Ramah header
April 9, 2010 * 25 Nisan 5770
            Visit us on the Web at: www.ramah.org
             News from Camp Ramah in California
Highlights
Join us at Family Camp!
Campership Incentives
Summer Inventory Day
Business News
Woman's Spirit Retreat
Tikvah Program Corner
Rabbi Dan's Reflections
New Ramah Staff Phone Extensions
 
We are finally settling into our brand new, beautiful office space in Encino, CA. We thank all visitors who have stopped by to say hello and welcome us to the neighborhood!

We also want to say thank you to the Ramah community for being so understanding during our office move and the switch to a new phone system. Here are all of the Ramah staff members phone extensions to make calling into our office a bit easier. Don't forget: our phone number has NOT changed, you should still call us at (310) 476-8571.

Rabbi Dan,
Executive Dir. - 221
Dr. Zach Lasker,
Camp Dir. - 222
Randy Michaels,
Business Dir. - 226
Carol Abrams,
Development Dir. - 223
Erika Resnick,
Program Dir. - 224
Karmi Monsher,
Outreach Coord. - 225
Wendy Morris,
Assist. Business Dir. - 227
Rachel Lancaster,
Registrar -  220
Ellie Haiem,
Admin. Assist., Finance and Development - 229
Patricia Straker,
Receptionist  - 230
LaToya Simmons, Finance Admin. Assistant -228
Elana Naftalin Kelman, Tikvah Dir. - 240
Passover Camp- 243
Family Camp- 243
Marp- 244
Rikkudiah- 245
Women's Spirit- 242

phone

17525 Ventura Blvd.
Suite 201 (2nd floor)
Encino, CA 91316
Bring the Whole Family to Ramah this Year for Family Camp!

Family Camp plans are already underway! Share the joy of learning, singing, sports, Shabbat celebration and art activities during four very special days in May. Memorial Day Weekend Family Camp is a spirited and exciting way to go to camp with the whole family. The program is filled with a mix of adult learning, kid's programs (for ages 2 and up) and family time.
 
Join us Memorial Day Weekend, May 28th-31st 2010 for Family Camp at Camp Ramah in Ojai! 

For more information please contact Johannah Sohn, Family Camp Coordinator: [email protected] or visit the Family Camp website, here.
Ramah's Many Campership Incentives
 
Camp Ramah in California is working hard to make its summer programs as affordable as possible, with special incentives available to first time campers and scholarship for those in need.  Please consider the following opportunities:

* Incentive Discounts for First Time 4-Week'ers in Los Angeles: Camp Ramah has partnered with generous donors and Jewish organizations to make available discounts for kids new to the Ramah 4-week program. Please contact your local Conservative Rabbi or educator to inquire about the Lowy Campership Incentive of $1,000 off the cost of tuition for campers who are the first in their family to come to Ramah for 4-weeks. Los Angeles residents can also visit onehappycamper
for more information about the LA Campership Incentive Grant, reducing the cost of tuition by $1,500 for campers who have not yet been to a Jewish summer camp.

*Incentive Discounts for First Time 4-Week'ers Outside Los Angeles- Families living west of Colorado with entering 6th - 8th grade campers who are not enrolled in a Jewish Day School are eligible for a JWest financial incentive of $1,500 from the Foundation for Jewish Camp, and should also visit onehappycamperfor more information. In addition, Camp Ramah offers incentives through Conservative shuls and schools to kids news to the 4-week program in San Diego in the amount of $1,250 OR outside of San Diego to campers who are the first in their family to attend the 4-week program through the Lowy Campership Incentive in the amount of $1,000. Contactyour local Conservative Rabbi or educator for more info.

Questions? Visit our Financial Resource Guide or contact Karmi Monsher - Outreach Coordinator (310) 476-8571 ext. 225.
Summer Inventory Day:
A Success!

With camp beginning in only 74 days our LA office staff took a trip up to Ojai yesterday for our annual Inventory Day - a day where we literally count everything from sports equipment, to pool toys to our vast siddurim collection and everything in between. With these lists in hand we know exactly what new supplies we will need to get before the summer season officially begins. 

