ANNUAL TZEDAkAH REPORT - Camp Ramah

PAGE
4
From Foothill
to Fairview
Celebrating 50 Years of Camp Ramah
“Just over a ridge off Foothill road in Ojai a vision and a dream are coming true, as new
Camp Ramah rises within the contours of the land.” When the Ojai Valley News went
to print on Sunday, July 30, 1972, Camp Ramah in California’s Max and Pauline Zimmer
conference had just been completed. Thirty four years later and 50 years after Ramah’s
first ten-day encampment in 1955, the Ramah vision and dream have become a reality
for thousands of Jewish children. Through the years, campers inspired by Ramah have
gone on to passionately embrace Judaism, tikkun olam, and community leadership,
and in turn inspire countless others.
On December 3rd, Camp Ramah in California culminated its 50th anniversary year by
hosting a one-day festival at camp filled with meaningful activities, tributes, reunions,
memories and plans for the future. The enthusiasm of the over 800 people in attendance
– campers, directors and families spanning 50 years – was palpable. On this very special
occasion, it was our pleasure to honor Ramah’s distinguished directors from camp’s
inception to the present. Their energy, creativity, dedication and love of Torah have
made the Ramah experience a treasured rite of passage for generations of Jewish children
throughout North America and beyond.
“From all my teachers I have grown in understanding” – Pirkei Avot
Rabbi Jacob Pressman 1955
Miriam Wise 1955
Dr. David Lieber 1956–57
Dr. Chaim Potok z”l 1958–59
Dr. Walter Ackerman z”l 1960-69, ‘73
Rabbi Zvi Dershowitz 1963–73
Dr. Ronald Levine 1970
Rabbi Stuart Kelman 1971–72
Dr. Asher Meltzer z”l 1974-75
Dr. Israel Spiegler 1976
Dr. Sheldon Dorph 1977
Dr. Alvin Mars 1977–84
Rabbi Glenn Karonsky 1985–89
Rabbi Eddie Feinstein 1990–93
Robin Graff 1990, ‘93
Brian Greene 1994–2001