Ritualwell

God Cafe: The Immersion
2024-01-22 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-01-29 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-05 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-12 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-19 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-26 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Mondays, January 22, 29 and February 5, 12, 19, 26, 2024
12-1:30 p.m. EST
$250 for six sessions
Who 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.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Rabbi 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.

Creative Midrash: Beyond Talmudic Texts
2024-01-23 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-01-30 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-06 12:00 - 13:30
Tuesdays, January 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and February 6, 2024
12-1:30 p.m. EST
$250
Talmudic 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.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Amy 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.

Choosing Joy: The Teachings of Rebbe Nachman
2024-01-25 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-02-01 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-02-08 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-02-15 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-02-22 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-02-29 13:00 - 14:30
Thursdays, January 25 and February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2024
1-2:30 p.m. EST
$250 for six sessions

Rebbe 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.

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

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

Hidden Moments of Holiness: Finding Sacred Potential in the Everyday
2024-01-31 12:00 - 13:30
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
12-1:30 p.m. EST
Free
Secular 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.

In 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.

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

Rabbi 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.

Jewish Coming-of-Age Stories: Writing the Younger You
2024-02-08 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-15 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-22 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-29 12:00 - 13:30
Thursdays, February 8, 15, 22, 29, 2024
12-1:30 p.m. EST
$180 for four sessions
All 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.

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

Lynn 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.
She 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.

Mussar As a Generative Practice for Art and Poetry
2024-02-14 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-21 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-28 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-03-06 12:00 - 13:30
Wednesday, February 14, 21, 28 and March 6, 2024
12-1:30 p.m. EST
$180 for four sessions
Mussar 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!
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Cathleen 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).

Finding Our Place in the Stories of the Hebrew Matriarch: Sarah
2024-02-29 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-03-07 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-03-14 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-03-21 12:00 - 13:30
Thursdays, February 29 and March 7, 14, 21, 2024
12-1:30 p.m. EST
$180

“The Kabbalah teaches that all the characters of the Torah are within ourselves.”
—Miki Raver, ‘Listen to Her Voice: Women of the Hebrew Bible’

It 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.

Tzivia will invite participants to reconsider key passages from Genesis, beginning with the first Hebrew matriarch, using interpretive tools including:

PaRDeS, the Kabbalistic method of interpretation that explores what is said explicitly, as well as hints, questions, and secret meanings;
Dreamwork methods for unlocking the information transmitted through archetypes, symbolism and story; and
Literary analysis.

We’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.

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

Tzivia 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.

The Jewish Approach to Conflict Transformation
2024-04-04 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-04-11 12:00 - 13:30
Thursdays, April 4, 11, 18 and May 2, 9, 16, 2024
12-1:30 p.m. EDT
$250 for six sessions
The 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.
Even 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.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Rabbi 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.”

This Immersion is happening in partnership with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.
