BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Ritualwell - ECPv6.13.2.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Ritualwell X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://ritualwell.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Ritualwell REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20230312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20231105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230524T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230524T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20220817T220255Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230517T141441Z UID:11587-1684929600-1684935000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Liturgy Writing for Prayer Leaders DESCRIPTION:May 24\, 31\, June 7\, 14\, 21\, 28\, 2023\n12:00–1:30 p.m. EDT \nLiturgy may be poetry\, but is a poem necessarily liturgy? What turns a piece of writing into liturgy\, something you can use during a prayer service? In this immersion\, you will learn criteria and techniques to transform your poems and prayers into liturgy. In each session\, we will discuss a topic you might need to address during a prayer service or event; then you will be prompted to write your personal take on it\, as a first step toward creating your own liturgy. This immersion is for prayer leaders who have some experience writing prayers and want to receive feedback and hone their skills as liturgists in a supportive environment. \nTrisha Arlin is a liturgist\, writer\, performer\, and student of prayer in Brooklyn\, NY. She has served as a liturgist\, scholar\, and artist in residence and taught for venues including the National Havurah Committee’s Summer Institute\, Ritualwell.org\, Haggadot.com\, and for synagogues around the country. She is a builder of Bayit’s Liturgical Arts project. Trisha received a BA in Theater from Antioch College in 1975 and an MFA in Film (Screenwriting) in 1997 from Columbia University. In 2009/2010\, Trisha was an Arts Fellow at the Drisha Institute. In 2011\, she graduated from the sixth cohort of the Davennen Leadership Training Institute (DLTI). Trisha’s liturgy has been used in services\, for ritual occasions\, and at venues of many denominations nationwide. She is the author of Place Yourself: Words of Poetry and Intention (a collection of liturgy and kavannot). Her work has appeared in a variety of journals\, siddurim\, and collections of liturgy and can be found online at TrishaArlin.com\, Ritualwell.org\, and opensiddur.org. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/liturgy-writing-for-prayer-leaders/2023-05-24/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Liturgy-Writing-for-Prayer-Leaders-MayJune23-ForWeb-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230606T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230606T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20220817T221402Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230517T142323Z UID:11589-1686052800-1686058200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Tongues Shaped Like Harps: Experimenting with Poetry and Visual Art DESCRIPTION:June 6\, 13\, 20\, 27\, 2023\n12:00–1:30 p.m. EDT \n“Pray in the tongues / that are shaped like harps” \n—From “Versöhnung” (Reconciliation)\, by Else Lasker-Schüler \nPoetry and visual art have a long history of inspiring each other. The German-Jewish poet Else Lasker-Schüler\, quoted above\, was influenced by Franz Marc and other Expressionist painters\, and her work\, in turn\, influenced other artists. In this immersion\, we’ll look at connections between a variety of Jewish poets and artists\, like Marc Chagall and Alexander Mazin\, and John O’Hara and Mike Goldberg. We’ll also look at creatives who work across different media\, like Jean Arp\, Tristan Tzara\, Marcia Falk\, and Maya Pindyck. These works will inspire our own experiments in writing ekphrastic poetry (poetry that responds to other art forms). We will also deepen our writing through simple exercises in drawing\, watercolor painting\, and collage. By playing with different media\, we will see how writing and art can open up new avenues of creativity in conversation with each other. All are welcome\, regardless of experience in writing poetry or artmaking. \nCathleen Cohen was the 2019 Poet Laureate of Montgomery County\, PA. A painter and teacher\, she founded the We the Poets program at ArtWell\, an arts education non-profit in Philadelphia. Her poems appear in journals such as Apiary\, Baltimore Review\, Cagibi\, East Coast Ink\, 6ix\, North of Oxford\, One Art\, Passager\, Philadelphia Stories\, Rockvale Review and Rogue Agent. Camera Obscura (chapbook\, Moonstone Press)\, appeared in 2017 and Etching the Ghost (Atmosphere Press) in 2021. She received the Interfaith Relations Award from the Montgomery County PA Human Rights Commission and the Public Service Award from National Association of Poetry Therapy. Her paintings are on view at Cerulean Arts Gallery (ceruleanarts.com). \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/tongues-shaped-like-harps-experimenting-with-poetry-and-visual-art/2023-06-06/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Tongues-Shaped-Like-Harps-June-ForWeb-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230615T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230615T153000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20220817T221402Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230602T203431Z UID:11588-1686837600-1686843000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Learning to Say “We”: Writing Identity DESCRIPTION:June 15\, 22\, 29\, July 6\, 2023\n2:00–3:30 p.m. EST \nWe often talk about identity as though it were something we have always been and absolutely are. But identity is not fixed: it is a way of understanding ourselves that relates us to others. Identities can be temporary as name-tags and enduring as monuments; singular as snowflakes and (think of Whitman’s “Song of Myself”) encompassing as oceans. We can think of our identities as a collage\, or pointillist painting\, or an ongoing story\, or as the intersection of the histories that led to us and the social systems that surround us. American Jews\, in particular\, have no choice but to navigate multiple ways of identifying ourselves—as Jews\, as Americans\, as members of a racially stratified society\, as targets and beneficiaries of oppression\, as inheritors of and rebels against millennia of Jewish cultures and traditions. In this immersion\, we will reflect and expand on our personal experiences of identity\, using writing exercises and in-depth discussions to think about\, challenge\, discover\, explore\, and experiment with different ways to identify ourselves\, to consider how those ways connect us to and separate us from others\, and how they represent and misrepresent aspects of who we are. \nJoy Ladin is the author of twelve books\, including the National Jewish Book Award–winning revised second edition of The Book of Anna (EOAGH\, 2021); The Soul of the Stranger: Reading God and Torah from a Transgender Perspective (Brandeis UP)\, a finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and Triangle Award; Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey between Genders\, a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award and winner of a Forward Fives Award; and ten books of poetry\, including Shekhinah Speaks; Fireworks in the Graveyard (Headmistress Press); Psalms; Forward Fives–award winner Coming to Life; and two Lambda Literary Award finalists\, Transmigration and Impersonation. She has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts writing fellowship\, a Fulbright Scholarship\, an American Council of Learned Societies Research Fellowship\, and two Hadassah Brandeis Institute Research fellowships\, among other honors. She holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from Princeton University\, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst)\, and a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/learning-to-say-we-writing-identity/2023-06-15/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Learning-to-Say-We-JuneJuly-ForWeb-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230823T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230823T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20220909T151243Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230808T134034Z UID:15093-1692792000-1692797400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Weaving Water: Recreating Jewish Water-based Rituals DESCRIPTION:August 23\, 30\, September 6\, 13\, 20\, 27\, 2023 \n12-1:30 p.m. EDT  \nHow can ritual-weaving support us in bridging the gap between our own lives and our spiritual ancestors’ relationships with water? Explore how the Jewish calendar and our holiday cycle are built on the flow of water. Together\, we will track the role of water throughout the Torah and how ancient Israelites’ relationship with rain evolved to influence modern Jewish rituals. We will cover cycles of rain in the Middle East\, mikveh and other forms of purification through water\, lesser known Jewish water rituals\, water in liturgy\, embodied practices related to water\, and more. In each session\, we will study primary texts\, reflect on how these texts speak to our lives and needs today\, and be invited to design our own rituals in response. All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \nSarah Chandler aka Kohenet Shamirah is a Brooklyn-based Jewish educator\, artist\, activist\, healer\, and poet. She has been teaching Jewish eco-ritual weaving for over 15 years. She holds a M.A. in Jewish Education and a M.A. in Hebrew Bible from the Jewish Theological Seminary\, and a certificate in Non-Profit Management and Jewish