Camp Rahmah Tikvah

Original Article in The New York Jewish Week:

The power of sharing stories while biking and hiking through Israel to benefit National Ramah Tikvah Network

From Wednesday through Friday during the second week of May, bike riders and hikers on the fourth biennial Ramah Israel Bike Ride and Hiking Trip pedaled and hiked through the 108 degree Western Negev sun and the Judean Hills. These riders and hikers from the United States, Canada, and Israel represented the Ramah Camping Movement’s nine overnight camps and five day camps, and were on their way to raising nearly $470,000 for the National Ramah Tikvah Network of programs for campers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants got to know each other as they ascended hills and descended through valleys, shared snacks and meals, and lounged by the pool after a strenuous day.

Something very special happened Shabbat evening that changed the ride and hike experience for everyone. Following Kabbalat Shabbat services overlooking Southern Jerusalem and a sumptuous Shabbat dinner, riders and hikers attended an evening program to learn more about Tikvah, founded in 1970 and now part of all Ramah camps. As director of the National Ramah Tikvah Network, I provided an overview of our programs and shared stories of my 21 years with Tikvah. Ralph Schwartz and Orlee Krass, fellow bike riders and Ramah Tikvah directors, recounted stories of their Tikvah programs at Ramah Wisconsin and Ramah Poconos. Then, four very special people changed the evening—and the entire trip—for everyone.

One by one, Mark, Ben, Jeff, and Ethan shared heartfelt stories of their children’s participation in Tikvah.

“Adam and Eric both got to go to Israel with Ramah on a Tikvah trip. Eric came back and told the story of visiting an Israeli army base where people with disabilities [through the Special in Uniform Program] serve in the IDF. He was amazed and impressed that people like him get to serve in the Israeli army.”

“We are happy that Jacob got to attend camp for so many years—just like his older and younger brothers. Camp is something all of our children share.”

“Sam has friends he met at camp, and he gets together with two of them regularly during the year.”

“We have two sons in Tikvah. Our younger son, Jacob, is mostly non-verbal. We were excited that, when he became bar mitzvah, we would have three adults for a mizuman [the introductory part of Birkat Hamazon, the grace after meals]. During a Friday night dinner right after camp, when we started singing the first paragraph, Jacob blurted out, ‘Rabotai Nivarech.’ We were so touched and amazed. We asked if he learned it at camp and he said no—he was just surrounded by benching (grace after meals) every meal!”

Up until this informal Shabbat gathering, Mark, Ben, Jeff, and Ethan were just fellow riders, having a good time in a special place as they raised money for a good cause. Now, the ride and hike had new meaning for everyone. As one of our special funders, Jay Ruderman of the Ruderman Family Foundation, often notes, “We are all connected to disability. You can’t sit at a table at a simcha where someone is not closely connected to someone with a disability. And we will all know someone with a disability.”

As the riders and hikers got back on their bikes and put on their hiking shoes for two more days of hot, strenuous riding and hiking in and around Jerusalem, Arad, the Dead Sea, and Masada, we can all proudly say that we are connected to disability. We are so proud that the money raised will help families of children with disabilities benefit from an amazing summer in a Jewish summer camp!


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Welcome to Tikvah Connects, a new publication of the National Ramah Commission, connecting you several times a year with news about members of the Tikvah community and exciting Tikvah events.

Nearly every Rosh Hashanah and Passover since 1984, I have received beautiful handwritten cards from Matthew, a former Tikvah camper. Several Friday afternoons and erev chags a year, I receive lovely phone calls from Jeremy, another former camper from Camp Ramah in New England. Matthew, Jeremy, and hundreds of other former Tikvah campers from across the United States and Canada have grown in so many ways since their camp years.

Members of the larger Tikvah community are quite diverse. They work part time, full time, and volunteer. They live in apartments, group residences, and houses. They participate in various social and recreational activities. Yet, they all have one thing in common: They cherish precious memories of summers in various Tikvah programs. They feel deeply connected to Tikvah and Ramah, and many are looking for ways to stay connected.

