To Laugh: Using Humor to Survive Jewish History
2025-03-25 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
12:00-1:00 p.m. EDT

Join Emmy-winning TV comedy writer and bestselling author (Marvel’s Look Out for the Little Guy) Rob Kutner as he shares his new book, The Jews: 5,000 Years and Counting —a comedic survey of all of Jewish history, plus jokes! Kutner will read from his book and then lead participants in writing exercises designed to harness humor to disarm a menacing world.

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

Rob Kutner has won 5 Emmys, a Peabody, a TCA, and a Grammy writing for such shows as TBS’ “CONAN” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and co-created the fact-based comedy TV show “Gander.” Rob’s other TV writing includes “Teen Titans Go!” “Ben10” “Angry Birds: Summer Madness” and HBO’s “Dennis Miller Live.” He has also written material for the Oscars, Emmys, Writers’ Guild Awards, MTV Movie Awards, Guys’ Choice Awards, and two White House Correspondents’ Dinners. He has developed kids’ and adult animated series for Warner Brothers and SyFy.

Rob is the author of the satirical end-of-times bestseller Apocalypse How: Turn the End Times into the Best of Times! and the Amazon Kindle e-bestseller/Audible audiobook The Future According to Me. He is also the creator of the graphic novel “Shrinkage” for Farrago Comics. He has published humor and feature pieces for the New Yorker, New York Times, Esquire, Huffington Post, McSweeney’s, and the Weekly Forward. Learn more about Rob here.

Why is This Year's Seder Different?
2025-04-11
Ritualwell has created a new collection of curated Passover resources: Why is this Seder Different? Questions, Readings & Conversation Starters for a Challenging Year. This printable PDF will be delivered electronically and is accessible online.

When you purchase the supplement, you will also have access to our event recording:

Engage with Rabbi Mira Wasserman in a conversation with Ritualwell’s Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, focusing on text study, an interactive discussion, and reflective writing about how the Passover seder can offer a sense of order amidst chaos.

Rabbi Mira Beth Wasserman, Ph.D. is RRC’s interim vice president for academic affairs.work as a rabbi and scholar bridges Talmud study, community building and the pursuit of social justice. In the classroom, she explores the history and cultures of diverse ancient Jewish communities while fusing immersion in classical text with new critical methods and theory. Wasserman’s background in the congregational rabbinate helps her bring a practical orientation to her teaching and scholarship. She is Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Beth Shalom in Bloomington, Ind., where she served for over a decade.

Gabrielle Ariella Kaplan-Mayer is Ritualwell’s Director of Virtual Content and Programs. She is an author, educator and spiritual director whose work focuses on spirituality, creativity and disability. 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.

MALACHIM, Renewed: A Community Art Project
2025-04-28 13:00 - 14:15
Create art. Create ritual. Create community.
Submit your visual art. Be part of the creation of the new MALACHIM (Jewish Angel Cards) Set, MALACHIM Messages of Blessing Cards: Ritualwell Community Edition.
The tradition of MALACHIM (literally: messages or angels) began in a circle of friends in Jerusalem in 1989. They sang the beloved song Shalom Aleichem to honor the beginning of Shabbat, noting that the words of the song welcome the “messengers/angels of peace,” which are said to frequent the homes of those who bring in Shabbat (Talmud, Tractate Shabbat, 119a). Deborah Eisenbach-Budner created a set of MALACHIM to accompany the singing. These cards came to be known as Jewish Angel Cards; her hand-made sets found homes throughout the world. Several thousand printed sets, now called MALACHIM Messages of Blessing, have made their way into personal and communal rituals as well as Shabbat, Rosh Hodesh, and holiday tables as this folk tradition grows.
Now, MALACHIM will evolve again as a collective process, including you!
We are creating a MALACHIM set that incorporates original art made by Ritualwell community members. Each of the MALACHIM will be made from a original photo/work of art. On the margins of the art will be a word in Hebrew, transliteration, and English.
Our timeline:

On Monday April 28 at 1pm EST, Ritualwell will host a virtual launch event to invite artists to learn more about this community art project and its logistics. There will be a word bank provided; artists will be invited to submit up to 5 pieces for consideration by June 4.
On Monday June 30 at 5pm EST, Ritualwell will host a virtual unveiling gallery event for the artists and community members to share the artwork selected for the card deck. Artists will have a chance to share about their reflections from the process of art making for this project.
The cards will become available for sale August 1, in time for Elul and the Jewish New Year.

