Kishroniyah 2026
Camp Ramah in New England is thrilled to announce the return of Kishroniyah for all Tzad Bet (B-Side) hanichim (campers)! Kishroniyah comes from the Hebrew word Kisharon, or “talent.” We have invited specialists in a wide variety of fields to join us at camp to run intensive multi-day programs for our Tzad Bet campers. These programs will be high-level offerings, giving our hanichim a chance to engage in an intensive way with the option that best fits their personal interests and skills. In order to allow each hanich/ah (camper) to receive as much personal attention and instruction from their group’s specialist as possible, we will be keeping the group sizes small, averaging ten kids in each Kishroniyah group. As you scroll down, you will find descriptions of the incredible array of programs being offered this year.
A CAPPELLA WORKSHOP
Instructor: Amichai Margolis
Making music without instruments provides a fantastic way to express one’s love for communal singing. Our performance-oriented goals are to learn a small (3-5 songs) repertoire that can be performed in multi-part harmonies. As a culmination of the program, we will perform in front of all of Tzad Bet (B-Side) and record an album of our music that each participant can have to keep!
Amichai Margolis is currently the Musical Director of the Solomon Schechter Lower School of White Plains, NY. He is also the Musical Director of the The Orangetown Jewish Center. Amichai founded and directed the Jewish a cappella group Kol B’yachad at Brown University. He also arranged and sang with Pizmon from Columbia University & JTS. Ami is the Rosh Shira at Camp Ramah in Nyack, NY, and he was the Rosh Shira at Camp Ramah in New England from 1998-2005, where he broadened the musical repertoire of the camp as well as directed the staff a cappella group. He currently lives in Orangeburg, NY with his wife, Kari (whom he met at Camp Ramah) and their two children, and he owns and operates “Joyful Studios” on the side. Ami is the leader of the “Amichai Margolis Band,” and his debut album is called “Orah V’Simcha — Light and Joy.” His music can be heard at: http://tinyurl.com/Amichaim.
BASKETBALL CLINIC
Instructor: Dave Brown and the Basketball Stars of New York
Learn how to play from the pros during an intensive “Camp Within A Camp” Basketball Clinic run by coaches from the acclaimed Basketball Stars of New York program! With coaches who played at universities such as Harvard, Colgate, Seton Hall, UMASS, Drake, Princeton and others, you are sure to leave the program a more confident and capable player! The program will teach the fundamentals of the game, and the coaches will work individually with participants on any skills they would like to improve upon.
Dave Brown began his college playing career at Division 1’s Colgate University. After two years, he spent a few weeks in Mexico City playing for Team USA in the Maccabi Games where he earned a Gold Medal in the Open Division for Men’s Basketball. Following the Summer, he moved on to Division III powerhouse Connecticut College in the NESCAC’s. Upon graduation, David returned to the Maccabi’s, this time in Chile where he was part of a Silver Medal team effort. Shortly thereafter he began his coaching career at Collegiate High School followed by a jump to the college ranks at John Jay College and then Susquehanna University before joining the New Jersey Nets. His summers have been spent at Basketball Stars of NY Camps. Coach Brown is excited to bring the Basketball Stars of NY experience back to Camp Ramah!
FILMMAKING WORKSHOP
Instructor: Arnon Z. Shorr
Bring your creativity, bring your ideas and bring your excitement to this truly hands on approach to film making during Kishroniyah. From running the camera, to writing, producing, collaborating and editing, we will be creating a professional short film and telling awesome stories! Whether you’ve grown up with a passion for movies and film making or never picked up a camera in your life, this is your chance to walk through the door of this exciting new world and be part of something incredible. Participants will get to create a short film completely from scratch; coming up with the idea, writing the script, creating a shot list, filming all the footage, and helping to assemble the complete edit!
Arnon Z. Shorr is a filmmaker, screenwriter and author known for crafting character-driven adventures that explore the extraordinary. He gained widespread attention with José and the Pirate Captain Toledano, a swashbuckling graphic novel about Jewish pirates in the 16th-century Caribbean, which expanded on his award-winning short film. Shorr’s creative work frequently delves into Jewish identity, blending action-packed narratives with deep reflections on heritage. His talents have earned him a 2024 Fellowship with the JWI Screenwriters Lab and a 2024-25 Fellowship with the PJ Library Sephardic Stories Initiative.
