Camp Ramah (Wisconsin)

Camp Ramah in Wisconsin is a Jewish summer camp based in Conover, Wisconsin, on Upper Lake Buckatabon. The Wisconsin camp was the first of the Ramah camps, established in 1947. It draws campers from across the Midwest, primarily Chicago and the Twin Cities. The camp also hosts the Chicago region USY encampment (a.k.a. "Camp Chusy"). Campers stay at the camp for either four or eight weeks, depending on their age division, or "edah"." Following Nivonim, the edah for those entering 11th grade, campers are encouraged to participate in Ramah Israel Seminar. The summer following Seminar, they may apply to join the camp staff. The current Director is Rabbi David Soloff. Benji Bearman, a five-time "Rosh Edah"(Unit Head), was hired in the Fall of 2006 as the Business Manager.

Early History

The first Ramah camp was built on a site purchased by the Jewish Theological Seminary on Larsen's Bay. The property was a fishing village on the shores of [http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/fhp/lakes/lakemap/1621800a.htm Upper Lake Buckatabon] owned by the Larsen Family, dotted with small cabins (a few of which still remain as part of the Nivonim boys cabins) and wild flowers. Multi-purpose buildings were quickly put together, and the first campers arrived by train on the Flambau Express line. According to Shom Sefor Klaff's interview for the 50th reunion (Klaff was a camper in 1947), a seaplane (which landed on pontoons) brought the weekly movie up to the camp. Klaff added that campers had a dress code to follow, especially for shabbat. Hot dogs were a regular part of camp, as were trips late at night to the bath-house.

List of Edot

* Garinim (entering 5th grade; 4 weeks long)
* Halutzim (entering 6th grade; 4 weeks long)
* Solelim (entering 7th grade; 8 weeks long)
* Shoafim (entering 8th grade; 8 weeks long)
* Bogrim (entering 9th grade; 8 weeks long)
* Machon (entering 10th grade; 8 weeks long)
* Tikvah (Program for campers with learning and social disabilities; 4-week and 8-week sessions, as well as an 8-week vocational program)
* Nivonim (entering 11th grade; 8 weeks long)

Tikvah Programs

Tikvah

The Tikvah program was established at Ramah Wisconsin in the mid 1980's by a lay committee headed by Janet Robbins. The goal of the program was to offer the Ramah experience to teens with special needs. The program has served campers from around the country, with several of the Ramah camps offering a Tikvah program (or program similar to it). Currently, different Ramah camps focus on different educational and social challenges; Ramah Wisconsin focuses (but not exclusively) on those with certain social and emotional challenges such as Asperger's syndrome. The program at Ramah Wisconsin includes a special "Mo'adon", or lounge building, which includes a kitchen and dedicated resources for the program.

Atzma'im (Vocational Program)

"Atzma'im", meaning independent ones, is the name for the Tikvah Vocational program. This is an 8-week program focused on former Tikvah campers who are post-high school age. Established shortly after 2002 with oversight by Margret Silberman and Rose Sharon, the program has been a solid success. Participants work in the nearby town of Eagle River five mornings a week. Jobs locations include coffee shops, plant and garden supply stores, supermarkets and hotels. Participants return in the afternoon for a Judaica class as well as various activities. Participants have their own lounge and kitchen, live in dedicated staff housing, and are able to enter the main staff lounge (Kopin). Participants have one day off a week, and do not work on Shabbat.

Jewish Values

Tephilot

Campers lead their own services three times a day, with each age division assigned its own Makom Tephilah (place of prayer). While not shown in the promotional video of the camp, camper responsibility for the services increases as campers age, with the oldest edot not only leading, but reading torah and haftorah, and even providing divrei Torah. Campers who do not have these liturgical skills sometimes choose to spend their free time at camp learning how to lead services. Friday nights feature an all-camp service on the waterfront, which staff and campers prize as the ideal social time for catching up with friends they have not seen all week.

habbat

Ramah in Wisconsin is a Shabbat-observant camp. Most campers are not Sabbath observant, so Ramah in Wisconsin is their first exposure to Sabbath observant living. Lights are fixed or placed on timers, and food is not cooked in the kitchen on the Sabbath.