Communal Leadership from Columbia University. She teaches\, writes and consults on a national level on issues related to Judaism\, earth-based spiritual practice\, mindfulness\, dreamwork\, and farming. Sarah’s chapter in “The Sacred Earth” (CCAR Press\, June 2023) focused on Jewish water spirituality. She is also the Liturgist in Residence at National Havurah Committee’s 2023 Summer Institute. An advanced student of Kabbalistic dream work at The School of Images\, Sarah is the founder and lead trainer for “Soft as a Rock: Public Speaking for Sensitive Souls.” \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/weaving-water-recreating-jewish-water-based-rituals/2023-08-23/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/weaving-water-Recreating-Jewish-Water-based-Rituals-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231016T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231016T143000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20230805T140030Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230823T151147Z UID:19259-1697461200-1697466600@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Spiritual Revolutionaries: The Ba'al Shem Tov DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, October 16\, 23\, 30\, November 6\, 20\, 27\, 2023 \n1-2:30 p.m. Eastern \nR’ Yisroel ben Eliezer (c. 1700 – 1760)\, known as the Ba’al Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name) or Besht\, was a mystic\, healer and teacher who lived in the Ukraine and founded the Hasidic movement\, a spiritual revival movement that has changed the face of Judaism and the world. Hasidism was fiercely rejected by the rabbinic institutions where it emerged but has long since become an indispensable part of the mainstream. Together\, we will explore who the Besht was and some of his radical innovations\, teachings and practices. These include the sacredness of the body; cultivating resilience\, self-awareness and joy; and seeing and appreciating the Divine spark in everything we encounter and experience. In each session\, we will move from text study\, to sharing our reflections on the texts\, to practical exercises arising from the texts. These exercises will include a creative practice in response to prompts\, reflecting with another participant on specific questions\, guided meditations and explorations of our inner landscape. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \nDaniel 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. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/spiritual-revolutionaries-the-baal-shem-tov/2023-10-16/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/person-leaping-in-front-of-tree-at-dawn-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231018T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231018T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20230805T140052Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230823T165243Z UID:19212-1697630400-1697635800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Honoring Heirloom through Words: Writing to Discover & Declutter DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, October 18\, 25 and November 1\, 8\, 2023\n12-1:30 p.m. Eastern \nWhat stories do the objects in your home tell? Are they all heirlooms\, or do some hold sentimental value for small – maybe even silly – reasons? In this Ritualwell Immersion\, you will be invited to explore the stories these objects might tell and to use them to help discern what you want to hold onto and what things could be better used by others. Join decluttering coach Gari Julius Weilbacher and writer Ellen Blum Barish as they help shine a new light on the objects in your home. Gari will provide decluttering strategies using the wisdom of the Jewish calendar and the energy of the new year. Ellen will show us how we can deepen our understanding of our ‘object relationships’ through the power of writing memoir. Join us for this four-week Immersion to bring clarity and cohesion to your home and heart. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \n  \n\n \nEllen 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. \n\n  \n  \n  \nAs an Empowerment Coach\, Gari Julius Weilbacher knows that we all benefit when we are freed from the “stuff” holding us back. Her clients have launched nonprofit organizations\, opened businesses\, published books\, established faith communities\, tamed time\, solidified work/life equilibrium and increased professional satisfaction. You can learn more and schedule a complimentary coaching conversation at WildBrookCoaching.com.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/honoring-heirloom-through-words-writing-to-discover-declutter/2023-10-18/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/antique-typewriter-with-other-memorabilia-sm-scaled.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231113T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231113T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20230805T140059Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230823T151358Z UID:20180-1699876800-1699882200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Mussar Poetry: Writing Toward the Other DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, Nov. 13\, 20\, 27 and Dec. 4\, 11\, 18 \n12- 1:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 for six sessions\n \nMuriel Ruckeyser wrote that the task of poetry is to help us see ourselves “as a person moving toward other persons\, or a person moving away from other persons\, or a person moving against other persons….in great poetry you feel a source speaking to another source.” In this spirit\, one might say that all poetry\, at least all great poetry\, is Mussar poetry. Mussar is a historical tradition within Judaism which asks us how we might become more awake to the needs of the other. Mussar poetry\, then\, might be poetry that interrupts its own habitual self-absorption\, that takes risks\, that listens. \nIn this six-session Immersion\, we will look at poems that not just describe but embody encounter itself\, such as poetry written by people we might think of as ‘other’ and poetry in which the poem itself directly speaks to the reader. Poets covered will include Paul Celan\, Marina Tsvetaeva\, Osip Mandelstam\, Naomi Shihab Nye\, Ilya Kaminsky\, Ariana Reines\, and more. The course will prioritize a workshop component. We will be writing poetry – including poems in dialogue with the above poets and in response to particular prompts – all designed to take us out of our familiar styles and stances. We will be writing inside and outside of class time and sharing work during each session. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \n  \nRabbi Joshua Boettiger is the Rosh Yeshiva at the Center for Contemporary Mussar and has taught Mussar for the past decade. He is the Jewish Chaplain at Bard College\, where he also teaches\, including the recent course\, “The History of Jewish Poetry” (Spring 2023). Joshua has an MFA in Poetry from Pacific University and his work has appeared in The Southern Review\, december\, Willow Springs\, Image\, and elsewhere. Joshua was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2006. He is a Rabbis Without Borders fellow\, and regularly teaches Jewish Meditation in different contexts\, including retreat settings. \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/mussar-poetry-writing-toward-the-other/2023-11-13/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/three-womens-hands-touching-on-wood-table-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231128T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231128T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20230806T140004Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230823T151531Z UID:19318-1701172800-1701178200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Soulwork: Exploring Our Depths DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, November 28\, December 5\, 12\, 19\, 2023 \n12-1:30 p.m. EST \n \n“From the depths I call to you!” — Psalm 130\n\n \nIn the busyness of our lives\, how often do we set aside time to explore our own depths? To listen to our souls? With a taste of four soulwork modalities based on a Gestalt approach – dreamwork\, inner child work\, nature soulwork\, and Soul Collage© – we will take the time for that introspection. Each week\, we will explore one modality. You will delve into your own inner world and share your insights in soulwork chevruta dyads and in the group meetings. Our inquiry will be framed in a Jewish-spiritual context\, with a short text study at the start of each meeting.\n \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nRabbi Dr. Haviva Ner-David is a rabbi and writer. She is the rabbinic founder of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind\, Body\, and Soul\, the only mikveh in Israel open to all to immerse as they choose. Ordained as both a rabbi and an interfaith minister\, certified as a spiritual companion (with a specialty in dreamwork)\, and holding a doctorate on mikveh from Bar Ilan University\, she offers mikveh guidance and spiritual companioning for individuals and couples and mikveh workshops and talks for groups. She is the author of three spiritual journey memoirs — Dreaming Against the Current; A Rabbi’s Soul Journey; and Chanah’s Voice: A Rabbi Wrestles with Gender\, Commandment; and the Women’s Rituals of Baking\, Bathing\, and Brightening; and Life on the Fringes: A Feminist Journey Towards Traditional Rabbinic Ordination\, which was a runner up for the National Jewish Book Council Awards; as well as two novels: Hope Valley and To Die in Secret; and the first and only children’s book on mikveh: Yonah and the Mikveh Fish. She lives in Israel on Kibbutz Hannaton\, is the mother of seven children\, a teacher and lives with FSHD\, a genetic muscular disease\, which has been her biggest life challenge.