Rhonda (known as Ronni Jacobs to Camp friends of more than 60 years) began her Ramah journey when her small synagogue in Rutherford, New Jersey, offered a scholarship to the new Ramah camp in Nyack. Her parents jumped at the opportunity, and a lifelong love of Ramah began. Three summers later, Rhonda was among the original campers at Ramah Berkshires when it replaced the Nyack site. She remained a camper through Machon (there was no Gesher in those ancient days!), went on Seminar in 1968, and spent another five summers on staff. She later served on both the Ramah Berkshires Board of Directors and the National Ramah Commission.

Richard’s Ramah career was somewhat shorter. He joined the waterfront staff for several weeks in 1972, where he mostly watched staff children play in the shallow end. But he brought with him meaningful Jewish camping experiences of his own from many summers at Camps Massad and Betar—and friendships he formed that summer at Ramah continue to this day.

 

After a hiatus of several years, the Kahns’ connection to Ramah Berkshires began its next chapter when their son, Zachary, became the first of their children to attend Camp, soon followed by Rebecca and Ilana (now Ilana Rosenberg). All three went on to spend several years on staff, and today Rebecca, who works for the Foundation for Jewish Camp, serves on the Ramah Berkshires board.

 

Camp also played another important role in the family story: Zach met his wife, Jordana Kaye, at Ramah, and they even named their oldest child after Lake Ellis! Today, Ellis and his brother Sebastian, along with their cousin Simon Rosenberg, are campers themselves. Simon’s younger brother, Mickey, will follow as soon as he is old enough. Their father, Paul Rosenberg, may be a Camp Harlem alumnus, but he has happily joined the Ramah Berkshires team.

 

For Rhonda, Ramah was transformative, inspiring a lifelong commitment to Jewish community and Jewish living. She and Richard find particular joy in seeing those values reflected in their children and grandchildren—and in watching a third generation of friendships take shape among the grandchildren of the Kahns and their longtime Ramah friends, Shira and Jimmy Levin. That’s nachas!

 

More recently, Richard has found a way to combine two of his passions—tennis and recycling—by providing hundreds of used tennis balls to Camp’s sports program each summer. Rhonda is simply happy to get them out of the house!

The Kahns also share a deep commitment to Jewish education and Israel, values that have long connected them to Ramah. They have been closely involved with the growth of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County and the Masorti Movement in Israel, serving on the boards of both organizations over the years. Richard also continues to support the Israel Tennis & Education Centers, bringing hundreds of tennis balls and scores of racquets for programs serving autistic Israelis throughout the country.

 

A real estate attorney, Richard is a managing partner at Winne Banta Basralian & Kahn in Hackensack, New Jersey. Rhonda retired several years ago after serving as Communications Director for Women’s League for Conservative Judaism. They are members of Congregation Beth Sholom in Teaneck.

Elan Kane’s Ramah journey began when he was just one month old at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, where his grandfather, Rabbi Albert Thaler, served as director for nearly 30 years, and his grandmother, Shirley Thaler ran the camp office.

His connection to Ramah was already a family tradition. His parents met at Ramah Wisconsin, and they both spent many summers in the Ramah movement and were honored at the Ramah Berkshires Gala in 2011. His mother, Judy Kane, attended Camp Ramah in the Berkshires as a camper and later returned as a counselor before becoming the longtime dance instructor at Ramah Nyack, where she was affectionately known as “Judy Rikudy.” His father, Rabbi Steve Kane, also worked at Ramah Berkshires for many summers, and his siblings, Arielle and Tamar Kane, and cousins, Gilad and Itai Thaler, all spent many years at Nyack and Ramah Berkshires.

In 2004, Elan began attending Ramah Berkshires as a camper in Nitzanim. He distinctly remembers crying on Visiting Day that summer — not because he was homesick and wanted to leave, but because he wanted to stay in Camp beyond First Session.

He returned each summer through Gesher in 2010, participated in Ramah Seminar in Israel in 2011, and then joined the Berkshires staff for four summers. Many of the people Elan met during those years remain among his closest friends today.

Elan met his wife, Leora Einleger, at Ramah Berkshires in 2014, when they were both counselors. Their plaque now hangs on the Shiduch Wall in the chadar ochel, right next to the plaque honoring Elan’s parents.

Sports has always been an important part of Elan’s Ramah experience. He developed a love for Ultimate Frisbee at Ramah Berkshires, and even wrote his college admissions essay about playing Berkshires’ longtime rival, Ramah New England. As an alum, he has continued organizing opportunities for Ramahniks to stay connected through sports. He founded a Ramah alumni softball team that has played in New York City for many years and has served for five seasons as commissioner of the Ramah Basketball Association.

Professionally, Elan works in marketing and communications in the technology industry. Ramah has played a central role in his Jewish life, his friendships, and his family, and he remains as closely involved in the community today as he was when he was just one month old.