Kehillah
Miriam Shwartz, along with her husband, Gilad, is the co-director of JCC Ranch Camp in Colorado’s Black Forest. My first and perhaps most impactful memory of camp happened on the very first day I set...
View ArticleNeshama
Miriam Shwartz is the co-director of JCC Ranch Camp in Colorado’s Black Forest. We’ve just passed the 10,000 feet mark on my flight back to Colorado. I’ve spent the last week at camping conferences in...
View ArticleTop 10 Ways to Get Ready for Camp
1. Get Outside and Get Moving. Make sure your camper increases their physical activity prior to camp so that they feel ready to be active all day long. If your child is going to be participating in...
View ArticleEvacuation
This month, my husband and co-director, Gilad, and I are grateful for our wonderful camp kehillah (community) and for life and health. Two weeks ago, the Black Forest Fire in Colorado necessitated that...
View ArticleLessons Learned from Capture the Flag
We have just begun our third and final session for the summer here at Ranch Camp. With just shy of 210 campers, camp is abuzz with constant noise, activity, and fun. The other night we had our...
View ArticleClosing Time
As the Semisonic song goes, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” And as we wrap up our Ranch Camp summer and I reflect back on our season, this seems to ring especially true....
View ArticleReflections After Our Camp Nearly Burned Down
Shanah Tova from the Ranch Camp! We wish your family a year full of happiness, health, and fulfillment. The High Holiday season is a like a spa for the soul. Each year we are given the opportunity for...
View ArticleTeaching Our Children How to Swim
In addition to beginning to plan for the upcoming 2014 camping season, Gilad and I find ourselves also busy preparing to become new parents in approximately three months. We recently started Jewish...
View ArticlethanksGIVING
We continue our series on giving. Autumn is definitely my favorite time of year. I love the change in weather, the trees changing color, getting to wear comfy sweaters, and above all, I love the...
View ArticleO’have Liot B’Bayit (Love to be Home)
Have you ever felt immediately welcomed in a new place? Well recently, Gilad came back from a recruiting trip to a congregation here in Colorado beaming from his experience. We had never been to this...
View ArticleCelebrating Tu Bishvat
Gilad and I welcomed our baby girl into the world on January 1st. Sivan Amali Shwartz arrived just in time to help us celebrate one of my favorite Jewish holidays, Tu Bishvat, which began last night....
View ArticleSurrender
“At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.” ~ Maya Angelou When I think about the most significant...
View ArticleOur Common Purpose
Our staff have arrived for training and summer is soon underway! All year long I work hard to recruit staff, interview them, and hire the most exceptional applicants to work with our campers. This...
View ArticleReflecting to Look Forward
The summer Torah portion, Matot, opens with Moses giving the following instructions to the Israelite tribal heads: “If a man makes a vow to the Lord or makes an oath to prohibit himself, he shall not...
View ArticleSukkot and Home
Shana tova and chag sameach! The Jewish fall calendar is full of celebration and festivities and one of my favorites is Sukkot. During Sukkot, we commemorate the forty years during which the Israelites...
View ArticleGratitude
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” -William Arthur Ward One of my most amazing camp moments happened...
View Article8 Days of Hanukkah Challenge: Be the Light You Want to See in the World
In the camp world, we are more about actions than words. Our days are full of learning and exploring through movement and activity. So, I say this Hanukkah season, let’s bring a little bit of this camp...
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