In case you were wondering - here's just a small sample of what is up at camp right now:

- 55 Frisbees for our awesome Ultimate Frisbee chug

- 668 Friday Night Siddurim to be used in Kikar Zion

- 12 Darbuka Drums for our band members to use

- 31 tubes of face paint to use for Maccabia

- 5 digital camers for our photography chug

- 34 noodles to use when hanging out in our awesome pools

- 22 harnesses for our brand new ropes course

- ...and so much more!

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times for April

Fri April 9: 7:02pm

Fri April 16: 7:07pm

Fri April 23: 7:13pm

Fri April 30: 7:18pm

ShabbatCandles
Quick Links...
Search the Internet with GoodSearch, and help our camp!


Goodsearch

Donate now Click here to make a donation to Camp Ramah!
Register Now for Summer 2010

WAITLISTS ALREADY STARTED FOR CERTAIN GROUPS!


ERSmilingBoys

 Calling all campers - new and returning - to a fabulous summer at Camp Ramah in California full of swimming, sports, singing/dancing, Shabbat celebration and outdoor adventure!  With over 1,150 applications submitted we are on our way to creating a strong community ... so don't delay as waitlists have begun.  Fortunately, there is still limited space available for certain sessions (see below for more details).

Great discounts for new campers are available for the 2010 summer.  First time campers may be eligible for one of a number of campership incentives between $1,000 to $1,500 off the cost of camp fees, potentially even lowering the cost of enrollment by $2,500.  Information on campership incentives and the Ramah scholarship process are available at www.ramah.org or by contacting Karmi Monsher, Outreach Coordinator.          

Application packets are available for our Gesher (2-week sessions for younger children) and 4-week programs from our forms page, here.

Limited space is available as follows (based on the camper's Fall 2010 grade level):

2010 application cover letter*1st Session (June 22 - July 19th) = boys grades 4 thru 9; girls grades 4 thru 7

*2nd Session (July 22 - August 18th) = boys grades 4 thru 10; girls grades 4, 5, 6 & 10

*Gesher A (June 22 - July 5th) = boys and girls grades 3 & 4

*Gesher B (July 6 - July 19th) = boys and girls grades 4 & 5

*Gesher C (July 22 - August 4th) = boys grades 3 & 4

*Gesher D (August 5 - 18th) = girls grades 4 & 5
A Note From Our Business Office

finances

Financial Aid/Scholarship Process Update

Our Scholarship Committee is in the process of reviewing hundreds of  financial aid applications. We will be finalizing the process and sending award letters in early May. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter.

Late Fee Notice

*On April 1, 2010 a late fee of $50.00 was charged for any unpaid balance and to accounts without a payment plan.

*On May 1, 2010 an additional $25.00 late fee will be applied to unpaid balances and to accounts without a payment plan.

To prevent late fees, please contact our office and arrange for payment on your account today.

Summer Forms Reminder: We've Gone Green!

We appreciate your working with us this year to complete and submit your summer camp forms on time. We are sending reminder emails to families who have forms that are still outstanding and appreciate your patience if you continue to receive emails even though you have notified us that your forms will be late or that your forms have already been submitted. 
 
All forms are now available online and can be accessed through your "My Ramah Account". If you have any trouble accessing your account or certain forms please be in touch with our office for assistance. Please note that all forms with
loginbuttonrequired fields must be completed in order for them to be submitted.  If a certain question does not apply, please type in "N/A" (do not just skip over it).  In addition, the Parent Handbook is a resource only document and does not need to be returned to our office.

Transportation information for both buses and flights is now available online. Please be sure to indicate the correct transportation option as soon as possible. Please note, if you are flying to LAX or Burbank you will need to supply us with a copy of your flight itinerary in order for us to verify your arrival and departure information.
 
