coffee shops, plant and garden supply stores, supermarkets and hotels. Participants return in the afternoon for a Judaica class and activities. Participants have their own lounge and kitchen, and live in dedicated staff housing. Participants have one day off a week, and do not work on Shabbat.Jewish values
Tefilot
Campers lead their own services three times a day, with each age division assigned its own Makom Tefilah (place of prayer). Camper responsibility for the services increases as campers age, with the oldest eidot not only leading, but reading torah and haftorah, and even providing divreiShabbat
Ramah in Wisconsin is a Shabbat-observant camp. Many campers and staff members are not Sabbath observant at home, meaning Ramah in Wisconsin may be their first exposure to following the Jewish Sabbath. Campers and staff are not prohibited from using personal electronic devices in the cabin, but all are asked not to use such devices in public during Shabbat. Raw food is not cooked in the kitchen on Shabbat, but pre-cooked food is warmed in a manner that is permitted by Jewish law. Shabbat is brought in all-camp Friday night services, which features campers dressing up for the evening, taking pictures in groups, and having time to sit and talk with friends and siblings. The service often features the melodies of Orthodox RabbiKashrut
Ramah in Wisconsin is a Kashrut-observant camp. Many campers and staff members are not Kashrut observant at home, so Ramah in Wisconsin may be their first exposure to keeping kosher. Camper orientation involves learning about the meat and dairy sides of the kitchen. Meals are served as either dairy or meat meals (even when the meal is parve, and full-time mashgichim (kashrut supervisors) are present in the kitchen throughout the day. Only strictly kosher products are allowed in the camp, so food is not allowed in from outside. Campers are thus able to see that keeping kashrut can be part of a regular life.Education
The educational goals of the Ramah camps are to make Jewish learning a part of the everyday camp experience, using a combination of formal and informal educational tools. Campers are theoretically required to participate in six hours of Jewish studies a week during the school year. This requirement is often waived, as most Conservative synagogues do not offer the requisite number of hours. While not actually shown in the camp brochure, or talked about by campers in the promotional video, campers have two mandatory classes every day (except Shabbat and Wednesdays), taught by a combination of Israeli and American staff. This formal education takes up two of the seven programming periods of the day.Hebrew classes
Hebrew classes are mandatory for campers, excluding Machon and Nivonim, who have electives, and for those who participate in the Beit Midrash Program. They are arranged by level within each age division. Campers are tested at the start of the year. Classes are taught exclusively by members of the Mishlachat, Israelis who participate in an emissaries program run by theJewish studies classes
Jewish study classes are mandatory for all campers excluding Machon and Nivonim, who have electives, and for those younger campers who do not participate in the Beit Midrash Program. These classes are not arranged by level, and often based on a theme or concept (Such as Shabbat or Tzedakah), rather than a text. They are often taught by rabbinical school students, or occasionally by Jewish day school teachers.Beit Midrash
The Beit Midrash program offers campers in Bogrim and Machon a double period of study in place of Hebrew and Text, and offers Shoafim campers one period of study instead of their regular Jewish studies class. It is taught by Orthodox and some Conservative educators whose background is in Talmud and other Rabbinic texts. The Beit Midrash also includes a program called "the Northwoods Kollel", which unlike the traditional Orthodox model, is co-educational, and composed of between four and six college-age students who have usually not participated in the Ramah camping movement. Participants spend the day immersed in Talmud study. Classes focus on skill-building by reading a specific Rabbinic text, usually a perek of the Babylonian Talmud.Hebrew outside the classroom
Ramah has been known as a Hebrew-speaking camp since its inception. Hebrew exams before camp were once required to gain enrollment. Near total immersion was once one of the effective techniques used by Ramah Wisconsin, with Hebrew usage being required to fulfill tasks such as getting food in the dining room or acquiring art supplies. After the 1970s, serious efforts in using Hebrew outside the classroom became limited. Hebrew is still publicly used in announcements in the dining room and campwide events, musicals, and the refereeing of softball games, though it is unclear if the campers understand the Hebrew they use. Some buildings are referred to by Hebrew names, but most camp activities and locations are referred to in a camp slang that is a mix of Hebrew and English, such as “Meltzing” for waiting tables (from the Hebrew מלצר for "waiter"). Eidot names are still in Hebrew.Library
The Blanche Lippitz Library at the camp was established by the Sisterhoods of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan a tribute to the services rendered by Lippitz.Activities
''Tarbut'' (תרבות)
Camp Ramah In Wisconsin offers a number of activities for the campers. The main "''Tarbut''" (Hebrew for "culture") activities include: *''Omanut'' (אומנות) (includes pottery, copper enameling,Sports (ספורט)
Every day, excluding Wednesdays and Saturdays, has sports periods for campers. They can choose from basketball, volleyball, aerobics, softball, tennis, kayaking, and sailing. In recent years, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, soccer and field hockey have also been offered. Martial arts or self-defense are occasional activities. In addition, the camp has a beach volleyball area, and whileSwimming