Shabbat is brought in all-camp Friday night services, and a special Shabbat dinner follows. Campers spend a great deal of time getting dressed to look good at Friday night dinner. Campers get to wake up late on Saturday morning, and after Shacharit and Musaf services, campers have a good deal of free time. No longer in their dress clothes, campers usually rush to the sports fields which are open for each edah at set times. In addition, campers are free to meet with friends, read, rehearse for plays, or just catch some sun. After lunch, campers participate in Shabbat discussions, which are usually efforts to connect the weekly parsha with modern Jewish life. Shabbat concludes with Seudah Shelisheet, which is beloved by campers and staff alike for one reason: ice cream! The day is closed with evening activities and Havdalah.

Kashrut

Ramah in Wisconsin is a Kashrut observant camp. Many campers and staff members are not Kashrut observant at home, so Ramah in Wisconsin may be their first exposure to keeping kosher. Camper orientation involves learning about the meat and dairy sides of the kitchen. Meals are either dairy or meat-based, and full time mashgichim (kashrut supervisors) are present in the kitchen throughout the day.

Only strictly kosher products are allowed in the camp, so food is not allowed in from outside. Campers are thus able to see that keeping kashrut is not abnormal, and that it can be part of a regular life. This message may be undermined by a few parents who bring pizza or other non-hechshered foods when visiting the camp. The camp, however, takes Kashrut very seriously.

Education

The educational goals of the Ramah camps are set to make Jewish learning a part of the everyday camp experience, using a combination of formal and informal educational tools. Campers are required to participate in 6 hours of Jewish studies a week during the school year (This requirement is often waived, as most Conservative synagogues do not offer the requisite number of hours).

Campers have two mandatory classes every day (excluding Shabbat and Wednesdays). These classes, which are a popular as swimming at the camp are taught by a combination of Israeli and American Staff (these classes are not shown in the camp video). For students who attend public schools, these classes are their main source of Jewish education for the year. As such students from smaller communities and public schools regard the classes as a positive and essential part of their summer.

Hebrew Classes

Hebrew classes are arranged by level within each age division. Campers are tested at the start of the year. Without exception, these classes are taught by members of the Mishlachat, Israelis who participate in an emissaries program run by the Jewish Agency. The teachers are usually young women who have recently completed their army/national service, and make up a lack of teaching experience with enthusiasm and a sense of fun. These teachers are not usually members of the Masorti movement, Israel’s Conservative Jewish community, and their exposure to American egalitarian Judaism is often difficult for them. Hebrew classes are mandatory for campers, excluding Machon and Nivonim, who have electives, and for those who participate in the Beit Midrash Program (see below).

Text Classes

In addition to the Hebrew classes, campers are also placed in a “text” "i.e." Judaica class within each age division. These classes are not arranged by level, and often based on a theme or concept (Shabbat, Tzedakah) rather than a text. These classes are often taught by Rabbinical school students, who make up a lack of teaching experience with in-depth knowledge of Judaism and its texts. Text Teachers occasionally include experienced day school teachers who are usually popular with day and public school students alike. Text classes are mandatory for all campers excluding Machon and Nivonim, who have electives, and for those younger camper who participate in the Beit Midrash Program.

Beit Midrash

The Beit Midrash program offers campers in Bogrim and Machon a double period of study in place of Hebrew and Text, and offers Shoafim campers one period of study instead of their regular Text class. It is taught by a group of Orthodox and Conservative educators whose background is in Talmud and other Rabbinic texts. The Beit Midrash also includes a program called "the Northwoods Kollel." This kollel, unlike the traditional Orthodox model, is co-educational, and is made of between 4 to 6 college-age students each summer who usually have not participated in the Ramah camping movement. Participants spend the day immersed in Talmud study.

Proponents praise the program for its appeal to day school students who prefer a different type of study that focuses on skill-building by reading a specific Rabbinic text, usually a perek of the Babylonian Talmud. This study appeals to day school students who study such texts during the year, as well as to students who do not care for the thematic/discussion-based classes in the regular Text-program. Supporters also laud the connections to texts young campers are able to make in the program. Opponents claim its informal structure and multiple classes allows students to avoid learning Hebrew or text and serves as a refuge for those who do not wish to participate in the activity-centered aspects of the camp (swimming, sports, etc). Such opponents see the program as detracting from a balanced summer. In addition, critics add that the library building now exclusively serves as the site of the program. Such critics claim this means that the rabbinic texts have replaced general reading material such as secular fiction, magazines, etc., as the focus of the library. As a consequence, the program winds up leaving campers without the basic facility of a place to read but also little reading material not related to the Beit Midrash program.