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/soulwork-exploring-our-depths/2023-11-28/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/person-running-on-beach-with-blue-sky-reflected-in-water-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231214T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231214T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20230805T140040Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230823T151839Z UID:19197-1702555200-1702560600@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Reclaiming the Hebrew Goddess and Writing Her Anew DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, December 14\, 21\, 28\, 2023 and January 4\, 11\, 18\, 2024 \n12-1:30 p.m. EST \nIf the Hebrew goddess could whisper to you\, she might say\, “They tried to bury us. They didn’t know that we were seeds.” For thousands of years before patriarchal monotheism took hold\, our ancestors worshipped the divine feminine. In this six-part Ritualwell Immersion\, we will take a deep dive into the legacy of the Hebrew goddess\, from her ancient biblical and Near Eastern roots\, to her demise at the hands of our prophets and scribes and to her manifestations in Judaism today. Through thoughtful reflection and inspired creative writing with guided writing prompts\, discover where her secrets are hidden and reclaim her for your own\, for the earth\, and for the generations to come. Join gynocentric Torah scholar\, creative writing professor\, and student rabbi Sivan Rotholz as we harvest the bounty of the divine feminine in Jewish tradition. This is the second installment of a previous Ritualwell Immersion. This second Immersion will introduce all-new materials. New explorers and returning students alike are most welcome. No previous creative writing experience or knowledge of the goddess required. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \n  \nSivan Rotholz is a professor of gynocentric Torah and creative writing. She has taught at Brooklyn College\, Tel Aviv University\, Columbia/Barnard Hillel\, Moishe House and elsewhere\, and has shared her Torah in synagogues and living rooms across the globe. Her writing has appeared in the Jewish Journal\, 929\, and Ritualwell\, among other publications. She is the Education Director for Achayot – Jewish Women Writers and is pursuing rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. \n  \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/reclaiming-the-hebrew-goddess-and-writing-her-anew/2023-12-14/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/woman-standing-in-lake-with-flower-crown-and-lit-candle-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240102T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240102T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20230805T140038Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231222T160814Z UID:20043-1704196800-1704202200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Creative Midrash: Beyond Talmudic Texts DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, January 2\, 9\, 16\, 23\, 30 and February 6\, 2024 \n12-1:30 p.m. EST\n$250 \nTalmudic narratives are filled with distinctive characters\, strange plots\, and enigmatic silences. These stories provide a treasure trove for creative writers. For example\, when Moses sits in the back of Rabbi Akiva’s classroom and doesn’t recognize his own teachings\, how might we imagine Moses’s sense of dissonance? If we transpose the emotional core of this scene to another setting\, what story would we conjure? In each class\, we’ll explore a specific Talmudic text with a lens on character\, images\, narrative twists\, and unspoken qualities that pique our curiosity. We’ll then pivot to a generative session in which we write from prompts related to our text study. Be prepared to surprise yourself on the page as you uncover fresh possibilities in your writing practice. This generative workshop is suitable for creative writers of all levels as well as readers seeking to engage imaginatively with Jewish texts. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \n  \nAmy Gottlieb‘s debut novel The Beautiful Possible was a finalist for the 2017 Harold U. Ribalow Prize\, a 2016 National Jewish Book Award and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award. Her fiction and poetry have been published in Other Voices\, Lilith\, Puerto del Sol\, Ilanot Review\, On Being\, Zeek\, Storyscape\, The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry\, and elsewhere. She has received a Literary Fellowship and Residency from the Bronx Council on the Arts and an Arts Fellowship from the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. Amy is a graduate of Clark University and the University of Chicago. She lives with her family on the edge of the Hudson River in New York City. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/creative-midrash-beyond-talmudic-texts/2024-01-02/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/woman-in-gown-and-crown-with-flying-books-arouond-her-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240122T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240122T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20230809T160343Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230823T165038Z UID:20557-1705924800-1705930200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:God Cafe: The Immersion DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, January 22\, 29 and February 5\, 12\, 19\, 26\, 2024\n12-1:30 p.m. EST\n$250 for six sessions \nWho is God? What do we talk about when we talk about God? For six weeks\, we will discuss God/divinity as a concept\, exploring what God means to each of us and learn about the variety of approaches to God in Jewish tradition. This will be an opportunity to explore a topic often not discussed and to build community around our questions and insights. Learning will include reflection on our own experiences\, listening to the stories of others and diving into a variety of texts. Rabbi Sarah began this project while she was in rabbinical school through the support of the Auerbach Grants for Rabbinic Innovation. The project began with 1:1 phone conversations and evolved into an entire cohort series\, in Jewish and multi-faith settings. All are welcome to join\, whether this is something you rarely think about or it’s your favorite thing to explore. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \n  \nRabbi Sarah Brammer-Shlay graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in May 2022. She serves as the Interim Dean of Religious Life/Chaplain and Rabbi at Grinnell College in Iowa. She loves the diversity of her work with students\, supporting them to figure out who they are\, who they want to be and how Judaism plays a role in that pursuit. While in rabbinical school\, she created The God Cafe Project with the goal of creating space for people to explore moments of Divine connection and grappling. At the core of her identity as a Jewish leader and community organizer is the desire for people to get out of isolation and into connection. She has more than 15 years of community organizing experience in a variety of fields including\, but not limited to\, Israel/Palestine\, labor\, feminism\, workers’ rights and health care. Sarah was a co-founder of IfNotNow and has served in various leadership roles with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence as well. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/god-cafe-the-immersion/2024-01-22/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/man-and-woman-talking-over-coffee-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240125T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240125T143000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231219T225142Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231219T225142Z UID:22731-1706187600-1706193000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Choosing Joy: The Teachings of Rebbe Nachman DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, January 25 and February 1\, 8\, 15\, 22\, 29\, 2024 \n1-2:30 p.m. EST\n$250 for six sessions\n \nRebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772 – 1810) founded a specific stream of Chasidism that was once tiny\, and has somehow become an influential force throughout the Jewish world. The psychological insight\, poetic beauty and spiritual power of his teachings have touched many seekers. Together\, we will explore who he was\, how his ideas spread\, and some of his key themes\, in theory and practice. These include: the transformative power of music and song; our power and responsibility to shape ourselves and our world; how our thoughts affect our reality; the struggle to be joyful; the practice of praying in our own words (Hitbodedut); and maintaining resilience and equanimity throughout the challenges of life.\n \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \n\nDaniel 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.\n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/choosing-joy-the-teachings-of-rebbe-nachman/2024-01-25/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RabbiDanielRaphaelSilverstein_SpiritualRevolutionariesRebbeNachman_JanFeb2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240131T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240131T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20230805T140033Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240115T223421Z UID:20262-1706702400-1706707800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Hidden Moments of Holiness: Finding Sacred Potential in the Everyday DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, January 31\, 2024\n12-1:30 p.m. EST\nFree \nSecular ritual is a precious part of our social and communal fabric. Starting or ending work meetings\, welcoming a new neighbor\, that perfect cup of coffee in the quiet of morning before anyone else is awake: all are moments waiting for rituals of their own. Join Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny for an exploration of ritual that lifts up the otherwise-overlooked moments in our lives. Drawing on the work of the ritual lab at the Stanford Design School\, we’ll explore the core elements that define these rituals and identify other “missed moments” that beg for attention.