A Wide Range of Expertise

Andy Abeles Doctor
A veteran camper and staff member, Andy is now an anesthesiologist based in Columbus, Ohio. He earned his MD from the University of Missouri-Columbia school of medicine.

Omri Adler Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Omri is from Even-Yehuda in Israel and this is his first summer on staff. He was born in California and moved to Israel when he was 6 years old. He was a guide in the Israeli Scouts for 2 years. He loves sports, including basketball, swimming, jogging.

Rachel Sabina Aliev Mishlachat – Atzmayim Vocational Program
Rachel joins us from Israel for her first year on staff. She recently finished her IDF service, during which she tutored solders who were on the autism spectrum.

Tamar Almoz Mishlachat – Tarbut Israel
Tamar lives in Kfar Tabor, near the Sea of Galilee with her four Siblings and her dog Rona. In the army she was a Hebrew teacher and commander of new olim from all over the world. She currently works in education with teenagers.

Shahar Almozlinos Mishlachat – Waterfront
Shahar is 22 years old and completed a year of service in the Hashomer Hahadas organization, which guides young children and enables their love of nature and the country. Shahar recently finished her service in the army as a commander for basic training, as well as a secretary to a brigadier. She is currently working at the Beresheet Hotel. She loves to swim, dance and surf!

David Alperin Senior Counselor – Drama
This is David’s third summer on staff and eleventh summer at camp in general. David originates from the city of Chicago, but spends the year at the University of Pittsburgh (in Pittsburgh), studying linguistics and Quechua.

Shani Amity Mishlachat – Woodworking/Studio Arts
Shani lives in Israel, and has worked with the Conservative youth movement, Noam. Shani completed pre-military program for a year and served in the army for intelligence operations. She has previously worked in a carpentry workshop, and is currently working in a bakery, as well as a bartender.

Tal Amos Mishlachat – Camping
Tal joins us from Israel for his first year on staff.

Charles Appel Rosh Anaf (Activity Head) – Nagarut (Woodworking)
Chuck is from Buffalo grove Illinois, currently studying food science at Michigan state university. This will be his 11th summer at Ramah Wisconsin, 6 summers as a camper and this is his 5th year on staff. In his spare time he enjoys cooking and disc golf.

Lauren Appel Rosh Eidah (Division Head) – Shoafim (8th grade)
Lauren returns to camp for her fourth summer in person on staff after spending six summers as a camper. From Buffalo Grove, Illinois, she currently attends Indiana University Bloomington where she is pursuing a Jewish Studies major along with minors in both Nonprofit Management and Youth Development. Lauren also spent a semester as a member of the Nachshon Project’s 8th cohort, where she studied abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and gained valuable knowledge about what it means to be a leader and work in the Jewish community.

Molly Appel Rosh Eidah (Division Head) – Solelim (7th grade)
Molly Appel is from Buffalo Grove, IL and is very excited to be returning to camp for her 11th summer at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. She has been a staff member at camp since 2019. Molly graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and a minor in Jewish Studies in May 2023. She will be pursuing a Master’s of Science in Accounting from Michigan State University starting in the fall. After graduating with her Master’s in May 2024, she will begin work full-time with Deloitte in Chicago.

Dotan Appelbaum Rosh Anaf (Activity Head) – Studio Arts
Dotan grew up at Camp Ramah, attending for 7 summers. During his time as a camper, he discovered a love for woodworking and art. He studied wood craft at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship for 9 months before completing his degree in sociology and studio art at Wesleyan University last year. He joins us for his 7th summer on staff after completing the first of a two year MFA in Furniture Design at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Brandi Argentar Professional in Residence – Shavua Bogrim
Brandi was a camper for 5 summers and a counselor for 3 summers.  Her middle son will be a Bogrim camper this summer.  Brandi is a science teacher and technology coach at Stevenson High School, a northwest suburb outside of Chicago. She has participated in several Breakout EDU (Escape room for school setting) workshops. Brandi has also implemented several within her own classroom and helped other teachers create their own.  She is excited to share her excitement for escape rooms with the Bogrimers. Additionally, Brandi is the owner of Escape In A Box Events LLC.

Imri Asraf Mishlachat – Camping
Imri is from Israel and just finished his miltary service. This is his first summer at Ramah and he is very excited to experience time at camp! 

Adi Athzva Mishlachat – Camping
Adi is from Kiryat Gat in Israel and was most recently working in a confectionary.  He would like to start studying psychometrics soon. Adi is very excited to come to camp and assist with the cycling program.

Maytal Bach Rosh Eidah (Division Head) – Nivonim (11th grade) 
Maytal Bach doesn’t know how to spend her summers away from Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. This is her 12th summer at camp — 6th summer on tzevet.  She recently graduated from Brandeis University where she studied Public Health, Anthropology, and French.

Max Baker Counselor – Ruach Ramah 
Max joins us from Los Angeles, California for his first summer. He is attending American University where he will study Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government (CLEG).

Benjamin Barrish Counselor – Cabin
Benjamin is from Deerfield, Illinois and will be attending Northwestern University in the fall. He is excited for his first year on staff after six summers as a camper and one as a Ruach Ramah counselor!

Caleb Becker-Schwartz Counselor – Agam (Boating)
Caleb Becker-Schwartz is from Denver, Colorado. He has spent 6 years as a camper at Ramah in Canada and 1 year as a camper at Ramah in Wisconsin. He is currently a ski instructor for Team Breckenridge Sports Club. Next year, he will be studying aerospace engineering at an undecided university.

Kate Behrman Ruach Ramah Counselor
Kate Behrman is a Los Angeles native and cannot wait to spend her first summer at Ramah. She has spent almost every summer at day/overnight camps. Kate will be attending Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut in the fall to study Film and Theater.

Adina Beiner Assistant Director 
An alumna of Camp Ramah Darom, where she spent summers as a camper, counselor, and division head (Rosh Eidah), Adina has spent additional summers at Darom and Ramah Sports Academy in senior administrative roles.  She also worked as a middle school humanities teacher and school-wide events coordinator at Beit Rabban Day School in New York. Adina is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a B.S. and M.Ed. in Middle School Education.  She is also pursuing an Ed.D from Northeastern University, where her research focuses on staff retention in camps like ours!

Stan Beiner Jewish Studies Teacher
Stan lives in Sandy Springs, GA and has been an educator for many, many, many years running day schools, Jewish education agencies, and youth programs.  He most recently taught and then was principal of a STEM charter school.  He has authored several books including Sedra Scenes (making him the most copyright violated Jewish author of all time.)  Currently, Stan works part time in the public schools and is back to writing books. He is married and has three daughters one of whom is the assistant director at Ramah Wisconsin, but he feels he got this job on his own merits having worked in a similar position in Georgia. 

Renatya Ben Ezra Mishlachat – Sport Staff
Originally from New Jersey,  Renatya now lives in Modiin Israel. In the Army she served as a commander in the Tactical Simulation Unit.  Additionally, she is a black belt in Judo and will be joining the sports staff as a judo instructor.

Shira Ben Haroya Mishlachat – Rishonim
Shira is from Shoham,  Israel, and will be starting her army service next year, where she will be in a combat unit. Shira completed a hevruta gap year this year and is looking forward to experiencing camp for the first time!

Maayan Shlomo Ben Noon Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Maayan joins us from northern Israel for his first summer in camp. In high school, he studied art. After graduation, Maayan spent the year on a Gap Year program. The program, which combined American and Israeli 19 year olds, included learning, travelling and preparations for his army service. Maayan enjoys art, music, and hanging out with his friends.

Rony Berkovich Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Roni joins us from Israel for her first summer on staff. She currently works in an elementary school and plans to attend university in the fall to major in biotechnology.

Adrienne Berman Program Director
Adrienne Berman joined Camp Ramah in Wisconsin as Rosh Rishonim in 2018, continued that role in 2019 and 2021, and started as Program Director in 2022. She brings to the role her formal education from Concordia and McGill Universities and experience as an educator, preschool administrator and mom. She and her husband, Efrem, are originally from Montreal, Canada and currently live in Minneapolis, MN with their Ramah-nik children Cassie (Bogrim), Zach (Solelim) and Tessa (Ruach Ramah). Adrienne’s parenting and teaching philosophy is rooted in love and consistency and empowers children through self-direction and praise.

Rose Bicas-Dolgen Counselor – Ruach Ramah
Rose has spent every summer at Ramah since her Kochavim summer. She grew up in Los Angeles, California, and, during the pandemic, moved to rural Sun Valley, Idaho. Rose is so excited to be back at camp this summer as a Ruach Ramah counselor! 

Noa Blacher Mishlachat – Camping
Noa is from Modiin Israel and recently finished her army service. In the IDF, she served in the Electronic Warfare divison as a combat soldier and medic. She will be attending Ben Gurion Universit

Howard Blas Inclusion
Howard is a social worker, special education teacher, writer, Birthright trip leader and has been affiliated with the Tikvah program since 1984. He is currently director of National Ramah Tikvah Network.

Natalie Blitt Mercaz
Natalie joins us from Skokie, Illinois for her 12th summer on staff. She studied English at McGill and journalism at The University of King’s College. She’s an education consultant for the iCenter, working to make Israel education an integral part of Jewish education. She is also the author of the young-adult novels The Distance from A to Z and The Truth About Leaving, as well as two middle-grade novels. Natalie and her husband, Rabbi Josh Feigelson, have three sons.

Noah Brody Senior Counselor – Cabin
Noah is from Deerfield, IL, entering his junior year of college at the University of Miami where he is studying sport administration. He spent 8 summers at Ramah Wisconsin as a camper and this will be his third summer on staff.

Talia Brody Head Baker
Talia Brody is from Deerfield IL, and works in the Bakery. She is currently attending Johnson & Wales University, majoring in Baking & Pastry Arts. This will be her 10th summer at camp, she was a camper for 7 years and on staff for 3 years.

Lena Bromberg Senior Counselor – Cabin
Lena grow up in Skokie IL and currently attends Muhlenberg College, where she is double majoring in Psychology and Media & Communications, as well as  minoring in Jewish Studies. After 5 years as a camper and 2 summers on staff, this will be Lena’s eighth summer at camp.

