Judaic Guidelines

T’FILLOT (PRAYERS)

All tzevet are required to attend morning t’fillot, including on Shabbat morning and Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday late afternoon. Tzevet are also welcome to attend Minchah (the afternoon service) and Ma’ariv (the evening service), which are usually held after Tzad Bet dinner each day. Communal prayer is an integral part of camp, and our t’fillot are highly participatory. We encourage you to learn skills while you are at camp and to take on leadership roles in t’fillot as much as possible.

All t’fillot are egalitarian.

At Camp Ramah New England, everyone, no matter one’s gender or gender identity, is treated equally in all Jewish ritual matters.  Everyone is counted for a Minyan and is eligible to read Torah and Haftarah and to lead all religious services and rituals.

Male identifying tzevet and all tzevet living in a male identifying bunk are obligated to wear a kippah or head covering during meals, study and prayer. Out of respect, when wearing tefilin, one must wear a kippah. All gender identities are encouraged to cover their heads, but are not obligated to do so.

Male identifying tzevet and all tzevet living in a male identifying bunk must wear a tallit and tefillin during t’fillot on weekday and Sunday mornings and a tallit on Shabbat morning. All gender identities over the age of Bat Mitzvah are encouraged to do so.

Male identifying tzevet and all tzevet living in a male identifying bunk must bring tallit and tefillin to camp. If it is your custom not to wear a tallit until you are married, you must wear a tallit katan during tefillot. If you do not own tallit or tefillin, you must borrow from your local synagogue or contact us for assistance BEFORE arriving at camp. All gender identities are encouraged to bring tallit and tefillin.

Anyone who is leading t’fillot or participating in the Torah Service, no matter one’s gender or gender identity, must wear a tallit and a kippah or head-covering, which camp will provide.

KASHRUT & FOOD AT CAMP

We are a Kosher camp. Ramah tzevet have the responsibility of creating an environment where the laws of kashrut are observed both inside and outside of the Chadar Ochel (Dining Hall).

Camp Ramah has developed the following guidelines to ensure that kashrut is maintained:

  • To protect the kashrut of the camp kitchen, no outside food may be brought into the Chadar Ochel (Dining Hall).
  • Anything served at a camp activity must be kosher to the same standard as the camp kitchen. All foods brought into camp must have an authorized hechsher and be approved by one’s supervisor. All food brought into camp must be allergy-safe, and made in a facility free from nuts or peanuts.
  • On camp outings when food is bought, it must be kosher to the same standard as the camp kitchen.
  • No food prepared in a restaurant (i.e., pizza, doughnuts) may be brought into the camp.

We do understand that, during the year, our tzevet observe kashrut to different degrees. As part of the Ramah experience, tzevet are required to observe the rules of kashrut listed above. When on time off outside of camp, tzevet are permitted to eat hot dairy at a non-Kosher restaurant, but they may not eat treyf/non-Kosher meat.

If you have any questions regarding kashrut, please direct them to the camp’s mashgiach (Kashrut supervisor) or the CEO or COO.

No food is permitted to be kept in tzrifim by madrichim or hanichim.

Madrichim may not accept money from hanichim to buy food for them, and madrichim may under no circumstances bring food into camp for individual hanichim.

SHABBAT

Shabbat at Ramah has a magical intensity that can only come from an entire community engaged in the beauty of the day. When we ask campers why they keep coming back to camp, Shabbat is always one of the first things they mention. The ruach (spirit) of Shabbat is one of the most indelible aspects of the Ramah experience.

We are a Shomer Shabbat camp. You may not carry or use a cell phone on Shabbat under any circumstances. In their personal space, on their own bed, a child may choose to use a flashlight or headphones.

In addition to Shabbat meals, services, and singing, sports and swimming are permitted.

Turning on or off lights, listening to MP3 players, writing, drawing, painting, building, playing musical instruments are all prohibited on Shabbat.

