National Ramah Commission

Know a high school student who might want to spend a semester studying in Israel?🇮🇱

Tell them about this Sunday's Tichon Ramah Yerushalyim (TRY) info session, so they can learn what it’s like to live, learn, and grow in Jerusalem with Ramah Israel's high school semester program.

🗓 Sunday, May 31
⏰ 12 PM ET
📍 Zoom (parents & teens are welcome)
https://ramah.zoom.us/meeting/register/oUETAjyqTYa5VPXPZZwKAg #/registration

This week, 31 Rashei Edah and 10 year-round professionals gathered at Ramah Darom for Winer, our annual Rosh Edah training conference. The days were filled with learning, leadership growth, and preparation for Kayitz 2026.

“I thought about my intentions for both staff week and the entire summer, the kind of Rosh I want to be” - Annie M, Camp Ramah New England

“Returning to Winer for the third time was a really cool experience, being able to teach and share my experiences and my wisdom about the job to younger Roshes was a really cool thing to do, and I also learned new things myself” - Rachel B, Camp Ramah in the Berkshires

“I was able to challenge myself at Winer so that as a Rosh Edah, I can feel equipped to lead as a Jewish educator and speak in Hebrew” - Nora F, Camp Ramah in California

We can’t wait to see these amazing leaders put the lessons they learned at Winer into action at camp this summer. B’hatzlacha!

Ramah is thrilled to congratulate the 2026 graduates of The Jewish Theological Seminary - JTS, including those from List College, The William Davidson School, The Rabbinical School, The Gershon Kekst Graduate School, and the H. L. Miller Cantorial School, as well as the graduates of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Many of these Jewish professionals credit their summers at Ramah as their motivation for pursuing a course of Jewish study. We are proud that together with our partners, JTS and Ziegler, we are nurturing the Jewish leaders of today and tomorrow.

We celebrate all those who received honorary degrees from both JTS and Ziegler. We are proud that in his commencement address at JTS this week, Israel's President יצחק הרצוג - Isaac Herzog recalled the wonderful summers that he spent at Camp Ramah as a teenager. He also described feeling more hopeful and optimistic about the Jewish future after his recent visit with an enthusiastic group of high school students from Ramah Israel's Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY), and credited the leadership of National Ramah CEO Amy Skopp Cooper. While Amy is not in fact a rabbi herself, she is proud to work with her rabbinic colleagues, including those newly ordained from JTS and Ziegler. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=798WwWZPyuw

Debra Messing, the acclaimed actress and strong advocate for Israel and the Jewish People, also received an honorary degree from JTS. When she starred as Grace Adler on the iconic Will & Grace, she encouraged the writers to center Grace's Jewish identity and to include details that present a portrait of someone who takes pride in the richness of her Jewishness, such as her attendance at Camp Ramah. At the celebratory lunch yesterday, she shared with Amy how she made that happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVDTQFt_KZ4

National Ramah CEO Amy Skopp Cooper's moving reflection on the experiences of the students participating in Ramah Israel's Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY) high school program shows how immersive learning, deep community, and encounters with Jewish history shape thoughtful, compassionate young leaders. We are so proud of these remarkable teens studying in Israel this semester, and we are grateful to the educators who guide them with wisdom and care.

Read more here:

A Transformative Journey: Reflections on Our Teens’ Experiences on TRY — Camp Ramah A letter from Amy Skopp Cooper, National Ramah Commission CEO, to the parents of the 33 teens who are participating in Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY), the Ramah high school spring semester program based in Jerusalem.

Looking for a Jewish high school experience you can't get anywhere else? 🇮🇱

Join us for the TRY 2027 Info Session and learn what it’s like to live, learn, and grow in Jerusalem with Ramah Israel’s high school semester program.

🗓 Sunday, May 17
⏰ 12 PM ET
📍 Zoom (parents & teens are welcome)

https://ramah.zoom.us/meeting/register/jH0FWjWqSrCTOUOX36K2Ig

The Ramah Camping Movement wishes a hearty Mazal Tov to The Jewish Theological Seminary - JTS Chancellor-Elect Rabbi Mike Uram and another Todah Rabbah to outgoing Chancellor Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz. We were delighted to present him today with what we anticipate will be the first of many Ramah T-Shirts.

The National Ramah Commission wishes a hearty Mazal Tov to JTS Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, who was honored this week for her years of dedicated service to the Seminary and to Jewish life. As part of this celebration, the National Ramah Commission bestowed upon her the Pras Ramah: Ramah's highest and most distinguished honor.

The Chancellor's extensive scholarship has painted Ramah as it truly is: an essential, sophisticated contribution to the development of American Jewish life. She has been a champion of Ramah, ensuring that while we honor the legacy of our past, we constantly find ways to inspire the Jewish community of today. Ramah's past, present, and future also course through Chancellor Schwartz's own family, with four generations of Ramahniks so far.

We extend our deepest congratulations on this well-deserved tribute.

Yesterday evening, we gathered to celebrate Chancellor Schwartz and honor her legacy. The atrium was filled with her family, friends, colleagues, and members of the JTS community, while many more joined via livestream.

If you were unable to attend, we invite you to experience the celebration now: https://loom.ly/fZJTnuU

The second TRY info session is coming up! If you want to spend a semester in Israel and stay on track at your high school, this is for you!
🇮🇱
Learn what it’s like to live, learn, and grow in Jerusalem with Ramah Israel’s high school semester program.

🗓 Sunday, May 3
⏰ Noon ET
📍 Zoom (parents & teens are welcome)

https://ramah.zoom.us/meeting/register/RLH2TEpST1yY8IoAAcj-Vw