Ilisa Brown Bookkeeper
Ilisa received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Washington University in St. Louis. She has worked at a public accounting firm and as the controller of the International Academy of Merchandising and Design. Ilisa attended Camp Ramah in Wisconsin (Nivo ’81) for three summers as a camper and four summers on staff. All three of her children, Ari (Nivo ’12), Mason (Nivo ’16) and Sage (Nivo ’19), have attended Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and Ramah Day Camp.

Daphne Budin Rosh Ruach Ramah A
Daphne Budin is from Deerfield, IL. She just graduated from Syracuse University with a major in Human Development and Family Science, as well as a minor in Disability Studies. After camp she will be working with a social service gap year called City Year serving in Greater Boston. Daphne was a camper here for 7 summers, and this will be her 5th summer here at camp with us.

Jeremy Budin Counselor – Cabin
This is Jeremy’s first summer as a counselor at Camp Ramah Wisconsin, after being a camper for six years (and a member of Nivo ’21). From Deerfield, IL, Jeremy just graduated from Rochelle Zell Jewish High School and intends to go to college in the fall.

Samuel Caplan Chief Development Officer
Sam joined the year-round team in January 2014. Previously, Sam had served for two terms on the Ramah Wisconsin Committee and had been co-chair of Development with Dan Blumenthal on the Ramah Wisconsin Executive Committee.   Professionally Sam brings a wealth of development experience most recently serving as the Midwest Deputy Director for AIPAC where he managed an annual campaign of $14M across nine Midwest states.   Sam spent four years at Ramah Wisconsin as a camper and seven on staff including several as a Rosh Aidah. Sam met his wife Sarah Ettinger (Nivo ‘98) at camp, and they now have four children.

Shira Chanchinski Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Shira is from Alon Shevut, Israel.  She is currently working at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and will be starting her undergraduate studies at Betzalel Academy of Art And Design. Shira has a lot of experience working with children both in her Sheirut Leumi at Beit Elazraki children’s home and Alutaf Petah Tikva, and through various volunteer opportunities for at-risk youth. She is very excited to come to Camp Ramah!

Evelin Chilito Imbachi International Staff
Evelin Chilito is 26 years old and from Colombia. She earned a degree in Modern Languages.

Aviva Clauer Counselor – Cabin
Aviva Clauer is from Kansas City, and although she has been coming to camp since Rishonim this is her 6th official summer at camp and first as staff. This coming year she will be a freshman at the University of Southern California.

Aaron Cohen Senior Counselor – Cabin
Aaron joins us for his third summer on staff after eight as a camper. From Chicago, he attends Washington University in St. Louis.

Ellen Cohen Volunteer 
For the past 12 years, Ellen has been working with staff on taking the next step in their professional trajectories. She is the Deputy Director of Data for the Common Good (D4CG), University of Chicago, where she leads science, strategy, financial management, training and educational development initiatives. Prior to her current role, Ellen served in academic leadership at the university’s Harris School of Public Policies, in enrollment leadership at DePaul, Brandeis and Brown universities and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and in advertising account management at Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) and HBM Creamer. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in Economics from Brown University and a master of public policy (MPP), with honors, from the University of Chicago.

Heath Cohen Sports Instructor-In-Residence
Originally from Illinois, Heath now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Kinesiology and attended Ramah every year except Shoafim when he had his bar mitzvah in Israel.  He has worked at camp in one way or another for over 5 years.

Joshua B. Cohen Mercaz
Rabbi Joshua B. Cohen was a camper, bunk counselor, Rosh Eidah, and the Assistant Director of Ramah Wisconsin over the course of 23 consecutive summers through 2006.  He is excited to be back in Conover after spending two summers more recently working as a Yoetz at Ramah Nyack.  Originally from Skokie, IL, he holds BAs from List College and Columbia University, an MA in Jewish Education and Rabbinic Ordination from JTS.  Joshua met his wife, Sarah Bierman, on the Kikar as campers, and they made Aliyah to Modiin in 2009 where they live with their 3 children, Sidney, Shenan, and Shoval.  Joshua works as a Program Officer for Legacy Heritage Fund where he is the co-director of the Nachshon Project.

Micah Copelovitch Counselor – Songleading (Shira)
Micah joins us from Madison, Wisconsin for his second summer on staff.  He was a camper for seven summers.  After camp, he will be going to Berlin, Germany for the year to study History and the German Language.  Micah is very excited to be returning this summer!

Noemi Csilik International Staff – Kitchen
Noemi is from Hungary and this will be her second summer at camp. Last summer she worked as kitchen staff and this year she joins Rishonim. Noemi is currently majoring in Health Care Management at the University Of Miskolc.

Eva Csoka International Staff – Kitchen
Evi joins camp this year for the first time. She is from Hungary, where she is completing her degree in Business Administration and Management at Budapest Business School.

Sara Csoka International Staff – Kitchen
Sara joins us from Budapest, Hungary for her first year at Camp Ramah. She is currently pursuing her studies in International Business Economics at Budapest Business School.

Amy Cytryn Office Staff
A longtime Ramahnik, parent and grandparent, Amy is excited to join us on staff this summer. Amy received her BA in Education from Simmons College and was a long time special education teacher. She and her husband Rabbi Eric Cytryn recently moved to Israel.

Eric Cytryn Jewish Studies
Eric is  a retired Conservative Rabbi living in Israel most of the year. He has led congregations in New Orleans, St. Louis and Harrisburg. Eric enjoys playing guitar as well as studying and teaching Jewish texts, including philosophy, Talmud and poetry. He has visited, camped and worked at numerous Camps Ramah over the course of 63 years.

Jacob Cytryn Executive Director
Jacob is returning for his 31st summer with Ramah – 24th on staff. In 2018 he became the Executive Director of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and Ramah Day Camp after having been Director, Assistant Director and Program Director for several years. He earned an M.A. in Talmud and Rabbinics at JTS and is working on a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies and Education at Brandeis University. Jacob lives in Chicago with his wife Tamar and sons Sam, Micah and Hillel.

Anina Dassa Rosh Omanut (Studio Arts)
Anina Dassa is a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary and a fellow in the Nachshon Graduate Fellowship. Anina is from Los Angeles where she went to Camp Ramah in California as a camper for 8 years and worked on staff for 5 years. She went to University of Michigan for undergrad where she received a BFA in the School of Music, Theater and Dance, and in the School of Art and Design. Anina also studied as a year-long fellow at Yeshivat Hadar and was a pre-school teacher at the Chabad of TriBeCa at the SoHo Jewish Center in New York City before starting rabbinical school. Anina also served as the rabbinic intern for Princeton Hillel in 2021 and will be serving as a rabbinic fellow at Bnai Jeshrun in Manhattan in the Fall.

Sophie DeKoven Counselor – Cabin
Sophie DeKoven is from Chicago. She is a rising sophomore at Tulane University where she is studying cell and molecular biology as well as physics. This will be her second summer on staff at Ramah Wisconsin. 

Nicole Dolin Nurse
Nikki joins us from Madison, Wisconsin for her 10th year on staff. She earned a BA in Feminist and Gender Studies from Bryn Mawr College and a BSN from Rush University. She is currently working as a nurse in cardiology in Madison. She and her husband Ron have three children: Talia (Nivonim 2020), Alex (Nivonim 2023) and Shayna (Shoafim).

Talia Dolin Cabin Counselor
Talia joins us from Madison, Wisconsin. She has spent her summers at Ramah Wisconsin since she was ten years old. In the fall she will be studying psychology at Tulane University.

Shimon Doroshev Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Shimon Doroshev is 20 years old and from Netanya, Israel. He is very happy and excited to be at  Ramah for the first time. He majored in physics and computers in high school and currently works as a waiter. After camp,  he hopes to enlist with the IDF. In his spare time he likes to read and play soccer and basketball with friends.

Mark Drexler Doctor
Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Mark returns for his 17th summer on staff. He attended Ramah Wisconsin from 1979-1981. He received his Bachelor of Science from Washington University in St. Louis and his medical degree from The University of Illinois at Chicago. He completed his residency in family medicine at Lutheran General Hospital and has been working as a family physician for over 20 years.

Mollie Dubner Cabin Counselor
Mollie is so excited to be on staff for her first summer after eight summers as a camper! Mollie participated in Ramah Poland and Israel Seminar in 2022, and she also went on Alexander Muss High School in Israel in the spring of 2021. Mollie is from Chicago, IL, and she plans to attend university in the fall studying International Affairs with a concentration in Middle East Studies.

Tali Ebenstein Cabin Counselor
Tali is from Montevideo, Uruguay. She is currently studying Graphic Design in ORT University (in Uruguay). Last year was her first time working at camp as a counselor chevrati for Solelim. This year she’ll be a counselor chevrati for Nivonim. She is super excited for her second year and can’t wait to see everyone again.

Karen Ebroon Office Staff
Karen is from Deerfield, Illinois. She works in real estate in the Chicago area and as a teen engagement coordinator for Moriah Congregation. She is a graduate of Syracuse University. This is her 9th summer on staff – one year as a JC and the rest as an adult in the office, except for 2021 in which she helped out in housekeeping.

Tohar Eisenberg Mishlachat – Tarbut Israel
Tohar joins us for her first summer on staff from Israel. She served in the IDF as a medical instructor within the ‘Search and Rescue’ unit.

Caleb Ellenberg Ruach Ramah Counselor
Caleb is a rising senior at Madison West High School. He is on the West Mock Trial, Science Olympiad, cross country, and tennis teams. He spent seven summers at Ramah in Wisconsin as a camper, and he is super excited for his first year on staff!

Hannah Ernstein Ruach Ramah Counselor
Hannah is from Buffalo Grove Illinois, she is going into her third year of nursing school at Saint Louis university. She will be earning her BSN to become a registered nurse. In the past she worked as a hostess at Walker Bros pancake house, and worked as a counselor here for the past 2 summers. As a camper, she attended a total of 11 summers at camp Ramah, 3 at the day camp and 8 at the overnight camp.

Samantha Feinberg Yoetzet/Advisor
Samantha Feinberg (Nivo 1995) was born and raised in Kansas City and Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. She attended camp for 6 summers, followed by an amazing experience on Ramah Seminar Plus in Israel. She attended UW-Madison, earning a BS in English Education and later a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Baker University.  She has worked as a public school teacher for 20 years, teaching English and composition to students in grades 6-12. She loves working with adolescents, running, yoga, kickboxing, weightlifting, baking, and hanging out with her three active kids.

