Ritualwell

A Day of Memory: A Holding Each Other Memorial for October 7
2025-10-06 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Monday, October 6, 2025
12-1:00 p.m. EDT

Now more than ever, we need each other.

Our community meets every Monday for “Holding Each Other,” a 15-minute online minyan, but on October 6, we’ll gather for a special hour of grieving, praying and sharing.

Our guest facilitator will be Rabbi Yehudit Werchow, who will guide us through poetry, prayers and prompts for creative expression, reflection and sharing.

This event will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Rabbi Yehudit Werchow was born in Argentina and raised in Israel. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and Literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an M.A. in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York, where she was later ordained at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem.
Yehudit has held senior leadership roles across global Jewish organizations. She served as Director of Israel Engagement for the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) in North America, as the Jewish Agency’s Senior Shlicha to the Reform Movement in both North America and the UK, and as Director of Education for MASA. Throughout her career, she has championed innovative approaches to Israel education, strengthening connections across communities and generations.

Holding Each Other
2025-10-13 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-10-20 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-10-27 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-11-03 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-11-10 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-11-17 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-11-24 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-12-01 12:00 - 12:15 and 10 more dates
Every Monday, 12-12:15 p.m. EDT

Now more than ever, we need each other.

Every Monday, join “Holding Each Other,” a 15-minute online minyan, facilitated by a leading Ritualwell contributor. Together, we’ll recite Mourners’ Kaddish and Mi Shebeirach, the prayer for healing. To foster our spiritual resilience, we’ll engage with a brief creative meditation.

Weekly, gather your strength and provide support to others.

The Torah in the Tarot
2025-10-21 12:30 - 13:30
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
12-1:30 p.m. EDT
$18

Step into a world where ancient Jewish wisdom hides in plain sight—painted into the mysterious images of Renaissance-era Tarot cards.

Author Stav Appel invites you on a fascinating journey into his startling discovery: that the original Tarot de Marseille may have served as a covert tool for Jewish education during centuries when the Roman Catholic Church sought to erase Judaism from public life.

Through a Judaic lens, even the 1650 Jean Noblet Tarot—one of the oldest surviving decks—reveals Hebrew letters, Torah stories, ritual objects, and Jewish holy days woven into its imagery. These hidden connections challenge everything scholars and enthusiasts think they know about the history of Tarot. Join us as Stav shares insights from his forthcoming Ayin Press deck and booklet, The Torah in the Tarot, and decide for yourself: can the rituals and lore of Judaism truly be found within the cards?

This session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Stav Appel is a data scientist and a lifelong student of Torah. Earlier in his career he was the director of the Israeli-Palestinian coexistence organization Nitzanei Shalom, and the director of International Service Programs for American Jewish World Service. He holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and has studied Biblical Hebrew at Hebrew University and Yale Divinity School.
After a chance encounter with an old deck of Tarot cards, Stav began to explore the origins and meaning of the biblical references he recognized in its images. He is now a frequent speaker and popular writer on the Torah in the Tarot, the lost and forgotten Judaic origins of the mysterious Tarot de Marseille. He currently resides in New Salem, NY. Find Stav on Instagram @torah.tarot.

Discovering Jewish Joy: A Ritualwell Community Gathering
2025-10-29 20:00 - 21:30
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
8-9:30 p.m. EDT

Join the Ritualwell community for a special event celebrating Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture & Heritage, a new anthology filled with 32 moving essays that lift up the theme of Jewish joy.

This gathering is an invitation to connect—to Jewish culture, to your own wellsprings of joy, and to a supportive creative community. You’ll hear powerful excerpts from selected contributors connected to the Ritualwell community including Diane Gottlieb, Tzivia Gover, Lisa Grunberger, Talya Jankovits and Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, followed by a meaningful conversation about how joy can be a spiritual and cultural practice—especially in challenging times.

Then, you’ll be guided through a generative writing prompt designed to help you reflect on your personal experiences of joy, and how they relate to your Jewish identity and story.

Come to be inspired. Come to write. Come to feel joy.

This session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Diane Gottlieb is the editor of the anthologies Awakenings: Stories of Body and Consciousness and the upcoming Manna Songs. Her work appears in notable publications, and she has received various awards, including Tiferet Journal’s nonfiction contest.

Tzivia Gover, author of Dreaming on the Page, is a dreamwork professional and founder of 350 Dreamers, focusing on global healing.

Lisa Grunberger, a Pushcart nominee and Temple University professor, has published award-winning poetry reflecting on her experiences as a daughter of Holocaust survivors and is adapting her book Yiddish Yoga into a musical.

