Spotlight on the Kollel

Because Camp Ramah is more than just a summer camp-it's a Jewish summer camp-one of the most important parts of the Ramah summer is Jewish learning.  Campers take Hebrew and Jewish text classes throughout the day and throughout the summer, in addition to having opportunities for independent study.  One of the places campers can go to study is the Beit Midrash, and within the Beit Midrash there is a group of staff members who make up the Kollel.  Kollel members are people who were recruited to come to camp to both teach and study, and to serve as role models for the entire camp community.

Ellie (Kollel):  I had wanted to join the Kollel because I had really enjoyed studying with Rabbi Mikey Rosenberg [who was the leader of the Kollel the first half of the summer] in the past, so I was interested in coming here and having another opportunity to study with him.  Also, Gemarrah is a skill that I think is good for me to have and here I am able to get a good basis for that skill which will help me continue to study in the future.

I have enjoyed studying Gemarrah this summer.  The language is a lot harder, but it's easier for me to get involved with.  We also did some Midrash Aggadah, which I thought was really cool.  I hadn't seen anything like it before.

As a Kollel, we certainly serve as an example for the campers to show them that there are people who study all the time.  We also serve as resources for the community.  If people have questions about text study, there are always people around to answer those questions.

Hinda  (Kollel):  I had worked at Ramah in the Berkshires for a few summers and this summer I was ready to try something different.  It was an opportunity to see something similar but different.

We're studying a lot of different things this summer.  In the mornings, we study Yoma, which is Gemarrah, and in the afternoons, we learn a lot of other things like Midrash and Halacha.  We did some learning on egalitarianism, which was really interesting.  As an all female Kollel this year, we have the opportunity to discuss gender issues, because we don't all sit on the same sides of the issues, which is really interesting.

I think that there's a lot of value in the Kollel being here at camp.  I've already been asked to learn with some kids, and it's great to have that opportunity.  There's a lot of accessibility to learning.  It's also great to be able to communicate to the campers that learning all day is not boring. 

Sara (Kollel):  I was dissatisfied with my level of Jewish knowledge.  There's so much to learn and this program seemed like a good way to learn it.  I've done a fair amount of studying the Tanach, but have not done a lot of Talmud, and I'm getting to do that here. 

In the mornings, we have a Talmud class and chevruta.  We also teach a Solelim class in the mornings.  In the afternoons, what we study varies.  Sometimes it's midrash, sometimes Tanach.  In the evenings, we have the opportunity for more classes and for independent projects.  I've been learning Mishna Torah as an independent project, which is basically Rambam's summary of halacha.

I think on some level if the goal of the camp is to get people involved in and appreciative of Judaism, this is a level up from what the campers do.  So we create a nice Jewish environment and the Kollel helps people to become more educated Jewishly.  We're also role models for the campers when it comes to text study.

Leora (Kollel):  In the Kollel, we teach one class a day to Solelim campers.  This past machzor we've been teaching them about Shabbat and next machzor we're going to be teaching them about mitzvot, which we're really excited about.  We have a lot of really fun ideas for that curriculum.  We also spend a lot of time in the beit midrash.  We have classes in the mornings-we've  been learning Yoma, so we've been learning a lot about Yom Kippur.  In the afternoons, we have a variety of classes with different teachers.

I thought this program would be a really great opportunity to just study Jewish text in a very intense environment and to meet a lot of very dedicated, interesting people who are really involved in studying and egalitarian observance.

I think it's really great to have the resources of the beit midrash at camp and for the campers to see that there are people who are really interested in learning that they can go to for help.  I live in a Nivonim cabin and pray with them every morning and eat meals with them, so I'm somewhat integrated into their eidah, which makes me a good resource for them.