Idan Fine Rosh Tarbut Yisrael
From kibbutz Maagan Michael in Israel, Idan joins us for her third summer on staff. After high school she did a gap year volunteering with special needs people. In the army she served as a Hebrew teacher for olim hadashim and Arabic speaking soldiers. Since she finished the army she worked in various educational jobs. This past year she worked at Alexander Muss High School. This will be her third summer as a Tarbut Yisrael counselor and she is very excited to be back for the summer!

Rabbi Jeremy Fine Volunteer
Rabbi Jeremy Fine is a former camper, counselor, Rosh Sport and Rosh Eidah. He is currently a Rabbi in Deerfield, IL at Congregation Bnai Tikvah and has two daughters that are chanichim.

Sophia Fineberg Rosh Eidah – Garinim (5th Grade)
Sophia Fineberg is originally from Dallas, Texas, and she now lives in Jerusalem, Israel. She has degrees in Psychology and Talmud from Barnard and the Jewish Theological Seminary, respectively. This will be her fourth summer working at Ramah Wisconsin.

Cantor Joshua Fineblum Educator-in-Residence
Josh grew up at Ramah Poconos, went on Ramah Seminar in ’93, and was on staff there as well. He also headed the leadership program at Capital Camps, has been a youth director and educator director within the Conservative movement for over 20 years. He is currently the Cantor/Educator at Temple of Aaron in St. Paul where he has held this position for the past eight years.

Ari Finkelstein Cabin Counselor
Ari joins us from Omaha, NE for his second summer on staff. This fall he will attend Metropolitan Community College.

Ethan Finkelstein Cabin Counselor
This is Ethan’s 10th summer at camp and second on staff. This past year he participated in Young Judaea Yearcourse in Israel and plans on joining the IDF through garin tzabar. After that he will be attending the University of Nebraska-Omaha to study physical therapy. Before this summer he worked as an assistant director at his synagogue’s day camp and this will be his sixth summer on staff there.

Yonah Fisch Rosh Chinuch BaShetach (Outdoor Education)
Yonah is back in Chinuch B’Shetach this year at camp. Yonah is a science educator currently living in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Yonah spent time conducting research on coral reefs in Israel prior to obtaining his PhD in Marine Biology and Ecology from the University of Miami, Florida. Yonah is excited to be back at Ramah this year to help lead an incredible outdoor experience at camp.

Whitney Fisch Communications Coordinator
Whitney Fisch was born and raised in Marietta, GA. She attended undergrad at The College of Wooster in Wooster, OH and then went on to receive her Master’s in Social Work from University of Michigan. Whitney currently lives with her husband, Dr. Jay Fisch, and their 3 kiddos in Cincinnati, OH where she is the Executive Director of The Hillel at Miami University. This is her second year on staff at Ramah Wisconsin!

Nadav Fizik Mishlachat – Music
Nadav was born and raised in Holon city (right next to Tel aviv), as well as in Kibbutz Hulda (where his dad lives). He went to his regional high school and his main bagroot subject was music. All of my life he loved music and the guitar, and is very excited to come to summer camp.

Briana Flores Estrada International Staff – Kitchen
This is Briana’s first year on staff. From Mexico, she attends Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) where she studies psychology.

Valerie Freeman Mitbachon (Teaching Kitchen)
Valerie Freeman is from Overland Park, Kansas, where she is a teacher’s aide at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. She enjoys spending her days with her husband and three children exploring nature and having fun creating meals and treats in the kitchen. This is her first year at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin.

Fatima Garcia Zamora International Staff – Kitchen
Fatima Valeria Garcia Zamora is a 6th grade International Business student at the Universidad Autonoma de Tlaxcala. She lives in the city of Tlaxcala in Mexico. This is her first year as a staff at Camp Ramah, but last summer she worked as kitchen staff at a camp in Texas.

Miksa Gaspar Jewish Studies 
Miksa joins us from Hungary. He received his BA degree from Bard College Berlin and is currently applying to the Masorti-Conservative Rabbinical Seminary of Potsdam.

Irit Gavze Mishlachat – Program Coordinator
From Petach Tikvah in Israel, Irit joins us for her fourth summer on staff. During her army service she was a combat soldier and worked on search and rescue. 

Noa Geva Mishlachat – Rishonim (Childcare)
Noa was born and raised in Israel. She completed two years of national service at two large hospitals. She is currently working as a kindergarten teacher and as a customer service representative at a theatre. Next year she plans on going to university but has not yet decided on a major.

Aryeh Gibor Woodworking
From Denver, Colorado, Aryeh joins us for his first summer on staff.

Chagit Gibor Jewish Studies 
Over the years, Chagit has worked and volunteered extensively in the domains of society, education, entrepreneurship, and the connection between sectors. She has a decade of experience coaching and mentoring teachers and educators. In her last position as the Head of Innovation Unit at the education department in the city of Jerusalem, she designed and implemented programs to equip teachers and principals with the tools they need to develop innovative pedagogies in their classrooms and schools. After founding and running programs that encouraged bottom-up innovative learning and entrepreneurship in education within more than two hundred schools in the city, she has moved to Denver with her family and is currently the Director Of Innovation at DenverJDS.  As a member of Rodef Shalom congregation she leads services, leynes Torah and teaches Bar Mitzvah kids. Chagit has a B.A. in Informal Education and Communications and has studied for her Masters in Policy Management and Excellence in Education at Hebrew University. She is married to Aryeh and their three children are attending Ramah Wisconsin.

Gilad Glass Mishlachat – Sport
From Israel, this is Gilad’s first summer on staff.

Maya Gleicher Ruach Ramah Counselor 
Maya was born in Israel and lived in Austria, Singapore and Guam. She’s a rising HS senior in Florida and looks forward to studying pre-med at university. Maya was a camper at Ramah Rockies and attended Seminar last summer.

Josh Glen Cabin Counselor
Josh has been going to camp Ramah for over eight years and he loves it. That’s why he’s coming back to be a JC counselor. Josh grew up in the city of Chicago, but in 7th grade he moved to Northbrook. Josh has now graduated from Glenbrook North, and was a Varsity goal keeper on the soccer team, and he is going to Study Business at Butler University. His favorite part of camp is the eidah sport events, and meeting new friends. 

Eliora Glickman Ruach Ramah Counselor
Ellie Glickman is an incoming senior at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy in Kansas City. Ellie is involved with school’s student council, newspaper, and mental health club. This is her eighth summer at camp and first on staff. Ellie is so excited to get to know all of her amazing campers and make new memories at camp.

Ester Golan Mishlachat – Camping
Ester joins us from Israel for her first summer on staff.

Lesley Goldenberg Volunteer 
Lesley is a Jewish Educator with over 25 years experience working in synagogues and camps, and with children of all ages. After growing up in St. Louis, Lesley attended the Joint Program with Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary for her undergraduate studies, and the William Davidson Graduate School for Jewish Education where she earned her Master’s Degree in Jewish Education. Lesley was an Education Director in NYC for 13 years and is currently the Director of Family Education at Temple Israel in St. Louis. She was a Ramah Wisconsin lifer as a camper, was a counselor for four years and a Rosh Aidah for two years. Lesley currently lives in St. Louis with her husband and two children, Joey and Rosie and she’s thrilled to be working at camp this summer!!

Kol Goldman Cabin Counselor
Kol joins us from Madison, WI for his first summer on staff. In the fall he plans to attend Skidmore to major in biology.

Ido Gome Mishlachat – Sport
Ido joins us from Israel for his second summer on staff. During his time in the Israeli army he was a combat soldier.

Judy Greenberg Scholar-in-Residence
Judy Greenberg is Rabbi and Senior Jewish Educator at Hillel at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Previously, she taught Jewish studies at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School in the Chicago suburbs. Judy was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she also received a Master’s degree in Midrash. Originally from the Philadelphia suburbs, she moved to Madison with her husband and their children five years ago. Judy loves reading and baking, but you can most often find her knitting.

Paulina Salatiel Gomez Rios International Staff – Kitchen
Paulina joins us from Mexico for her first summer at camp. She is a student at UNAM.

Michael Goodgold Kitchen Support
Michael joins us from Evanston, Illinois for his third year on staff. During the year he works with UPS and he enjoys the hard work.

Amit Goodman Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Meet Amit Goodman, a 22-year-old resident of Haifa who recently completed his service in the army. During his time in the military, he served for two years in a classified role in the intelligence unit and an additional year in a logistical role. Amit is now employed as a waiter at Minna Tomei, an Asian restaurant in Haifa, Israel. He’s looking forward to his upcoming summer as a Mishlachat Chevrati at Ramah Wisconsin.

Mitchell Gottlieb Ruach Ramah Counselor 
Mitchell Gottlieb is excited to return to Camp Ramah for his first summer on staff after eight years as a camper.  Mitchell lives in Highland Park, IL and is entering his senior year at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School.

Roi Govari Mishlachat – Sports/ Boxing
Roi joins us from Israel for his first year on staff. He went to a religious high school and then spent one year at the Hartman Institute. He has trained in a boxing gym for over five years and has been a boxing guide over three years.

Aleksandra Guzik International Staff
Aleksandra is from the south of Poland. She graduated from the Pedagogical Univesity of Krakow, majoring in Pre-school and Primary School Education. Currently, she works as a Math and English tutor. 2023 summer is her first summer as a camp counselor at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin.

Eliana Halivni Cabin Counselor
Eliana Halivni joins us from Chicago, where she recently graduated from Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. She will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill next year. She is a proud member of Nivo 2019 and cannot wait for this Kayitz!

Jacob Halpern Cabin Counselor
Coby has been coming to camp since he was in Garinim and is excited to return as a first year counselor after spending last summer on Ramah Seminar! Coby is from Deerfield, Illinois, and recently graduated from Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. He will be studying political science at the University of Michigan this fall.

Lavi Hammel Cabin Counselor
Lavi lives in Riverwoods (Chicago North Suburbs), and will be attending Santa Clara University starting this fall. Lavi has been a camper at Ramah between 2013 and 2021. This year will be his first year as a counselor.

