Curriculum Vitae
Executive Leadership
Ramah Day Camp Greater DC
Founding Director (2015-2020)
Ramah Israel Bike Ride & Hiking Trip
Founding Coordinator (2010-2013, 2022)
the Den Collective
Founding Director & Community Rabbi (2015-2020)
Tehom Fellowship
Creator & Lead Facilitator (2022)
Consulting, Residencies & Guest Teaching
National Programs
Washington, DC / Maryland / Virginia
The Jewish Studio (Montgomery County, MD) — 2026
Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County (Bethesda, MD) — 2016-2025
Adas Israel Congregation (Washington, DC) — 2023
Agudas Achim of Northern Virginia (Alexandria, VA) — 2018, 2023
Jewish Federation of Greater Washington (North Bethesda, MD) — 2021-2022
B’nai Israel Congregation (Rockville, MD) — 2016-2020
Chizuk Amuno Congregation (Baltimore, MD) — 2020
George Mason University Hillel (Fairfax, VA) — 2020
Dayspring Church (Germantown, MD) — 2019
Congregation Etz Hayim (Arlington, VA) — 2018
Congregation Adat Reyim (Springfield, VA) — 2018
St. John's Episcopal Church, Norwood Parish (Bethesda, MD) — 2017
University of Maryland Hillel (College Park, MD) — 2017
Beth Sholom Congregation (Frederick, MD) — 2015
New York / New Jersey
Dixon Place (New York, NY) — 2023
Congregation Beth El (South Orange Village, NJ) – 2023
National Ramah Commission (New York, NY) — 2010-2022
Temple Israel Center (White Plains, NY) — 2014–2016
Women’s League Seminary Synagogue, Jewish Theological Seminary (New York, NY) — 2012-2013
Park Avenue Synagogue (New York, NY) — 2012
Temple Beth Ohr (Old Bridge, NJ) — 2011
Beth El Synagogue Center (New Rochelle, NY) — 2011
Pelham Jewish Center (Pelham, NY) — 2009–2010
Tribeca Hebrew (New York, NY) — 2006–2009
New England
Camp Ramah New England (Palmer, MA) — 2013-2024
Temple Emanu-El (Providence, RI) — 2021
The Conservative Synagogue (Westport, CT) — 2019
Beth El-Keser Israel (New Haven, CT) — 2007
Beth El Temple (West Hartford, CT) — 2005-2017
The Carolinas
Coastal Carolina Disaster Resiliency Agency (New Bern, NC) — 2026
Warren Wilson College, Department of Psychology (Swannanoa, NC) — 2026
Synagogue Emanu-El (Charleston, SC) — 2012
Colorado
Ramah in the Rockies (Deckers, CO) — 2024
Texas
Congregation Shalom Cypress (Cypress, TX) — 2014–2016
Lone Star College (Cypress, TX) — 2015
Bellville Methodist Church (Bellville, TX) — 2015
Yom Limmud (Jewish Federation of Greater Houston) — 2015
California
Manna Festival (New Cuyama, CA) — 2023
The Kitchen (San Francisco, CA) — 2022
Israel
Honeymoon Israel — 2016-2025
Kehilat Sinai (Tel Aviv) — 2016
Kehilat Eshel Avraham (Beersheva) — 2013
Kehilat Moresehet Israel (Jerusalem) — 2009
Pastoral Care & Community Resilience
Catalyst Sports Adaptive Climbing (Asheville, NC), 2026
Maryland State Governor’s Youth Camp Safety Advisory Council (Annapolis, MD), 2018-2020
Council Co-chair, 2019-2020
Chair, Mental Health Subcommittee, 2019-2020
MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care (New York, NY), 2013-2014
International Fieldwork
Gladstein/Masorti Olami Rabbinic Delegation (Buenos Aires; Santiago de Chile), 2026
Jorvan Community Outreach (Cape Town, South Africa), 2022
Gladstein/Masorti Olami Rabbinic Delegation (Budapest; Paris; London), 2015
Kibbutz Merchavya (Israel), 2008
March of the Living (Poland; Israel), 2007
Disaster Response & Recovery
Winter Storm Fern (2026) — (Davidson County, TN), 2026
Hurricane Helene (2024)
Western North Carolina, 2024-2025
Augusta, GA, 2026
Hurricane Florence (2018)
Craven County, NC, 2026
Somerset–London Tornado (2025) — (Kentucky), 2025
Israel-Hamas War (2023) — (Gaza Envelope), 2024-2025
Organic Farming & Sustainable Building
Teva Hakesher Therapeutic Rescue Farm (Ramat Gan, Israel) — 2024
Multi-species husbandry; biosecurity and enclosure sanitation; emergency rescue support; high-volume animal care operations (200+)
Villa Averoff (Kirinthos, Evia, Greece) — 2021
Landscaping; animal husbandry; interior renovation
Madre Tierra Goat Farm (Be’erotayim, Israel) — 2020, 2021
