Camp Ramah Blog
“Those earnest, hard-working counselors were better Jewish role models than I could have dared to wish for—they led services, they played soccer in kippot, they spoke Hebrew with gorgeous Israeli accents (the Israelis, at least), their love for Shabbat at camp was contagious. When on one Shabbat my son, who needs coaxing and bribing to participate in services at home, elected to share an aliyah with his counselor, I knew that camp was working.”
“I can never repay the scholarships R. has received, and her brother before her, even if monetarily I strike it rich and pay back a hundred times the amount. What both of my children have taken away from the experience, and what R. continues to gain from her time at Ramah, truly is priceless. The other night, as I engaged in my nightly summer ritual of browsing Ramah photos online, I found a picture that brought tears to my eyes: R. putting on Tefillin. She may never do it again in her life, but to see her in the process and know that she at least tried–she at least has some knowledge of what it feels like and what it means–is very significant to me. I shared the photo with her bat mitzvah teacher, and he also cried, mostly because we get a little emotional about R. and her particular Jewish journey.”
“I would never have imagined how much fun I could have every second of every day.”
“We’ll begin by thanking you and your staff for creating such a positive, meaningful, and memorable camp experience for our daughter E. There are so few times that the parents of a special needs child can relax. The challenges and stresses of looking out for them in school, in the community, even in the grocery store can be overwhelming. We can now add Camp Ramah New England to that short list of places where we can leave E. with confidence. She described camp as “amazing” and has already informed us that she wants to go for the entire summer next year. E. came home using much of the Hebrew she learned at camp and singing the songs of Fiddler on the Roof. As a matter of fact, she insisted we watch the movie together as a family that very first night home. She appears more motivated to be independent in much of her daily routine. She continues to relive camp through watching all the posted videos and photos. Please share our gratitude with [all the staff-members] whose compassion and professionalism made a real difference for E. this summer.”
“My daughter had a great time as well as a substantial educational experience. The camp staff were very inviting and went out of their way to make a young girl from Israel feel at home.”
“Camp instills the message in all of us that while as individuals we have a tremendous amount to offer, so much more can be accomplished with the help of the community.”