Hebrew outside of the classroom

Ramah is known as a Hebrew-speaking camp, which it was at its inception. Hebrew exams before camp were once required to gain enrollment. Near total immersion was once one of the effective techniques used by Ramah Wisconsin, with Hebrew being required to get food in the dining room, supplies in art and so on. After the 1970s, serious efforts in using Hebrew outside the classroom became limited. As of 2006, Hebrew outside the classroom is limited to two areas; announcements in the dining room and during the Musicals, which are performed in Hebrew. Some buildings are referred to by Hebrew names, but most camp activities and locations are referred to in a camp slang that is a mix of Hebrew and English, "e.g." “Meltzing” for waiting tables. Edot names are also still in Hebrew.

ex Education

Because of the layout of the camp, boy's and girl's cabins are easy to reach. Seeing it as necessary to ensure safe practices, if any at all (boys are technically not allowed in girl's cabins and vice versa), long time camp affiliate Ronnie Garr, who has retired as of last summer, would give talks on sex education with his wife, Minda. They would allow campers to ask any question anonymously and would answer it no matter the immaturity level. This was a great success and many campers who were afraid to ask such questions at home, got the answers they needed right at camp.

Activities

Tarbut

Camp Ramah In Wisconsin offers a number of activities for the campers. The main "Tarbut" (Hebrew for "culture") activities include:
*Amanut (includes pottery, copper enameling, batik, illustration, painting and tie-dye)
*Nagarut (woodworking)
*Radio (fm radio)
*Music
*Rikud (dance)
*Drama
*Creative writing with Micah Freidman

port

Sports are the focus of the camp day at Ramah in Wisconsin. Each day, excluding Wednesdays and Saturdays, has sport periods for campers. Campers can choose from Basketball, Aerobics, Softball Tennis, Kayacking, and/or Sailing. In recent years, Lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee and Field Hockey have been offered. Martial Arts or self defense (such as Krav Maga) are occasionally offered from summer to summer. In addition, the camp has a beach volleyball area, and while Ga-ga is not offered as an activity choice, it is played regularly during the summer. Sports programs are recretational and competitive in nature (as opposed to focusing on kenisthetic skill development for those new to the sport).

The most popular two sports remain basketball and softball, due to the inter-edah (age division) games in these two sports. Both the girls and boys of each edah have the opportunity to compete.

wimming

Every age division has a perek (time period) deveoted swim class once a day. At the beginning of the summer, campers are tested and are placed into an American Red Cross swimming class based on their skill level. Campers in the Machon age division are offered a chance to enroll in a Lifeguarding course which offers American Red Cross certification for those who complete the course successfully.

Facilities

Ohel Yitzchak

While all other prayer areas are part of multi-purpose rooms, each edah spends time praying in Ohel Yitzchak, the only permanent synagogue on the campus. Named in honor of Rabbi Isaac Bonder, the synagogue is known for its large windows that look out into the forest, as well as its tent-like architecture. The parochet, or ark curtain, features a tree that has just began to bloom, reflecting the life cut short of Rabbi Bonder. The path leading to the synagogue is also incomplete. The ner tamid is a crown which is actually a ring of people dancing, and the Sheviti is a paper cut by Roger Coleson, a former camp teacher who also passed away at an early age as well.

Chadar Ochel

Ramah Wisconsin’s three dining rooms serve over 2,100 meals a day when camp is in full swing. Also used for various activities and events, these dining rooms remain at the heart of the camp in more ways than one. The remodeling and expansion of the kitchen and dining hall is the next major building project of the camp, set to begin in 2008.

Yearly Events

A host of events mark the Ramah Wisconsin summer calendar.

Zimriah (Song Festival)

: Early in the summer the Zimriah (song festival) takes place. Every edah learns a song that follows a theme for the summer, with the majority of the songs coming from Israeli songwriters. For example the year after Naomi Shemer died, the theme was Naomi Shemer songs. Every edah wears a color for that evening, giving the appearance of a color war. While the oldest age division wears black, pre-2000 Zimriot saw the Nivonim wearing tie-dye shirts, plaid, or even white. After all edot have sung their songs, each edah stands up again and sings their own edah song. Traditionally, the older edot join in with the songs for the younger edot. After all songs have been sung, the entire camp stands up and sings the Himnon Ramah, the camp song, which is traditionally sung after all campwide gatherings.