\n \nIn this generative session you will have the opportunity to build and launch new personal or communal rituals and to share them with the Ritualwell community. Participants with any background or level of Jewish literacy and ritual crafting are welcome.\n \nThis session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \n \nRabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny is the Cantor at Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles\, California. She completed her cantorial investiture\, rabbinical ordination\, and a Masterʼs degree in Sacred Music at the Jewish Theological Seminary before joining the staff of Temple Beth Am in August\, 2014. For several years\, Hillary has co-produced the Sacred Sounds Unbound concert series with burgeoning Jewish music artists and the Kol Tefilla conference on prayer experiences with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Hillary is an instructor for first year students at the Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies. She is an avid writer and is currently enrolled in UCLA’s extension program for a certificate in creative nonfiction writing. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School’s Professional & Lifelong Learning Program\, Hillary is committed to the ongoing study and proliferation of ritual in Jewish community and beyond. She currently serves as one of the vice-presidents of the Cantors Assembly\, the largest professional body of cantors in the world. She and her husband\, Rabbi Daniel Chorny\, met in Israel and continue to enjoy learning together with their two children\, Ella and Yossi.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/hidden-moments-of-holiness-finding-sacred-potential-in-the-everyday/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/person-reading-a-book-with-cup-of-coffee-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240208T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240208T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231219T151357Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231219T151357Z UID:22617-1707393600-1707399000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Jewish Coming-of-Age Stories: Writing the Younger You DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, February 8\, 15\, 22\, 29\, 2024 \n12-1:30 p.m. EST\n$180 for four sessions \nAll of us have our coming-of-age stories: events we experienced as children\, teens\, and young adults. Your experiences may be humorous and pleasantly nostalgic. They may be profound or disturbing. This four-session immersion will give you a chance to tell the stories of the younger you in poetry and micro memoir.\n \nWe will begin each session by reading and discussing some representative poems and micro memoir pieces of one or several paragraphs\, written by various writers\, both Jewish and not. Then\, using prompts and thematic suggestions\, you will be invited to write the stories of the younger you–perhaps about school days\, starter jobs\, life-cycle events\, family times and holidays\, foods\, spiritual awakenings\, relationships\, and anything else. Some of your writing might center on being Jewish\, but that is not required. We will have time during each session to share and appreciate each other’s work. Writers of any level of experience are welcome.\nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \n \nLynn Levin is a poet and writer. She is the author of nine books\, most recently\, her debut collection of short stories House Parties (2023). Widely published as a poet\, Levin’s five poetry collections include The Minor Virtues (2020); Miss Plastique (2013)\, a Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist in poetry; Fair Creatures of an Hour (2009)\, a Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist in poetry; Imaginarium (2005)\, a finalist for Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award; and A Few Questions about Paradise (2000). She is co-author\, with Valerie Fox\, of Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets (2019\, 2013)\, a Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist in writing/publishing. She is the translator\, from the Spanish\, of Birds on the Kiswar Tree (2014)\, poems by the Peruvian Andean poet Odi Gonzales. Levin is also the producer/director of the 2017 video documentary Life on the Napo River: A Glimpse of the Ecuadoran Amazon\, Its People\, and Their Traditions. \nShe lives in Bucks County\, Pennsylvania and teaches English and creative writing at Drexel University\, where she received the Adjunct Award for Teaching Excellence. For many years\, she taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania. \n  \n \n \n \n \n   URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/jewish-coming-of-age-stories-writing-the-younger-you/2024-02-08/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/LynnLevin_JewishComingofAgeStories_Feb2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240214T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240214T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20230805T140036Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240109T181300Z UID:20195-1707912000-1707917400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Mussar As a Generative Practice for Art and Poetry DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, February 14\, 21\, 28 and March 6\, 2024 \n12-1:30 p.m. EST\n$180 for four sessions \nMussar is a spiritual practice based on centuries-old teachings and texts which we still find valuable today. Its wholehearted approach to leading an ethical life is inspiring and creative. As a Mussar learner\, Cathleen Cohen uses poetry and visual art to deepen an understanding of Torah\, mitzvot and spirituality through encounters with others. In this 4-week Immersion\, you are invited to use writing and visual artmaking to touch on Mussar themes like middot (character traits) and heshbon ha’nefesh\, (“accounting of the soul”)\, and open a conversation between yourselves and the characteristics you aspire to master. No prior experience writing poetry\, creating visual art or studying Mussar is needed! \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \n  \nCathleen Cohen was the 2019 Poet Laureate of Montgomery County\, PA. A painter and teacher\, she founded the We the Poets program at ArtWell\, an arts education non-profit in Philadelphia. Her poems appear in journals such as Apiary\, Baltimore Review\, Cagibi\, East Coast Ink\, 6ix\, North of Oxford\, One Art\, Passager\, Philadelphia Stories\, Rockvale Review and Rogue Agent. Camera Obscura (chapbook\, Moonstone Press)\, appeared in 2017 and Etching the Ghost (Atmosphere Press) in 2021. She received the Interfaith Relations Award from the Montgomery County PA Human Rights Commission and the Public Service Award from National Association of Poetry Therapy. Her paintings are on view at Cerulean Arts Gallery (ceruleanarts.com). URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/mussar-as-a-generative-practice-for-art-and-poetry/2024-02-14/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/woman-painting-near-a-sign-that-says-i-dont-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240229T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240229T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231219T151359Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240229T153539Z UID:22622-1709208000-1709213400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Jewish Coming-of-Age Stories: Writing the Younger You DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, February 8\, 15\, 22\, 29\, 2024 \n12-1:30 p.m. EST\n$180 for four sessions \nAll of us have our coming-of-age stories: events we experienced as children\, teens\, and young adults. Your experiences may be humorous and pleasantly nostalgic. They may be profound or disturbing. This four-session immersion will give you a chance to tell the stories of the younger you in poetry and micro memoir.\n \nWe will begin each session by reading and discussing some representative poems and micro memoir pieces of one or several paragraphs\, written by various writers\, both Jewish and not. Then\, using prompts and thematic suggestions\, you will be invited to write the stories of the younger you–perhaps about school days\, starter jobs\, life-cycle events\, family times and holidays\, foods\, spiritual awakenings\, relationships\, and anything else. Some of your writing might center on being Jewish\, but that is not required. We will have time during each session to share and appreciate each other’s work. Writers of any level of experience are welcome.