Year Round Staff

Director
Rabbi Ami Hersh
Director

Ami was appointed Director of Ramah Nyack in 2021, after serving in many leadership roles since joining the Ramah Nyack family in 2000 (counselor, Rosh Edah/division head, Assistant Director and Camp Director). Previously, Ami taught fourth grade at the Solomon Schechter School of Greater Hartford. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in May 2012 with a concentration in Jewish non-profit management. In 2013 he also received a MA in Jewish education from the Davidson School of Jewish Education at JTS, with a concentration in Israel education. A graduate of the University of Hartford, he holds degrees in Elementary Education and Judaic Studies. In addition, he is an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and the iCenter Israel Education Fellowship. He is married to Loni Hersh and has four children.
Contact Ami at ami@campramah.org

Director of Operations
Michael Edelstein
Director of Operations

Michael joined the Ramah Nyack leadership team in 2008. He supervises all operational aspects of the camp program including facility management, maintenance, building projects, medical protocol, security and commissary. Michael has an intimate knowledge of camp, as he began his Ramah Nyack journey as a camper at age three. Previously, Michael managed a production and marketing company which he founded in the late 1990s. In this position, he organized large-scale events at renowned NYC venues such as Radio City Music Hall and the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Michael is certified as a ServSafe Food Service Manager and as a Certified Pool Operator. He is an American Camp Association Visitor and a licensed contractor in Rockland County and New Jersey. He is married to Amy Edelstein and has two children.
Contact Michael at michael@campramah.org

Director of Communications
Randi Kattan
Director of Communications

Randi leads Ramah Nyack’s communications efforts and supports the camp’s development initiatives. Prior to joining the year-round team in 2021, she spearheaded specific key development initiatives, including Giving Tuesday and Lashuv HaBayita. In addition to her work as a communications consultant, she has been on our Omanut summer staff since 2012. Randi began her career in strategic communications at a boutique NYC-based investor relations/public relations firm, and later joined the Healthcare Practice at Cohn & Wolfe Public Relations, a global communications company. As Vice President, she managed multiple pharmaceutical brands in several disease categories, and led major announcements, from regulatory milestones to patient advocacy campaigns. Randi earned a BA in Art History and Business from The University at Albany (SUNY). She is a dedicated volunteer at her synagogue and her children’s school. Randi is married to Justin Kattan and they have three children. Their youngest child is a camper at Ramah Nyack, while their two older children (both Ramah Nyack alumni), now call Camp Ramah in the Berkshires their summer home.
Contact Randi at randi@campramah.org. 

Program Coordinator
Paul Horvath
Program Coordinator

Paul supports all aspects of summer and year-round programming. He essentially grew up at Ramah Nyack, having spent many summers at camp since he started in Kochavim at age 5. Paul also attended Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, where he was a camper, counselor and ultimately Rosh Edah/division head. Paul attended the Abraham Joshua Heschel School and later earned a BA in Politics and Computer Science from Princeton. While in college, he spent a semester in Israel as a participant in the Nachshon Project, a Jewish learning fellowship in Jerusalem. Paul can always be found proudly wearing a camp t-shirt, and either playing gaga or handing out donuts for camper birthdays!
Contact Paul at paul@campramah.org

Business Coordinator
Prakash Thakur
Business Coordinator

Prakash started his Ramah Nyack journey in 2014. He has worked in several areas of camp including on both the kitchen staff and maintenance staff. For several years, he helped to prepare the grounds and facilities for summer and for the off-season. Most recently, Prakash served as Rosh Chadar Ochel (supervising our food servers). In this role, he took great pride in making sure the Chadar ran smoothly and that hundreds of meals were successfully served to our chanichim and tzevet each day! Prakash graduated The University at Albany (SUNY) in January 2022 with a BS in Business Economics.
Contact Prakash at prakash@campramah.org

Facilities Manager
Dory Payne
Facilities Manager

Dory has been on staff at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack for 18 years — Chai! She has had a variety of roles including housekeeping, pre- and post-camp set-up and facility maintenance. Prior to camp, Dory worked at St. Agatha’s Home for Children, where she worked with children and families. Dory lives in Pomona, NY with her husband Derrick and kids (camp summer staff members), Shaquille, T’keyah, Derrick and Nikolas.
Contact Dory at dory@campramah.org.