Camp Bar-Mitzvah

• February 23, 2023
• admin
• no comments

 

All Things Are Possible at Ramah Nyack: An Update

By Lori Kass

A few years ago, in the blog post, “All Things Are Possible,” long-time camp parent Lori Kass described how her son Zev, who is on the autism spectrum, thrives at Ramah Nyack. At that time, Zev already began thinking about his bar mitzvah, and imagined camp as the perfect backdrop for this milestone. Fast forward to kayitz (summer) 2022, when Zev joyfully realized this goal and became a bar mitzvah in our Beit Knesset (synagogue), surrounded by his bunkmates, madrichim (counselors), close friends and family. In honor of Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAAIM), we are grateful that Lori once again took the time to share what it means to Zev and his family, to continue to excel at camp and be a part of the Ramah Nyack mishpacha (family).

—

Here’s what I felt on the day of my son’s bar mitzvah at Camp Ramah: Pure, unmitigated joy. Zev is the king of happiness. You really never met a happier child. He’s good natured, curious, silly and extroverted. He also lives with autism. And yet all his challenges melted away on the big day. It didn’t surprise me because at Camp Ramah his disability doesn’t define him or hold him back. In fact, Ramah just gives him all the space he needs to be his beautiful self and that’s how we found ourselves at camp on a Monday morning, during a regular camp day, celebrating Zev’s Jewishness. There really are no words to describe the amount of love from campers and staff that settled into the Beit Knesset (chapel) that day. Ami, the director of camp, and Amichai, the music coordinator, led tefilah and then we all watched with elation as Zev read from the Torah, had an aliyah and led adon olam. Zev chose his level of involvement for his bar mitzvah and I will never forget the pride on my son’s face as he read the torah at his beloved camp. Ami gave Zev his own special Camp Ramah kiddush cup, to show him that the values of camp are always with him, every shabbat. When I say the values of camp I am referring to Camp Ramah’s belief that all children, no matter their abilities, have a place in the Jewish community. Zev knows that Ami and Ramah believe in him wholeheartedly. When we tell children with special needs that they are valued and treasured they exude confidence. Or in Zev’s case, read from the torah, dance wildly with family and friends and grab a microphone and thank everyone for coming. So many adults came up to me that day and said, ‘I wish I had had a bar mitzvah exactly like this one.’ They weren’t just reflecting on the joy on Zev’s face but also the feeling that beheld all of us that day. That we were standing in a place of love and acceptance, witnessing the great things that happen when a child can be accepted for exactly who they are.

—

Read the original blog post, All Things Are Possible, here.