In your front-page article about Camp Ramah alumni trying to influence a discussion about occupation, you neglect the history of how Camp Ramah started. (“Pushing The ‘O’ Word Into The Ramah Lexicon,” March 30).
The purpose of Camp Ramah was to instill a love of Judaism and Zionism in young Jewish people who might not have had the experience of a Jewish day school during the year. It grew out of the veteran campers who attended camp Massad in the Poconos.
As a veteran of Camp Massad, I speak from experience. It was a miniature Israel. The emphasis on Hebrew language was strong; we even played baseball in Hebrew. We were schooled on the love of Eretz Yisrael with all its faults. But never did I hear, as a camper, a policy put forth by any of the counselors and staff that took a position for or against withdrawing from the West Bank, otherwise known as Judea and Samaria. I would highly suggest that the Camp Ramah movement reclaim their original goal of what its founders had in mind and focus on building strong Jewish identity so that we can secure a Jewish future right here in the United States.
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