Registrants commit to:
Join the April 28th virtual event and submit 3-5 pieces of artwork. 36 or 54 pieces will be chosen, depending on submissions. Registrants will receive a free set of the new MALACHIM and will be credited on the physical insert and online description.
We are lucky to have such a creative and inspiring network of artists at Ritualwell, and we hope you will join us at the April 28 launch event and submit your art for consideration!

Writing Postcards From the Heart
2025-06-17 12:00 - 13:30
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
12-1:30 p.m. EDT

Write your own postcards to a loved one, to your younger self, to an artist you love, or to even to G-d in this interactive writing workshop with Poet and Professor Lisa Grunberger. Jewish thought has much to teach us about anger and compassion. For example, Rebbe Nachman taught that the best antidote for one’s anger is a compassionate heart. In Hebrew, the word for “compassion” (rachamim), shares the same root as the words for “womb” (rechem) and for “tomorrow” (machar).

Writing is cathartic, a ritual that helps us process complex emotions like grief and anger. You are encouraged to bring photos of people, alive or not, you might want to write postcards to so their energy is close. We will have time to share our spontaneous postcard writing with each other; you will be surprised at the creative writing that emerges with these short postcard-writing exercises. A postcard can spark the first lines of a novel, a song, or even heal a relationship. Discover how writing from the emotional “place” of pain, love, curiosity, anger, or grief can create a bridge to heal.

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

Pushcart nominee and Temple University English Professor Lisa Grunberger is a first-generation American writer. Her award-winning poetry book, I am dirty (Moonstone Press), and Born Knowing (Finishing Line Press), are lyrical reflections on life as a woman, a mother, and a daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her book, Yiddish Yoga: Ruthie’s Adventures in Love, Loss and the Lotus Position (Harper Collins), about a widowed grandmother who does yoga to help her grieve, is currently being adapted as a musical. Almost Pregnant, her play about infertility and assisted reproductive technologies, is published by Next Stage Press.
Her poetry book, Mercy Wombs, was the finalist in Settlement House American Poetry Prize for first-generation poets. She is a widely published poet whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Paterson Literary Review, Mudfish, The Drunken Boat, Bridges: A Jewish Feminist Journal, Philadelphia Poets, Paroles des Jour, Dialogi, Crab Orchard Review, Mom Egg Review, The Baffler, and Fine Linen Press. Her poems have been translated into Hebrew, Slovenian, Russian, Spanish and Yiddish.

The Creative Fire of Folklore
2025-06-24 12:00 - 13:30
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
12-1:30 p.m. EDT

In this generative poetry event, we’ll chart ways to use your family or community’s sayings in poems that explore how the past informs the present. Come prepared to have fun, while trying your hand at techniques for folding both folklore and imagery into poetry that’s at once individual and universal. Together, we’ll play with writing exercises and discuss published work. By the end of class, you’ll have a draft that you can shape for further development.

No previous poetry experience is required–this event is inclusive of everyone’s background and lived experiences.

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

Susan Comninos is a widely published writer and author of a recent book of poems, “Out of Nowhere” (Stephen F. Austin Univ. Press/Texas A&M, 2022). Her individual poems, often on Jewish themes, have appeared in the Harvard Review Online, Rattle, The Common, Prairie Schooner and North American Review, among others. She’s taught writing to undergraduates at Siena College, The College of St. Rose and SUNY Albany, as well as to adults in the community. She is currently at work on a second collection of poems, called “Wild Joy of Receiving.” She lives in upstate New York.

Advot End-of-Year Celebration and Poetry Reading
2025-06-26 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday, June 26, 2025
7-8:30 p.m. EDT

Join us to celebrate the contributions of our Advot@Ritualwell members and the unveiling of our fourth anthology showcasing their creations. Advot@Ritualwell serves as an online community for Jewish writers to learn, connect, and collaborate, providing a platform for mutual support in what can often be a solitary journey. Members bring their diverse backgrounds and expertise to share, co-create, and inspire one another. This event is their opportunity to showcase their work to you. Show your support by attending! Registrants will receive a 15% discount on their purchase of the anthology.

