An event every week that begins at 12:00 pm on Wednesday, repeating until August 7, 2024
$225
Wednesdays, July 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7, 2024
12- 1:15 p.m. EDT
$225
In a time of conflict and war, we need practices that connect us to our humanity, allowing us to tap into our inner strength and source of hope and peace. The writings of Etty Hillesum are a treasure trove of the human spirit; she wrote her diaries and letters from 1941 to 1943, before her life was tragically cut short in Auschwitz. Her writings reveal an astonishing spiritual resilience and a universal love for humanity and for God, even during the darkest times. While living through the dire historical circumstances encroaching on European Jewry, she developed a deep and unflinching faith in humanity that carried her through the most difficult of times.
In this series of online gatherings, we will read and discuss Hillesum’s writings as a springboard for creating our own spiritual and writing practices. We’ll explore major themes in her work: creativity, prayer, meditation, love, suffering, acceptance, death, and freedom. We’ll engage in journaling, meditation, and prayer practices inspired by her work. With the intention of connecting to our inner voices and crafting our own paths to resilience, we’ll support each other in imagining and creating a better world.
This course is open to people of all backgrounds.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
Hila Ratzabi is the author of the award-winning poetry collection There Are Still Woods (June Road Press, 2022). Her poetry has been published widely in literary journals and in The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry and Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology. Her articles have appeared in publications including The Wisdom Daily, MyJewishLearning.com, the Jewish Daily Forward, Kveller, Alma, and Zeek. From 2015–2023, she ran Ritualwell.org, publishing innovative Jewish rituals, poetry, and liturgy and curating online learning experiences. She is currently director of communications at North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, Illinois, and lives in Oak Park outside Chicago.