\n \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \n \nLynn Levin is a poet and writer. She is the author of nine books\, most recently\, her debut collection of short stories House Parties (2023). Widely published as a poet\, Levin’s five poetry collections include The Minor Virtues (2020); Miss Plastique (2013)\, a Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist in poetry; Fair Creatures of an Hour (2009)\, a Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist in poetry; Imaginarium (2005)\, a finalist for Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award; and A Few Questions about Paradise (2000). She is co-author\, with Valerie Fox\, of Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets (2019\, 2013)\, a Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist in writing/publishing. She is the translator\, from the Spanish\, of Birds on the Kiswar Tree (2014)\, poems by the Peruvian Andean poet Odi Gonzales. Levin is also the producer/director of the 2017 video documentary Life on the Napo River: A Glimpse of the Ecuadoran Amazon\, Its People\, and Their Traditions. \nShe lives in Bucks County\, Pennsylvania and teaches English and creative writing at Drexel University\, where she received the Adjunct Award for Teaching Excellence. For many years\, she taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania. \n  \n \n \n \n \n   URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/jewish-coming-of-age-stories-writing-the-younger-you-2024-02-29/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/LynnLevin_JewishComingofAgeStories_Feb2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240229T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240229T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231221T151137Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231221T151137Z UID:22843-1709208000-1709213400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Finding Our Place in the Stories of the Hebrew Matriarch: Sarah DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, February 29 and March 7\, 14\, 21\, 2024\n12-1:30 p.m. EST\n$180\n \n\n“The Kabbalah teaches that all the characters of the Torah are within ourselves.” \n—Miki Raver\, ‘Listen to Her Voice: Women of the Hebrew Bible’\n \nIt might seem that to gain the full stories of the matriarchs of the Hebrew Bible we need to read between the lines. But there is much to discover and explore within the texts themselves where hints and information are hiding in plain sight. In this 4-week workshop author\, poet\, and Certified Dreamwork Professional Tzivia Gover will share what she learned about Sarah when she used poetry and imagination to move beyond seeing her merely as an adjunct to Abraham and Isaac\, and instead as a powerful woman\, prophet\, and priestess in her own right. In this Immersion we will  learn how reclaiming the stories of Sarah and the Hebrew matriarchs through poetic writing can empower us to know ourselves more fully—and access the gifts of wisdom\, healing\, and joy that are our universal birthright.\n \nTzivia will invite participants to reconsider key passages from Genesis\, beginning with the first Hebrew matriarch\, using interpretive tools including:\n\nPaRDeS\, the Kabbalistic method of interpretation that explores what is said explicitly\, as well as hints\, questions\, and secret meanings;\nDreamwork methods for unlocking the information transmitted through archetypes\, symbolism and story; and\nLiterary analysis.\n\nWe’ll also use guided visualization\, writing prompts\, and exercises based on those techniques\, and participants will be invited to write poems and stories of their own. This workshop is appropriate for everyone\, whether you consider yourself a writer or not\, and no matter what your level of Jewish education or experience.\n \n\nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nTzivia Gover is the author of ‘Dreaming on the Page: Tap into Your Midnight Mind to Supercharge Your Writing’\, and other books about dreams\, writing\, and everyday joy. She is the creator of ‘The Life of H: Sarah\, Reimagined’ an online poetry project. The founder of 350 Dreamers\, an online international community dreaming for global healing in this time of climate crisis\, Tzivia is a board member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams and a past Director at the Institute for Dream Studies. Tzivia is a Certified Dreamwork Professional and a Certified Proprioceptive Writing Instructor. She has her MFA in writing from Columbia University\, and has taught in college and community settings domestically and abroad. Learn more at www.thirdhousemoon.com and https://tziviagover.substack.com.\n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/finding-our-place-in-the-stories-of-the-hebrew-matriarch-sarah/2024-02-29/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/TziviaGover_Sarah_FebMar2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240404T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240404T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231220T144002Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T210130Z UID:22650-1712232000-1712237400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:The Jewish Approach to Conflict Transformation DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, April 4\, 11\, 18 and May 2\, 9\, 16\, 2024\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 for six sessions \nThe lengths to which some of us will go to avoid conflict are extreme\, but what if we flipped the script on conflict? What if we understood conflict as an invitation to embrace difficult aspects of ourselves and others in order to grow? Conflict transformation theory says that conflict is actually not the problem\, rather it is how we respond to conflict that creates the most difficulty. The good news is that we always have a choice in how we respond. \nEven better news is that Jewish tradition is a storehouse of wisdom and practical application on how to navigate the world of conflict and how we respond to it\, from sources in the Torah and from how our rabbinic sages model of conflict transformation. In this Ritualwell Immersion\, we will explore what conflict transformation might look like for the Jewish community in our times. Using parts of the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Center for Conflict Resolution “Constructive Conflict” curriculum\, we will navigate both ancient and modern approaches to conflict and rebuild our own conflict toolboxes applicable in contexts from the interpersonal\, intercommunal\, to the international realms. Together\, we will imagine a Jewish community that knows how to show up in disagreement\, even when it gets hard. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nRabbi Ezra Weinberg is a shaliach tzibur\, officiant and Jewish educator dedicated to creating connection and community. He is a native Philadelphian and holds an MA in Conflict Transformation. Reb Ezra officiates weddings and Bnai Mitzvot and teaches a University course called\, “One G-d\, Three Paths” alongside a priest and imam. He currently works with individuals and families within the Jewish community and founded ReVoice\, a network of resources for Jewish going through divorce.  He shares: “The work that I do is inspired by my own divorce as well as my experience as a child of high conflict divorce. A big part of my mission is to offer support in Jewish contexts when divorce radically changes a family’s path. However\, I also want to change the conversation around divorce within the Jewish community today so that it is no longer taboo to get divorced or talk about divorce.”\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \nThis Immersion is happening in partnership with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. \n\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/the-jewish-approach-to-conflict-transformation/2024-04-04/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/EzraWeinberg_ConflictTransformatoin_AprilMay2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240411T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240411T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231220T144002Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T210131Z UID:22654-1712836800-1712842200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:The Jewish Approach to Conflict Transformation DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, April 4\, 11\, 18 and May 2\, 9\, 16\, 2024\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 for six sessions \nThe lengths to which some of us will go to avoid conflict are extreme\, but what if we flipped the script on conflict? What if we understood conflict as an invitation to embrace difficult aspects of ourselves and others in order to grow? Conflict transformation theory says that conflict is actually not the problem\, rather it is how we respond to conflict that creates the most difficulty. The good news is that we always have a choice in how we respond. \nEven better news is that Jewish tradition is a storehouse of wisdom and practical application on how to navigate the world of conflict and how we respond to it\, from sources in the Torah and from how our rabbinic sages model of conflict transformation. In this Ritualwell Immersion\, we will explore what conflict transformation might look like for the Jewish community in our times. Using parts of the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Center for Conflict Resolution “Constructive Conflict” curriculum\, we will navigate both ancient and modern approaches to conflict and rebuild our own conflict toolboxes applicable in contexts from the interpersonal\, intercommunal\, to the international realms. Together\, we will imagine a Jewish community that knows how to show up in disagreement\, even when it gets hard. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nRabbi Ezra Weinberg is a shaliach tzibur\, officiant and Jewish educator dedicated to creating connection and community. He is a native Philadelphian and holds an MA in Conflict Transformation. Reb Ezra officiates weddings and Bnai Mitzvot and teaches a University course called\, “One G-d\, Three Paths” alongside a priest and imam. He currently works with individuals and families within the Jewish community and founded ReVoice\, a network of resources for Jewish going through divorce.  