How an Unlikely Friendship Formed at Camp Ramah in New England
Liran and Yishai met at Camp Ramah in New England, and they became close friends over their many years at camp together. Their deep and meaningful friendship demonstrates the value of inclusion that is so important throughout the Ramah Camping Movement. Liran and Yishai have, together, written a beautiful article about their friendship. Here’s an excerpt:
Liran: However, whenever I try to explain our relationship to other people, something gets lost in translation. One of my other campmates once told me, “Man, it’s really incredible what you do with Yishai. It’s really awesome.” While this compliment definitely left me with a sense of pride, I was baffled that he believed me to be “doing” anything out of the ordinary. People always assume that because Yishai has a muscular disorder, our relationship must be something truly out of the ordinary. But I think they’re entirely wrong. It has nothing to do with what Yishai can’t do physically; it has to do with what he can do mentally.
Yishai: Everyone hopes that in their lives they will find a friendship like the one that Liran and I share, a monument of certainty in a landscape of connections made throughout one’s life. And indeed, that is what we have a built together–a monument. But not just a monument to our connection with each other, but a monument to the rejection of assumptions, to the truth of friendship, and to the potential for connection that exists between all people, regardless of what pre-existing structures might seek to restrict them.