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Local Camp Ramah friends start fund
in camper's memory.

Ronelle Grier I Contributing Writer

F

Fleischman Residenc e/
Blumberg Plaza

or Ronen Fleischmann, who
died unexpectedly Oct. 3 at age
15, summers at Camp Ramah in
Canada were some of the happiest times
of his young life.
Because the Toronto teen espe-
cially loved sailing, fellow Ramah
Canada camper Nicole Kahan of
Bloomfield Hills established the Ronen
Fleischmann Foundation through the
GoFundMe fundraising site to buy a
sailboat for the camp in Fleischmann's
memory.
"We knew Ramah was his favorite
place, so we wanted to donate some-
thing to the camp" said Kahan, 15,
whose twin brother, Noah, was also
Fleischmann's close friend. "Ronen was
a good sailor; he felt most at home on
the sailing beach. He felt a connection
to the water"
Thanks to the profound impact
Fleischmann had on the Ramah com-
munity during his eight years as a
camper, the donations, which are still
pouring in, exceeded Kahan's wildest
expectations. The local Camp Ramah
Canada community comprises about
60 campers and 20 staff members, in
addition to more than 200 alumni. The
camp is affiliated with the Conservative
movement.
"Our first goal was $2,000" Kahan
said. "Within an hour, we had reached
$4,000"
The donations grew as friends began
sharing the campaign link on Facebook
and other social media sites. At press
time, donations exceeded $15,500.
"He was in so many different com-
munities, so many people cared so
much about him," Kahan said. The
funds remaining after the sailboat is
purchased, which Kahan estimates will
cost between $2,500-$3,000, will be
donated to Ramah. Possible uses could
include the camp's Tikvah program for
special needs campers or a scholarship
fund.
"Ronen really loved Tikvah; he had a
friend with special needs and he would
always ask to spend time with him"
said Kahan, who attended the funeral
in Toronto with a group of Detroit-area
campers.
According to close camp friend
Micah Krakoff of Southfield, 16, the
funeral drew people from other parts of
the country as well as Israel.

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16

Ltober 15 • 2015

Ronen Fleischmann

"Ronen was the type of guy that
would always try to make everyone else
happy" Krakoff said. "He was always
smiling no matter what the situation
was and he would always find the
bright side of things. He was the type
of guy who was friends with everyone.
He never saw anyone as below or above
him. He was the type of guy we all
should strive to be a little more like:'
Besides sailing, Fleischmann loved
theater, playing the lead role in the
camp play every year. This summer,
he was Troy in the camp production of
High School Musical.
"Ronen was the kid that never asked
to be a leader or role model, but wholly
was one... Ronen was our Hercules, a
strong leader, an amazing friend and
just that kind of incredible person; he
will be truly missed" said Jesse Adler
of Farmington Hills, 19, a University of
Michigan student who was a counselor
in Fleischmann's unit.
Fleischmann was the beloved
son of Eli Fleischmann and Annette
Duvdevani of Toronto and the dear
brother of Amir and Noam. According
to Kahan, his family was overcome with
emotion when they learned about the
fundraising campaign. Contributions
to the Ronen Fleischmann Foundation
can be made via www.gofundme.com/
ronensfoundation. *