Medication Information and Fees Form: CampMeds continues to be our partner for dispensing medications and all families who are sending their campers to
camp with medications must do so by registering with CampMeds.  This includes all Vitamins, prescription and non prescription medications taken daily or as needed. If CampMeds cannot accommodate your insurance you must still complete the Medication Information and Fees Form to notify us so that we can make other arrangements to get the medications to camp.  Avoid the $75 handling fee by enrolling with CampMeds. 

Please remember - if you need any assistance we are here to help!

For other business related matters, feel free to be in touch with Randy Michaels, Business Director, at [email protected]or (310) 476-8571 ext. 226, or Wendy Morris, Assistant Business Director and bookkeeper, at [email protected]or (310) 476-8571 ext. 227.

Camp Ramah Scholarship:
Your Gift Will Help More Kids Come to Camp!
 
                    movie

Each year, Camp Ramah in California receives notes like these, thanks to the generosity of many families in the Ramah community. Your gift this year will ensure that we are able to raise enough funds to provide scholarships to camp for all children in need, to disburse these funds in a fair and equitable manner, and to provide quality programming for each and every camper this coming summer.

Last year, in spite of the uneasy economic environment, we were able to help a record high of 214 families. Just two summers ago, we awarded over $240,000 in scholarships, but this past summer the need was far greater, for a total of $351,000-an increase of more than 45%. We could not have made those awards without the help of people like you. This year, we anticipate the need to approach $400,000.

We need your help more than ever NOW to make certain that families will be able to provide their children with a magical experience at Camp Ramah this year. While the economy poses hardships for each and every one us, our combined efforts with gifts in any amount, will truly make a difference for hundreds of children-not just for this summer, but for a lifetime.
Click here to make your gift today.
Ruach Nashim: Woman's Spirit Retreat

Join us for another fabulous year of Ruach Nashim (Woman's Spirit).  Spend a relaxing and transformative Shabbat at Camp Ramah in Ojai.  Dance, sing converse, make new friends and learn with our scholar in residence, Rabbi Shawn Fields-Meyer, at this special retreat May 7 - 9 (Mother's Day Weekend!)womanfriends

Bring your mother, sister, daughter or friends with you to experience this fabulous opportunity together. You only have a few more weeks to register so do it TODAY!

To register, please visit our website hereor email us at [email protected].
Join Camp Ramah in California on Facebook & Twitter!

twitterBecome a fan of Ramah on Facebook and get our tweets through Twitter! Get updates on all of Ramah's happenings including: special camper contests, enrollment deadlines, Ramah events, Ramah's year round programs, what schools and synagogues we will be visiting, special summer announcements and so much more!

facebookWith over 900 fans, join our Facebook community today! To become a fan of ours on our Facebook page, search for Camp Ramah in California in the Facebook search box and add as one of your pages.

To follow Ramah on Twitter simply visit our twitter page at: http://twitter.com/CampRamahCA.

We look forward to keeping in touch with our Ramah community through both Facebook and Twitter!
Tikvah Corner:
Space Still Available for Summer Camp and Family Camp!

Camp Ramah is a home for all Children!
 
TikvahPicDo you have a child with special needs? We still have room in both of our programs for children with special needs. 
 
The Tikvah Program: Our camp within a camp program for children with special needs, high counselor-camper ratio, individualized programming and the magic of Camp Ramah!
 

ohrlanu

Camp Ohr Lanu: Our camp for families that have children with special needs, programs for the family, for adults, for children with special needs and for their siblings, one on one care, relaxation, support and the magic of Camp Ramah!
 
Financial Aid Available for both programs- contact Tikvah Director, Elana Naftalin-Kelman at [email protected] or give her a call at 310-261-1691 for more information.
New Ropes Course & Retreat Center Dedicated!

On Sunday, April 4th, 120 people gathered up at camp for two very special dedications - the new Levine Family Retreat Center and the new Meskin Family Ropes Course. The beautiful day helped to honor two families who have devoted so much to Camp Ramah over the years as well as kick off the opening of two awesome new additions to Ramah. 