Talya Jankovits, an award-winning writer, released the poetry collection girl woman wife mother, recognized in the 2024 Bookfest Awards.

Gabrielle Ariella Kaplan-Mayer, Ritualwell’s Director, focuses on spirituality and disability in her writing and is working on a memoir about intuition and ancestral conversations.

Before All the World: A Creative Conversation with Moriel Rothman-Zecher
2025-11-11 20:00
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
8:00-9:00 p.m. EST

In recognition of Jewish Book Month, join us for an intimate, interactive online gathering with award-winning author Moriel Rothman-Zecher to explore his bold, genre-bending novel Before All the World. Together, we’ll dive into the book’s inventive use of language, its weaving of Jewish memory, resilience, and love, and the ways stories can hold both the ache of history and the possibility of transformation. This is more than a reading—it’s a conversation about writing, identity, and the sacred work of storytelling. Bring your curiosity, your questions, and your writer’s heart.

This event will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Moriel Rothman-Zecher is the author of the novels Before All the World, which was named an NPR Best Book, and Sadness Is a White Bird, for which he received the National Book Foundation’s ‘5 Under 35’ Honor, and which was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the winner of the Ohio Book Award, a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award, and longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. His work has been published in The American Poetry Review, Barrelhouse, Colorado Review, The Common, Jewish Currents, Lit Hub, Nashville Review, The New York Times, Poetry Daily, The Paris Review’s Daily, ZYZZYVA, and elsewhere. Moriel is the recipient of two MacDowell Fellowships, and teaches creative writing at Swarthmore College, where he is a Visiting Assistant Professor of English Literature and Creative Writing, and is also a member of the faculty of the Bennington Writing Seminars’ MFA Program.

Before I Go: Writing the Ethical Will
2025-11-13 13:00 - 14:30
Thursday, November 13, 2025
1-2:30 p.m. EST
$18

Living wills address the physical body. Financial wills protect property. But an ethical will is a gift of the heart and spirit—a way to pass along the stories, values, and wisdom that have shaped your life.
In this workshop with memoirist Ellen Blum Barish, you’ll be invited to slow down, reflect, and give voice to the memories and teachings that matter most to you. Together, we’ll explore how writing can help you express what sustains your hope, the values that guide you, and the ways you’ve experienced the presence of God or the sacred. Through thoughtful prompts, journaling time, and opportunities for gentle sharing, you’ll begin shaping words that carry your love, faith, and spirit forward.
You’ll leave not only with the beginnings of an ethical will, but also with a renewed sense of connection to your own life story—and with tools to continue this meaningful work at home. This is not about being a “writer,” but about finding your voice and discovering how your words can become a legacy for the people you love and for generations yet to come. No prior writing experience is needed—just your willingness to show up with an open heart.
This event will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

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.

Balancing Gratitude and Grief: A Pre-Thanksgiving Writing Ritual
2025-11-25 12:00 - 13:30
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
12-1:30 p.m. EST

As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us hold both gratitude and grief—love for what we have and longing for what’s been lost. In this special session, we’ll explore how Jewish tradition honors both emotions and how we can give voice to them through poetry, prayer, and ritual.

Join Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, Ritualwell’s Director of Virtual Content and Programs, for a reflective and creative gathering that invites you to bring your full heart to the holiday. You’ll be guided to create your own words and rituals that bring sacred awareness to your Thanksgiving table—and to everyday moments of gratitude and remembrance.

This session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Gabrielle Ariella Kaplan-Mayer is Ritualwell’s Director of Virtual Content and Programs. She is a spiritual director, author and educator whose work focuses on spirituality, creativity and disability. Her personal essays have been featured in Tablet, Shondaland, NBCThink, Wisdom Daily, WHYY and many other publications and she has published several nonfiction books as well as plays for children. Gabrielle is currently working on a memoir about the power of intuition and ongoing conversations with her ancestors. She writes a Substack newsletter called “Journey With The Seasons,” a weekly practice of meditative reading with creative self-expression prompts. Gabrielle holds a BFA in theater and creative writing from Emerson College and an MA in Jewish Studies from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.

