Good-spirited. Fun. A warm smile. An infectious laugh. These are all terms used to describe the late Sara Lamm Dratch, a”h, who passed away on February 28th.
All those who encountered her knew Sara had an unparalleled and inspiring zest for life, and faced everything with a smile. As her husband, Rabbi Mark Dratch’79YC, ’82RE, ’82FG, mentioned at her levaya, for Sara, “life needed to be warm and fun,” and she “met all challenges b’simcha.”
The late Sara was loved by all those who knew her. Everyone had a kind word and a fun or funny memory to share about her. There were certain points at her levaya, which took place on Friday, March 1st at the Young Israel of West Hempstead, when the attendees were actually cracking up because of certain “Saraisms” and hilarious memories that they would miss.
Within a week of her passing, 686 people “liked” the Facebook Page “In Loving Memory of Sara Lamm Dratch” and were sharing funny and touching stories, pictures, and memories of Sara — Sara in High School, Sara in Stern, Sara in Morasha, and just…Sara being Sara. As pointed out on the page by Sandy Weiner, “The irony of having a memorial page on Facebook for Sara Lamm Dratch is that she could barely figure out how to use Facebook!”
As a tribute to her and everything she’s contributed to our larger community, we wish to pay our respects here to the woman who inspired us:
In Stern
Daughter of previous YU Rosh HaYeshiva and current chancellor, Rabbi Dr. Norman ’49YC, ’51RE, ’66BR, and Mindy Lamm, Sara had strong ties to the YU community. She herself was a SCW graduate of the class of 1982. A few classmates shared memories from that time on the Facebook group.
As we can all relate to, the dorm elevators are a nightmare. Well, imagine this– Arlette Cee recounts that once, she and Sara got stuck in the dorm elevator. Sitting on the floor, they ate ice cream & drank diet soda. “Sara’s only worry was wondering which of our friends could lower more ice cream into the elevator through the trap door while they waited!” Anyone else would have been annoyed, but not Sara—she just had fun with it!
In Morasha, anu bnei morasha, ba- bababa
Sara also had deep roots in Camp Morasha, as do many Stern and YC students. She spent, quite literally, almost every summer since she was born there. She met her husband, Rabbi Mark Dratch, there too. Sara was very much a pivotal member of the Morasha family. She personally made my Morasha experience as well as many of my contemporaries’ experiences what it was, and we’d like to share a few of those memories here.
Becca Eckstein, a SCW senior, fondly recalls, “Coming down to the lake was always exciting. Seeing Sara sitting in her chair and using the megaphone and cracking everyone up was always a highlight of my day.”
Allison Liebman Rubin fondly remembers her summer working on the lifeguard staff: “I worked with Sarah on the Girls waterfront, and I will always remember her with a huge smile, a contagious laugh, enabling kids to have fun. She used to drive the motorboat so campers could go tubing and banana boating, and it was no surprise that tubing became the campers’ favorite activity.”
Ariella Perl fondly recalls how Sara brightened up her summers: “The only word that comes to mind when I hear Sara Dratch is amazing. She was an all around amazing person. I knew Sara from camp Morasha. From when I was a camper all the way through my staff summers, I remember Sara having always made the Girls Waterfront a place where everyone wanted to hang out. Sara had the best job in camp—she got to drive the motorboat! Sara was also always dressed up in some costume or another and was always having just a generally good time, always smiling and laughing.
I had the privilege of having her daughter, Yolly Dratch, as my camper, and I have to say, like mother like daughter. Yolly was the life of the bunk, always making everyone crack up. I could tell from the few interactions I had with Sara as her daughter’s counselor that she was so proud of her.
Sara, Camp Morasha will miss you.”
Sara and Rabbi Dratch at Camp Morahsa’s rifle range
In the background: Chaye Lamm Warburg, Peninah Lamm, Lauren D’Ambra, Yigal Gross Joshua Lamm
As recounted by Juliet Gerber, a fellow Morasha-er, “Each summer as campers in Camp Morasha, we encountered the vivaciousness and humor of Sara Lamm Dratch each day on the waterfront. Despite our debilitating fear of the lake and what lies beneath, we always found comfort in Sara seated nearby in her beach chair encouraging scared swimmers to keep trying. Seven or so years later, as upgraded from campers to staff, Sara would treat us to rides on the motor boat with her and take us out on the banana boat into the lake. We’ve grown older and wiser since then but memories of Sara and her family in Camp Morasha will always be a part of us. Upon hearing the news, we collectively felt the sadness and loss that the entire Morasha family will always feel. Yehi Zichrah Brucha.”
As a member of that Sports’ Staff, I can attest to Sara’s contribution to Morasha. Sara was fun. She was joyous. She was always happy. Always walking around with the biggest smile on her face was enough to brighten anyone’s day.
My first summer at Camp Morasha as a nitzi, I was 8 years old, and didn’t know anyone else going to camp. I was, naturally, nervous beyond belief. I was shy. Everyone seemed to know each other already…and that just made me even more nervous. Our first activity on our first day at camp was swim. At the lake. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the Morasha Lake, it’s FREEZING, gooey, and generally awesome. We were given the general introduction to the waterfront by Chaye, as Sara just kind of sat there, smiling, watching us.
Then Sara got up and told us we were going to be broken up for swim tests to be placed into our swim groups for the summer.
I was in Sara’s test group.
“Rachel Benaim,” she read off of the list. She looked at me and just laughed–“Is your father from Gibraltar!?” she exclaimed. I stammered, “Uh, yes…” “Chaye, Chaye come here!” she called. They preceded to spend the next 5 minutes reminiscing about memories they had with my father when they were all in YU. They told me about his “outrageous yet stylish” hats, his “weird” minhagim like carrying the matzah over his shoulder (with which I was all too familiar), and general funny stories.
That was my first taste of Morasha —even in a place completely foreign to me, Sara made me feel at home. She made me feel welcome. Even through all my nerves and worries, she made me laugh. I made friends at the waterfront that day because of Sara, because she made me finally crack a smile.
I have to say, it’s because of that, the fact that she broke the Morasha tension for me, that I came back to Morasha the next summer and came to love Morasha.
Another memory that strikes me is two summers later. I remember that one day we didn’t have swim for whatever reason and a slip ‘n slide was set up on the hill on the girl’s campus for us instead. All the staff members would walk by and half chuckle, half smirk at us little girls slipping and sliding—and getting rather muddy in the process. Unlike all the other staff members, Sara got right into line and slipped and slid with us! She got all muddy and wet and loved every minute of it. She was cracking up as were all of us—shtilis at the time. That memory was definitely a highlight for my bunk that summer—”remember when Sara Dratch slid down the slip and slide with us!?”, we would all exclaim, and then burst out in euphoric laughter.
As Dodi Lee Lamm remembered on the FB group, “Need to find a good book to read? Sara always had a cache of books in her head to advise you and if she had it, she would lend it with open hands and open heart?” Because of my staff summer in 2008, I am able to attest to this memory. That summer, because of books, I really bonded with both Sara and Rabbi Dratch. Every week, I would go into the library to take out another 7 books and as became ritual every week, they would have another list of recommendations for me. I will never be able to hear about Rabbi Elisha Ben Abuya without thinking of As a Driven Leaf, a book that we discussed at length that summer.
Sara is survived by her four children, Tova, Yolly, Sam, and Bobby. What we’re trying to say is, on behalf of the YU Community, the Morasha Family, and everyone Sara has touched; we will miss you and won’t forget you.