Journal Cover.psd - Camp Ramah

The summer immediately following my bat mitzvah, I went to CampRamah. And it was then that I found that I had finally come to aplace where it felt like home, where I belonged. I no longer felt likea stranger in a strange land. I made a deep connection that has sinceguided me on my Jewish journey.Ellen Smith RatnerPresident, Temple Beth El, Springfield, MARamah was where it was demonstrated that being Jewish could infuseour entire lives; it was where speaking Hebrew became a pleasureand a way of life; it was where Israel featured prominently inmany activities; it was where being Jewish flowed from laughter totears. Moving to Israel was in many ways like extending Ramahthroughout the entire year; Israel was the Ramah sense of communitywrit larger by a factor of a million.Rabbi Shlomo and Renee TuckerJerusalem, IsraelCamp Ramah in New England, 197935