Camp Ramah takes leap to digital matchmaking
Thousands of alumni will be able to rekindle a past flame or meet someone new thanks to a new partnership between Conservative Jewish camping movement and online Jewish dating force JDate.
The Jewish tradition of matchmaking just got a 21st century upgrade with the creation of a Jewish camp-specific online dating site that will have Jewish mothers world wide breathing a sigh of relief.
Thousands of young American Jews who grew up attending and working at Camp Ramah, the Conservative Jewish Movement’s camping branch, will now be able to rekindle a past flame or meet someone new thanks to RamahDate, a partnership between Ramah and the well-established Jewish online dating site JDate.
Since 1947, thousands of young American Conservative Jews have headed out into the wilderness, whether it be in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Colorado or one of the many other Camp Ramah locations, to spend their summers learning Hebrew and practicing Conservative Jewish traditions while enjoying classic camp activities such as kayaking and hiking.
But the idea of a Conservative Jewish camp was not just meant for roasting marshmallows by the campfire – it was also meant to provide an opportunity for young Jews to create lasting relationships, especially those that could lead to a long-lasting Jewish marriage.
"Many Ramahniks meet and fall in love during camp. For those who don't, Ramah continues to resonate in their lives as one of the most powerful and positive Jewish experiences, and so many seek spouses who share that feeling," says Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, Camp Ramah's National Director.
Beth Kopin, who met her husband Jeff at Ramah Wisconsin in the 70’s, saw the potential for a Ramah-specific dating site after two of her three children met their spouses within the first month of using JDate.
Kopin explains that her daughter took notice of her husband because his profile picture seemed to be in a camp setting – something that immediately appealed to her.
While he did not turn out to be a "Ramahnik," Beth realized that the search to find someone like-minded, even within a Jewish dating site, was still a challenge.
"It's that type of Judaism," Kopin says.
"It’s the familial culture within a culture. As I call it, the tribe within the tribe. It’s the same songs, the same davening (prayer), the same kashrut – the same observance."
Molly Braun, a graduate student living in Boston who attended Camp Ramah in New England and later worked there as counselor, affirms Kopin's belief as she says: "When you know someone else was a Ramah kid, you already have an understanding of who they are and their background."
Kopin shared her idea to create a Ramah date site at the annual parents weekend at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin.
"They were talking about the demise of the Conservative movement and they were struggling with what to do – and I said, okay, this is life-affirming, what if we just got all the kids together from all the different camps and start a date site?
"You could hear a pin drop in the room," says Kopin.
It took four years to raise the money and convince people that there was merit for a Ramah-specific date site.
"We had to do a lot of research…It turns out – there were people percolating around the same idea in California and New York."
Connecting 'Ramahniks' worldwide
Kopin adds that as excited as they are about the idea of RamahDate in North America, the dating site will also benefit Israelis who worked at the various Ramah camps – part of what Ramah calls the Israeli "Mishlahat.""If you have someone from the Galil who goes to the Ojai, California camp (him and) the kid from the Negev who goes to the Berkshires camp will never meet in Israel. Because they won’t know about each other," Kopin points out.
According to Kopin, many secular Israelis find themselves connecting with the Conservative Judaism practiced at Ramah and when they return to Israel, seek to find someone they can share their those values with. RamahDate will enable them to connect.
Kopin says that many of her friends who made Aliyah say that it is even harder to find someone who identifies with their conservative Jewish values in Israel than it is in the US.
"Many are testing the waters to see if they want to make Aliyah - if they find a soul-mate who is a Ramahnik, the chance of them staying is bigger."
Another group that could benefit from Ramah date, Kopin adds, is the 40 plus divorced crowd. "I’ve often heard that. Sometimes in a divorce, you go back to an old romance. And there’s a comfort level there," she says.
Exclusivity
To those who say that Ramah is too exclusive, Kopin says Ramah "is not a rich club."
"It’s really not," she says. "We spend a lot of time raising money – more than 50 percent (of campers) have scholarships, which we’re very proud of. We try to keep the costs as affordable as possible."
Kopin says that those who want to connect to the movement are welcome to apply to work at one of the camps, even if they were never a camper.
That was exactly the case for Ariel Levitt from Crystal Lake, Illinois. Although Ariel never attended Camp Ramah as a camper, she started working at Ramah Outdoor Adventure in Colorado during her summers off from college.
"People who have worked or been a camper at Ramah share many values and experiences that are hard to mimic in a setting outside of the camping world," says Ariel. "I think that having the shared experience of Ramah just adds another element and connection to any relationship."
"Going to an observant Jewish camp in the summer is counterculture," says Kopin. "Everybody wants to be in the popular camp with the sports and make sure that kids are in their neighborhood with all of their school friends. And it's hard, you have to constantly push back and say, these are my values and this is how I want to raise my family."
"I’m proud to be a Jew – I would love for other people to feel proud to be a Jew," says Kopin.
"I’d like them to know that they can express themselves as a Jew and feel that that if they want to daven (pray) with men and women together, than great. If you don’t want to, great – you have options. You don’t have to be that round peg in a square. You don’t have to be forced to do something that isn’t in your nature."
"It’s a benefit to our kids, it’s a benefit to our camp and to our movement to try to help them find like-minded souls," says Kopin.
RamahDate is scheduled to launch on Spring 2015, with launch parties already scheduled in Tel Aviv on May 7 and Los Angeles May 14. RamahDate also plans to have launch parties in New York, Chicago, Toronto and Washington.
Former Ramah campers and staff will be able to access RamahDate by signing up to JDate. After filling out which camp they attended or worked at and from which years, their profile will then have a special Ramah icon – signifying they are part of Ramah Date. Those who already have a JDate account have the option of joining RamahDate as well.
