Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 17 marks the first yahrzeit of beloved Tawonga leader Ken Kramarz z”l – and the first year without Ken by our side. While our community continues to mourn the loss of our mentor, teacher and friend, we are comforted by his enduring touch. Ken’s wisdom is at the core of nearly every Tawongan practice and tradition. 

When we remember that “The children always come first” – that’s Ken guiding us from the staff “Canon of Ethics” he created with Deborah Newbrun. This set of principles serves as the foundation of what it means to work at Tawonga and build a cooperative community.

When we are spurred to “Be a channel, not a dam,” directing energy and ideas in a positive way (oftentimes with children!), that’s also Ken.

As we honor Ken’s legacy and prepare for another summer season, we know his teachings are now in Tawonga’s DNA and will inspire every generation to come. Ken’s stories will come to life at campfires and program blocks; teens living in the new Tawonga Village will benefit from his fastidious vision for our Buildings and Grounds and campers will develop a deep respect for the land. At Spring Family Camp later this month, we will say Kaddish at Makom Shalom and share memories and stories to honor his legacy.

Ken’s family has also organized a yahrzeit gathering and jam session this Wednesday evening, May 17 at Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley. All are welcome to join for prayer (including Kaddish) at 8pm, followed by the jam at 8:30pm. Please note that prayer will be gender separated, but for the singing afterward, we will all be together. There is no need to RSVP. We look forward to being in community to remember and celebrate Ken’s life.

Wednesday, May 17

Congregation Beth Israel, 1630 Bancroft Way, Berkeley

8pm Service

8:30pm Jam Session

No RSVP necessary

In the spirit of Ken’s legacy, we also want to share an update about an area of Tawonga’s work that was particularly close to Ken’s heart: stewarding the land, and learning from and building relationships with the native people whose ancestors inhabited the land before us.

To cultivate a partnership with nature and heal the world – core elements of our mission – we strive to honor the ancestral and ongoing Indigenous stewards of the land where we live. The Jewish value of Shomrei Adamah, within our partnership with nature, teaches us to care for the earth and honor its history.

Over the summer of 2022, making good on one of Ken’s last wishes, we hosted a Land Gathering with Miwok neighbors as well as campers and staff to celebrate the vibrant Miwok culture. We learned to prepare nupa (acorn soup) by cracking, winnowing and pounding black oak acorns in bedrock mortars. As we ate together, each person shared their own food traditions and ancestry. We look forward to future Land Gatherings at Camp.

We have also created summer programming that brings awareness to the land’s history. Our hope is to continue the dialogue and spark new conversations about the history of the land, indigenous practices of land stewardship and what it means to live within our values on the land at Tawonga as well as the land that each of us calls home.

We are excited to open up our summer season soon, and to learn in community how to live in right relationships with the land as temporary stewards. Campers and staff will discover ways to pay tribute to the communities who came before us and live on.

It’s quite fitting that one of Ken’s favorite lines from the Canon of Ethics was, “Shared space means shared responsibility.” We are deeply grateful to him for seeding this work with such intention and care; each new camper who benefits from this work is one more ripple that Ken makes in the world.

In the bond of Tawongans,

Becca Meyer

CEO

Myla Marks

Senior Director