Ilana & Mark Meskin - Camp Ramah

2007 Expenses
Dear Community of Camp Ramah in California,
During daily prayers when the Amidah is repeated, the leader fulfills our obligation
to pray when, after each of his/her blessings, we respond “Amen.” This works in
every case except one: the 18th blessing for gratitude. Why? Because, the rabbis
teach, being grateful is not something someone can do for us. It is something
we must do for ourselves.
What I can do, however, is try to tell you how grateful thousands of Jewish children
are for your love and generosity and support of Ramah. As I prepare to begin my
7th summer as the Director of Camp Ramah in California, I look forward to climbing onto the buses and
greeting kids from Los Angeles and San Diego, from Phoenix and Northern California, from all over the
Western Region of the United States. I look forward to hearing them scream with joy that their summer
at Ramah is about to begin! I feel blessed that last summer, 51 years after we opened our doors for the
first time, I got to see the smiles and hear the laughter of 1,352 campers who fell in love with Judaism
and Israel because you helped to build a magical place in the Ojai Valley called Camp Ramah in
California. I cannot directly express gratitude for those children, but I can tell you, from their smiling
faces and the songs they sang that rang out across the hills, that they are indeed grateful for your love
and support.
As we look towards the future, never believe that Camp Ramah in California is just a summer camp. This
summer, we will send the largest group in our history – 106 graduates – for a summer in Israel on our
sister program, Ramah Israel Seminar. Our counselors form the core of Jewish leadership at Hillels
across the country, doing Israel advocacy on campus and populating lively and inspiring minyanim. A
few weeks ago, I met two of our alumni in Washington DC working as legislative aids for members of
Congress. Others are working on this year’s political campaigns. Still others are working at AIPAC.
Ramah campers and staff are nothing less than the future leaders of the American Jewish community
and, in helping Ramah, you are making a contribution that will last for generations to come.
For your generosity and support, I am grateful. But much more importantly, the children are grateful.
Come to camp some time and they will tell you for themselves.
B’virkat Shalom,
Rabbi Daniel Greyber
Letter from the Executive Director
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