Magnify the Light: Hanukkah 5786/2025
2025-12-17 13:00 - 14:00
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
1-2 p.m. EST
$18

Hanukkah calls us to notice the light — even when the world feels dim.
This year, Ritualwell invites you to Magnify the Light, a special Hanukkah event and eight-night practice of reflection, creativity, and renewal.
In a time of worldwide darkness — both literal and metaphorical — we gather to recognize, amplify, and tend to the many lights that still shine. History teaches that the way forward in dark times is to follow the lights of hope, connection, compassion, and justice, even when it feels difficult. A single spark can grow into a flame, and a flame into a fire. But first, we begin with a spark.
Guided by mindfulness teacher Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein, we’ll gather on December 17 to meditate, reflect, and learn together, opening space to nurture awareness and deepen our presence through the light of Hanukkah.
This experience comes with a new creative booklet for Hanukkah. For eight nights, as you kindle your hanukkiah and set aside a pause in your day, we invite you to open the booklet — a collection of readings from Ritualwell writers, prompts, and creative invitations designed to awaken your awareness of light in its many forms.
Each night, you can:

Pause in ritual to light the candles and name a light of justice in our world.

Reflect on a short reading that invites us to see the lights among us.

Engage with a creative prompt that invites your expression.

Renew your personal spirit and our shared communal vision.

Bring your candles, your curiosity, your voice, and your yearning. Let’s kindle together — and let the light we do see grow warm and wide. Your printable Magnify the Light PDF booklet will be sent to you electronically before Hanukkah begins.
This session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Daniel Raphael Silverstein is a rabbi, educator, meditation teacher and MC/poet. He lives in Israel with his family, where he directs Applied Jewish Spirituality, an online portal which makes the transformative spiritual wisdom of our tradition accessible to all who seek it. Daniel is an accredited teacher of Jewish Mindfulness Meditation and regularly teaches classes and retreats. He was born and raised in London and received a BA from the University of Cambridge and an MA from Warwick University. After receiving semikha from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, he served as Director of Jewish Life and Learning for Hillel of Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Daniel has performed and facilitated all over the world as a spoken word artist, MC, and creative educator, and the Jewish Week selected him as one of their “36 Under 36” young innovators reshaping the Jewish community. Daniel is a cofounder of Lines of Faith, a Muslim-Jewish hip hop and poetry collective that uses performances and workshops to challenge prejudice and build meaningful bonds between communities.

Nia into the New Year
2026-01-05 13:00 - 14:30
Monday, January 5, 2026
1-2:30 p.m. EST
$18

Start 2026 in active movement and flow of you body and creativity through the practice of Nia!

Join the Ritualwell community and Nia instructor Janice Steinberg (who is also one of our Advot members) to engage your body, spirit and creativity through Nia movement followed by prompts for reflection and writing. No experience needed.

Nia is based on the philosophy that everyone can enhance their potential for a healthy, meaningful life by engaging their senses and listening compassionately to their bodies. While it is adaptable to individual needs and abilities, its core principle is finding your body’s joy of movement, whether that’s swaying gently in a chair or dancing. Nia is low-impact and designed to be done barefoot. But it’s fine to wear tennis or jazz-dance shoes if that’s best for you. What you’ll need is a clear space so you have room to move, or, if you choose to stay seated that will work, too.

Have writing materials at hand. You may want art materials, as well.

This online session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

A lifelong search for embodied spirituality led Janice Steinberg to the rich body-mind-spirit practice of Nia. She holds a Black Belt in Nia and has been teaching for 17 years. Her spring retreat in Italy, “Dance into Ancient Wisdom,” combines movement and the Kabbalah Tree of Life. She is also an author. Her novel The Tin Horse was published by Random House, and she has a five-book mystery series published by Berkley.

The 10 Rules of Writing With Etgar Keret
2026-01-11 13:00 - 14:30
Sunday, January 11, 2026
1:00 -2:30 p.m. EST
$54

Join us for an exclusive gathering with acclaimed Israeli writer Etgar Keret, beloved for his wildly imaginative short stories, wit, and deep humanity. In this special session for the Ritualwell community, Keret will share his “10 Rules for Writers”—hard-earned wisdom that’s as funny and surprising as his fiction.

Drawing on decades of literary success, Keret will explore how to nurture creativity, embrace imperfection, and find your truest voice on the page. Whether you’re an experienced author, a devoted reader, or just beginning to write, this event will spark new ways of thinking about storytelling and the art of connection through words.

Come ready to be inspired, laugh, and see writing—and the Jewish literary imagination—in a whole new light.

This session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Jewish Writers’ Circles Members: Please enter your promo code on the second page. Click the “Next” button, then enter it as a promo code, not a membership code.

Etgar Keret is a celebrated Israeli writer known for his inventive short stories, graphic novels, and screenwriting for film and television. His work—marked by its surreal humor and emotional depth—has captivated global audiences and been translated into dozens of languages. Keret is the author of acclaimed collections including Missing Kissinger, Suddenly a Knock on the Door, and Fly Already, which won the prestigious Sapir Prize. His storytelling has also found new life on screen: Jellyfish, which he co-directed with his wife Shira Geffen, earned the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2007. Additionally, Keret is a recipient of France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Charles Bronfman Prize, recognizing his humanitarian vision and international cultural impact. He currently serves as the MFA Director for JTS’s new MFA in creative writing.