GLASS-FUSING WORKSHOP
Instructor: Abby Maeir
Have you ever wanted to create your own Judaic masterpiece? Now is your chance when you join glass artist and educator Abby Maeir for an interactive hands-on glass fusing workshop. You’ll design and create your own mezuzah by strategically placing & layering pieces of colored glass, which will be fused into your very own piece of art. Your beautiful mezuzah will be a keepsake to cherish or give away as a special gift. No previous glass experience is necessary.
Abby Maeir is a Chicago-based artist & art educator whose passion for the arts dates back to her youth when she vividly recalls creating woven potholders and box-stitched lanyards at the Pittsburgh JCC. Abby embraces all types of art but focuses on teaching Kiln Formed Glass (aka Fused Glass) and Hand-Stamped Metalwork to children and adults as well as facilitating team-building workshops that inspire confidence and creativity. Abby is an Artist-in-Residence at camps across the country including Ramah Wisconsin, Ramah Darom and Ramah Day Camp (suburban Chicago) where she inspires both campers & staff to create colorful, one-of-a-kind glass and metal pieces. Abby believes there’s an “inner artist” in all of us and is excited to welcome you to her workshops.
JEWELRY WORKSHOP
Instructor: Sandra Ostroff
In this program participants will have an opportunity to create their own jewelry with Sandra! The focus of this program is ‘bead weaving’, which is using a needle and Fireline. This year we will concentrate on learning the peyote stitch to make bracelets, anklets and earrings. The possibility of color combinations is endless and undoubtedly will produce many wonderful pieces!
Sandra Ostroff has always enjoyed crafts, starting with pot-holders on a frame when she was very young! She began knitting in high school and needlepointing when her children were young. Many years later she still enjoys knitting and needlepointing. Several years ago she discovered beading. Sandra was born and raised in the Seattle WA area. After graduating from the University of Washington, she taught elementary school. Since retiring, she has enjoyed pursuing her passions: beading, golf, yoga, and hiking. She is very excited to share her love of beading with our Kishroniyah participants!
LIFEGUARD CERTIFICATION (offered to NIVONIM only)
We are excited to offer to campers who are 15 years old the opportunity to participate in this lifeguard certification course as part of our Kishroniyah offerings! This course will provides entry-level participants the knowledge and skills to prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies and to provide care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries and sudden illnesses until EMS personnel take over. Prerequisites: Minimum age: 15 years. Swim 300 yards continuously. Tread water for 2 minutes using only the legs. Complete a timed event within 1 minute, 40 seconds. Starting in the water, swim 20 yards. Surface dive to a depth of 7 to 10 feet to retrieve a 10-pound object. Return to the surface and swim 20 yards on the back to return to the starting point. Exit the water without using a ladder or steps.
MAKE YOUR OWN MUSICAL WORKSHOP
Instructor: Landon Braverman
Make Your Own Musical is a theatrical program that gives kids the opportunity to be the creators and stars of their own new original musical! Throughout, participants will learn how to write their own lyrics, melodies, and scenes. This interactive experience culminates with a performance for fellow campers. Led by award-winning composer and Jewish songleader Landon Braverman, Make Your Own Musical is a unique and fun way for kids to explore their own Jewish narratives.
Landon Braverman is a highly experienced composer and educator in the Jewish world. He is the Tefillah Specialist and Family Service Leader at Kane Street Synagogue, and the Music Teacher at Hannah Senesh Community Day School. He was the Songleader for multiple summers at Sprout Brooklyn. He has worked in the music department of various Broadway shows. In his spare time, he is a Birthright Fellow and has staffed 4 trips to Israel. He loves sharing in the creation process with young people and helping them own their Jewish identity through music making.
MOSAICS WORKSHOP
Instructor: Cecilia Kremer
Help enrich our camp grounds by participating in the creation of a beautiful, long-lasting mosaic art project to be permanently displayed at Camp Ramah and be enjoyed for years to come! Come be part of this meaningful team-building activity and be amazed at what you and your Ramahnik friends are able to create. No mosaic experience necessary. Talented artist Cecilia Kremer will work with our participants to create another breathtaking beautiful piece of installation artwork, that will be displayed in a public space at camp.
