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Ramah Magic
Detroiter staffs Ukraine camp trip;
finds remarkable similarities.
1-800-HAGOPIAN
( 424-6742 )
Darrien Sherman | Special to the Jewish News
www.OriginalHagopian.com
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34 September 8 • 2016
Native Detroiter Darrien Sherman has
worked in the Ramah Detroit Davidson
Fellowship program for three years. She
spent many summers at Camp Ramah in
Canada as a camper and staff member.
From July 28-Aug. 10, she co-led a group
of 11 Ramah camper graduates to work at
Camp Ramah Yachad, a Jewish summer
camp in the Ukraine as part of the Ramah
Ukraine Teen Leadership Experience.
A
fter spending two weeks in
the Carpathian Mountains at
Camp Ramah Yachad in the
Ukraine, I realized and appreciated the
true power and beauty of Ramah.
We were immediately welcomed by
the Ukrainian staff with handshakes,
hugs and big smiles. We were the first
American delegation to work at Ramah
Yachad since it opened 24 years ago.
We arrived Friday night before Shabbos
and started to pray Kabbalat Shabbat
together. Despite being worlds apart, the
power of prayer united us.
We were surprised to hear the
Ukrainian staff ’s Ramah trajectory was
astonishingly similar to many of ours.
A majority of the staff grew up at Camp
Ramah Yachad as campers, graduated as
madrichim (counselors) and continue to
return as staff members summer after
summer. The counselors led normal lives
as doctors, lawyers, accountants and
students during the year. When asked
why they return each year, they simply
replied, “This is their family.”
Sitting in a crowded chadar ochel (din-
ing room) surrounded by chants and
cheers, it was as if we were transported
into a typical Ramah chadar ochel.
A handful of the Ramah Yachad
campers live in tough economic condi-
tions, and many arrive at camp after a
15-hour train ride. For many of these
campers, this was their only opportu-
nity to receive Jewish education during
the year. The discussion topics and the
level of Jewish content integrated into
each activity reminded me of the peulot
(activities) I experienced at Ramah as
both a camper and staff member.
This sense of family was perfectly
demonstrated in the wedding that took
place at camp. The groom, a camper and
current staff member at Ramah Yachad
since age 6, wanted his wedding cer-
emony to be held at camp in front of his
family and friends. It was extraordinary
to hear the wedding being translated in
three languages — English, Russian and
Hebrew. Gila Katz, director of Ramah
Yachad, said this wedding was the 10th
marriage from camp.
As we sang and danced around the
newlyweds, I was blown away by the
similarities of Ramah Yachad and our
own Ramah camps. I realized the magic
of Ramah camps is universal.
As camp came to a close and we were
getting onto the bus, the campers started
to chant, “U.S.A., U.S.A.” They began
hugging and kissing our cheeks, writ-
ing phone numbers on our arms and
squeezing in one last picture. As the bus
pulled away from camp, the campers
and staff stood waving goodbye. It was
a heartfelt moment seeing both sides
teary-eyed and blowing air kisses out of
the bus windows. A beautiful partner-
ship was created. We realized the impact
we had made on one another.
This experience makes me even more
proud of my Ramah roots. We are so
privileged to be part of a larger network
that provides us with plentiful oppor-
tunities to practice our Judaism, meet
others from different backgrounds with
similar interests and to create enduring
memories that will last a lifetime.
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