Reshet Ramah is poised to expand the role that camp plays in building Jewish community. Reshet Ramah’s Director of Community Outreach and Young Adult Engagement, Rabbi Abigail Treu, writes about the vision behind Reshet in “Camp, to Last a Lifetime” featured in Kolot: Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism.

What we are finding is that there is nothing cookie-cutter about this work. As we seed garinim, councils of alumni in cities across North America and Israel, each group is empowered to create its own programs with its own ideas. In San Francisco, the garin has leaned toward “boutique” events: Shabbat dinner at an art gallery, a kosher wine tour. In Washington, DC, the kick-off was a Chanukah party at someone’s home. In New York, the garin has created a mix of social and religious programming. For example, last Purim, 120 people attended a Reshet Ramah megillah reading and open mic night at a stand-up comedy club, and the following Saturday night 240 turned out for a Purim-themed costume party at a club downtown.

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