Camp Ramah

For Seth Rich, summertime means heading up to Conover, Wisconsin, to Camp Ramah, a Jewish camp sponsored by the Conservative Movement. A five-year veteran of the fun-filled retreat, the 15-year-old will attend this summer as a counselor-in-training, then as a full-fledged counselor during the following year.

Ramah offers a full range of activities which integrate Jewish values and observances into the daily camp experience. Activities include swimming, sailing, kayaking, music, dance, nature, photography, arts, sports and drama. All meals are kosher and Shabbat is observed. The camp offers two four-week sessions (June 16 - July 10; July 12 - August 8) for children entering the sixth grade, and an eight-week session, from June 16 - August 8, for 7th through 11th graders.

Rich said that while many factors draw him back to camp year after year, deep friendships with both campers and staff hold great significance, offering him a sense of family and a home away from his Omaha home.

"Unlike other camps, where camp ends once the summer is over and you leave, Ramah's influence stays with you and keeps growing and growing," he said, adding that, "You can have the best camp facilities in the world, but if the people there aren't good, then the camp means nothing." The lasting friendships he has formed have afforded him the luxury of welcoming accommodations throughout the Midwest. "I can travel anywhere in the Midwest and have a friend to stay with. I don't need to stay in a hotel," he said.

Rich cited his favorite camp activities as soccer, Frisbee, and boating, and mentioned special events such as "my trip to Canada last year, Friday night services and singing, and the song festival where all of the campers and staff sing songs as loudly as they can, and the whole camp bonds."

Following his older brother as a Ramah camper, Rich said that his parents felt that the camp "makes good leaders and is a Jewish camp, not just a camp for Jews."

Beth El Rabbi Mordechai Levin also voiced support for Ramah, saying that "it is known for its fun, social, educational, committed Jewish environment. Going to Ramah often leads children to take Judaism more seriously because it is a place full of experiences which help to shape Jewish identity."

For more information about Camp Ramah, call (312) 606-9316, ext. 221, send an e-mail , or visit the camp web site.

Photo caption: Omahan Seth Rich (standing, third from right) joins fellow Ramah lifeguard-class members for a photo during last summer's camp session.