Fun in our New Mercaz Omanut!

Rosh Omanut Emily Shapiro & Program Staff-member Dani Carrus share this report!

The old Beit Am Bet is almost unrecognizable after its renovation and transformation into the new arts building. The largest section of the building is devoted to Omanut, Camp Ramah’s arts and crafts program. At its heart is a spacious, air-conditioned, high-ceilinged studio, designed in the style of a beit midrash, where campers choose from several different chugim, including: silk painting, sewing, crochet, mosaics, drawing, special effects makeup, and jewelry-making. Three adjoining studios are home to digital scrapbooking with Canva, Pinterest-inspired crafts, and watercolor painting. A separate, fully equipped ceramics studio features pottery wheels and kilns, providing chanichim/ot (campers) with the opportunity to explore clay in a dedicated creative space. 

The Omanut building is constantly buzzing with campers eager to create. At one end of the building is a beautiful new modern teaching kitchen. Designed with stainless steel workstations, professional ovens, and kid-friendly culinary tools, this space hosts hands-on cooking and baking classes. Campers roll up their sleeves to create everything from classic braided challah and savory borekas to modern twists on Israeli street food. Guided by skilled tzevet (staff), they not only master fundamental kitchen techniques but also explore Jewish culture and tradition from around the world, one delicious recipe at a time. The aroma of freshly baked goods routinely drifts down the hallway. 

At the other end of the building, our brand-new dance studio offers a space for campers to move, choreograph, and express themselves. Flooded with natural light from the large garage doors along one wall, the studio features professional grade parquet flooring, mirrored walls, and sturdy ballet barres. Whether campers are participating in intensive dance chugim, or rehearsing for a musical, the room is a hub of energy and rhythm. Every rehearsal from modern hip-hop to traditional Israeli folk dance is inspiring  and engaging.  As one camper put it when asked about what it is like to have our new Mercaz Omanut, “It’s the best building in camp — I basically live here!”