Corrine Hamvas Doctor 
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Corrine now lives in Buffalo Grove, Illinois with her husband and three children. She earned her master’s degree in public health from Boston University in 2005 and received her medical degree from Ben-Gurion University Medical School in association with Columbia University in 2011. This is her second summer on staff.

Alon Hankin Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Alon joins us from Kibbutz Gezer for his second summer on staff. He served three years in the Israeli army. He loves sports, landscaping and hiking.

Benjamin Harris Consultant – Outdoors
Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Benjamin earned his undergraduate from Indiana University and a Masters of Education from Loyola University. He was a camper for 5 years, participated in Ramah Israel Seminar, and spent one year on staff. He consulted for Foundation for Jewish Camp for 6+ years. He is a parent to three children, who went to three different summer camps, and a former member of the senior leadership at Camp Sabra, St. Louis JCC. Has visited 25+ Jewish resident camps in North America. This is his second summer helping with the trail biking program at Ramah Wisconsin.

Mark Harris Rosh Agam (Waterfront)
A former Ramahnik (Nivonim 1969), veteran staff member, Ramah parent, volunteer and member of the board, Mark was Rosh Agam in the 1970s and is excited to be back on the waterfront this summer. Mark is the president of Harris Development Group, specializing in employee training and organizational development.

Tamar Heisler Doctor 
Tami is excited to be joining Camp Ramah as a doctor this summer! She earned her B.A. degree from Barnard College and her medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine New York State/American Program. She is board certified in General Pediatrics and has over ten years of experience working in pediatric emergency rooms in New York City. Tami now lives in Detroit and practices Telemedicine for Blueberry Pediatrics.

Miriam Herstein Cabin Counselor
Miriam Herstein is from Los Angeles, California. She has been attending camp since Rishonim in 2009. She will be attending Brandeis University in the fall where she plans to major in International and Global Studies.

Sean Herstein Rosh Yahadut (Jewish Studies)
Originally from Minnesota, Sean has been a part of the Camp Ramah in Wisconsin community since 1991, including 3 summers as a camper, 4 as a counselor, and 2 as a Rosh Aidah.  He has been teaching and/or Rosh Yahadut almost every summer since 2002. During the school year he is a member of the Jewish Studies faculty at Milken Community School in Los Angeles, California. Sean holds a BA from Indiana University, an MA from Hebrew University, and a certificate of advanced Jewish Studies from the Pardes Institute.

Einav Hillel Mishlachat – Inclusion Counselor
From Netanya, Israel, Einav joins us for his first summer on staff. He is a student at the Open University of Israel where he is studying computer science.

Michael Hobbs Doctor
Dr. Hobbs has lived in Minnesota since 1998. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, and received his MD from Rush University in Chicago. He currently practices pediatrics in St. Louis Park, MN.

Linda Hoffenberg Director of Institutional Advancement
A former camper, this is Linda’s 26th year with Ramah. She is a graduate of Spertus College where she earned a degree in Hebrew Education. Linda works with the year-round Ramah team to coordinate annual and capital fundraising campaigns, strategic planning efforts, communications and public relations.

Sara Hoffenberg Yoetzet/Advisor
Dr. Sara Hoffenberg is a child psychologist at the Atlanta Children’s Center with extensive expertise in child development, developmental delays, and in disorders of childhood, including behavioral difficulties, anxiety, and learning concerns. Prior to co-founding the Atlanta Children’s Center, Dr. Hoffenberg spent 11 years at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) and was an Assistant Professor at the Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Hoffenberg is certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. In addition, Dr. Hoffenberg is also on the executive board of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. Dr. Hoffenberg lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband, Jon, who she met at Camp Ramah, and her 3 children who are all campers this summer.

Talia Hoffenberg Cabin Counselor
Talia Hoffenberg is from Skokie, Illinois and just graduated from Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. Next year Talia will be attending Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where she will study psychology and Jewish studies. Talia has spent over 10 summers with Ramah. Including the day camp, Family Camp, Wisconsin, and Ramah Israel Seminar!

Henry Hoffman Rosh Swimming 
This is Henry Eitan Hoffman, you can call him either one. Henry attended Rochelle Zell High School and is now attending National Louis University to get his degree in education and teaching. This will be his eighth summer at camp.

Jon Hoffman Head Chef
Chef Jon Hoffman is from St. Louis, Missouri.  He spent six summers as a camper from 1993-1998, went on Ramah Seminar in 1999, and returned as a counselor in 2000.  He owns and manages Papa Mark Catering in St. Louis after spending 22 years cooking professionally in restaurants and hotels in Missouri and Illinois.  His two children, Avi and Evelyn, are campers here this summer, and his wife Dani is joining us for 4 weeks this summer.

Kira Hoffman Rosh Sport 
Having worked the past two summers at Ramah California, Kira is delighted to be making a return back to Conover!  She is from Lincolnwood, IL, and currently attends University of Maryland where she is majoring in computer science and minoring in Hebrew. Kira has always loved playing sports (specifically softball and basketball) and can’t wait to spend her summer on the sports courts.

Beth Hope Yoetzet 
Beth is the Senior Director of Clinical Consultation at Compass Health Center, a behavioral health organization based in Illinois. She has been a therapist and clinical administrator for almost 20 years and prior to joining Compass Health Center, was the Executive Director of Child Welfare Programs with The Heartland Alliance. Beth was a camper at Ramah Wisconsin from 1994-1996 and then attended the Ramah Israel Seminar & Poland program in 1997 followed by 2 years on staff at Ramah Wisconsin. Beth attended the University of Michigan and New York University where she earned a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Social work, respectively. She is originally from Edina, Minnesota and now lives with her husband and two daughters in Northbrook, Illinois.

Hanna Hornyak International Staff
Hannah is from Hungary and is in her last year of high school. Her plan is to go to a university abroad and study business. Although she has worked several places during summers, this is her first time in a camp.

Henriett Horvath International Staff – Kitchen
Henriett joins us from Budapest, Hungary for her second summer on staff. She is currently a student at Corvinus University of Budapest where she is studying finance and accounting. Henriett loves cats and has 8 of them! She enjoys physics, astronomy and astrophysics, and would love to learn how to speak Russian one day.

Rodrigo Fabian Ibanez Mendoza International Staff – Kitchen
Rodrigo joins us from Mexico for his first summer on staff. He is a ‘luchon’ engineering student who has had several jobs in his life that include being a waiter, barista, movie theater staff, and project assistant.

Shir Ihye Meshulan Mishlachat – Camping
Shir joins us from Rehovot in Israel for her first summer on staff. She has completed two years of national service, during which she worked in hospitals. Now she works as a ground attendant at Ben Gurion Airport.

Alan Imar Rosh T’fillah
Alan graduated from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary with BAs in History and Talmud & Rabbinics next week. He spent a year at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. This past year he has been living and studying in Israel. This will be Alan’s 10th summer at camp.

Boldizsar Jozsa International Staff – Kitchen
Boldizsar joins us from Budapest, Hungary for his second summer on staff. He is studying industrial design at Obuda University. He enjoys basketball and football. 

Jael Juarez Ramirez International Staff – Kitchen
From Mexico City, Jael joins us for his first summer on staff.

Adi Kaikov Mishlachat – Waterfront
Adi is from Israel and this is her first summer on staff. She completed her army service in January 2023. At school her majors were physics and seamanship so she has a skipper license. She was a camper in her kibbutz for a few years and was also a staff member for two years.

Samantha Kaminsky Cabin Counselor 
Samantha is from Northbrook Illinois, and is entering her sophomore year of college. She attends the University of Michigan, where she’s studying biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience on the pre-med track. This will be her 10th summer at camp.

Eliana Kaufman Office Staff/Rosh Ruach Ramah B
Eliana is from Chicago earned a BA in English from Tulane University. She was a camper for 6 summers and this will be her 5th summer on staff.

Sophia Kaufman Rosh Eidah – Kochavim (4th grade)
Sophie Kaufman is from Chicago, Illinois. She is a rising senior at George Washington University, in Washington D.C. She is studying Psychology and Criminal Justice. This is Sophie’s 11th summer at camp, but her first summer as a Rosh Aidah! Camp is Sophie’s happy place, and she would not want to spend her summer’s anywhere else.

Mark Kelln Rosh Outdoor Education Consultant 
Mark grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. He has a Masters in Education Administration from the University of Nebraska and an Early Childhood endorsement from Creighton.  He has lived in Omaha, Nebraska for the past 23 years. He was an elementary school teacher and principal for over 20 years.  He is now the Education Director at Beth El Synagogue in Omaha. This will be Mark’s first year at Camp Ramah!

Nandor Kiss International Staff – Kitchen
Nandor joins us from Budapest, Hungary.  He is a second year Business Informatics student at Budapest Business School. This is his second summer and Ramah and he spent two summers working at a camp in Velence Lake, Hungary.

Liam Korol Waterfront Counselor
Liam is from Northbrook, Illinois, one of the suburbs of Chicago . This is his first year on staff, but his eighth year at camp. Next year, he will be participating in Young Judaea’s Yearcourse Gap Year in Israel, and afterwards, he will be studying computer science at Duke University.

Bence Kovacs International Staff – Kitchen
From Budapest, Hungary, Bence joins us for his first summer on staff.

Zsanett Krivan Support Staff – Kitchen
Zsani is a second year university student from Hungary. Her major is English-History teaching. This is her first summer at camp.

Hodiel Lancry Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Originally from Israel, Hodiel joins us for her first summer on staff.

Joshua Lazar Cabin Counselor
Josh is from Chicago, Illinois, and attends the University of Minnesota where he is studying Sociology and Political Science with a minor in Hebrew and Jewish studies. This will be Josh’s 11th summer at camp.

Moria Leheman Rosh Drama  
Moria is from Jerusalem and spend the last 4 years in Milwaukee, WI in a community Shlichut through the Jewish Agency. Moria has a BA and MA from the Hebrew University. Moria taught drama in a high school in Jerusalem and is now a teacher at Milwaukee Jewish Day School. This will be Moria’s third summer in camp, and she’s excited to have all three of her kids live in cabins this summer.