Rikudiah (Dance Festival)

Now held near the end of the summer, the Rikudiah was originally held on the tennis courts as a part of the Visitors' Weekend festivities. While the Rikudiah is open to all campers, only the youngest edot dance as a whole edah. Older edot are usually represented by those who take dance as a tarbut (cultural) activity, a group which is predominantly female. Older male campers rarely participate in the Rikudiah. In addition, the Mishlachat (Israeli staff), the specialty staff (such as sports staff, dance staff, art staff, etc.) the kitchen staff and the administrative staff each perform a dance. When all the presentations are complete, the whole camp dances together, with each edah called to bed until only Nivonim and staff remain.

The focus of the Rikudiah originally emphasized Israeli folk dance and dances to classic songs from Israel and Jewish traditional life. These aspects are no longer a part of the Wisconsin Rikudiah. The most predominant style of dance seen is a variation on urban/hip-hop dance, with the occasional modern or jazz dance piece.

Tisha B'Av

A major day in the life of the camp, the fast day of Tisha B'Av is the only Jewish “holiday” that falls during the summer. Camp begins commemoration of the day with ma’ariv in the dining halls after a seudah mafseket (a meal to prepare for a fast).Nivonimers form paths of paper lanters from dining hall to bet am, and the entire camp walks through the candle-lit paths to a communal reading of Aicah (the book of Lamentations). Following the reading, campers fast and participate in discussions, role-playing simulations and other special activities until the breaking of the fast the following night (pre-bnai-mitzvah campers do not normally fast). For example, for many years the elder edot put Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai on trial for collaborating with the Romans, an exercise meant to illustrate the challenges of living in the second temple period.

Yom Sport

Every year on the fourth of July, if weather permits, Yom Sport occurs. Yom Sport literally means "Sport Day." This day is very similar to the traditional "color wars" found at many other summer camps around the world. Campers are divided up into 4 teams, traditionally having Red, White, Blue, and some other color. Campers from Nivonim are chosen to be team captains, two for each team. Other Nivonim campers are chosen to be part of the black team, or "Team Uber," who are simply vice-administrators, and some would say "figureheads." Each team within each edah compete with the other teams in the edah throughout the event.

Throughout the day, campers are required to cheer in Hebrew, and often take up Israeli sports teams (Beitar, Hapoel, etc.) The day currently ends with a giant, campwide relay race called The Apache. The bizzarely named event was brought to Ramah Wisconsin from other summer camps, replacing the original end of day event, the camp wide tug-of-war. The events that make up the Apache change every year. Elements include both the whimsical, such as of a mummy wrap, tent building, and car washing, as well as physically more demanding events such as long distance swimming and running. The conclusion of the Apache is a fire building contest, where the victors are the first to snap a string suspended above their fire pit.

No Smoking

No Smoking is the close-of-summer program which combines award ceremonies, encores of musical numbers from edah musicals, and a multi-sectioned slide show on the last night of camp. The several-hour long event helps keeps campers awake- and out of their cabins. According to Rabbi Gerry Rosenberg, one of the creators of the event, No Smoking was originally a joke-filled roast of camp figures created in the late 1950s. Campers were responsible for their own program, and according to Rosenberg, the musical interlude was a non-sensical jingle based on the doo-wop hit "Sha-boom," inspired by the songs in the dining room.

Musicals

Each edah from Sollelim through Nivonim puts on a Broadway musical entirely in Hebrew. The plays more or less cycle through every 6 years or so, although this is not always the case. However, there are certain plays relegated to different edot, such as "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Free to be You and Me" are usually given to younger edot such as Sollelim and Shoafim, due to their simplicity. More complex plays like "Chicago" and "Les Misérables" are usually reserved for Machon and Nivonim because of complex and more mature subject matter.

See also

* Conservative Judaism

External links

* [http://www.ramahwisconsin.com/ Official Site]
* [http://www.campramah.org/ The National Ramah Commission]
* [http://campramah.org/news/keysar_kosmin_2004_research_findings.pdf "Research Findings on the Impact of Camp Ramah," 2004]