The members of our ADVOT community include: Elliott batTzedek, Elizabeth Caplun, Rabbi Nachshon Carmi, Alex Carter, Cathleen Cohen, Muriel Dance, Batya Diamond, Elisa Friedlander, Rabbi Dayle Friedman, Ona Gritz, Ziva Harmatz, Marc Jacobs, Ann Kanter, Judith Kerman, Chelsea Levinson, Rabbi Janet Madden, Beverly Pincus, SJ Schlossman, Gail Simmons, Janice Steinberg, Julie Stone, Cantor Keren Webber, Tiferet Welch and McKenzie Wren.

Holding Each Other
2025-09-08 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-09-15 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-09-22 12:00 - 12:15, 2025-09-29 12:00 - 12:15, 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 and 7 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.

Expanding the Field: A DIY Rosh Hashanah Journey
2025-09-08 13:00 - 14:00
September 8, 2025
1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT

Join Rabbi Aya Baron and Sarah Chandler (Kohenet Shamirah Bechirah) for a creative journey into Expanding the Field: A DIY Rosh Hashanah Companion, Ayin Press’s zine-style guide to the New Year. Together, we’ll explore interactive journaling, earth-based ritual, poetic reflection, and imaginative prompts inspired by the mystical Four Worlds. From hitbodedut (personal prayer) to tashlich, simanim, and shofar practice, Aya and Sarah invite you to co-create Rosh Hashanah rituals that feel both rooted and personal.
This session will share sample activities and open conversation about Aya and Sarah’s creative process. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, fresh ritual, or new ways into the season, you’ll find a welcoming space to reflect, reimagine, and connect with the Days of Awe.

Note: This program includes sample exercises from the new zine; to purchase a printed copy or download, visit Ayin’s website.

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

Rabbi Aya Baron (she/her) creates and offers earth-based Jewish programs, educational consultation, and life cycle ritual support. Ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, she also holds a B.A. in Contemplative Education from Brown University, an M.A. in Jewish studies focusing on feminist and folkloric interpretations of rabbinic literature from the Graduate Theological Union and a certifcate from the California School of Herbal Studies. Aya lives on Lenni-Lenape land in Philadelphia and collaborates with Shamir Collective to create earth based Jewish practice guides.

Sarah Chandler (she/her) aka Kohenet Shamirah is a Brooklyn-based Jewish educator, artist, activist, healer, and poet. She teaches, writes and consults on issues related to Judaism, earth-based spiritual practice, respectful workplaces, mindfulness, and farming. An ordained Kohenet with the Hebrew Priestess Institute and a trainer for “Taamod: Stand Up!”, she is also is an advanced student of Kabbalistic dream work at The School of Images. Previously, Sarah served as the Director of Romemu Yeshiva, Chief Compassion Officer of Jewish Initiative for Animals, and Director of Earth Based Spiritual Practices at Hazon’s Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. Currently, she is the CEO of Shamir Collective, as a coach and consultant to high profile artists and authors to launch new music and books, as well as lead trainer for Soft as a Rock: Public Speaking for Sensitive Souls.

On Being Jewish Now: A Reading & Writing Experience
2025-09-17 12:00 - 13:00
September 17, 2025
12-1 p.m. ET

Since October 7, our world has shifted in ways that touch every part of our lives. Many of us are asking: How do we navigate—and even flourish—in this moment? Where can we turn for wisdom, connection, and hope?

In her new anthology, On Being Jewish Now, writer, podcaster, and publisher Zibby Owens brings together leading Jewish voices in a heartfelt, humorous, and deeply moving collection of essays.

Join Zibby in conversation with Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer of Ritualwell as they explore what it means to be Jewish right now—how our questions, traditions, worries, and hopes shape our lives and connect us to one another. You’ll be invited into a guided generative writing session to reflect on your own relationship to Jewishness in this moment.

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

Zibby Owens is the founder of Zibby Media which includes the award-winning daily podcast Totally Booked with Zibby, Zibby Publishing in New York, and Zibby’s Bookshop in Santa Monica CA. She is the author of six books including the USA Today bestsellers Blank: A Novel and On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates. Follow her on Substack and Instagram @zibbyowens where she tells it like it is.

A Day of Memory: A Holding Each Other Memorial for October 7
2025-10-06 12:00 - 13:00
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.

Balancing Gratitude and Grief: A Pre-Thanksgiving Writing Ritual
2025-11-25 12:00 - 13:30
Tuesday, November 25, 2024
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.

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.
