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News From
Creating lifelong Jewish connections, one happy camper at a time. |
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November, 2015
A Note from Rabbi Joel Seltzer, Executive Director
PJ Goes to Camp...
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| | Debbie Albert, Michele Hasit, Missy Stein, and Rabbi Joel at JCamp180 |
We recently returned from another wonderful experience at the annual JCamp180 conference, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation of Jewish Philanthropy. You may know Harold Grinspoon as the visionary philanthropist behind PJ Library, the award-winning program that engages families in their Jewish journey by providing free Jewish books to children each month!
The JCamp180 conference gathers camp professionals and lay-leaders in Springfield, MA for a day of sharing ideas, learning from experts, and collecting best practices with regard to improving the field of Jewish camp.
Reflecting on my four years of attending this conference, I can truly say that our partnership with JCamp180 has directly benefitted our organization. Whether it was the inception of our Legacy Society, the advent of the Chai Campaign, the creation of our current strategic plan, and even the production of our first-ever Annual Report, JCamp180 has helped Ramah Poconos improve significantly as an organization.
We thank Harold Grinspoon and the leaders and mentors at JCamp180 for continuing to inspire Camp Ramah in the Poconos to consistently improve as an organization, and we look forward to partnering for many years to come in our shared goal of supporting the field of Jewish camp.
L'Shalom,
Rabbi Joel Seltzer
Executive Director
Camp Ramah in the Poconos
You can follow Rabbi Joel on twitter at @joseltzer
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News from Camp Ramah in the Poconos
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Enrollment Update
Enrollments are coming in fast, and we are filling up Kayitz 2016! We highly encourage you to enroll today and save a spot for your child this summer.
At this point, the following genders and edot are now operating with WAITLISTS:
Bogrim Boys (Current 7th Graders)- Full/Second Session
Tze'erim Girls (Current 5th Grade)- Second Session
Limited Spots Remain Available For:
Gesher Girls (Current 10th Graders)- Full Summer
Halutzim Girls (Current 6th Graders)- Second Session
Machon Girls (Current 8th Graders)- Full Summer
Taste of Ramah Boys (Current 2nd and 3rd Graders)-July 25th-31st
Tze'erim Boys (Current 5th Grade)- Second Session
Tze'erim Girls (Current 5th Grade)- First Session
Still thinking about next summer? Feel free to call the office at 215-885-8556 and we will be happy to discuss any questions or concerns with you.
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On the Road
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Nov 11th
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Special Meeting for RDC Families
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PJDS, Elkins Park
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Nov 12th
| Parlor Meeting | Wilmington, DE | |
Nov 19th
| Parlor Meeting | Binghamton, NY
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Nov 22nd
| Hebrew School Visit |
Kesher Israel, West Chester, PA
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Dec 2nd
| Parlor Meeting | Princeton, NJ | |
Dec 4-5th
| Ramah Shabbat | Elkins Park, PA
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Dec 6th
| Ramah Israel Seminar Meeting | Adath Jeshurun, Elkins Park, NJ | |
Dec 13th
| Hebrew School Visit | Adath Israel, Merion, PA | |
Dec 14th
| Parlor Meeting | Voorhees, NJ | |
Dec 16th
| Parlor Meeting | Baltimore, MD | |
Dec 18-19th
| Youth Shabbat | Har Zion, Penn Valley, PA | |
Jan 17th
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Camp Fair
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Temple Sinai, Dresher, PA
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Feb 4-5th
| Ramah Shabbat | Beth Judah, Ventnor, NJ | |
Feb 19-20th
| Ramah Shabbat | Temple Beth Sholom, Cherry Hill, NJ |
Interested in more information on these visits, or would like to schedule a Ramah visit? Please contact Michelle Sugarman, Assistant Director, at michelles@ramahpoconos.org. |
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Parent Survey 2015
Dear Parents,
In September we sent you a camper and parent survey, and we informed you of our intention to:
a) Collect the Data
b) Analyze the Responses
c) And to Share the Findings with our Constituency.
