Shavuah Hachanah: Building our community and getting ready for Kayitz 2022

We welcomed over 100 tzevet (staff), including nine shlichim (Israeli deligation) to camp on Monday for the start of Shavuah Hachanah (staff week)!  Over the course of the week, we prepared for our individual roles at camp, immersed ourselves in the mission and values of Ramah, all while bonding and building our community for the summer.

Our theme this summer is “Ahavat Ha-adamah” (Love of the Earth).  We kicked-off our week together with a “Love the Earth, Love Your Camp” challenge.  We explored different ways to love and take care of our physical space, while touring our summer home, the Wellspring property.

A vital component of camp is creating a safe and inclusive community.  Our tzevet participated in many educational sessions, including:

• Abuse and Harassment Prevention
• Security
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/LGBTQ+
• Medical Procedures & First Aid
• Camper Care
• Pool Safety

The week was jammed packed, but we also found time to prepare our physical space for hanichim (campers) and participate in chugim (electives), shirah (singing), rikud (dancing), yahadut (Jewish learning) and tefilah (prayer), all the activities that make camp a special and unique place.

Our Shavuah Hachanah would not be complete without a little kef (fun).  Our special late night tzevet program featured “Get a Clue!” –  a mystery crime solving dinner.

During a session led by our Director, Rabbi Jill Levy, she asked us all to take a moment at the end of each day to ask ourselves and our hanichim “what was the highlight of your day?”  As we end Shavuah Hachanah and start our highest enrolled summer, it is our mission as a community to spread the joy of these daily blessings.