Open-range caprine herding (60-70 goats); livestock parturition (delivery); veterinary medical administration; raw milk processing; artisanal cheesemaking; facilities management; canine herd management; small-scale poultry management; closed-loop agricultural systems; forage production; pasture rotation; regenerative grazing
Homestead Residency (Days Creek, OR) — 2020
Adobe brick fabrication; subsoil composition and amendment; thermal mass construction; tree felling
Yellow Bear Star Garden (St. Ignatius, MT) — 2020
Permeable aggregate installation
Wilderness Expedition Leadership
Kodachrome State Park (UT)
Appalachian Trail (PA)
Israel National Trail (Shvil Yisrael)
Mt. Monadnock (MA)
Tully Lake (MA)
Creative Collaborations
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an improvised, participatory theatrical event that explores the art of confession, in which performers from around the world sit at a table and confess, facilitating honest conversations and meaningful catharsis
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a film about a marooned astronaut in a hopeless and desperate situation who must venture across a harsh planet in the hopes of escape, while grappling with his restless past
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an immersive presentation of oceanic research that bridged the scientific process with the spiritual and emotional dimensions of wonderment and awe of nature (published in French, English, and Japanese)
Publications
Life Cycles and Brain Cycles
Agler, Richard, and Rifat Soncino, editors. A God We Can Believe In. Wipf & Stock, 2022
Placing Autism in Early Rabbinic Law
Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2010
Fellowships
Open Dor Project, 2018-2020
Gladstein Fellowship in Entrepreneurial Rabbinic Leadership, 2012-2019
Kenissa: Communities of Meaning Network, 2017
Myers Foundation Rabbinic Leadership Initiative, 2014
Jewish Organizing Institute & Network (JOIN), Rabbinic Leadership for Public Life Fellowship, 2014
Education
Jewish Theological Seminary of America (New York, NY)
Rabbinic Ordination, 2016
M.A. Midrash & Scriptural Interpretation, 2016
B.A. Talmud & Rabbinic Literature, 2011
Columbia University (New York, NY)
B.A. Philosophy, 2011
Schechter Institute of Rabbinic Studies (Jerusalem)
Studies in rabbinic literature and Israeli/Palestinian history, 2013
The Conservative Yeshiva at the Fuchsberg Center (Jerusalem)
Studies in philosophy, religion, Hebrew, Bible and Talmud, 2009
Hadassah Academic College (Jerusalem)
Studies in semiotics of film & photography, 2009
Field Certifications
Wilderness First Responder (WFR) & CPR
FEMA IS-100/200/700/800
AMHSA Chainsaw Safety Certification
National Child Traumatic Stress Network Psychological First Aid
Foundations of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
PROFESSIONAL BIO
Rami Schwartzer is an organizational architect, crisis responder, and creative collaborator whose work explores the mechanics of ritual and resilience. A graduate of Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rami has spent over two decades building communal infrastructure and navigating high-stakes human transitions.
Rami was the founding director of Ramah Day Camp Greater DC, the Den Collective, and the Tehom Fellowship, and has served on the founding teams of numerous other community initiatives. A versatile educator and consultant, he has been a guest teacher at synagogues, churches, universities and retreats across North America and Israel.
Rami’s creative practice focuses on participatory and immersive storytelling. Some of his recent exhibitions include the US debut of Not Letting It In (a theatrical exploration of confession) and the independent short film Sequestration.
Parallel to his organizational and artistic work, Rami is active in the field of trauma, crisis and emergency management. He has been a chaplain with MJHS Hospice & Palliative Care and a disaster response and recovery coordinator, such as after hurricanes Helene and Florence, and the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.
Rami is a nomad, currently located in coastal of North Carolina.