Ramah Israel Seminar Reflection, by Hannah Blas, Niv ’14

A note from David: Ramah Israel Seminar is a 6 week program in Israel for our Nivonim graduates with other Ramahniks from around the country. Seminar is the next step in the ladder of Ramah experiences…from being a Nivonimer, to Seminar, and ultimately returning to Ramah as a staff member. Whether you’ve been to Israel many times or have never been before, Seminar can be a transformative experience for you.  Registration for Ramah Israel Seminar 2016 is now OPEN at http://seminar.ramah.org.il/. Feel free to be in touch with Judy Greene at ramahisrael@campramah.org for more information. 

How could you possibly top your best summer yet as a Nivonimer, probably the most amazing summer as a camper? Nothing can compare with Niv summer, right? If you go on Ramah Seminar, you’ll probably be proved wrong. You’ll be on a program that is awesome in so many other great ways, unlike any summer that you’ve spent at Palmer so far.

I had an amazing time this summer on Seminar. Each day was jam-packed, full of activities, and over the course of the six weeks, we experienced Israel’s entirety, from north to south. I had been to Israel before, but this trip wasn’t like any other Israel trip. The best part, of course, was that I was with my best friends the entire time, my camp friends. Another unique feature of Seminar is meeting people who live across North America. It was easy to make friends with campers from all the other camps because from the start, we found that we had a lot in common just from being ramahniks.

One of my favorite days of Seminar was when we went to the shuk, the Machane Yehuda Market, on Friday afternoon, and took part in the hectic preparations for Shabbat. Then, that night, we walked to the Old City and prayed at the kotel, and sang and danced alongside the several hundred other Jews. It reminded me of Friday night shira in the ohel—but ten times better because we were at one of the holiest Jewish sites in Jerusalem.

If you haven’t thought about going on Seminar yet, you should really consider it. Seminar is an unforgettable trip, where you’ll have amazing experiences, make incredible memories, and get to spend six of the best weeks of your lives with your camp friends in Israel.