[Adapted with the permission of the author from “The Many Levels of Camp Ramah,” in Bulletin of Congregation Habonim (March 2009): 1–2.]

Growing up, all I wanted to do was play sports in my backyard or at school with friends. So when I was ten years old and my parents told me that I was going to Camp Ramah, two things were on my mind: Would I get my fill of sports, and would I make friends? The answer to these questions was such a resounding “yes” that I ended up spending ten summers at Ramah, seven as a camper and three on staff.

My experiences at Ramah are so much a part of the person that I have become that it is impossible for me to imagine how different my life would be had my parents not made the decision to send me there. The friends that I made during those summers are still my closest friends today at the age of forty-five, and I know that they will be for the rest of my life. At the same time, I can trace so much of my affinity for Jewish traditions and culture to the foundations that were laid during those Ramah summers. A strong, lifetime bond is formed by “Ramahniks.”

In addition to the normal experience that a child enjoys at most summer camps, children at Ramah learn about and share their Jewish heritage and culture in a positive way. Under the right circumstances, Jewish camps can instill Jewish values, rituals, and teachings without the feeling that you’re being “taught” something, and Ramah has somehow found the perfect formula for achieving this. I played basketball, performed in plays, and hung out with friends but at the same time, I learned Hebrew songs, became comfortable with tefillah (prayer) and learned to enjoy and appreciate Shabbat. The informal Jewish education was an organic part of the entire camp atmosphere. The campers in my age group slowly and naturally absorbed these Jewish experiences until they were inside of us, were meaningful to us, and then were part of us. Nothing could have made my father prouder than when I came home from camp knowing the birkat hamazon (grace after meals).

I still miss those summers. Fortunately, I now have the opportunity to relive them through my daughter, Hannah. Last year, for the first time, at the age of nine, she went to Camp Ramah and was in the same cabin as the daugh- ters of two of my closest friends, both of whom were in my cabin all those years ago. She had a great summer, made so many new friends, and cannot wait to go back. It made me so happy to see that Ramah is having the same positive effect on Jewish children today as it did on me thirty years ago. When Hannah came home and started reciting the beginning of the birkat hamazon, I, like my father, was truly proud and thankful.

Bill Taubenfeld is a Ramah Canada Parent, and currently resides in New York, New York.