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Update on Camp Ramah in the Rockies Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, National Ramah Director May 15, 2008
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There has been a great deal of recent activity with regard to the development of Ramah in the Rockies:
Inaugural Pilot Program August 11, 2008 will be an historic date, marking the opening of Camp Ramah in the Rockies programming. Soon-to-be-rabbi Marshall Lesack, Ramah in the Rockies Program Director, has put together an excellent staff. Through our contacts with rabbis and educators throughout the region, we are actively registering participants for this "staff training" pilot program. We hope to have approximately 40 participants, juniors or seniors in high school and college students. Marshall is working with his lead staff to put together an outstanding schedule of camping, hiking, tree planting, environmental awareness and outdoor adventure on site, all within the Ramah context of building a strong sense of spirituality and commitment to God, Israel and the Jewish people.
We are planning a program for visitors – funders, rabbis, lay leaders and educators -- to come up to see this program in action on Wednesday, August 13, arriving in camp at approximately 4 p.m. and leaving after dinner, at around 7 or 8 p.m. I don't think anything will "sell" our product better than seeing these young people, future leaders of Ramah in the Rockies, at camp, engaged in the process of creating strong bonds with the land, with the concept of Ramah in the Rockies, and with each other. They will return to their home communities in Texas, Colorado and elsewhere energized and inspired, and will help us build support throughout the region.
Program Think Tank The excitement generated by our announcement of the opening of this summer's first program has been contagious. In response to our recent NRC electronic newsletter, which goes to 22,000 Ramahniks and other Conservative Movement leaders, we have received many inquiries from individuals interested in being a part of Ramah in the Rockies. We have targeted approximately 20 of the most experienced environmentalists, nature educators, outdoor adventure specialists and some others to join a think tank to help us develop the programmatic model for our new, specialty Ramah camp. We continue to hear from all sorts of people, within the region and throughout North America, eager to contribute to this project.
Development of Lay Leadership In recent months our leadership team has repeatedly visited various Jewish communities in Colorado, Texas, Utah and New Mexico, and we have made other contacts in parts of Canada, Mexico, and other states in our Ramah in the Rockies region. We are thrilled that a small and growing group of generous Jewish funders and Jewish community leaders from these areas are donating funds and contributing time toward the development of this project. The Ramah in the Rockies leadership in Denver, led by President David Engleberg, and Don Skupsky, continue to give of themselves tirelessly toward the development of this eighth Ramah overnight camp. The capital campaign for Ramah in the Rockies continues to gain new supporters and new leaders. We are pleased to be working together with Susan Bodner Levine and other senior planners from The Ostroff Group, and with our partners from the JCC Ranch Camp of Denver and the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado, represented by Jeff Robbins of the Flying J Ranch, towards this common goal. Anyone interested in participating on this leadership level, or contributing funds toward Ramah in the Rockies, should be in touch with us.
Leadership Marshall Lesack, our Ramah in the Rockies Program Director, will graduate from the Rabbinical School at JTS next week, and will become the Assistant Director of Camp Ramah Darom in Georgia. We are thrilled that Marshall will continue to have a role throughout the year with Ramah in the Rockies. This outstanding leader has made invaluable contacts throughout our Rockies region. He will continue to nurture and expand those contacts, as well as contribute to the program's development.
Additionally, we are happy to announce that Eliav Bock will work next year in the NRC office as the Program Coordinator for Ramah in the Rockies' Summer 2009 program. We hope to expand what we do on site during the summer of 2009, and will contemplate running a small program for teen campers, as well as more opportunities for staff training and development. The scope of these activities will depend upon our success in seeking foundation funding for this specialty camp model. Eliav, who will enter his final year of rabbinical school at JTS this fall, is the former head of outdoor adventure trips at Ramah Canada and a very experienced outdoors educator.
Day School Connections I have spoken in recent days with leaders of the Emery Weiner Jewish Day School in Houston and the RMHA Day School in Denver. I will be in touch shortly with other Jewish day school leaders in other cities in the Ramah Rockies region. The goal is to create a strategic partnership between our camp's program in environmental sciences and the science and Judaic studies departments of these schools. After speaking with Avi Halzel and Brian Hay at RMHA and with Rabbi Maccabee Avishur at Emery Weiner, I am encouraged that these day school leaders want to actively pursue this partnership, which I believe has great potential. Both these schools are considering sending some of their older high school students to participate in this summer's staff training program.
I will continue to provide updates on the progress of Ramah in the Rockies. This is a very exciting time for us at Ramah, and we look forward to continued growth in all aspects of our Rockies program and site development.
For more information about Ramah in the Rockies, or how you can get involved with the newest Ramah overnight camp, please contact Marshall Lesack, program coordinator for Ramah in the Rockies, at 212-678-8881 or via email at ramahrockies@gmail.com.
Visit our web site at www.ramahrockies.org.
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More on Ramah in the Rockies
Rabbi Bruce Dollin
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Nestled in the spectacular Rocky Mountains, Ramah in the Rockies at the Flying J Ranch is a breathtaking site to behold. Ramah in the Rockies is situated on 360 magnificent acres in heavenly Deckers, Colorado, surrounded by the more than 1.2 million acres of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests. Campers will enjoy the beautiful Colorado sunshine and moderate summer weather while they taste the flavor of Jewish life and broaden their individual identities--Rockies style. This one-of-a-kind location in the Rockies exudes peace and spirituality. One can feel the holiness and serenity immediately upon setting foot on the land. It is the perfect place for children to camp, laugh, and learn. The first ever camp of this kind is expected to open in 2010.
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