Blog
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My community is bigger than your button
February 15, 2018
In this era of “my button is bigger than yours,” the words ‘destabilizing’ and ‘unsettling’ come to mind. I am transported back in time to 2009, just after I made Aliya when I was hearing the rhetoric coming out of the Israeli Prime Minister’s office visa vis-a-vis a nuclear Iran. Call me naïve or unsophisticated, […]
Jonathan Madoff
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Proof of the “Power of One”
January 30, 2018
Allison Davis is proof of the “Power of One”. The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s “Power of One” honors individuals who have made an exceptional impact on a Jewish organizations’ ability to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. We are thrilled to recognize the contributions of a veteran staff member of our Tikvah Support […]
Robyn Diamond
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A Black Box
January 26, 2018
A Black Box. No windows. No light. Inside, it is hollow…or is it? It sounds cold, closed, uninviting…like a jail cell, or worse. It could be scary, lonely, and grim. Who would think to find freedom in such an environment? But….it feels different. It is insulating, secure, and only limiting to those who are bound […]
Rachel Dobbs Schwartz
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Striving for Disability Inclusion Everywhere
January 26, 2018
My camp lens is always on! In every experience I have, class I take, activity I partake in (Jewish or not), I think about camp. But more specifically, I think about my job as the Inclusion Specialist in Ramah Darom’s Tikvah Support Program. I’m always thinking, how can we bring this model into camp? Or, […]
Allison Davis
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Coming Together
January 18, 2018
On Wednesday, January 10, 2018, close to 300 Ramah Darom campers, parents, and current and former staff members gathered together at Congregation B’nai Israel in St. Petersburg, Florida to grieve alongside hundreds of other family and friends, to honor the memory of Leslie, Mitchell, Hannah and Ari Weiss, and to provide support to their families. […]
Fred Levick
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Remembering The Weiss Family
January 18, 2018
I am here today representing friends, parents, alumni, staff, and lay leaders from Camp Ramah Darom who have traveled from across the region to be able to show love and support to the family members of Mitchell, Leslie, Hannah, and Ari. And to convey heartfelt condolences on behalf of thousands in our Camp community, across […]
Geoff Menkowitz
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My Best Friend Ari
January 18, 2018
My Name is Ethan Fine, from Dallas Texas. I was fortunate to know the whole Weiss family. From my visits to Tampa and many FaceTime calls, Mitch and Leslie became almost like second parents to me and through my best friend Ari, I got to know Hannah too. I first met Ari when we were […]
Ethan Fine
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Where Was G-d?
January 18, 2018
“G-d was the outpouring of love and consolation that occurred in the Synagogue and the Church social hall after the service. G-d was all the Campers, parents and current and former staff that came together to show their devotion. G-d was the commitments to continue the work that Hannah and Ari had only just started”. […]
Howard Zandman
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Winter Break Family Camp
January 16, 2018
A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of attending Winter Break Family Camp (WBFC) at Ramah Darom in Clayton, GA (about 2.5 hours North of Atlanta) for the second year in a row. When I have vacation time, I like to travel, and travel days are filled with a morning activity, an afternoon activity, […]
Erica Sue
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The First Time
December 31, 2017
I remember driving to Camp for the first time. Persimmon Road was only paved a small amount of the way, so the ride to Camp was quite a bit different than it is today. The softball field was then a soccer field, and there was no climbing tower, swing, or Odyssey high ropes course. The present-day dining […]
Rachel Dobbs Schwartz