The countdown has begun for the opening of Camp Ramah NorCal, the Conservative movement’s new overnight camp in La Selva Beach, in Santa Cruz County. “Staff week starts June 14 and the campers arrive June 21,” said camp director Sarah Shulman.
Some 215 campers have signed up for the summer sessions, plus an additional 125 for the family Shabbat camp. “Our goal was 150 campers, and we are thrilled,” Shulman said. This year, the camp offers two two-week sessions, one weeklong session and a three-day family camp.
For summer camp, open to youngsters in grades three through nine, “We have campers from Santa Rosa to Santa Cruz, from Sacramento to Palo Alto, from Berkeley, San Francisco and San Jose,” Shulman said. A few campers will travel from Los Angeles, Seattle and Phoenix.
“If anyone doubted there was room for another camp, this shows a lot about what some families want in a Jewish camp experience,” she added.
Ramah has hired 35 staff members, some from Northern California, Shulman said.
Camp Ramah NorCal is part of a national camp program that operates eight overnight camps and five day camps in North America and Jerusalem. During the school year, the site of the new camp serves as a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school.
The 380-acre campus, on oceanfront property, includes a horseback riding center, pool, gym, theater and sports fields. “We’re bringing in a climbing wall, some mountain bikes and we’ll be doing some surfing as well,” Shulman said.
For more information or to register, see www.ramahnorcal.org. — patricia corrigan