Cecilia Kremer is am Israeli American artist specializing in Jewish mosaics. She teaches mosaic art year-round at her studio in Newton, MA, and she facilitates community projects throughout the country. Her work can be found in private collections and numerous Jewish institutions, in the US and abroad. Learn more about Cecilia, and see examples of her work, here.
OUTDOOR MURAL WORKSHOP
Instructor: Tova Speter
Do you love to paint? Would you like to help leave your mark on camp? The Ramahniks who sign up for this workshop will have an opportunity to design and create a colorful outdoor mural that will help beautify camp for years to come! Participants will experience the entire mural process from design conceptualization to priming to painting. This specialized arts workshop will engage you in creating collaborative community art as you explore and develop your artistic talents, skills, and interests. Note: no prior art experience is necessary to participate in this session, just come ready to create, have fun, and get messy!
Tova Speter is a community artist and art therapist based at Gorse Mill Studios in Needham, MA. She facilitates collaborative art experiences that offer opportunities for self expression, artistic exploration, and community connection. Her focus is often on empowering participants to recognize that they are capable of more than they realized, especially when they come together. Tova has been leading the Mural Kishroniyah at Ramah since 2011, guiding the campers through the design and creation of murals that reflect camp themes and Jewish values. Her work has also engaged communities throughout the US and internationally in Argentina, China, Panama, and Israel in the form of over 100 community art projects. With a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy, Tova has over 25 years of experience working at the intersection of arts and healing; and she has exhibited her artwork in galleries and community settings since 2003. All of her work is based on her belief that engaging in art-making is inherently therapeutic and formative. More at www.tovaspeter.com.
PODCASTING WORKSHOP (offered to MACHON & NIVONIM only)
Instructor: Micah Hart
Podcasting has exploded as a form of entertainment over the past decade. One of the reasons it is so popular as an art form is because it is so versatile – there are so many different ways to do it. It’s one of the best ways to communicate with people on the planet, because you literally get to be inside people’s heads. In this Kishroniyah, you’ll get to learn what goes into making a podcast and actually produce your own! Participants will learn all about how to create a podcast, from start to finish; they will learn how to set up and use the recording equipment, how to conduct interviews, how to record and edit audio files, and so much more!
Micah Hart is a lifelong fan of summer camp and the host of the “Who Knows One?” Jewish Geography game show, as well as the “Campfires and Color Wars” podcast – a storytelling podcast about summer camp memories, created for those who left summer camp but it never left us. He loves talking about camp and is happy that he is able to incorporate that love into what he does for a living.
PUPPET-MAKING WORKSHOP
Instructor: Eric Weiss
MACHON/NIVONIM: Have you ever wondered how all those puppets that you see on television and in movies are made? In this class I am going to teach you the secrets to building your very own foam patterned hand puppet head and all the materials, elements, and skills that go into making them look so real and lifelike. We will also learn fundamentals to creating a character through the use of color, texture, different materials, and movement, as well as how to manipulate your puppet to bring your character to life. By the end of the class you will be the proud owner of your very own foam patterned hand puppet head. No previous puppetry skills needed, just your imagination and creativity. Puppets have a unique place in the performing arts, and people have used them to entertain and tell stories throughout history.
MAGSHIMIM/BOGRIM: Illuminated Puppets! Everyone is mystified and mesmerized by things that glow dazzling colors. In this class, students will learn to build foam puppets and how to give them a beautiful silicone skin. Using fluorescent mica powders, students will give the skins on their creations the ability to make them glow in ultraviolet light. This will be a very unique puppetry experience!
