Ramah Darom is a
Jewish summer camp
A Jewish summer camp is a summer camp dedicated to Jewish communities. In the United States these camps grew in popularity in the years after World War II and the Holocaust as an effort by American Jewish leaders to preserve and produce authentic ...
affiliated with the Conservative movement in
Clayton, Georgia
Clayton is a city in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 2,003 at the 2020 census. The county seat of Rabun County, it is in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
History
The area that eventually became Clayton was called the Dividi ...
.
History
Ramah Darom opened in 1997. The camp aims to inspire a lifelong love of Jewish values, tradition and community. Ramah Darom is located on of land in the
Appalachian Valley. The lake is fed by mountain brooks and a waterfall. The camp is surrounded by over of wilderness and hiking trails in the
Chattahoochee National Forest
The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a rela ...
. Ramah Darom attracts campers and staff from Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, Israel, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois, Arkansas, and Nebraska. The camp is co-ed, Hebrew speaking, and kosher. All staff are college or university students.
The summer is divided into two four-week sessions, Aleph and Bet. Generally campers attend one session, while some opt to go both sessions. The minimum ''eidah'' (age-group) to attend either Session Aleph or Bet is ''Nitzanim.'' rising 4th graders. The minimum eidah to attend both Session Aleph and Bet is ''Chalutzim,'' rising 6th graders. However, for the oldest ''eidah,'' ''Gesher,'' attendance to both sessions is required. Each ''eidah'' is informally known as its ''Gesher'' year's Roman Numerals (''Eidah Gesher'' in ''Kayitz'' of (Summer) 2026 is known as, XXVI, or Double X V I).
Camp Leadership
Rabbi Loren Sykes, the camp's first director, was replaced by Geoff Menkowitz, a former Assistant Director, and then Anna Serviansky. The staff includes a delegation of
Israelis
Israelis (; ) are the Israeli citizenship law, citizens and nationals of the Israel, State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Israeli Jews, Jews and Arab citizens of Israel, Arabs, who respectively account for 75 percen ...
.
Special needs programs
The Tikvah Support Program was inaugurated in 2015. This program offers a summer experience for campers diagnosed with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Tikvah Support Staff members are specially trained to work with children in this program. It is open to children in sixth through twelfth grade.
The camp also hosts Camp Yofi, a special 5-day session (held after the main sessions) for families with
autistic children.
Programs and activities are provided for the children and their siblings, as well as the parents.
See also
*
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...
*
Jewish education
Jewish education (, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. Judaism places a heavy emphasis on Torah ...
References
External links
Ramah Darom website
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Darom
Youth organizations based in Georgia (U.S. state)
Buildings and structures in Rabun County, Georgia
1997 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Jews and Judaism in Georgia (U.S. state)