He shares: “The work that I do is inspired by my own divorce as well as my experience as a child of high conflict divorce. A big part of my mission is to offer support in Jewish contexts when divorce radically changes a family’s path. However\, I also want to change the conversation around divorce within the Jewish community today so that it is no longer taboo to get divorced or talk about divorce.”\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \nThis Immersion is happening in partnership with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. \n\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/the-jewish-approach-to-conflict-transformation/2024-04-11/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/EzraWeinberg_ConflictTransformatoin_AprilMay2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240418T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240418T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231220T144002Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T210132Z UID:22655-1713441600-1713447000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:The Jewish Approach to Conflict Transformation DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, April 4\, 11\, 18 and May 2\, 9\, 16\, 2024\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 for six sessions \nThe lengths to which some of us will go to avoid conflict are extreme\, but what if we flipped the script on conflict? What if we understood conflict as an invitation to embrace difficult aspects of ourselves and others in order to grow? Conflict transformation theory says that conflict is actually not the problem\, rather it is how we respond to conflict that creates the most difficulty. The good news is that we always have a choice in how we respond. \nEven better news is that Jewish tradition is a storehouse of wisdom and practical application on how to navigate the world of conflict and how we respond to it\, from sources in the Torah and from how our rabbinic sages model of conflict transformation. In this Ritualwell Immersion\, we will explore what conflict transformation might look like for the Jewish community in our times. Using parts of the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Center for Conflict Resolution “Constructive Conflict” curriculum\, we will navigate both ancient and modern approaches to conflict and rebuild our own conflict toolboxes applicable in contexts from the interpersonal\, intercommunal\, to the international realms. Together\, we will imagine a Jewish community that knows how to show up in disagreement\, even when it gets hard. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nRabbi Ezra Weinberg is a shaliach tzibur\, officiant and Jewish educator dedicated to creating connection and community. He is a native Philadelphian and holds an MA in Conflict Transformation. Reb Ezra officiates weddings and Bnai Mitzvot and teaches a University course called\, “One G-d\, Three Paths” alongside a priest and imam. He currently works with individuals and families within the Jewish community and founded ReVoice\, a network of resources for Jewish going through divorce.  He shares: “The work that I do is inspired by my own divorce as well as my experience as a child of high conflict divorce. A big part of my mission is to offer support in Jewish contexts when divorce radically changes a family’s path. However\, I also want to change the conversation around divorce within the Jewish community today so that it is no longer taboo to get divorced or talk about divorce.”\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \nThis Immersion is happening in partnership with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. \n\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/the-jewish-approach-to-conflict-transformation/2024-04-18/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/EzraWeinberg_ConflictTransformatoin_AprilMay2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240501T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240501T143000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20240122T163547Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240226T142656Z UID:23075-1714568400-1714573800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Judaism Through The Kaleidoscope: Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, May 1\, 8\, 15\, 22\, 29 and June 5\, 2024 \n1-2:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 \nRabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865 – 1935) was the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel\, a profound poet\, and a giant of both mysticism and Jewish law. He was a radical thinker\, writer and activist who provoked much opposition during his lifetime from conservative leaders of Ultra-Orthodox communities. \nRabbi Kook saw the Divine spark in everything and viewed all events as part of an evolutionary process towards a redeemed and unified world. His writings contain beautiful and insightful gems on subjects such as: freedom as the key foundation of Judaism; our relationship with our bodies; pluralism\, tolerance and polarization; the many layers of our multiple identities; particularism and universalism; the narratives of our own lives and of all of human history. Together\, we will explore his rich\, beautiful writings and use them as opportunities for spiritual practice\, including creative writing and guided embodied exercises. \n \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nDaniel Raphael Silverstein is a rabbi\, educator\, meditation teacher and MC/poet. He lives in Israel with his family\, where he directs Applied Jewish Spirituality (https://www.appliedjewishspirituality.org/)\, 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.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/judaism-through-the-kaleidoscope-rabbi-abraham-isaac-kook/2024-05-01/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/DanielRS_RavKook_MayJune2024-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240502T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240502T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231220T144002Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T210132Z UID:22657-1714651200-1714656600@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:The Jewish Approach to Conflict Transformation DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, April 4\, 11\, 18 and May 2\, 9\, 16\, 2024\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 for six sessions \nThe lengths to which some of us will go to avoid conflict are extreme\, but what if we flipped the script on conflict? What if we understood conflict as an invitation to embrace difficult aspects of ourselves and others in order to grow? Conflict transformation theory says that conflict is actually not the problem\, rather it is how we respond to conflict that creates the most difficulty. The good news is that we always have a choice in how we respond. \nEven better news is that Jewish tradition is a storehouse of wisdom and practical application on how to navigate the world of conflict and how we respond to it\, from sources in the Torah and from how our rabbinic sages model of conflict transformation. In this Ritualwell Immersion\, we will explore what conflict transformation might look like for the Jewish community in our times. Using parts of the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Center for Conflict Resolution “Constructive Conflict” curriculum\, we will navigate both ancient and modern approaches to conflict and rebuild our own conflict toolboxes applicable in contexts from the interpersonal\, intercommunal\, to the international realms. Together\, we will imagine a Jewish community that knows how to show up in disagreement\, even when it gets hard. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nRabbi Ezra Weinberg is a shaliach tzibur\, officiant and Jewish educator dedicated to creating connection and community. He is a native Philadelphian and holds an MA in Conflict Transformation. Reb Ezra officiates weddings and Bnai Mitzvot and teaches a University course called\, “One G-d\, Three Paths” alongside a priest and imam. He currently works with individuals and families within the Jewish community and founded ReVoice\, a network of resources for Jewish going through divorce.  He shares: “The work that I do is inspired by my own divorce as well as my experience as a child of high conflict divorce. A big part of my mission is to offer support in Jewish contexts when divorce radically changes a family’s path. However\, I also want to change the conversation around divorce within the Jewish community today so that it is no longer taboo to get divorced or talk about divorce.”\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \nThis Immersion is happening in partnership with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. \n\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/the-jewish-approach-to-conflict-transformation/2024-05-02/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/EzraWeinberg_ConflictTransformatoin_AprilMay2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240507T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240507T140000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231222T215147Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240425T164511Z UID:22768-1715083200-1715090400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Presence and Absence: Images of the Divine in Kabbalah DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, May 7\, 14\, 21\, 28 and June 4\, 2024\n12-2:00 p.m. EDT\n$250\n \n\nWe live in a time of deep division and loneliness. The Zohar\, the 13th- century Kabbalistic work\, offers rich and beautiful images to speak to this separation\, and equally powerful ways to imagine divine presence\, healing\, and connection. In this series we will delve into the multifaceted\, dynamic Divine through the radical imagination of the Zohar. We’ll bring what we discover into our own creativity through the Jewish Studio Process\, a facilitated\, intuitive use of art materials and reflective writing. We’ll pay particular attention to the experience of the Shekhinah\, the feminine\, immanent\, indwelling Sacred Presence.