Tikvah is truly special! There has been so much growth in the world of inclusive camping since Herb and Barbara Greenberg started the first Tikvah program (with 8 campers!) in Glen Spey, NY, in 1970. The Tikvah program soon moved to Ramah New England. Now, all of our Ramah camps include campers with disabilities. Each time I travel to Israel, I am fortunate to visit with the Greenbergs in their home in Ra’anana. They are delighted when I share stories of Tikvah’s ongoing development. So much has happened in 47 years!

Our Tikvah programs offer camping, vocational training, employment opportunities, family camps, Israel trips and more!

Our National Ramah Tikvah Network, founded in 2011, connects Ramah staff, families, and alumni from across camps and from across the decades. Our alumni staff, campers, and families live in many parts of the US, Canada, Israel, and even other countries around the world. We have had successful local reunions in such places as Washington, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and at Camp Ramah in Ojai, California. Some of our camps hold weekly or regular video chats with such names as “Shabbos Is Calling” and “Shavua Tov.”

We are particularly excited to share our inaugural issue of Tikvah Connects at this time. Just this week, Tikvah staff members for summer 2017 met for training at the National Ramah Spring Leadership Training Conference (“Winer”) at Ramah New England. And earlier this month, 101 representatives of our Ramah camps participated in our 4th Ramah Israel Bike Ride and Hiking Trip and have thus far raised almost $470,000 to support our Ramah Tikvah programs.Three of our Tikvah Directors (Ralph Schwartz, Wisconsin; Orlee Krass, Poconos; and Howard Blas, Northern California/NRC) were riders! There’s still time to support this important cause.

Enjoy this inaugural issue of Tikvah Connects. In each issue, we will share news of staff, alumni, and programs. Feel free to send ideas, feedback, and updates to me at howard@campramah.org or (413) 374-7210.


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Original Article in The New York Jewish Week

At Camp Ramah, Israel is central. Dozens of Israeli shlichim (emissaries) “bring” Israel to our nine overnight camps and four day camps in North America each summer. And, for decades, campers have been participating in a variety of programs through Ramah Israel including Ramah Israel Seminar, Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY), Ramah Israel Institute, and Ramah Jerusalem Day Camp.

Campers with disabilities in our inclusive camping programs have many opportunities to form meaningful relationships each summer with the shlichim, who serve as bunk counselors and teach swimming, sports, arts and crafts, dance, and more.

Through the generosity of the UJA-Federation of New York and an incubator project of The Jewish Education Project, and with the expertise of an inclusion specialist and specially trained counselors, Ramah Seminar, a six-week Israel travel and study program, has successfully included and accommodated several participants in recent years with physical and developmental disabilities. (Read “LOTEM – Making Nature Accessible.”)

Every two years during December break, Ramah Israel Institute runs the Tikvah Ramah Israel Trip, a ten-day multi-sensory Israel experience, for participants in our various Tikvah programs across North America. Participants with developmental and intellectual disabilities travel to Israel with specially trained staff and visit sites such as Masada, the Dead Sea, and the Kotel, while also planting trees, participating in an archaeological dig, and picking fruits and vegetables for Israel’s needy. Participants also visit the homes of their Israeli mishlachat friends. (Read more: “North Americans with Disabilities Meet Israelis ‘Just Like Them,’ and It’s Profound” and “The Typical Israel Experience And A Whole Lot More.”)

This year, Ramah is offering its first-ever Tikvah Family Israel Trip.From December 20-29, 2016, parents and children will enjoy hands-on activities as we explore Israel. The trip will provide families with a child with a disability to explore Israel as a family unit. A carefully prepared itinerary and expert guide will assure that all family members experience Israel in a unique way. Highlights include playing with guide dogs for the blind, touring the Kotel Tunnels and visiting animals at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, floating in the Dead Sea, experiencing Tel Aviv’s vibrant day and night life, and taking in breathtaking views of the Ramon Crater in the Negev desert. If the experiences of families participating in Ramah’s family camps and retreats for families with children with disabilities are a predictor, the Israel trip will afford families the opportunity to form deep and lasting friendships.

Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, National Ramah Director, writes, “Ramah Israel has been running family trips for many years and the participants are overwhelmingly appreciative. Running similar trips for families with children with disabilities is exactly what Ramah stands for—excellence in Jewish education and inspiration, and totally inclusive.”

Families interested learning more about the Tikvah Family Israel Trip may contact Howard Blas, Director of the National Ramah Tikvah Network, at howard@campramah.org.

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Original Article Publish On The Ramah in The Rockies

Max Newman was a beloved participant in the Tikvah Program for four summers.  When Max approached age 18 and it was time to graduate Tikvah, director Rabbi Eliav Bock and Tikvah Program founder and Director, Elyssa Hammerman, decided to think creatively.  They created a vocational training program for one this summer!  The program consists of job training, serving as edah (divisional) support staff, and training in leadership skills.

“The program has gone beyond our expectations!” reports Hammerman. “Max is a total part of the community his independence has impressed us all.”  Including Max as a staff member happens naturally.  “All 140 staff members are his buddies and took him in,” notes Hammerman.

Co-workers have reached out to Max to help wrap tefillin, and to help him calculate proper tip at a restaurant on his day off.  “The staff is totally accepting and welcoming, because that’s the type of staff we have here at Ramah in the Rockies.  Max genuinely cares about fellow staff members, regularly asking how they slept and how their day is going.  They view Max as part of the team, a valuable member of our Kehillah Kedosha (holy community).”

Hammerman notes that there have been some challenges but reminds us, “We all have challenges, and Max is like all of us—when he has difficulties, fellow staff members help him through it!”

Director Rabbi Eliav Bock has long been a supporting of the Tikvah Program and of creating opportunities at camp.  “We believe in creating a warm and welcoming community at Ramah in the Rockies.  Over the past few summers we have developed our Amitzim program for campers with special needs.  As some of our campers have now grown up at camp, we want to ensure that they continue to feel at home at Ramah even as they grow too old to be a camper.  We also see our camp as a terrific training site for young adults with special needs to develop basic life skills.  Max was willing to be in our pilot program, and we are honored to have him as part of our community.”

Howard Blas, director of the National Ramah Tikvah Network, sat down with Max—outside of place of his employment at the greenhouse at Camp Ramah in the Rockies—for an interview.

How old are you?  18

Where are you from?  Chevy Chase, Maryland

What do you do during the year?  I attend Ivymount School in Potomac, Maryland.  I plan to graduate in December, 2017.

What do you plan to do after you graduate from high school?  Hopefully attend Montgomery College

What do you hope to study?  Ornithology

Tell me about your interest in birds?  I like to take hikes to see birds, I have feeders and birdbaths on the deck of our home in Chevy Chase, Maryland (I live with my parents and two younger sisters).

How long have you been coming to camp?  four years as a camper.  This is my first year on staff.

How did you find out about camp?  My dad heard about it.  I love nature and this camp focuses on outdoor adventure.

What are some of your other interests?  Folk music (Kingston Trio), geography (locations and nicknames of the 50 US States), food (my favorite is fois gras)

How is being on staff different than being a camper?  Being a camper is harder than being on staff.  You get less freedom and couldn’t make your own decisions like now.

How did you decide to come back to camp in a vocational training program?  Rabbi Eliav said we should have someone from Tikvah on staff—not just anyone.  They admired my qualities—being responsible and my love for nature.

What do you do each day?

I help with the goats, chickens and the duck.  I work in the garden. I pull weeds, and I pick herbs and other crops.  I meet with Elyssa four days a week, Monday through Thursday. I am with the Ilanot edah perek dalet each day, and I help the campers—I show them around and remind them to put on sunscreen.  One time when a camper called me and another counselor “fat,” I told him that’ s not a nice thing to say.  The kids really like me.

What do you do at night?  I usually go to sleep.  I am not a night owl; I am a morning lark!

What do you do on days off?  I have gone to Woodland Park and gotten pizza in a restaurant.  I watched the “Finding Dory” movie.  I ate donuts, ice cream and Japanese food.  The other options for days off are Colorado Springs (which I am planning to do this Sunday on my next day off), Denver, Boulder, Wellington Lake, and staying at camp.  

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