The Jewish Spirit of Hope

 

Rabbi Schneur Zalman wrote “A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness.” Join the Ritualwell community to read and discuss examples of hope expressed in writing through song, story, humor and metaphor that will stir you to think about where hope lives within you. Memoirist Ellen Blum Barish will lead us in writing prompts designed to help you conjure these concepts of hope, as they relate to yourself, your loved ones, your community, the environment or world at large. Begin this new year by discovering and sharing your individual spirits of hope in community.

 

 

Ellen Blum Barish is the author of the spiritual memoir Seven Springs (Shanti Arts, 2021), the essay collection Views from the Home Office Window (Adams Street Publishing, 2007), and a contributor to Chicago Storytellers From Stage to Page (Chicago Story Press, 2020). You can find her personal essays in Tablet, Lilith, Brevity’s Blog, Full Grown People, Literary Mama, and The Chicago Tribune and hear them on Chicago Public Radio. She founded the literary publication Thread, which earned four notables in Best American Essays. Ellen has taught writing at Northwestern University, Chicago-area synagogues, and writer’s studios, including Story Studio Chicago and Lighthouse Lit Fest. She works privately with writers on essay collections and memoir.