\n \nThis practice is appropriate for absolute beginners and experienced artists who would like to explore this imagery. The focus isn’t on creating a polished piece of artwork\, but rather on deepening your own intuition\, insight and voice.\n\nDuring this series\, we will harvest the insights and images that have come onto the page in word and color to write new midrash and liturgy.\n \n\nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \n\nMargie Jacobs is a Reconstructionist rabbi who has served as a congregational rabbi\, regional director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality\, Hillel director\, and teacher of mindfulness meditation. In 2020\, She completed the first 2-year Jewish Studio Process facilitator training. She has brought JSP to synagogues\, Hillels\, retreats\, conferences\, special events\, and groups of clergy across the country. Margie works with individuals as a Spiritual Coach and designs websites for clergy and Jewish organizations.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\nThis Immersion is happening in partnership with the Jewish Studio Project.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/presence-and-absence-images-of-the-divine-in-kabbalah/2024-05-07/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RabbiMargieJacobs_PresenceandAbsence_MayJune2024-1-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240508T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240508T143000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20240122T163547Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240122T163547Z UID:23529-1715173200-1715178600@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Judaism Through The Kaleidoscope: Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, May 1\, 8\, 15\, 22\, 29 and June 5\, 2024 \n1-2:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 \nRabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865 – 1935) was the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel\, a profound poet\, and a giant of both mysticism and Jewish law. He was a radical thinker\, writer and activist who provoked much opposition during his lifetime from conservative leaders of Ultra-Orthodox communities. \nRabbi Kook saw the Divine spark in everything and viewed all events as part of an evolutionary process towards a redeemed and unified world. His writings contain beautiful and insightful gems on subjects such as: freedom as the key foundation of Judaism; our relationship with our bodies; pluralism\, tolerance and polarization; the many layers of our multiple identities; particularism and universalism; the narratives of our own lives and of all of human history. Together\, we will explore his rich\, beautiful writings and use them as opportunities for spiritual practice\, including creative writing and guided embodied exercises. \n \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nDaniel Raphael Silverstein is a rabbi\, educator\, meditation teacher and MC/poet. He lives in Israel with his family\, where he directs Applied Jewish Spirituality (https://www.appliedjewishspirituality.org/)\, 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.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/judaism-through-the-kaleidoscope-rabbi-abraham-isaac-kook/2024-05-08/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/DanielRS_RavKook_MayJune2024-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240509T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240509T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231220T144002Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T210133Z UID:22658-1715256000-1715261400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:The Jewish Approach to Conflict Transformation DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, April 4\, 11\, 18 and May 2\, 9\, 16\, 2024\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 for six sessions \nThe lengths to which some of us will go to avoid conflict are extreme\, but what if we flipped the script on conflict? What if we understood conflict as an invitation to embrace difficult aspects of ourselves and others in order to grow? Conflict transformation theory says that conflict is actually not the problem\, rather it is how we respond to conflict that creates the most difficulty. The good news is that we always have a choice in how we respond. \nEven better news is that Jewish tradition is a storehouse of wisdom and practical application on how to navigate the world of conflict and how we respond to it\, from sources in the Torah and from how our rabbinic sages model of conflict transformation. In this Ritualwell Immersion\, we will explore what conflict transformation might look like for the Jewish community in our times. Using parts of the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Center for Conflict Resolution “Constructive Conflict” curriculum\, we will navigate both ancient and modern approaches to conflict and rebuild our own conflict toolboxes applicable in contexts from the interpersonal\, intercommunal\, to the international realms. Together\, we will imagine a Jewish community that knows how to show up in disagreement\, even when it gets hard. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nRabbi Ezra Weinberg is a shaliach tzibur\, officiant and Jewish educator dedicated to creating connection and community. He is a native Philadelphian and holds an MA in Conflict Transformation. Reb Ezra officiates weddings and Bnai Mitzvot and teaches a University course called\, “One G-d\, Three Paths” alongside a priest and imam. He currently works with individuals and families within the Jewish community and founded ReVoice\, a network of resources for Jewish going through divorce.  He shares: “The work that I do is inspired by my own divorce as well as my experience as a child of high conflict divorce. A big part of my mission is to offer support in Jewish contexts when divorce radically changes a family’s path. However\, I also want to change the conversation around divorce within the Jewish community today so that it is no longer taboo to get divorced or talk about divorce.”\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \nThis Immersion is happening in partnership with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. \n\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/the-jewish-approach-to-conflict-transformation/2024-05-09/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/EzraWeinberg_ConflictTransformatoin_AprilMay2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240514T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240514T140000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231222T215147Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240425T164512Z UID:22784-1715688000-1715695200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Presence and Absence: Images of the Divine in Kabbalah DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, May 7\, 14\, 21\, 28 and June 4\, 2024\n12-2:00 p.m. EDT\n$250\n \n\nWe live in a time of deep division and loneliness. The Zohar\, the 13th- century Kabbalistic work\, offers rich and beautiful images to speak to this separation\, and equally powerful ways to imagine divine presence\, healing\, and connection. In this series we will delve into the multifaceted\, dynamic Divine through the radical imagination of the Zohar. We’ll bring what we discover into our own creativity through the Jewish Studio Process\, a facilitated\, intuitive use of art materials and reflective writing. We’ll pay particular attention to the experience of the Shekhinah\, the feminine\, immanent\, indwelling Sacred Presence.\n \nThis practice is appropriate for absolute beginners and experienced artists who would like to explore this imagery. The focus isn’t on creating a polished piece of artwork\, but rather on deepening your own intuition\, insight and voice.\n\nDuring this series\, we will harvest the insights and images that have come onto the page in word and color to write new midrash and liturgy.\n \n\nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \n\nMargie Jacobs is a Reconstructionist rabbi who has served as a congregational rabbi\, regional director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality\, Hillel director\, and teacher of mindfulness meditation. In 2020\, She completed the first 2-year Jewish Studio Process facilitator training. She has brought JSP to synagogues\, Hillels\, retreats\, conferences\, special events\, and groups of clergy across the country. Margie works with individuals as a Spiritual Coach and designs websites for clergy and Jewish organizations.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\nThis Immersion is happening in partnership with the Jewish Studio Project.