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.

A group of people stand in a circle on a grassy field, holding blue folders and listening to someone speak. Trees and a blue sky are in the background. The scene appears to be an outdoor meeting or group activity. A group of young people sit in a semi-circle listening to a speaker in a wood-paneled room with large windows. The setting appears informal and relaxed, with natural light coming in from outside. A group of teens sits in a semi-circle under an outdoor shelter, holding blue folders and notebooks, listening and talking. Lush green trees are visible in the background.

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

Five smiling people stand by an outdoor swimming pool, wearing name tags and casual clothes. The pool is lined with lane flags, with trees and empty lounge chairs in the background. A group of teens and young adults stand in a circle in a swimming pool, listening to a woman in a coral swimsuit who appears to be giving instructions. Other people are outside the pool in the background. Seven smiling teenagers sit side by side on the edge of a pool with their feet in the water. They wear swimsuits and casual swimwear, with pool deck, chairs, and a building in the background.

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.

Two women stand close together smiling outdoors in a wooded area. Both wear nametags and casual clothing with long sleeves, and the ground is wet with leaves and dirt. Trees and greenery fill the background. Three young women sit closely together on a couch, smiling at the camera. They each wear conference name tags and blue lanyards. Greenery and a building are visible outside the window behind them. Two people wearing name tags and gray shirts stand indoors by large windows. One person holds a folder and shows it to the other, who looks at it attentively. There are storage bins and bags in the background.

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.






Categories: Staff Highlights
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