The gorgeous Levine Family Retreat Center includes eight new premiere adult housing rooms as well as a meeting room to be used both over the summer and throughout the year for rental groups. Our new Meskin Family Ropes Course is quite a sight to see as well - complete with two very challenging high elements and a wonderful low initiative course for team building.

If you or your family is interested in renting the wonderful Levine Retreat Center for a gathering please be in touch with our Operations Director, Elie Mechaly, at (805) 646-3030.

We can't wait for Kayitz 2010 to begin so that our campers and staff can benefit from both the retreat center and the ropes course. See below for some photos taken at the dedication ceremony.
    retreatdedication        newropescourse
One More Question
25 Nisan, 5770 / 10th Day of the Omer
Rabbi Daniel Greyber

Pesach is over; the Four questions have been asked, but I want to pose one more about the Passover story.  Why were we enslaved in the first place?
 
The earliest answer given by the Torah seems to imply that Israel was sent to Israel as part of a divine plan.  Genesis 15:13-16 reads:
 
"[God] said to Abram, 'Know for a certainty that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.  Also, that nation whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great wealth.  And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.  But in the fourth generation they shall come here again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."
 
According to this verse, we (Abraham's descendants) will suffer in Egypt for 400 years because the Amorites had not yet sinned enough for God to kick them out of the land of Israel!  While God will, in the end, give us the land of Israel, such a narrative is nonetheless disturbing.  First of all, if the problem was that God couldn't kick out the Amorites yet, couldn't we have been sent to a "holding area" - the desert perhaps??  Why did we need to be enslaved?  Second, the narrative above implies that God made Israel suffer for 400 years unjustly, not because of something we did, but  rather because of sins another people had yet to commit. We are left feeling disoriented before an unjust God.
 
Fortunately, the Torah hints at other reasons why we were enslaved.  One is found at the end of the book of Genesis when Joseph finally settles his family in the land of Egypt.  First the Torah describes how Joseph deals with his own family:
 
"So Joseph settled his father and his brothers, giving them holdings in the choicest part of the land of Egypt, in the region of Rameses, as Pharoah has commanded.  Joseph sustained his father and his brothers and all his father's household with bread, down to the little ones" (Genesis 47:11-12).
 
Just a few verses later, the Torah describes how Joseph dealt with Egyptians under his care:
 
"And when money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, Give us bread; for why should we die in your presence? for the money is gone.  When that year was ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him, We will not hide it from my lord that our money is spent; my lord also has our herds of cattle; there is nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands; Why shall we die before your eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate."
 
ERSmilingGirlsJoseph gives his own family (admittedly at Pharoah's command) the choicest part of Egypt, while the Egyptians fear they will die. Joseph sustains his own family, "down to the little ones," while Egyptians are left to sell themselves into slavery. The contrast is stark; the message clear. Egypt will enslave Israel because Joseph enslaved Egypt.
 
Such a narrative does not solve every problem.  (Did the Egyptians in Joseph's time remain slaves to Pharoah for 400 years?  Did they suffer equally as the Israelites did?)  Viewing Joseph's behavior as related to why we suffered in Egypt offers an important opportunity to ask ourselves: what things about ourselves must we improve?  Rather than merely blaming the Egyptians - and they were worthy of blame! - we don't stop there.  We also take responsibility for our own part in the story.
 
At Ramah, this is a key educational goal.  Too often, kids look around and blame what happens to them on their parents and siblings, teachers and friends.  Sometimes things are not their fault.  Either way, one can always grow by looking within and asking, "what role did I play in what happened?"  "How can I be a different, better person, next time around?"  Passover is over.  The Four Questions have been asked.  But perhaps we can teach our children to ask one more question in the months to come.
Shabbat Shalom,

Daniel & Zach sig

Rabbi Daniel Greyber and Dr. Zach Lasker
Executive Director and Camp Director
Camp Ramah in California


Phone us: 888-Camp-Ramah
Write us: 17525 Ventura Blvd.
               Suite 201
               Encino, CA 91316