A tzrif is not a democracy, and Shabbat observance at camp is not a choice. You may not take a vote in your tzrif to decide whether you will observe Shabbat in your tzrif. It is our responsibility to help create a special Shabbat experience at camp for all of our hanichim.

ISRAEL

A central aspect of the mission of Camp Ramah is for campers and staff-members to develop a deep connection to the State of Israel.  Our mishlachat (our delegation of Israeli staff-member) and all of our Israeli chanichim (campers), families, and hevrei tzevet (staff-members) are beloved and key members of our community. 

Guiding principles: 

  • Camp Ramah New England is a Zionist camp. We believe in a Jewish, independent, and democratic State of Israel.  We support the existence of the State of Israel and love for the people and the land of Israel. We do not teach anti-Israel positions. 
  • We welcome compassionate and critical dialogue about Israel.  Being pro-Israel does not mean that everyone has to agree with the positions of any particular Israeli political party or the Israeli government.  There can and should be healthy debate across a wide spectrum of beliefs.  It is critical that these discussions need to be conducted in a respectful manner. 
  • We are a children’s summer camp.  We tailor our programs and conversations about Israel to be age-and-developmentally appropriate. 
  • We have many educational goals.  Conversations and education about Israel are an important part of our summer, but not our entire summer. 
  • We are a community.  We seek to act with compassion towards each other, and those who have experienced trauma, loss, and Anti-Semitism. 
  • Within our community, we work to build the skills necessary to have healthy disagreement, dialogue, discomfort, and diversity. 

Context matters: 

When planning for a program or conversation about Israel, here are some of the questions we expect staff-members to consider: 

  • Who is in the conversation? (Is this an age-appropriate conversation?) 
  • What is the purpose of the conversation? (Answers could include: teaching and learning; telling your story; bearing witness; political debate; listening to another’s views.) 
  • When is this conversation taking place?  (Remember to ask others if they are ready and willing to have the type of conversation you want to have.  Everyone should be given the chance to consent.) 
  • Where is this conversation taking place?  (We take different approaches in public spaces, in formal educational settings, and in the tzrif, which is considered a personal/private space. 
  • Why is this conversation taking place?  (What is the educational goal?) 

Some important policy notes: 

  • When planning a program of conversation about Israel, you must consult with your supervisor during the planning process, before the program is finalized and run.  We welcome staff-members’ enthusiasm, and we have a team of educators who can help craft the most effective and appropriate program. 
  • Political phrases and slogans are invited as part of educational programs around camp, but otherwise should not be posted or worn around camp. 
  • All signage must be approved by the camp’s senior leadership team. 
  • Because the tzrif (bunk) is considered to be a personal space and our campers’ home while at camp, no signage connected to war/conflict/politics may be posted inside a tzrif. 

IVRIT (HEBREW)

At Camp Ramah, we take seriously our commitment to ivrit (Hebrew), and we expect all tzevet, regardless of position, to actively further the mission of making camp a place where ivrit is an important part of the camp experience. We achieve our goals not only through our formal curriculum but also through singing and dancing to Israeli music, and taking extra care that certain words and phrases only be said in ivrit. We make announcements in the Hadar Ochel and during t’fillot exclusively in ivrit.

Meah Milim: We’ve put together a list of the 100 most common milim (words) that we strive to use only in ivrit at camp. Throughout the summer, our hanichim and madrichim encourage one another to use the milim on this list exclusively in ivrit. And the Meah Milim initiative doesn’t stop with specific words — we use this program as a catalyst for including more ivrit in our everyday lives at camp.

Click here to read about our Meah Milim (100 Words) program.

We do not expect anyone to come to camp with these meah milim already learned or memorized. We do not want anyone to feel pressured to “study” before coming to camp! We will all be learning and working on these meah milim together at camp.

And who knows, we might just have some special swag to give to tzevet and hanichim who make great use of these meah milim this kayitz at camp!

Remember, you don’t have to be fluent in ivrit to be a dugmah tovah (good example) to others in your attempts to incorporate ivrit into your daily life at camp.