Published Articles

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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The Original Article Published On The Jerusalem Post

Jewish filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev’s epic documentary is required viewing for Dead Heads

In 1978, Deadheads secretly prayed that the Grateful Dead would cross the border from Egypt into Israel and perform in the Sinai Desert after their three-day gig at the Great Pyramid of Giza. Their wish for a miracle never panned out and the Dead never played a concert in Israel – though Jewish Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart performed in Jerusalem in 2013.

Thanks to director Amir Bar-Lev and his new film Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead, Deadheads worldwide and those who have long been curious about Dead shows and Grateful Dead culture can now experience this world – if they are willing to devote four hours to this important new film, presented in six acts.

The film covers a lot of ground and features interviews with the Core Four (Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart – who are all credited as executive producers); Dennis McNally, the band’s publicist and biographer; daughter Trixie Garcia; Donna Jean Godchaux (band member from 1972 to 1979); Sam Cutler, the tour manager from 1970 to 1974; girlfriend and later wife Barbara Meier; and such celebrity Deadheads as Senator Al Franken.

Viewers are treated to rare clips and archival images of Jerry Garcia’s teenage years, the band forming and living together in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, meetings with members of the Rolling Stones, performances in the US and around the world (including the famous Europe ’72 Tour) and even underwater video of Jerry scuba diving in Hawaii.

There are many sweet, poignant and historically significant moments throughout the film, including black and white footage of Garcia patiently teaching Lesh and Weir the harmony to the song “Candyman.”  The audience learns all about the Dead’s famous sound system, known as the Wall of Sound, meets Deadheads outside concert venues on Shakedown Street, experiences the rampant LSD culture of band members and fans, and watches Jerry battle lapse into a diabetic coma, battle drug addiction and ultimately die of a heart attack at age 53 in 1995.

A particularly interesting theme of the movie was Garcia’s fascination with the 1948 film Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Garcia notes that the movie both delighted and terrified him; he first saw it as a child at age 5, just after his father died.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and has been screened this past week at select cities across the United States. The film arrives to Amazon Prime Video on June 2.  Footage of camels, Jerry Garcia and band, and Deadheads at the pyramids can be seen approximately 2-1/2 hours into the film.

Bar-Lev, son of Israeli parents, got into the Grateful Dead growing up in the 1980s in Northern California. He playfully notes that it took 14 years to create the film. “Getting the Core Four on board was a process of do, die, do again, die again – for eleven years! I always wanted to make the film. It was pure persistence.” He continues, “We set out to make a 90 minute film – but at two hours, we were only at 1974, so we went back to our financiers!”

Bar-Lev’s other films include The Tillman Story about the NFL star-turned-US Army ranger Pat Tillman, My Kid Could Paint That, and Happy Valley, a film about the Penn State Jerry Sandusky scandal.

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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 Published On The Yale Alumni Magazine

Two players’ journeys from Yale to the Red Sox to Team Israel

Like many Yale baseball fans, head Bulldogs coach John Stuper recalls watching in August 2012 as one of his former stars, Craig Breslow ’02, pitched to another, catcher Ryan Lavarnway ’09. This wasn’t some Yale baseball reunion; they were in the Bronx, on national TV. The pair were the only two Yale alumni in the major league at the time, and it was the first time a Yalie pitcher had worked with a Yalie catcher in a big-league game since 1883. Breslow got the third out in the eighth inning for the Boston Red Sox, who beat the Yankees.

This past September, the duo worked together again at MCU Park in Coney Island, New York. This time, instead of Boston B’s, they were wearing bright blue caps embroidered with a Star of David, part of the uniform of the Israeli national baseball team. They played against Great Britain in two of their three qualifying games for the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

“I am extremely proud of my guys,” says Stuper. “It is quite an honor for them and for Yale baseball.”

The World Baseball Classic is a 16-team international tournament played every four years—baseball’s nascent version of soccer’s World Cup. Although neither Breslow nor Lavarnway are Israeli citizens, they are eligible for the team because they are Jewish. Eight other current and former major leaguers from the United States (among them New Haven native Josh Zeid) are also playing for Israel this year, part of the first Israeli team to qualify for the 16-team tournament since it was established in 2006.

Breslow, who is competing for a spot on the Minnesota Twins during spring training this year, is a journeyman left-hander who has pitched for eight major league teams. (A molecular biophysics and biochemistry major at Yale, he was also once declared the smartest man in baseball by the Sporting News.) The father of 22-month-old twins says he was thrilled to play for Israel in the qualifiers; he appeared twice as a relief pitcher. “I am proud of my Jewish heritage,” he says. “I enjoyed playing alongside the most notable Jewish players of my generation. This tournament impacts two things very near to me.”

Margo Sugarman, secretary general of the Israel Association of Baseball, calls Breslow “a highly intelligent player and a real asset to Team Israel,” adding that Lavarnway, for his part, cemented Israel’s lead in the final game with a home run.

Lavarnway, who is interrupting spring training with the Oakland A’s to play in the Classic, started all three qualifying games as catcher for Team Israel. He says he is looking for “any way we can grow the game in Israel and show Israel in a positive light. I just want to spread positivity as much as possible.”

After sweeping Great Britain and Brazil in the qualifiers, the team is off to Seoul in early March for the first round against Korea, Chinese Taipei, and the Netherlands. They hope to advance to the second round in Japan and to the championship in
Los Angeles.

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