Joel Levinson Songleader/Videographer/Photographer
Joel plays guitar and piano (and ukulele and some mandolin) and is the Head of Content for an education technology company. He and his wife have two kids (Hubie and Morty) and live Portugal most of the time. He has won all-expense paid trips to all 7 continents from online video contests, has lost on both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, and he once made a feature film but it totally flopped.

Elena Levitt Jewish Studies
Elena Levitt is from Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the American Jewish University with an MA in Jewish Education, and she also has degrees in Journalism and Political Science. Elena has taught at Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School for sixteen years. This is her second year on the Yahadut staff at camp, but she also helped out in the kitchen in the summer of 2021!  Elena’s two daughters are also excited to be back at camp again.

Jessica Levitt Rosh Eidah – Machon (entering 10th grade)
Jess is from Columbus, OH, but her family moved to Washington, D.C. a few years ago. She currently studies Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Ohio State University and will be graduating in December 2023. Jess spent six years as a camper at Ramah Wisconsin and two years as a tzevet member for Bogrim and Nivonim before returning as Rosh Machon.

David Lieberman Doctor
A veteran Ramah staff member, David completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and his MD at Loyola University. He works at United Hospital Systems in Kenosha, Wisconsin. David and his wife Rebecca Minkus-Lieberman have three children.

Laeh Litin Infirmary Administrator
Laeh is a veteran staff member who has worked in numerous areas of camp over the years.  Aside from her 45 years at camp (6 as a camper), Laeh has lived in Chicago her entire life. She earned degrees in Dietetics, Sociology, and Athletic Training from UIC. After 25 years at Gordon Tech High School, she moved to her current job at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School in the fall of 2019 as the Athletic Trainer, and is now also the Head Track Coach and Assistant Cross Country Coach.  In her spare time, she plays hockey, bowls, and is the Daily Minyan Torah reader at Mah Tovu (aka Ner Tamid Egalitarian Minyan) in Chicago.

Jason Litwack Kitchen Support Staff
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Jason has been a part of the Camp Ramah in Wisconsin community since 1992, including numerous summers as a camper and counselor as well as two summers working in the kitchen. Jason currently lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife (Nivo ’97) and three children (9, 7 and 5). Jason is a member of the Camp Ramah Board of Directors.

Rachel Livshits Mishlachat – Camping
Rachel is from Modiin in Israel and this is her first summer at Ramah Wisconsin. She served in the army as a combat soldier in the Iron Dome for almost three years, and before starting the army she attended a gap year program called Mechinat Nachon. When she was younger she attended Camp Ramah Noam.

Timur Loginov International Staff – Kitchen
Timur graduated from university in Saratov, Russia. Now he is studying in Slovakia at Kiril and Metod University in Trnava in marketing communication.  He enjoys sports, running and playing beach tennis, as well as the theater. He works for a Slovak company as a marketing specialist.

Sarahi Lopez Waldo International Staff – Housekeeping
From Mexico City, Sarahi join us for her first year on staff. She is a full time student at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla where she is majoring in business administration

Julia Lugosi International Staff – Day Camp Counselor
Julia joins us from Budapest, Hungary for her third year on staff. During the year she works as a teacher.

Daria Lustiger Mishlachat – Israel Activities (Tarbut Yisrael)
Daria joins us from Ness Ziona, Israel. She was recently discharged from the IDF after two years of service as a military writer at the Israeli navy office.

Yuval Luxenberg Mishlachat – Israel Activities (Tarbut Yisrael)
Yuval joins us from Ramat Gan for her third summer on staff. She was in the Tzofim (Israeli scouts) for nine years in which she participated in many Hadracha positions.

Noa Maeir Cabin Counselor
Noa joins us for her third year on staff after eight years as a camper. From Deerfield, Illinois, she is a student at the University of Vermont, studying nursing.

Mark Mangold International Staff – Kitchen
Mark`s first summer eight years ago started as a brief summer work and travel program but turned into years long fun at camp since then. In Hungary he works for Camp Leaders making thousands of Hungarians` dream to visit the United States come true.

Yair Maor Mishlachat – Camping
Yair lives in Mova Bitar which is a small village near Jerusalem. In the last three years he worked in special education schools.

Hector Marmolejo Lizama International Staff – Kitchen
From Mérida, México, Hector joins us for his first summer on staff. He loves sports and is an architecture student.

Rachel McDowell Doctor  
A former camper, Rachel is the Medical Director of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and Ramah Day Camp.  She received her MD from Ben Gurion University/Columbia University in Beersheva (MSIH).  She is board-certified in Emergency Medicine.  During the year, she works at Condell Hospital in Libertyville, Illinois. She is the mother of 6, including former and current Ramah campers.

Abby Mehr Rosh Drama
This is Abby’s eleventh summer at camp and third year on staff. She is from Niles, IL and attends The Ohio State University as a STEM Education major with a physics specialization. Abby is so excited to be at camp this kayitz!!

Rabbi Aaron Melman Machon Trip Leader
Rabbi Aaron Melman is the Senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, IL where he has proudly served for 21 years. His son, Jordan, is Nivo 21 and is on staff this summer and his daughter, Hannah, is in Machon. His wife, Elisa Rotman is a yoetzet at camp and has been for many summers. Rabbi Melman serves as a Chaplain in the Illinois Army National Guard and the Northbrook Fire Department and loves spending time at Ramah Wisconsin each summer.

Jordan Melman Cabin Counselor
Jordan Melman is from Northbrook, IL, and is finishing high school at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. He will attend the University of Illinois in the upcoming fall with a focus in social work. He also went to Camp Ramah for eight summers as a camper, and was a Ruach Ramah counselor last year.

Silvia Meneses Perez International Staff – Housekeeping
Silvia joins us from Veracruz in Mexico. She is currently studying business administration at the university and will graduate next year. This is her first summer at Ramah, but second year working at a summer camp.

Abby Merkel Head of Housekeeping
Abby is from Eagle River, Wisconsin and is joining us for her 11th summer working at Camp Ramah.

Leah Meyerowitz Cabin Counselor
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Leah Meyerowitz just finished high school in November last year, and before beginning her studies at Medical School back in SA, she is taking a gap year, to try and explore as much of the world as she can through multiple programs. Before camp she spent 3.5 months in Israel both studying Torah at a seminary in Jerusalem and volunteering for MDA, the ambulance services in Tel Aviv.

Lauren Mindel Director of Camper Care and Inclusion
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Lauren has worked as a trauma therapist in the child welfare system and has diverse therapeutic experience working with children, teens, adults and families. She holds a BS in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University and an MSW from the University of Chicago. Lauren has an extensive history with Ramah – she spent two summers as a camper at Camp Ramah in Nyack, 13 summers as a camper, counselor, and Rosh Eidah at Camp Ramah in Canada, and two summers as a yoetzet (camper care team member) at Camp Ramah in California before arriving at Ramah Wisconsin. Lauren attributes her time at Ramah as a significant factor in what shaped her both personally and professionally, and she is excited to have a role in passing that same privilege along to the next generation of campers and staff.

Ilyssa Minkus Omanut – Specialist 
Ilyssa lives in Hyde Park with her husband David (Nivo ’02) and their two daughters Raia and Adira. She is so excited to join the Ramah staff this summer and teach her favorite hobby: crafting! Ilyssa is thrilled to be starting nursing school in the fall at Rush University, but is looking forward to spending the beginning of summer at camp with her family and teaching art.

Rachel Mirviss Rosh Tzevet
Rachel is returning to camp this summer as Rosh Tzevet and is excited to plan countless activities for staff and get to know all the tzevet. In May, she graduated with a B.S. in Community and Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Although she will miss Madison, she is excited for her future. In late August, she will be moving across the world to Madrid, Spain to teach English to elementary school kids for a year.

Ezera Mojja Outdoor Education Counselor
Ezera joins us from the Abayudaya Jewish community of Uganda. He is currently at university pursuing a bachelor’s degree in tourism and hotel management at Metropolitan International University. He spent two summers at B’nai Brith Camp in Oregon, where he worked as cabin counselor and garden specialist/Teva specialist.

Hannia Monroy International Staff – Housekeeping
Hannia is currently studying psychology at her state university, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP). This will be her first summer on staff.

Justin Mormol Counselor – Infirmary Aide
Justin Mormol is a medical student at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, he earned his undergraduate degree in neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati. Although he has never been to camp, he is excited to bring his medical knowledge and enthusiasm to help others.

Ofri Moyal Mishlachat – Waterfront
From Israel, Ofri joins us for her first summer on staff.

Michael Muluneh Mishlachat – Camping
Michael is from Malla Adumim near Jerusalem in Israel. He completed his army service a few weeks before coming to camp.

Roni Musai Mishlachat – Machanut
From Israel, Roni joins us for her first summer on staff.

Miriam Nankwanga Outdoor Education
From Uganda, Miriam joins us for her first summer on staff.

Leah Nash Rosh Yahadut (Jewish Studies)
A veteran staff member, Leah joins us from Kansas City. She currently teaches Hebrew at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy in Kansas City. Originally from Israel, she spent two years in the Israeli Army and grew up speaking four languages (Hindi, Marati, Hebrew and English—she also knows French). She received her BA in psychology and education at the Open University of Israel and a certificate in teaching Hebrew as a second language from Hebrew College of Boston.  She loves teaching Hebrew and bringing her love of Israel to all the students. Her son Yaron is a camper in Nivonim.

Zsofia Nemethova International Staff – Kitchen
Zsofia joins us from Balony in Slovakia for her second summer on staff. She is studying international relations at the University of Economics in Bratislava.

Sydney Newman Cabin Counselor
Sydney Newman is from Arlington Heights, IL and is currently attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to earn a degree in Special Education. She was a camper at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin for eight summers and this will be her third year on staff.

Tamar Newman-Shapira Office Staff
Tamar Shapira earned a Bachelor of Arts in Jewish History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design from Columbia College in Chicago. She also spent her junior year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School program at Anshe Emet Synagogue. Prior to teaching art at Chicago Jewish Day School, she worked as a graphic designer in Chicago and as a preschool teacher at Beth Emet Synagogue in Evanston. In her spare time Tamar enjoys photography, yoga, cooking, baking and quality time with friends and family. She has three children: Avi ( age 20), Jesse (age 17) and Eliana (age 14) and a mini goldendoodle named Jonny.

Rotem Nissan Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Rotem joins us from Israel for her first summer on staff. In high school she studied biology and psychology. Rotem has been playing the flute since the 4th grade, and she also joined the scouts this year. In the army she served as a tironut commander and guided a wide variety of populations.

Karen Nochimowki Chef-in-Residence
Karen Nochimowski is the founder of the popular cooking blog, MommaChef.com and the author of 6-Minute Dinners (& More!), a newly released cookbook filled with over 100 simple and delicious recipes with six ingredients or less, including nut-free and allergy-friendly options, to help busy families get dinner on the table with ease. Karen also started and runs Momma Chef’s Soup Kitchen and Momma Chef’s Little Free Pantries in Chicago, which provides food at no cost to those in need. So far Karen has provided over 20,000 meals and over 15,000 pounds of non-perishable food. Karen’s work and recipes have been featured on Live with Kelly and Ryan, WGN, FOX, NBC, CBS and ABC as well as in dozens of publications, including HuffPost, Working Mother, Costco Connection, TODAY Parents, Chicago Tribune, among others. Karen is the monthly food columnist for The Daily Herald.

Oren Nochimowski Cabin Counselor
Oren Nochimowski, who is from Deerfield, Illinois, has spent seven years at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin as a camper. He is excited to be a counselor at Ramah in Wisconsin for the first time!

Danielle Novick Cabin Counselor
Danielle Novick joins us from Johannesburg, South Africa. She went to  King David Linksfield High School and this is her first summer at camp.

Benjamin Novorr Senior Staff 
Ben Novorr is the Director of Youth and Family Programming at Congregation Beth Shalom, and he is SO EXCITED to come to Camp Ramah this summer! He attended the University of Kansas, where he double-majored in Elementary Education and Jewish Studies. After graduation, Ben worked at Indiana University Hillel as the Jewish Student Life Coordinator, before relocating back home to Kansas City last year. This is Ben’s first summer at Camp Ramah and he couldn’t be more thrilled!

Daniella Ohayon Cabin Counselor
This is Daniella’s first summer on staff after six years as a camper. She is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, but plans to attend Northeastern University in the fall to major in mathematics.

Sarah Olitzky Lead Yoetzet/Staff Trainer
Sarah Olitzky, PhD,  is a licensed clinical psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist. She works in her own private practice clinic and in schools to provide therapy and consultation in special needs programming and supports. She can’t wait to be at camp and help make sure that ALL children are supported to thrive and have fun at camp! Sarah is originally from Michigan, lived in NYC for 10 years and now loves Minneapolis life. Sarah has 4 children, all of whom will be campers this summer.

Shalom Orzach Mercaz
Shalom is a senior educator with The iCenter, and serves on faculty for the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Prior, he served as the AVI CHAI Project Director for the training of staff returning to summer camps in North America, and Director of Education in the Shlichut and Israel Fellows unit for the Jewish Agency. He is a member of the International Education Committee of Taglit-Birthright, has served as a consultant for the Jim Joseph Foundation, JUF Ta’am Yisrael and the Jewish Peoplehood Committee and teaches a course in experiential education at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Shalom was the Central Shaliach for USY from 1992 -1995. He was also a scholar on the prestigious Jerusalem Fellows Program, following which he was the Executive Director for Jewish Renewal at the UJIA in England. Shalom is an acclaimed public speaker on contemporary Israel who brings extensive knowledge, humor and passion.

Danielle Pearl Nurse 
Danielle was born in San Diego, California and spent every summer in Ojai at Ramah California. She attended Indiana University followed by Arizona State University where she received a Masters in Speech-Langauge Pathology. After years of practicing speech-language pathology in and around Chicago she decided to make a change and pursued a Masters in Nursing from DePaul University. Danielle lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband Jonathan and their three kids Mia, Eli and Noa who all attend CRW.

Shira Pellegrino Waterfront Counselor
Shira Pellegrino has attended Camp Ramah in Wisconsin for five summers plus Ramah Poland Israel Seminar.  She is from Overland Park, Kansas. Next year she plans to attend the University of Kansas to major in Graphic Design and Photography.

Rachel Pellis Rosh Rikud (Dance)
Rachel Pellis from New York is excited to join Camp Ramah Wisconsin for the first time this summer. Shel is a rising senior majoring in Anthropology at the University of Maine, where she is also the President of Hillel and a past member of the UMaine Dance Team. She is currently completing a semester of Maritime Studies in Mystic, CT through Williams College. Besides dancing, Rachel loves to swim and sew.

Ethan Penn Infirmary Aide
Ethan is a rising junior attending Washington University in St. Louis where he is majoring in math. This is his third year on staff and 10th year at Ramah. He is from the northern suburbs of Chicago.

Joe Pennington Food Service Director
Joe joins us from Louisville, Kentucky for his 13th year on staff. He received a BA in English at the University of Louisville and studied culinary arts at Sullivan University. Joe and his wife Christina have three children.

Lihi Peretz Mishlachat – Waterfront
Lihi is from Nahariya in Israel. She is a shinshinit, doing a gap year from Israel to volunteer in the Jewish community in Chicago. She worked at Bernard Zell Jewish Day School and in Anshe Emet religious school.

Elisheva Perle Mishlachat – Camping
This is Elisheva’s first summer on staff and she is from Jerusalem. She spent two years in national service with kids at risk. This past year she traveled in Asia. Next year she plans to attend university to study social work.

Anita Phelps Welcome Center
Anita Phelps has been on staff for 11 seasons, most of which has been in our Welcome Center.  She lives in Eagle River with her husband, Don,  and has four adult children, three of whom worked at camp for several years. During the off-season, Anita is a paraprofessional for the Three Lakes School District and enjoys her hobbies of crocheting, quilting, and reading.

Don Phelps Office Staff/Driver
A resident of Eagle River, Don returns for his 20th summer on the Ramah staff. He is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, where he earned a BS in elementary education and a master’s in special education. He recently retired from teaching in the Three Lakes School District. Don and his wife Anita have four children and six grandchildren.

Max Pivo Rosh Eidah – Bogrim (9th Grade)  
Max lives in East Brunswick, New Jersey. He attended Dartmouth College where he studied the Middle East, religion, and linguistics. This year, he started an AM program in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. Max is a passionate baseball fan and a lover of elephants. This is his sixth year on staff and his  second as a Rosh Eidah.

Shayna Podhoretz Cabin Counselor
Shayna Podhoretz is from New York City and will be entering her second year at Williams College next fall, where she studies History, Religion, and Jewish Studies. This is her second summer working at camp and her sixth summer at camp in general. She can’t wait for kayitz 2023!

Rebecca Portnoe Nurse
Becky joins us for her 31st summer on staff. She was a camper for five summers and participated in Ramah Seminar in Israel in 1975. She is from St. Louis Park, Minnesota and has a BS in biology and a BS in nursing from the University of Minnesota. She works at Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. She is also proud to be the eema and doda for many current and former campers and staff members.

Carmel Rabinovitch Mishlachat – Dance
Carmel joined us for her first year in camp from Yavne, a small city in the south-center of Israel. Carmel is a ShinShinit which means she is doing a gap year with the Jewish Agency and she spent the year volunteering in the Chicago Jewish community. Carmel will begin her IDF service in the Navy this September. She used to be the head of the district in the Mashazim youth movement. Carmel has been dancing since she can remember and she enjoys musicals, hiking, running and working with kids.

Oriya Rahamim Mishlachat – Camping
Oriya Rahamim grew up in Jerusalem, going to Ramah Jerusalem Day Camp during summers. She comes to camp from Skokie after a year as a ShinShin of the Jewish Agency in Chicago! After summer Oriya will be a soldier in the Intelligence force of the IDF.

Liz Rappaport Mitbachon (Teaching Kitchen) 
Liz Rappaport is the Associate Director of Beth El Synagogue having previously worked as the Rabbinic Assistant and Welcome Desk Coordinator. Liz moved to the Twin Cities in 2002 after graduating from the University of Kansas and has made Minneapolis and the Beth El community home with her husband Matt. Their two children, Sarah and Max, are Ramniks and 4th generation Beth El members. In her free time, Liz is an avid baker (specializing in rugelach) and serves on the board of directors for Maayanot Community Mikveh of Minnesota.

Sinai Richter Cabin Counselor
Sinai Richter was born and raised in Israel. She lives in Jerusalem where she recently graduated from Ankori high school and will attend Mechinat Hannaton in the fall. Last summer she participated in Ramah Israel Seminar as an Israeli participant. This is her first summer as a member of the tzevet at Ramah.

Erga Ritter Mishlachat – Atzmayim
Erga joins us from Israel for her first summer on staff.

Reena Ritter Yoetzet/Advisor
Reena Benson Ritter, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and training supervisor. She works in a group practice providing treatment services to individuals and families and supervises residents during their training year. Reena is thrilled to be a Yoetzet this summer and to return to Camp. She is delighted that her four year old son and husband will be joining her.

Guadalupe Rodriguez Lopez International Staff – Housekeeping
Guadalupe joins us from Mexico for her first summer on staff.

Abigail Rogers Ruach Ramah Counselor
Abby joins Camp Ramah from Dallas for her first summer on staff. She is a rising senior in high school and works as a swim coach at a local swim school.

Elliot Roman Pianist
Elliot is thrilled to be joining the Camp Ramah in Wisconsin staff this summer! A NYC-area native, Elliot just recently graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with his master’s in classical composition. He is the pianist for many NYC based Jewish organizations such as the JTS H.L. Miller Cantorial School, the Zamir Choral Foundation, and The Reform Temple of Rockland and conducts the Bergen County NJ chapter of HaZamir.

Mhark Rooz Music Counselor
Mhark (pronounced Mark) will be returning to Ramah’s for his 2nd year on music staff and 7th year at Ramah. Mhark is a Chicago native and will be attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign this fall. He can’t wait to see you all!

Ellior Rose Sports Counselor 
Ellior Rose is originally  from St. Louis, Missouri but just moved to Cleveland, Ohio. She is a rising sophomore at Case Western Reserve University where she is studying nutrition with a minor in sports medicine. She is also a member of the Varsity Women’s Tennis team. This will be her 9th summer at camp and second summer as a member of tzevet sport.