We thank all of those who took the time to fill out the surveys and we greatly appreciate your feedback. We learned a lot - click here for an executive summary from Camp Ramah in the Poconos and here for one from Ramah Day Camp.
Todah Rabbah,
Rabbi Joel
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2015 Annual Chai Campaign
Our 2015 Annual Campaign has launched, click here to make your one gift today! |
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5776 Recruitment Interns
Adiel Davis
Simmy Decker
Ben Fallick
Sara Malina
Gabriella Maze
Shoshana Monson
Aliza Saunders
Abby Sullivan
Jason Woronoff
We are so excited to announce this year's recruitment interns, chanichim (campers) who will be in Gesher 2016! We're lucky to have such a fantastic group, and know they will be the perfect support on the Recruitment Road!
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Camp Wide Reunion
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Playdrome Bowling and Entertainment Center
1536 Kings Highway N
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5776 Ramah Service Corps Fellows
Gracie Gottlieb- Temple Beth El, Allentown
Sam Schachter- Congregation Beth El, Yardley
Marnie Wachs- Kellman Brown Academy, Voorhees
Aaron Walinsky- Krieger Schechter Day School/ Chizuk Amuno, Baltimore
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Buy Ramah Art and Help Send a Ramahnik to Israel!
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| | A look from behind the bushes staring at the shimmering lake and the Beit K'nesset, the outdoor synagogue. |
Hadassah Turk Tolub (Gesher '16) has opened a fabulous online art store with hopes to raise funds to attend Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim this coming Spring. Check out this link to view and purchase beautiful art taken around Philadelphia and Camp Ramah in the Poconos!
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Wear Your Ramah T-Shirt Day
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Wherever You Are Started by Poconos Alumnus, Ari Magen (Gesher '07)!
Proudly wear your Ramah Poconos gear, and post it on Facebook, or email us the picture at info@ramahpoconos.org so we can display all of the Poconos pride on our Facebook Page!
Shabbat Across Ramah
Friday, November 13, 2015
Join Ramahniks across the globe on Friday, November 13 for Shabbat Across Ramah!
Welcome in the spirit of Shabbat by hosting or attending a Ramah-style Shabbat dinner in your home community.
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Spend a Semester in Israel with Ramah!
You still have the opportunity to go to Israel with Ramah this coming year. Have you heard about TRY? Each year students from all the Ramah camps join together and spend a semester in Israel - 4 months of living in Jerusalem. You get school credit and optional college credit too, travel all over the country, have time to meet up with family and friends, meet with Israelis, participate in Gadna, Yam L'Yam, spend time on Kibbutz, and so much more.
There is still time to sign up! Check out the website for more info or call Judy Greene, in our NY office, at 212-678-8883. We can also set you up with a TRY alum in your area if you want to hear firsthand about their experience.
Interested in joining a TRY Parlor Meeting in Baltimore or DC? Click here for more info! |
Young Alumni Erev Thanksgiving
9:00 pm
Founding Fathers Sports Bar & Grill
(owned by Ramah alumni!)
1612 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146
Suggested Donation $18
All proceeds go to the 2015 Annual Chai Campaign
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Children's Author Visit at Mikveh Israel
Mikveh Israel is proud to present best-selling children's author, Jacqueline Jules for a special reading and book signing of her Jewish Spanish Folktale.
Sunday, November 15th
12:30 PM
Mikveh Israel, 44 N 4th St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
For more information please email abigailheather@hotmail.com.
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USY Fall Convention
Who: teens from all over the Philadelphia area
What: a weekend of prayer, ruach, friends, and fun
When: November 20th-22nd
Where: Adath Israel Merion
Cost: $133
Only a few days remain to register for USY's Fall Convention - Click HERE to sign up today!
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A Note from Ramah Day Camp
By Eileen Graub, Assistant Director
The leaves are falling and winter is not too far away. As I pull out winter coats, hats and gloves, I can't help but miss the warmer weather and that makes me think about camp. What a successful summer we had! Incredible campers and staff, amazing programming and wonderful memories to last the year. As we move along through our twentieth year as a day camp, we are reminded of our humble beginnings and how far we have come.
We have taken a careful look at Kayitz 2015 as you can see by the results of the Ramah Day Camp survey and are now busy preparing for Kayitz 2016. Planning for summer programming has begun and our early enrollment finished at our highest number yet, with over 100 enrolled for next summer!
Our focus now is to share the Ramah Experience with your family, friends and neighbors. Let's work together to keep our enrollment strong by sharing our first open house of the season. Join us on December 6, 2-4pm, at Perelman Jewish Day School on the Mandell Campus. We will celebrate Hanukkah and share the magic of Ramah.
We also hope to see you on Wednesday, November 11th for an info meeting about Camp Ramah in the Poconos, our overnight camp! Join us at 7:00pm at Perelman Jewish Day School, Mandell Campus. RSVP by emailing info@ramahpoconos.org.
We can't wait to see you for Kayitz 2016!
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News from our Ramah Family
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Mazal Tov!
Congratulations to these members of our Ramah Family:
B'nei Mitzvah
| Patrick Rabin |
| November 7, 2015 | | Alexis Schachter |
| November 7, 2015 |
Engagements
Brandon DeShields to Shayna Flink
Gavri-Tov Yares to Laura Tomes Marriages Elisheva Goldberg to Naor Damti Jen Horowitz to Bobby Rosenson Zach Schapira to Miryam Knafo Ari Stanger to Aliyah Furman
Births
Mazal Tov to Steve and Allison Bosk on the birth of their daughter, Olivia Paige.
Mazal Tov to Jenn (Adler) and Michael Laytin on the birth of their son, Samuel Max. Mazal Tov to Andi Grossman and Nate Rothstein on the birth of their son, Dov.
Mazal tov to Sara (Schweitzer) and Shael Sokolowski on the birth of their daughter, Emmy Rachil.
Want to make a donation in honor or memory of one of our community members? Click here! If you would like to share news of your s'machot, please send your announcement to info@ramahpoconos.org. |
HaMakom Y'nacheim Et'chem
Camp Ramah in the Poconos mourns the loss of the following members of our community:
HaMakom Y'nacheim Et'chem B'toch She'ar Aveilei Tzi'yon virushalayim.
Shirley Herzberg- wife of the late Joseph; mother of Howard (Sheri) Herzberg and Steven (Judy) Herzberg; grandmother of Erica, Rebecca, Arielle and Michelle.
Nadine Lubarsky- wife of Neil, mother of Ramah Poconos Alumnae Lauren (Matt) Tanzer, and Jillian (Evan) Rosenthal, grandmother of Judah.
Rabbi Marshall Maltzman- longtime Ramah supporter, husband of Amy, father of Rabbi Jonathan (Julie), Seth (Yon), and Susan Gordon (Larry), and grandfather of Aleksey, Noah, Leah, Noah B., Rebecca, Zachary, Jeremy, Rachel and Emily.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to all of those who mourn their passing.
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Our 2015-2016 Board of Directors
Lee Sussman, President
| Rachael Abrams | Jonathan Adar | Jon Adler | Debbie Albert | David Axelrod | | Julie Berger | Jay Dorsch | Bruce Engleman | Mark Fallick | Beth Gansky | | Rick Gold | David Goldstein | Shira Goodman | Judith Hess | Adam Lewin | | Rabbi Micah Peltz | Nathan Relles | Josh Romirowsky | Jill Rosen | Doug Sayer | | Sue Sherr-Seitz | Richard Soloff | Matt Tanzer | Martin Wachs | Michael Wachs | | Rabbi Eric Yanoff |
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