Every age division has a perek (time period) devoted swim class once a day. At the beginning of the summer, campers are tested and placed into an American Red Cross swimming class based on their skill level. Campers in the Machon age division are offered a chance to enroll in a lifeguarding course that offers American Red Cross certification for those who successfully complete the course.Facilities
Ohel Yitzchak
While all other prayer areas are part of multi-purpose rooms, each eidah spends time praying in Ohel Yitzchak, the only permanent synagogue on the campus. Named in memory of Rabbi Isaac Bonder, the synagogue has large windows that look out into the forest, and tent-like architecture. The parochet, or ark curtain, was created by Annabelle Argand, features a tree that has just begun to bloom, reflecting the life cut short of Rabbi Bonder. The path leading to the synagogue is also incomplete. The ner tamid is a crown that is actually a ring of people holding hands and created by Israeli artist Gedaliah ben Tzvi, and the Sheviti is a paper cut by Roger Coleson, a former camp teacher who also died at an early age.Chadar Ochel
Ramah Wisconsin’s three dining rooms serve over 2,100 meals a day when camp is in full swing. The dining rooms are also used for various activities and events. A new facility with a renovated kitchen and three brand-new dining halls opened in June 2009.Annual events
Zimriah (Song Festival)
Early in the summer the Zimriah (song festival) takes place. Every eidah learns a song that follows a theme for the summer, with the majority of the songs coming from Israeli songwriters. Every eidah wears a color for that evening, giving the appearance of a color war. Solelim wears purple, Shoafim wears red, Bogrim wears blue, Machon and Tikvah wear white, and the younger eidot wear yellow, green, and orange. (While the oldest age division wears black, pre-2000 Zimriot saw Nivonim wearing tie-dye shirts, plaid, or even white.) After all eidot have sung their songs, each eidah stands up again and sings their own eidah song. Traditionally, the older eidot join in with the songs for the younger eidot. After all songs have been sung, the entire camp stands up and sings the Himnon Ramah, the camp song, which is traditionally sung after all camp-wide gatherings.Rikudiah (Dance Festival)
Now held near the end of the summer, the Rikudiah was originally held on the tennis courts as a part of the visitors' weekend festivities. While the Rikudiah is open to all campers, only the youngest eidot dance as a whole eidah. Older eidot are usually represented by those who take dance as a tarbut (cultural) activity. In addition, the Mishlachat (Israeli staff), the educational staff, the European staff and the administrative staff each perform a dance. When all the presentations are complete, the whole camp dances together, with each eidah called to bed until only Nivonim and staff remain. The focus of the Rikudiah originally emphasized Israeli folk dance and dances to classic songs from Israel and Jewish traditional life. These aspects are no longer a part of the Wisconsin Rikudiah. The most predominant style of dance seen is a variation on urban/ hip-hop dance, with the occasional modern or jazz dance piece.Tisha B'Av
The fast day ofYom Sport
Every year there is a Yom Sport, or "Sport Day". This day is similar to the traditional "color wars" found at other summer camps around the world. Campers are divided into four teams, traditionally having Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green. Campers from Nivonim are team captains, four for each team. Other Nivonim campers are part of the black team, or "Team Uber," or vice-administrators. Each team within each eidah compete with the other teams in the eidah throughout the event. Throughout the day, campers are required to cheer in Hebrew, and often take up Israeli sports teams (Beitar, Hapoel, etc.) The day currently ends with a giant, camp-wide relay race called "The Apache," adaptation of the Jicarilla Apache religious ritual brought to Ramah Wisconsin from "Indian" camps (ostensibly teaching some form of Native American values). This adaptation of Native American practices, one of the few at Ramah lacking either a Hebrew name or a Jewish cultural reference, replaced the original end of day event, the camp wide tug-of-war. The events that make up the Apache change every year. Elements include both the whimsical, such as of a mummy wrap, tent building, and car washing, as well as physically more demanding events such as long distance swimming and running. The conclusion of the Apache is a fire building contest, where the victors are the first to snap a string suspended above their fire pit.No smoking
No Smoking is the close-of-summer program that combines award ceremonies, encores of musical numbers from eidah musicals, and a multi-sectioned slide show on the last night of camp. No Smoking was originally a joke-filled roast of camp figures created in the late 1950s. Campers were responsible for their own program, and the musical interlude was a nonsensical jingle based on the doo-wop hit "Sha-boom," inspired by the songs in the dining room. As the camp grew and campers became more sensitive, the jokes and roasting elements were banned.Musicals
Each eidah from Sollelim through Nivonim puts on a Broadway musical entirely in Hebrew. Certain plays are relegated to different eidot, such as "The Little Mermaid" and "Peter Pan" given to younger eidot such as Sollelim and Shoafim, because of their simplicity. More complex plays like "Mamma Mia", "Les Miserables" and "Hairspray" are usually reserved for Bogrim, Machon, and Nivonim because of complex and more mature subject matter. Jonathan Adam Ross, Jewish theatre artist, who has performed his first solo show, “Walking in Memphis: The Life of a Southern Jew,” Off-Broadway is also a founding company member of the Northwoods Ramah Theatre and Storahtelling, and traces his acting roots to his longtime association with Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, where he serves as long-standing director of the performing arts. Dressed head to toe in bird fabrics and hopping on one leg, Mr. Ross debuted Bernard Melamud's, "The JewBird" first to audiences in Conover.See also
* Conservative JudaismReferences
External links