About Ramah
Jewish Life at Camp
Judaism is a vibrant and essential component of the Ramah experience. Your child will live in a joyfully Jewish environment; they will learn about and explore their Jewish connections both thoughtfully and organically throughout their time at camp. We foster spirituality, critical-thinking skills, character development, and values-laden living through our approach to Jewish education.
Joyful Judaism
Shabbat at Camp
Any Ramah alum will tell you their favorite part of camp is Shabbat. On Friday afternoon the entire camp gathers in our Beit Knesset overlooking to a beautiful agam (lake) for Kabbalat Shabbat services filled with a ruach found nowhere else. As the sun begins to set and the melodies of Shabbat fill the air, campers feel a sense of peace and a deep connection to their friends, to their community and to Jewish tradition.
The next day we come together for a traditional Shabbat morning, with lively prayers, torah reading, and time to play sports, swim, read, or relax and spend time with friends. A highlight of the week is Seudah Shlishit and Slo-ach, a time when our oldest campers lead the entire camp in song. We end Shabbat with havdallah. Holding hands under a beautiful starry sky, singing the familiar tunes together is a treasured time for our campers and staff.
Spirituality & Growth
Daily Prayers
Innovative, meaningful, and fun t’fillot (prayers) experiences are at the core to our approach towards creating a transformative Jewish experience for every camper. Every morning after breakfast, each edah (division/age-group) starts their day with shacharit. Through fun and intentional programing, our counselors teach campers t’fillot from Aleph to Taf: the tunes, the traditions, the words, and their meanings.
Our talented staff engage campers in creative and non-traditional ways, using music, art, games, and out-of-the-siddur thinking. Throughout the summer, there are endless opportunities for campers to learn, be challenged, build t'filah literacy skills, and to explore their spirituality in a nurturing environment.
Yahadut
Jewish Identity
Study after study shows that a Ramah camp experience greatly strengthens a child’s Jewish identity, creating a life-long connection to Jewish tradition, more so than other summer experiences, and even more so than other Jewish summer camps. From our young counselors whose daily actions are a model what it means to live a life filled with Jewish values, to daily Judaic learning opportunities with some of the best Jewish educators out there, every moment of camper is an opportunity to nurture and celebrate Jewish identity.
We promote a culture of kindness and respect throughout camp, recognizing the “Jewish teachable moments” that happen all day long. Moments like "Mench of the Week" recognize of the respect they’ve earned from their peers and counselors through expressions of empathy, humanity and friendship.
Surrounded by their closest friends and the extraordinary Jewish role models who are their counselors, Ramah campers get to live a Jewish life at Ramah.
Ahavat Yisrael
A Love of Israel
We bring a mishlachat, a delegation of Israeli staff members, to camp each summer. We have one of the largest mishlachat groups of any Jewish summer camp in all of North America. There is an Israeli staff-member in almost every tzrif (bunk) at camp. Our campers learn about Israel through these shlichim (Israeli staff members). Our Israeli staff members plan and run programs about Israel throughout the summer, teaching our campers about Israeli history, people, politics, and culture. Israeli music resonates throughout camp, and our campers learn to love contemporary Israeli pop songs along with traditional Jewish music.
In the summer before returning to camp as junior counselors, many of our campers attend Ramah Seminar, a six week trip to Israel with young people from Ramah camps across the country.
Living & learning
Hebrew Language
Camp Ramah in the Poconos has a culture deeply rooted in incorporating Hebrew language into daily camp life and activities. Campers expand their vocabulary and language skills in a fun and organic way as a component of our experiential approach to Jewish education.