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/presence-and-absence-images-of-the-divine-in-kabbalah/2024-05-14/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RabbiMargieJacobs_PresenceandAbsence_MayJune2024-1-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240515T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240515T143000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20240122T163547Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240226T142657Z UID:23079-1715778000-1715783400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Judaism Through The Kaleidoscope: Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, May 1\, 8\, 15\, 22\, 29 and June 5\, 2024 \n1-2:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 \nRabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865 – 1935) was the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel\, a profound poet\, and a giant of both mysticism and Jewish law. He was a radical thinker\, writer and activist who provoked much opposition during his lifetime from conservative leaders of Ultra-Orthodox communities. \nRabbi Kook saw the Divine spark in everything and viewed all events as part of an evolutionary process towards a redeemed and unified world. His writings contain beautiful and insightful gems on subjects such as: freedom as the key foundation of Judaism; our relationship with our bodies; pluralism\, tolerance and polarization; the many layers of our multiple identities; particularism and universalism; the narratives of our own lives and of all of human history. Together\, we will explore his rich\, beautiful writings and use them as opportunities for spiritual practice\, including creative writing and guided embodied exercises. \n \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nDaniel Raphael Silverstein is a rabbi\, educator\, meditation teacher and MC/poet. He lives in Israel with his family\, where he directs Applied Jewish Spirituality (https://www.appliedjewishspirituality.org/)\, 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.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/judaism-through-the-kaleidoscope-rabbi-abraham-isaac-kook/2024-05-15/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/DanielRS_RavKook_MayJune2024-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240516T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240516T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231220T144002Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T210133Z UID:22659-1715860800-1715866200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:The Jewish Approach to Conflict Transformation DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, April 4\, 11\, 18 and May 2\, 9\, 16\, 2024\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$250 for six sessions \nThe lengths to which some of us will go to avoid conflict are extreme\, but what if we flipped the script on conflict? What if we understood conflict as an invitation to embrace difficult aspects of ourselves and others in order to grow? Conflict transformation theory says that conflict is actually not the problem\, rather it is how we respond to conflict that creates the most difficulty. The good news is that we always have a choice in how we respond. \nEven better news is that Jewish tradition is a storehouse of wisdom and practical application on how to navigate the world of conflict and how we respond to it\, from sources in the Torah and from how our rabbinic sages model of conflict transformation. In this Ritualwell Immersion\, we will explore what conflict transformation might look like for the Jewish community in our times. Using parts of the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Center for Conflict Resolution “Constructive Conflict” curriculum\, we will navigate both ancient and modern approaches to conflict and rebuild our own conflict toolboxes applicable in contexts from the interpersonal\, intercommunal\, to the international realms. Together\, we will imagine a Jewish community that knows how to show up in disagreement\, even when it gets hard. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \nRabbi Ezra Weinberg is a shaliach tzibur\, officiant and Jewish educator dedicated to creating connection and community. He is a native Philadelphian and holds an MA in Conflict Transformation. Reb Ezra officiates weddings and Bnai Mitzvot and teaches a University course called\, “One G-d\, Three Paths” alongside a priest and imam. He currently works with individuals and families within the Jewish community and founded ReVoice\, a network of resources for Jewish going through divorce.  He shares: “The work that I do is inspired by my own divorce as well as my experience as a child of high conflict divorce. A big part of my mission is to offer support in Jewish contexts when divorce radically changes a family’s path. However\, I also want to change the conversation around divorce within the Jewish community today so that it is no longer taboo to get divorced or talk about divorce.”\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \nThis Immersion is happening in partnership with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. \n\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/the-jewish-approach-to-conflict-transformation/2024-05-16/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/EzraWeinberg_ConflictTransformatoin_AprilMay2024-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240516T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240516T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20240104T163545Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240418T172904Z UID:23007-1715860800-1715866200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Jewish Spiritual Autobiography DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, May 16\, 23\, 30 and June 6\, 2024 \n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$180 for four sessions\n \n\nWhen we write out our spiritual paths\, it clarifies how ordinary moments of life can be holy moments. Writing a spiritual autobiography helps you to discover how teachers\, touchstones\, symbols and stories have led you to make meaning and understand the sacred in your personal story. In this immersion\, join Ritualwell’s Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer\, a writer and spiritual director\, to map out and narrate your most meaningful life experiences. We’ll read excerpts of powerful spiritual autobiographies to inspire us and expand our understanding of the formats that this kind of writing can take. There is also ample room to write about spiritual experiences that may be outside of a Jewish framework. This immersion is for everyone—whether you identify as a religious or spiritual person or are seeking a spiritual path. No prior creative writing experience needed.\n \n\nTopics we will explore include:\n\nUnderstanding your name/birth story\nExploring family lineage/Ancestral resilience\, trauma/connections\nMapping your spiritual journey/the sacred moments in your life\nAnd more…\n\n\nParticipants will have the opportunity to share feedback with the facilitator and present to the group through the immersion.\n \n\nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \n\nGabrielle Ariella Kaplan-Mayer is Ritualwell’s Director of Virtual Content and Programs. She is an 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. \nGabrielle holds a BFA in theater and creative writing from Emerson College and an MA in Jewish Studies from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. \n\n \n\n \n \n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/jewish-spiritual-autobiography/2024-05-16/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/GabrielleKM_spiritualautobio_MayJune2024-2-e1713461326305.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240521T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240521T140000 DTSTAMP:20260403T233354 CREATED:20231222T215147Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240425T164513Z UID:22785-1716292800-1716300000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Presence and Absence: Images of the Divine in Kabbalah DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, May 7\, 14\, 21\, 28 and June 4\, 2024\n12-2:00 p.m. EDT\n$250\n \n\nWe live in a time of deep division and loneliness. The Zohar\, the 13th- century Kabbalistic work\, offers rich and beautiful images to speak to this separation\, and equally powerful ways to imagine divine presence\, healing\, and connection. In this series we will delve into the multifaceted\, dynamic Divine through the radical imagination of the Zohar. We’ll bring what we discover into our own creativity through the Jewish Studio Process\, a facilitated\, intuitive use of art materials and reflective writing. We’ll pay particular attention to the experience of the Shekhinah\, the feminine\, immanent\, indwelling Sacred Presence.\n \nThis practice is appropriate for absolute beginners and experienced artists who would like to explore this imagery. The focus isn’t on creating a polished piece of artwork\, but rather on deepening your own intuition\, insight and voice.\n\nDuring this series\, we will harvest the insights and images that have come onto the page in word and color to write new midrash and liturgy.\n \n\nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \n\nMargie Jacobs is a Reconstructionist rabbi who has served as a congregational rabbi\, regional director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality\, Hillel director\, and teacher of mindfulness meditation. In 2020\, She completed the first 2-year Jewish Studio Process facilitator training. She has brought JSP to synagogues\, Hillels\, retreats\, conferences\, special events\, and groups of clergy across the country. Margie works with individuals as a Spiritual Coach and designs websites for clergy and Jewish organizations.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\nThis Immersion is happening in partnership with the Jewish Studio Project.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/presence-and-absence-images-of-the-divine-in-kabbalah/2024-05-21/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RabbiMargieJacobs_PresenceandAbsence_MayJune2024-1-1.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR