“This is a very exciting moment for us and the life and growth and success of the future of Camp Ramah,” Board of Trustees President Mark Sacks said.
On July 12, campers, parents and guests gathered at the new Lieberman Guest House for its official dedication ceremony.
The ceremony featured speeches by Sacks, Executive Director Jacob Cytryn, Jeremy Drazner Lieberman, and Rabbi Vicki Lieberman, a song performance by campers, Head Songleader Marc Luban, and Cantor Robert Lieberman, and Drazner Lieberman and his wife Tovah installing the mezuzah on the mirpeset (porch) of the new building.
For Cytryn, working with the Lieberman family is no new task.
During his high school years, Robert and Vicki were part of the clergy team at B’nai Amoona in St. Louis, the same time Cytryn’s father Eric was the Rabbi. The two families became fast friends, but lost touch after both moved away from the Gateway City.
After October 7, however, the families reconnected through a unique pathway – Cytryn’s Ramah email address.
A few months later, the Liebermans and Chief Development Officer Sam Caplan began discussions about giving to camp, despite neither attending Camp Ramah in Wisconsin.
The magic of Conover felt personal, though, for Robert. Their daughter Tovah reconnected with her Ramah friends after October 7, coming together as “the bottom fell out from under us,” as Cytryn described it.
Maintaining those connections is something Robert and Vicki didn’t experience as teens and young adults, but they wanted to ensure that others were able to feel the same way Tovah felt.
Thus, the Lieberman Guest House vision was created.
Two years later, the now-expanded Lieberman family stood in front of the cabin bearing their name, leaving a legacy for many years to come.
“We pray that the Lieberman Beit Orchim (Guest House) and the Myra Lee and Albert Fleischman Moadon (lounge), which we call MoTo, will be a place that inspires and supports Jewish connections for now and many, many generations in the future,” Vicki said.
After the event, campers and staff had the opportunity to explore one of the 10 new rooms and the mirpeset, including a touch screen complete with a camp archive.
“Seeing today what we’ve contributed has greatly exceeded any of our expectations,” Robert said, “and seeing all of the smiles, the joys, and the hand clap of appreciation, was very warming and fulfilling for us.”
