Ramah Camping Movement Raises $11.6m

Over the past twelve months, the Ramah Camping Movement has raised $11.6 million in new philanthropic investment from donors and foundations. The National Ramah Commission, the camping movement’s coordinating body, has received foundation grants and donor pledges of $3.8 million, while individual Ramah camps and Israel programs have raised $7.8 million for scholarships, endowments, capital development, and program innovation since early 2013.

The Ramah Camping Movement consists of eight Ramah overnight camps, three day camps, and Israel programs (Ramah Israel Seminar summer study-tour program for teens, Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim [TRY] high school semester in Jerusalem, and a range of short-term programs for students and families).

National Ramah’s initiatives that have received substantial support in recent months include the following:

• Ramah Service Corps – Twenty-eight young adult Ramah staff leaders bring the magic of camp into congregational and community life year-round through part-time and full-time initiatives across North America. These leaders also serve as outstanding camp recruiters and are encouraged to consider careers in Jewish leadership.
• Reshet Ramah Alumni Initiative and Community Engagement – The Reshet Ramah alumni network is extending the Ramah experience into adulthood among thousands of alumni through a wide range of programming, social and professional networking, Jewish learning, travel, and online connectivity, including the Ramah365 app.
• Young Adult Leadership Development – Four new cohorts of 85 exceptional young adult leaders convene regularly for retreats, professional development, online learning and discussion, and the creation of Ramah movement-wide projects.
• Special Needs Programs – Building upon more than 40 years of successful Tikvah programming, Ramah camps are offering more options for campers and staff with disabilities. In addition, the National Ramah Tikvah Network is offering new national training programs for staff working with campers with disabilities and their families.
• Ramah Israel – New programmatic developments include expansion of the inspirational TRY spring high school semester in Israel program to include a fall semester and integration of a weeklong trip to Poland into the curriculum. Ramah Israel Seminar for teens is offering a new track of outdoor adventure, and both TRY and Seminar have a significant increase in the availability of scholarship funds.

Ramah is the camping arm of Conservative Judaism. Together, their programs provide a Ramah experience for 10,000 children, teens and young adults annually.