Eric Weiss is a puppet builder and a teacher with a variety of puppetry classes & workshops for students of all ages. Eric has been involved in education and building puppets for over 20 years. Eric has been commissioned to make puppets for shows & plays, and he has taught puppet building classes at numerous schools and camps. Currently he is an active member of the Puppeteers of America (PofA) as well as the Northeast Regional Director for PofA, and he sits on the planning board for PIET (Puppetry In Education & Therapy). He is also a member of the South Hadley Cultural Council, the Connecticut Guild of Puppetry and the National Capital Puppetry Guild, and a founder and current president of the Western Massachusetts Puppetry Guild. Eric was awarded first place in the BJ Guyer Puppet building contest through the Stan Winston School of Character Arts with a Minion puppet. Click here to learn more.
ROBOTICS WORKSHOP
Instructor: Phil Glick
Robots are in the news everyday. Companies and universities around the world are inventing and designing so many different robots to do so many things, including working in factories, searching for earthquake victims in collapsed buildings, performing surgery, cooking dinner and cleaning your carpets and gutters. Participants will use Sphero Bolt+ and RVR+ robots to explore how software can connect to sensors and motors to make things move. In Robotics Kishroniyah, the chanichim/ot (campers) learn how to program and control the robots, to see what they can make them do as they challenge each other in obstacle courses and other competitions. Please note – this course is focused on coding, not on building and assembling but a coding background is not required.
Phil Glick is an engineer at Amazon Robotics. Educated as a mechanical engineer and a manufacturing engineer, Phil has spent most of his 42-year career writing software for industrial robot systems to be used in factories around the world. His work can be found in automotive, electronics, medical and pharmaceutical, aerospace and food businesses. Among his cool projects are robots to paint the Stealth Bomber, robots to build cell phones and Bose music systems, robots to make cosmetics and package the cookies for ice cream sandwiches and robots to build parts for Ford, Chrysler, and Tesla cars. If you’ve ever had an injury that required stitches, there’s a good chance that Phil programmed the robots and cameras to make the needle. And now, his work gets your Amazon purchases to your driveway. As a parent of a Ramah graduate, he’s excited to be part of the camp experience.
ULTIMATE FRISBEE CLINIC
Instructors: Rick & Alex Atkins
Hone your skills with our Ultimate Frisbee clinic! Ultimate Frisbee was started at Columbia High School in New Jersey in 1968 and is now played in countless schools, colleges and clubs around the country and the world. Even at the highest levels of the game, Ultimate is played without referees, instead relying on the honor of each player to abide by the rules (a concept known as The Spirit of the Game). Because of the free-flowing nature of the sport, Ultimate encourages all players to be involved in the action. Each player has the opportunity to be a thrower, receiver and defender in every game. During the sessions at Camp Ramah, players will be instructed in the rules, skills and strategies of the game. Each day will include scrimmages where the campers get a chance to practice what they have learned. For more information about the sport of Ultimate, go to the website of USAUltimate at www.usaultimate.org.
Rick Atkins has been playing Ultimate Frisbee since 1979 when he joined the team at the University of Pennsylvania. During his many years in the game, he has participated in numerous World and National championships, winning several titles over the years. His team placed second in the Masters division at the 2006 World Championships in Perth, Australia. He has been a captain in the Philadelphia co-ed summer league since its start in 1985 and has organized many leagues and tournaments in the Philadelphia area. Since its inception in 2005, Rick has been a lead instructor at the Philadelphia Ultimate Camp of Philadelphia, and he runs several youth Ultimate Frisbee camps in the Philadelphia area. In the spring of 2011, Rick started the first middle school Frisbee team in Philadelphia. Rick lives in Wayne, PA.
Alex Atkins is one of the best young Ultimate Frisbee players in North America today. Alex plays Ultimate Frisbee for the New York Empire, a member of the Ultimate Frisbee Association, North America’s Professional Ultimate Frisbee league. Alex spent his first four seasons as a pro with the Colorado Summit, qualifying for the playoffs three times and earning an All-UFA First Team selection in 2024. In 2022 Alex was Collegiate Player of the Year runner-up, and in 2021 and 2022 he was Collegiate first team All American. In 2019 Alex was Collegiate Breakout Player of the year runner-up. Alex is the host of the popular podcast about Ultimate, Pod Practice. Click here to watch Alex’s Callahan Player of the Year video. Alex has been a part of Ultimate Frisbee Kishroniyah since the first year of the program, and we’re thrilled to have him back with us again this summer!