Torah Metaphors: Connecting Between Biblical Figures and Our Lives
2026-01-22 12:00 - 13:30
Thursday, January 22, 2026
12-1:30 p.m. EST
$18
Do you ever find yourself identifying more with Jonathan’s quiet sacrifice than David’s victory? Do you wonder whether Leah could truly comfort Dinah, or how you feel about Sarah’s choices? Torah characters carry deep emotional stories—and you may find pieces of yourself reflected in them.
In this introductory session, you’ll explore your own reactions to select women and men of the Torah. We’ll ask: Where do their stories meet yours? How do their struggles echo the ones you face today?
Using Torah texts as creative sparks, you’ll be invited to write directly to a biblical character—responding to their dilemmas, imagining conversations, and drawing meaningful analogies to your own life. What would you say to Esau about forgiveness?
How might it feel to step into Jochebed’s courage as she places baby Moses into the reeds?
The Torah is timeless, and its dramas often mirror the challenges we navigate right now. Come join a warm, lively exploration of these powerful metaphors—and discover how they can deepen and enliven your writing.
This session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
Jacqueline Jules is an award-winning author, poet, teacher, and librarian. Her poetry books include Manna in the Morning (Kelsay Books, 2021), Itzhak Perlman’s Broken String, winner of the 2016 Helen Kay Chapbook Prize from Evening Street Press, and Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember (Bushel & Peck, 2023). Her individual poems have appeared in over 100 journals. Her books for young readers include Sydney Taylor Honor Award winners: Sarah Laughs, Benjamin and the Silver Goblet, and Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva. Her picture book, Moses and the Runaway Lamb, was a Junior Library Guild selection. She has taught writing classes through the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland and presented workshops at numerous conferences. She is also a student of Mussar and a book club leader. You can visit her website at www.jacquelinejules.com and read her poetry online at her blog.

Beyond the Eulogy
2026-01-27 12:00 - 13:30
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
12-1:30 p.m.
$18

For capturing the ones we’ve loved and lost so that they can be known to others, we have eulogies and obituaries. But how do we honor the quieter, deeper truth—the mark that a loved one has left within us?
In this gathering with memoirist Ellen Blum Barish, you are invited to gently explore the unique imprint someone dear has made on your life. Together, we’ll open space for memory, feeling, and reflection—considering not just who they were, but how they continue to shape who you are becoming.
What does that inner legacy look like? What does it feel like in your body, your language, your creative spirit?
Through shared readings from memoir and personal essays, warm conversation, and guided prompts, you’ll begin crafting a piece of writing that honors this personal inheritance. You’ll leave with the beginnings of a meaningful story—one that brings your loved one forward in a way only you can.

This event will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

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.

Oneg Shabbat: A New Table Companion
2026-02-02 12:00 - 13:00
Monday, February 2, 2026
12-1:00 p.m. EST

You are invited into a rich, behind-the-scenes exploration of Oneg Shabbat: A Sabbath Evening Table Companion, the new publication edited by Rabbis Sandy Sasso and Jeffrey Schein and published by The Mordecai Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood.
In this event, Sandy and Jeff will open the creative curtain and share the inspirations, questions, and intentions that shaped this beautiful volume. You’ll discover the many ways the Companion can enrich your own Shabbat practice—whether used personally, with family and friends, or as a resource for community gatherings.
You’ll also hear directly from several contributors—an artist, a poet, and a musician—who will speak about the creative sparks behind their work and how Shabbat shaped their offerings. Together, we’ll explore the new digital resource and the pathways it opens for meaningful, accessible celebration.
This session is designed for anyone who creates, curates, or simply loves contemporary Jewish liturgy—all who turn to Ritualwell for inspiration and connection. You’ll leave with fresh ideas, creative insight, and new ways to bring Shabbat joyfully to your table and community.
Rabbi Sandy Sasso is the author of the nationally acclaimed children’s books. Her children’s book, The Shemah in the Mezuzah won the 2012 National Jewish Book Award for Best Illustrated Children’s Book. She is the recipient of an Indiana Author’s Award. In 2018 she received the Indiana Author’s Award for Best Regional Author.

Jeffrey Schein is the past Executive and current Senior Consultant for Jewish Education of the Mordecai Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood. He has been a leading figure in Reconstuctionist Jewish Education the past fifty years and is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (1977). He has authored 50 articles and a dozen books used in the education of Rabbis and Jewish educators.