Ann Lesley Rosen Communications and Systems Manager
Ann Lesley was a camper for two summers, participated in Ramah Israel Seminar in 1997, and is now in her 22nd summer on staff. She joined the year-round staff team in 2010. She earned a BA in music and English from Lake Forest College and an MFA in creative writing and poetry from the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Originally from St. Louis, she and her husband Scott now live in Buffalo Grove, Illinois with their four children and two dogs.

Dena Rosen Inclusion Counselor
Dena Rosen attended University of Wisconsin-Madison where she majored in Communication Sciences & Disorders with minors in Education & Education Systems and Disability Rights & Services. This will be her 11th summer at camp.

Scott Rosen Site Manager
This will be Scott’s 23rd summer on staff after being a camper for two summers. Inside and outside of camp, Scott has dedicated his work to youth with special needs. He currently is a teacher at Rondout Elementary School north of Chicago.  Scott met his wife Ann Lesley when they were both in Nivonim and he proposed to her on the shore of Lake Buckatabon.

Sheri Rosen Shavua Bogrim Facilitator
Sheri currently lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband and two current Ramah campers, Dara (Kochavim) and Corban (Solelim). She grew up in Grand Rapids, MI and attended the University of Michigan, earning a BS in Computer Science. She worked as a Software Engineer for 11 years before deciding to stay home with Corban. Sheri was a camper and staff at Camp Tamarack in Michigan for 8 years. This is her first summer working at Ramah Wisconsin.

Ari Rosenberg Doctor 
Dr. Ari Rosenberg is an internal medicine physician in Chicago. He received his medical degree from Tel Aviv University American Student Program followed by residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This is his second year as a physician at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin.

Stephen Rosenberg Nagarut (Woodworking) Counselor
Stephen is a Junior Counselor working in Nagarut at Camp Ramah. He is from St. Louis Missouri and has attended camp every year since Kochavim. Next year, Stephen will be studying Mechanical and Aerospace engineering at the University of Florida.

Jonathan Ross Rosh Hanhallah
Jon Adam Ross is a lifelong Ramahnik. He began as a camper in 1992 and this is his 25th summer on staff. Jon is the Executive Director and a Founding Artist of the In[HEIR]itance Project, a national nonprofit arts organization, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, that builds relationships across the divide through a participatory playmaking process in communities around the world. A full length PBS documentary about Jon’s work comes out in the fall of 2023. For more visit www.inheiritance.org

Elisa Rotman Yoetzet/Advisor
Elisa grew up in Massachusetts and attended Camp Ramah in New England as a camper and counselor. This is Elisa’s 8th summer working at camp as a yoetzet. Elisa is transitioning from her previous job as a school social worker at the Solomon Schechter Day School in Northbrook, IL into full-time private practice.  Elisa has two children, Jordan and Hannah who have loved their time at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. Elisa is married to Rabbi Aaron Melman who loves being at Camp Ramah the most!

Joshua Roussak Ruach Ramah Counselor
Josh joins us from Los Angeles for his first summer on staff. He has attended Camp Ramah in Ojai twice before, and loved working with campers at local summer camps. At home, he enjoys spending time with his friends and his cat, Mendel. In the fall, he plans to attend Brandeis University and study computer science.

Ari Rubenfeld Doctor 
Ari Rubenfeld is a practicing physician in Chicago, IL, specializing in surgical diseases of the head and neck.  He attended medical school in Buffalo, NY and trained at Georgetown Hospital in Washington, DC.  He works as an Associate Professor of clinical Otolaryngology and Associate Chief Medical Officer at UIC-UI Health.  Ari has been doctoring at camp since 2012.

Robin Rubenstein Family Engagement Director
Robin is originally from suburban Chicago. She graduated from the Joint Program of the Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University in 1996 with degrees in Talmud and political science. Robin currently lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan with her husband Steven and their children, Ari (Nivonim 2017) and Tali (Nivonim 2020).

Tali Rubenstein Cabin Counselor
Tali Rubenstein is from West Bloomfield, Michigan. She currently is a sophomore at Indiana University studying Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management and Sports Marketing & Management. She was a camper at camp for 7 years and this summer will be her second summer on staff.

Henry Salita Ruach Ramah Counselor
From Minnetonka, Minnesota, this is Henry’s first summer on staff after seven years as a camper. He will be a senior at St. Louis Park High School.

Shaked Samid Mishlachat – Rosh Boating
Shaked joins us from Haifa, Israel for her second summer on staff. She is currently working as a medic.

Elisheva Scheuer Drama Counselor
Elisheva joins us from Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a first time staff member. She currently attends the University of Minnesota where she is pursuing a BFA in acting and a minor in marketing.

Carl Schrag Israel Educator-in-Residence
Carl is a senior educator at The iCenter for Israel Education, and he teaches about Israel and Jewish affairs in many settings. He and his wife, Lilach, met in Israel and live in Highland Park, IL. During his first career in journalism, Carl served as the editor of The Jerusalem Post. He continues to bring an obsession with current events to all that he does. 

Lilach Schrag Artist in Residence 
An exhibiting artist with a teaching degree from Hamidrasha Art School in Israel and a MAJPS from Spertus institute in Chicago, Lilach has a special passion for leading collaborative art installations. For ten years she was Rosh Omanut at Ramah Day Camp, and currently teaches Art at RZJHS in Deerfield IL.

Erica Schwab Yoetzet/Advisor
Erica Schwab earned her M.Ed. in special education and behavior analysis from Rutgers University. Erica has worked with our Tikvah and Atzmayim programs for many summers and was previously on staff at Ramah in the Poconos for six summers. Erica is currently a behavior consultant and early childhood educator. Erica lives with her husband and four children in Highland Park, Illinois.

Ofir Scop Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Ofir joins us from Israel for her first summer on staff. In the past she has worked as a waitress at a hotel in Eilat.

Lauren Scott Professional in Residence – Shavua Bogrim
Lauren is excited to be back at camp for her 14th summer! Lauren attended the Nativ College Leadership Program after high school and graduated from Brandeis University where she studied health sciences, psychology, and Judaic studies. She is currently working on her masters in biomedical sciences at Rosalind Franklin University. In her free time, Lauren enjoys making ceramics and doing the New Yorker crossword puzzle. 

Margalit Segal – Enrollment Associate
Margalit received a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis. She has worked as an investment analyst, as well as a legal and executive recruiter. Margalit and her husband have three children, two at the overnight camp and one at Ramah Day Camp in Chicago.

Gilad Sela Mishlachat – Waterfront
Gilad joins us from Israel for his first summer on staff.

Christian Serna Haro Counselor Staff – Photographer
From Leon, Mexico, Christian joins us for his first summer on staff. He is currently in his second year studying Architecture at Universidad Iberoamericana. Christian has worked as an assistant at a television channel in Mexico, as a receptionist in a law firm, and as as storer in a fabrics factory. Hisfavorite activity is to travel around the world to meet new places and new people. He also loves going to concerts and music festivals, and he also likes to draw. This is Christian’s first experience at camp and he is really excited to go to the woods and really live a new experience and meet people from all around the world.

Daniel Natan Shahadi Mishlachat – Sport Staff
Daniel joins us from Israel for his first summer on staff.

Avi Shapira Cabin Counselor
Avi Shapira is from Evanston, Illinois and currently lives in Ann Arbor where he recently completed his sophomore year at the University of Michigan. Avi is majoring in Cognitive Science with a minor in Judaic Studies. This will be his 11th summer at camp and third summer on staff. Avi dearly loves his golden-doodle named Jonny.

Jacob Shapiro Consultant – Nagarut (Woodworking)
Jacob comes from Chicago and is the owner of Vero Design Build, a commercial construction and fabrication business. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Architecture from Princeton University. Jacob has been coming to camp since the mid eighties, starting in Rishonim and continuing all the way through Tzevet. This is Jacob’s sixth summer as the Nagarut artist in residence.

Gabriel Shapps Cabin Counselor
From Chicago, Illinois, Gabe plays soccer, runs track, and will be attending the University of Denver this coming fall as a history major.

Ethan Sharp Rosh Eidah – Halutzim (entering 6th grade)
Ethan is coming back on staff for his third summer at Ramah Wisconsin. He is originally from La Crescenta, CA, and has spent a combined 12 summers at Ramah California as a camper and staff member. He recently graduated from University of Wisconsin – Madison with Mathematics and Economics, and hopes to teach high school math in the Madison area.

Mishel Sherman Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
From Herzeliya, Israel, this will be Mishel’s 2nd summer on staff. During her army service she worked as a behavior analyst, and will attend university next year, majoring in psychology.

Ido Shetrit Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Ido joins us from Israel for his second summer on staff.

Anastasiia Shevchenko International Staff – Rosh Rishonim
Nastya joins us from Ukraine for her second summer on staff.  She graduated from a pedagogical university in Ukraine. Now she is a student of communication and marketing at a Slovak university.  Her hobbies are dancing and traveling.

Matan-Yosef Shnitzer Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Matan was born and raised in Meishar (a tiny settlement not far from Rehovot), Israel. Matan’s family had a huge chicken farm and Matan helped his family there since he was a child. Matan studied at Gderot Regional School and Brenner High School, where he focused on Chemistry and Geography.

Lilliana Shvartsmann Mitbachon (Teaching Kitchen)/Jewish Studies
Lilli is a rising 5th year rabbinical student at JTS in NYC. Originally from Los Angeles, Lilli has spent her summers at Ramah Nyack and staffing USY on Wheels. She is excited to get to know the Wisconsin community!

Aaron Silver Professional Papercutting Artist in Residence, Shavua Bogrim
Aaron lives in Minneapolis but is from the New York City area, where he also attended Columbia and lived for a decade after college. He’s been making art for over three decades, working mostly in paper and clay (and sometimes metal). He also runs his own freelance business as a website developer,  boards dogs in his home, and has two children (ages 12 and 15).

Meira Silverstein Musician-in-Residence  
Meira Silverstein is a professional violinist who performs regularly with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra. A graduate of Yale (MM ’04) and Mannes College of Music (BM ’01), she counts as one of her more formative experiences her gap year in Israel (’01-’02) where she split her time between studies at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem and lessons with Chaim Taub, former Concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic in Tel-Aviv. This will be her eighth year on staff. Her two children, Dani and Adinah, consider Ramah Wisconsin their summer home and plan to continue yearly for the rest of their lives.

