Shalom Ramah Families,
We had planned our next communication for June 2nd; however, over the last 24 hours, we have received information and guidance from public officials which made it clear to us that we will not be able to operate camp in Ojai this summer. While the likelihood was slim, we had hoped that a path forward would become viable. Sadly, we now know that no such opportunity is available to us.
We know this is difficult news to hear whether you are a parent or guardian, a camper, a staff member, an alum, or a member of our extended Ramah family. Each leg of the Ramah journey is special and unique, and this loss, along with so many others at this time, impacts each Ramah family in different ways. Relationships, connections, and being a kehillah (community) are the foundation of our beloved Ramah. We hope the comfort of this and our commitment to support you will make the loss easier to manage.
Where do we go from here? We wanted to share this new information with our community in a timely manner, maintaining the same spirit of transparency that has guided our partnership with you. Consequently, we don’t have all of the answers to your questions yet. Here is a timeline of communication you can expect from us going forward:
- Please join us today for a chance to gather as a community pre-Shabbat Friday, May 22nd, 4:00-4:30 PM PT – Click here to RSVP
- Look out for an email on Monday, May 25th with a schedule of virtual gatherings over the next week for smaller groups in our Ramah community.
- An email will go out on Wednesday, May 27th outlining next steps for refunds/donations. All Ramah families are eligible for a FULL refund with an invitation to donate partial or full tuition.
- We will be announcing our plans for alternate summer programming on Thursday, June 4th.
- We expect to open enrollment for summer 2021 over the coming months. Be on the lookout for our email. Know too that we are penciling in weekends and school breaks on our camp calendar in hopes of gathering small groups during the year. We will announce more when we have guidance and information.
We know this is difficult news to digest, and we want to offer some support for how to talk about this with your camper. Please see this social story written by Elana Naftalin-Kelman our Tikvah Director and these resources shared by Dr. Aviva Levine Jacobs, our Director of Camper Care.
We are comforted knowing that the Ramah mishpacha (family) is made up of people, place, and spirit. At this point, we are confident that the people and spirit will carry us forward, and the givah will be there waiting for us. We pray for the health and wellness of everyone, and that we will be together again soon.
Shabbat Shalom,
| Rabbi Joe Menashe Executive Director |
Ellen Brown Chair, Board of Directors |
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| Ariella Moss Peterseil Camp Director |
Randy Michaels COFO |
John Magoulas Director of Development |
| Elana Naftalin-Kelman Tikvah Director |
Dr. Aviva Levine Jacobs Director of Camper Care |
Dr. Andrea Kasowitz Marp Clinical Director |