We are extremely excited to introduce you all to our amazing 2011 hanhallah (senior staff)!
Shalom! My name is Liav Shapiro and I'm thrilled to be returning as Rosh Ilanot for kayitz 2011! Over the past 3 years I have taught 4th and 5th grade at a public school in New York City. I have a B.S. in Elementary Education and Special Education from New York University and a M.A. in Special Education from Hunter College. I sing in an a capella group called Avir. I like to sing, dance, and laugh and I especially love meeting new people and enjoying all the amazing things that camp has to offer. Since I was 12 years old, Camp Ramah has been part of my life! I am looking forward to an amazing summer!
Shalom! My name is Tova Stark and I am thrilled to be returning as Rosh Solelim for kayitz 2011! I just recently graduated from Binghamton University with a double major of Human Development and Judaic Studies. In college I was very involved in the Hillel and Chabad on campus and not only did I enjoy my experience there very much, but I feel as if it has given me leadership tools for the future. I am currently studying in Jerusalem at a woman's institution for greater Torah studies called Nishmat. I am enjoying my year learning in Israel immensely – studying Torah l'shma (for the sake of Torah itself, not for credit), exploring the land of Israel, and meeting new people.
I am thrilled to be coming back to camp for Camp Ramah for kayitz 2011 –
אני מאד מתרגשת לראות את כולכם
Shalom! My name is Rafi Spitzer and I am going to be S’gan Solelim for kayitz 2011! I am a junior at Boston University, where I'm majoring in Anthropology of Religion. I'm on the board of BU's Hillel House, work at a Hebrew School near my apartment, and this year I was able to join the steering committee for Project Bread's Walk for Hunger. I love cooking, playing board games, spending Shabbat with friends, Passover (though Succot is also a pretty good holiday), and thinking (b'ivrit) about all the exciting things I'll be doing this summer at camp. My favorite color is purple. I'm looking forward to kayitz 2011!
Shalom! My name is Eleanor Carmeli and I am going to be Co-Rosh Shoafim this summer! In May, 2011, I will be graduating from Cornell University, where I studied Industrial and Labor Relations and received minors in Jewish Studies and Law and Society. At Cornell, I enjoyed serving as Hillel President, playing intramural basketball, making mugs in the ceramics studio and taking walks along the many gorges on campus. Most importantly, I am an avid Harry Potter fan and I can't wait to watch the 7th movie (Part 2) this summer! After the summer, I will be traveling to the West Coast where I will be working for Google in California. I spent two summers working as a Shoafim counselor at Camp Ramah New England ('07 and '08) and I am very excited to return to Palmer this summer as Co-Rosh Shoafim!
Shalom! My name is Arielle Feit and I am going to be Co-Rosh Shoafim this summer! I am a senior at List College, the Joint Program between Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. I am majoring in Urban Studies at Columbia, and in Talmud and Rabbinics at JTS. Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, I was active in chapter and regional United Synagogue Youth (USY), and after high school, I spent a year on Nativ, the Conservative Movement's gap year program in Israel. I have been a member of Shalhevet, the Israeli Dance Troupe of Columbia, Barnard, and JTS, for the past three years and after participating in a month-long Jewish Medical Ethics program in Jerusalem this past summer, I am hoping to pursue a career in hospital chaplaincy after I graduate in May. I am so looking forward to my first summer at Camp Ramah in New England – I can't wait to see you all there!
Shalom! My name is Yoav After and I am going to be Rosh Kochavim this summer! I live in Israel in a small town called Givat Shmuel, near Tel Aviv. I currently work in a children's home in Tel Aviv for kids that come from broken families. My job is to co-ordinate the day care program there, which I have been doing for the past 6 years. I graduated from Bar Ilan university in 2010, where I studied special education. This is will be my sixth summer in camp. I was a counselor on Tzad Aleph for two summers, S’gan Rosh Ilanot for two summers and, in 2009, I was Rosh Kochavim. I am so excited to return for my second summer as Rosh Kochavim!
Shalom! My name is Elisheva Layman and I am going to be Rosh Amitzim this summer! I am a junior at the University of Maryland and I am studying Special Education. This will be my 11th summer at camp and I am so excited to be coming back again. I was a camper for 7 summers and on Amitzim staff for the past 3, so camp is like a second home for me. In my free time I love hanging out with my friends, singing and talking about camp! I can't wait for kayitz 2011 🙂
Shalom! My name is Rachel Kozak and I am going to be Rosh Magshimim this summer! I am graduating from the University of Maryland in May with a double major in Jewish Studies and Psychology. This summer will be my 13th consecutive summer at Camp Ramah in New England (including Seminar), and my fifth year on staff. I am super-psyched for being Rosh Ma-Ma-Magshimim!!! My favorite activities include playing tennis, singing, eating ice cream (obviously at Rondeau's), going to the beach, and flamingo-watching. I love spending my Shabbatot with my friends from almost every Ramah camp here at Maryland. I can't wait to see all of you in just a few months!
Shalom! My name is Daniel Rabin and I am going to be Rosh Bogrim this summer! I am a junior at the University of Maryland majoring in chemistry. Ramah has always been a part of my life. I was a camper at Camp Ramah in California for three summers and this will be my second summer working in New England. In my free time I love singing with my a capella group and playing basketball. I am so excited for this summer, I can't wait to see you all!
Shalom! My name is Rami Schwartzer and I am going to be Rosh Machon this summer! Originally from West Hartford, CT, I have been living in New York City for the past five years where I received a B.A. in Talmud & Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a B.A. in philosophy from Columbia University. After graduating, I began working full time for the National Ramah Commission, allowing me to stay involved with camp all year round. I am very excited to be back on tzad bet after several summers on tzad aleph and in the Tikvah program, and I am eager to work with Machon 2011. Between now and the start of camp, I am spending most of my time on the back of a bicycle training for a 250-mile ride through Northern Israel to raise money for Tikvah and other special needs programs at Ramah, which will take place in May. When I’m not riding, I enjoy getting lost in a book and revisiting old episodes of Lost. I am so excited to spend my ninth summer at camp with Machon 2011!
Shalom! My name is Ezra Balser and I am very excited to be returning to Camp Ramah as Rosh Nivonim for kayitz 2011! I have been a Ramahnik since my Halutzim (entering 6th grade) summer in 1996 and Camp Ramah is my favorite place to be in the world! I love baseball and the Chicago White Sox and I was in the York Jewish a capella choir (Kol Neshama) as a bass for two years. I have a B. A in Religious Studies from York University and, during the year, I am the Youth Director at Am Yisrael Conservative Congregation in Northfield, IL.