Rita Simon International Staff 
Rita joins us from Hungary for her fifth summer on staff. She studied history at the University of Pecs, Hungary. She then worked in a few hotels as a front desk receptionist before starting her current position at Aldi Hungary.

Heidi Simons Lead Yoetzet/Advisor
Heidi Simons (Nivo 2004) is a fifth grade Language Arts teacher who hails from the great state of Kentucky. Heidi grew up in Lexington, KY, and, a second-generation Ramah Wisconsin alumna, she also grew up immersed in the magic of Ramah, attending camp for 6 summers as a camper and serving a variety of staff roles (drama staff, cabin counselor, rosh aidah, trip planner, rosh Ruach Ramah, photographer, to name a few)! Heidi earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and her Master’s Degree from Northwestern University. She is thrilled to be returning to camp this summer for her second summer as a yoetzet. She is joined this summer by her two children and husband.

Seth Stein Cabin Counselor
Seth will be attending Indiana University in Bloomington this fall. He will be going in as an undecided major but has interests in sports and business. Seth has been a camper here at Ramah Wisconsin for 8 summers and last summer participated in Ramah Seminar and the Poland extension.

Shira Steinberg Director of Elementary Education Program
This is Shira’s fourth summer working with the elementary aged campers after many summers as a camper, counselor and Rosh Aidah at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. She is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska – Omaha in their Teacher Education program. Shira holds two Bachelors of Arts degrees from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. She has a Master of Arts degree in Education from Bank Street College of Education. She is excited to be in Camp this summer with her two kids: Naama and Leor!

Sam Strauss Yahadut/Outdoor Education 
Sam Strauss, originally from Skokie, Illinois, recently moved to San Diego, where he teaches at the San Diego Jewish Academy.  Sam has Rabbinic Ordination as well as a masters in Talmud from Yeshiva University.  He has served in many roles at camp, as counselor, teacher, camping staff (Machanaut), and most recently (during Covid) in the kitchen.

Daniel Stromberg Doctor 
Daniel Stromberg is a board-certified pediatrician, pediatric cardiologist, and pediatric cardiac critical care intensivist and serves as the Director of Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care for the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease. He and his family join us from Austin, Texas, and this will be his second year on staff.

Attila Sule International Staff – Kitchen
Attila joins us from Budapest, Hungary for his fourth summer on staff. He attends Károli Gáspár University where he is studying law.

Aviran Swissa Mishlachat – Sport Staff
Avira joins us from Israel for his second summer on staff.

Dora Szinger International Staff
Dora grew up in a small village in Hungary. She is a first year university student at University of Pannonia and she is doing her BA in English and American Studies. This is her first year at camp.

Shalem Tidhar Mishlachat – Omanut (Studio Arts)
Shalem joins us from Ofra in Israel for her second summer on staff. She is excited to be working as an omanut counselor again.

Ben Tilley IT/Tech
Ben joins us from Eagle River, Wisconsin for his 6th summer on staff.  At the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, he studies film.  He streams on Twitch.  You can watch him at https://www.twitch.tv/MrOT5

Marco Tolama Solis International Staff – Kitchen
From the state of Puebla in Mexico, Marco joins us for his first summer on staff. He attends the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla where he is studying business administration. He is excited to be at camp to live with and learn from people from all over the world.

Victor Tolama Tolama International Staff – Kitchen
Samuel joins us from San Pedro Cholula in Mexico for his first summer on staff. He studies administration at the Instituto Tecnologico de Puebla (ITP).

Mark Topal Operations Staff/Rosh Foam
Mark hails from Rockaway Beach, NY to join us for his third summer on staff. Known as “Uncle Mark,” he has the ability to make people smile within seconds.

Sarah Topal Yoetzet/Advisor
Sarah Topal is the Director of Youth & Family Engagement at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park where she works with families and children of all ages. Sarah received a master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in Jewish Education from the William Davidson School at JTS. She lives in Highland Park with her husband and son and loves exploring the neighborhood.

Scott Topal Director of Operations
Prior to joining the Ramah Wisconsin team in 2018, Scott worked for seven-and-a-half years with Accenture as a management consulting manager. He has led teams and advised global financial, pharmaceutical and government clients to leverage new technology, launch new internal departments and improve operational efficiency. Scott is a native New Yorker and lifelong summer camp enthusiast. He graduated from Northwestern University where he studied learning & organizational change and business institutions by day and served as president of Hillel by night. He has a longtime connection to Ramah, having spent five summers at Camp Ramah in Nyack as a counselor, s’gan (assistant) rosh eidah, assistant director of communications and program director.

Arielle Twersky Mishlachat – Waterfront
Arielle joins us from Hoshaya, Israel for her first summer on staff. She recently completed her army service in the IDF and is very excited to be on Ramah Wisconsin Tzevet Agam.

Yuval Twito Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Yuval joins us from Israel for his first summer on staff.

Amitai Vales Senior Counselor – Drama
Amitai is excited to return to camp for his third year on staff, after being a camper since Kochavim. He is currently studying drama at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and is from Deerfield, Illinois.

Jordan Vandersluis Cabin Counselor
Jordan Vandersluis is from Dayton, Ohio and is currently studying at The Ohio State University. She is majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences in hopes to become a speech language pathologist. Jordan was a camper at Ramah Wisconsin for eight years and this will be her second year as a counselor!

Yesica Vargas Noguera International Staff – Housekeeping
Yesica joins us from Colombia for her first summer as a staff member. She is currently studying Modern Languages at the Universidad del Cauca in Popayán.

Jose Vazquez Flores International Staff – Kitchen
Jose joins us from Mexico for his first summer on staff.

Ron Vider Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Ron joins us from Kiryat Ata in Israel for his first summer on staff. He attended the Hebrew Reali school in Haifa in middle and high school. He is currently on a gap year in Jerusalem called Hevruit before starting his military service

Ivan Vujcic International Staff – Kitchen
Ivan Vujcic is from Szentpeterfa, Hungary. He finished his studies at the  University of Pannonia in Veszprem as an English/German translator-interpreter. Currently he works at an Austrian company as a logistics specialist. This is his third summer at camp!

Daniel Warshawksy Yoetz/Advisor
Daniel Warshawsky is currently a PsyD student at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Before beginning his studies, he served as the Engagement Director for the Midwest regions of United Synagogue Youth (USY), where he worked with professional staff and teen leaders from throughout the Midwest to create and implement innovative social, educational, and leadership programming for teens. He currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Jewish Studies, and Marketing from Indiana University, and will be receiving a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology at the end of June. Daniel is a lifelong Ramahnik — as a camper, counselor, and Rosh Eidah — and is excited to be returning to camp for his 13th summer at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin! He is extremely passionate about LGBTQ+ issues and mental health awareness and is a board member of No Shame on U, an organization dedicated to reducing the stigma associated with mental health conditions. He has received certifications in Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Suicide Prevention from the QPR Institute, and has facilitated support groups for teens around the country.

Josh Warshawsky  
Rabbi Josh Warshawsky is a nationally touring Jewish musician, teacher, and composer. Josh seeks to build intentional praying communities, and travels to synagogues, camps, and schools across the country sharing his music and teachings on prayer. He is originally from Chicago, and has released five albums of Jewish music, most recently in March 2022. Josh composes melodies to open up new possibilities for understanding the deep meaning of the words of our tradition. Josh was ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles.  He lives in Bexley, OH with his wife Adina Allen and their daughter Jona. For more information check out www.joshwarshawsky.com

Krzysztof Wasik International Staff
Krzysztof joins us from Warsaw, Poland for his second summer on staff. He is studying English at University of Maria Curie – Sklodowska in Lublin. He also works for a company called Booksy.

Julia Weill Cabin Counselor
Julia was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and is joining us for her ninth summer at camp this year. She is starting college this fall at the University of Denver where she plans to study environmental science and agriculture.

Sam Weiner Atzmayim Coordinator
Sam Weiner joins us for his 9th summer at camp and 7th with the Atzmayim program. Sam attended the University of Wisconsin Madison where he obtained a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Sam is thrilled to be back at camp to run a few more laps around the Garbage Trail.

Alana Weiser Cabin Counselor
Alana Weiser is from Minnetonka Minnesota. She was a camper at Ramah for 8 years and this will be her first year on staff. Next year she will be going on a gap year program in Israel and the following year she will be attending Miami University in Ohio to major in elementary education.

Hila Weissman Mishlachat – Cabin Counselor
Hila joins us from Givat Shmuel in Israel for her second summer on staff. She was active in a youth movement and enjoys roller skating.

Meredith Weprin Director of Atzmayim
Meredith was a camper at Ramah New England and was a staff member there for five summers. This is her ninth summer on staff at Ramah Wisconsin. She attended Ramah Israel Seminar in 2000. She lives in Columbus, Ohio and earned her MA in speech-language pathology from New York University. She is in private practice as a pediatric speech-language pathologist.

Rhiannon Wilson Ruach Ramah Counselor
Rhiannon joins us from Madison Wisconsin for her ninth summer with Ramah. She currently attends University of Minnesota where she is studying bioproducts and biosystems engineering.

Ziv Yahav Mishlachat – Sport
Ziv joins us from Israel for his second summer on staff. During his army service he was a commander in the artillery corps. He used to play tennis in high school and for many years and also volunteered as a tennis coach. He currently works security at a tech company.

Yonit Yermish Professional in Residence – Shavua Bogrim
Yonit is a personal trainer from New York City where she works at the Riverdale Y. She received her BA in Media and Communication Arts from City College of New York, and is certified by the Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports. This is her first summer at camp.

Yuval Zahavi Mishlachat – Dance
Yuval is from Nahariya, Israel. She has been a modern dancer for the past 17 years and has just recently finished her military service. This will be her first year at camp.

Ana Zaldivar Sanchez International Staff – Housekeeping
Ana joins us from Mexico for her first summer on staff. She is studying International Business at the Autonomous University of Tlaxcala.

Gilat Zisman Emsallem Doctor 
Gilat is an anesthesiologist based in Columbus, Ohio where she lives with her family. This is her second year on staff.