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:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250310T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250310T143000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20241218T164029Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241218T164029Z UID:29068-1741611600-1741617000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Writing with Rebbe Nachman: Creating our own Spiritual Stories DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, February 17\, 24 & March  3\, 10\, 17 and 24\, 2025\n1:00-2:30 p.m. EST\n$250\n \nRebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772 – 1810) is an enigmatic figure whose life and teaching still exert enormous influence across the Jewish world. The stories of Rebbe Nachman draw upon deep\, archetypal themes in our consciousness. These stories often read like fantastical children’s tales\, or Kafka-esque puzzles\, posing us questions intended to provoke awakening. They are based upon Rebbe Nachman’s profound grasp of Torah and Kabbalah\, and have also been read in the light of broader creative and intellectual movements such as Romanticism and Existentialism. Rebbe Nachman himself said that the stories were his deepest\, most powerful teachings.\n \nJoin Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein to learn about and discuss some of Rebbe Nachman’s key stories\, discovering the meaning that they hold for us today. Then\, building on this inspiration\, we will take time to create our own stories\, or at least begin them. There will also be time for optional sharing and feedback\, so we can benefit from one another’s wisdom and perspective on what we have created.\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 \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\n \n \n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/writing-with-rebbe-nachman-creating-our-own-spiritual-stories/2025-03-10/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/RAW-Writing-with-Rebbe-Nachman-Creating-our-own-Spiritual-Stories-with-Rabbi-Daniel-Raphael-Silverstein.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250311T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250311T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250109T155913Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250218T140610Z UID:29058-1741694400-1741699800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Honoring Loved Ones in Writing & Art DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, March 4\, 11\, 18 & 25\, 2025\n12:00-1:30 p.m.\n$180\n \n\n\n\n\nNow more than ever\, we need the guidance of our ancestors\, and creative expression provides a wonderful path for connection. \n\n\nIn Jewish tradition\, there are many ways to honor both the living and those who have departed. Delve into\, celebrate\, and awaken the spirits of the teachers\, mentors\, friends\, and loved ones who have impacted your life through the written and visual arts. \n\n\nJoin poet and painter Cathleen Cohen along with Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer from Ritualwell\, an essayist and memoirist for a series of creative exercises and prompts designed to help you express your love and gratitude for those who have profoundly shaped your journey and to summon their wisdom into your own life. \n\n\n\nWhether you are new to creative expression or a seasoned writer or artist\, this workshop offers an opportunity to discover fresh creative techniques and pathways to enhance the strongest bonds in your life.\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 \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).\n \n \n \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\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/honoring-loved-ones-in-writing-art/2025-03-11/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/RAW-Honoring-Loved-Ones-in-Writing-Art-with-Cathleeen-Cohen-Gabrielle-Kaplan-Mayer.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20241218T153706Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T162545Z UID:29025-1741780800-1741786200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Bringing Your Purim Story To Life DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, March 12\, 2025\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$18\n \n\n\n\nPurim is a tale of resilience\, standing up and speaking out. Now more than ever\, we need YOUR story! \n\n\nJoin Cantor and performing artist Karen Webber for a creative journey drawing inspiration from fairy tales\, folk tales and the Purim story to craft your own narrative about finding courage\, speaking your truth and fighting for justice. Whether you share your story for the holiday or another occasion\, Purim is the perfect opportunity to embrace your role as a storyteller. \n\n\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 \nKaren Webber is a performance\, teaching and liturgical artist who crafts music/theatre pieces for use in Zoom rooms\, senior centers and on the bimah. Ordained as a cantor by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1990. Karen has served congregations large and small in all four corners of the U.S. and Canada. The Maryland State Arts Council awarded her a Creativity grant based on an original short film in 2022\, and a Master/Apprentice grant in Yiddish folksong in 2023. In 2024\, Karen was invited by the Maryland State Arts Council to join the Folk Arts panel to award grants\, to be a regional judge for ‘Poetry Out Loud’  Her poems appear online and in print at Ritualwell\, Poetica\, Unlikely Places\, Abandon Journal and The Torrid Literature Journal. Her Havdalah ritual was published in Lilith Magazine (2009) poems in Am Yisrael Chai (2023) and essays in Prophetic Voices: a Haftarah commentary published by CCAR Press (2023)\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/bring-your-story-to-life/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Art-Image-Voice-Bringing-Your-Story-To-Life-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250313T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250313T140000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20240916T210435Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240916T210435Z UID:29562-1741867200-1741874400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Humanizing Mitzvot Through Poetry DESCRIPTION:Thursdays March 6\, 13\, 20 & 27\, 12-1:30 PM ET\n12-2 p.m. EST\n$180\n \nJoin poet Rachel Neve-Midbar to explore three mitzvot–candlelighting\, challah and mikveh–through the poetry of the body and everyday life. \nIn this this generative poetry workshop\, we’ll deepen our understanding and emotional connections to traditional forms\, freshened through a contemporary lens. We will address questions surrounding these mitzvot (traditionally considered “women’s” mitzvot)\, such as: Were they genuinely meant to be exclusive to women? How can we interpret them in the context of contemporary gender fluidity and feminist viewpoints? \nDiscover poetry to expand your understanding of these mitzvot and and craft your own poems inspired by newfound insights and interpretations of these rituals. All are welcome\, no previous experience with these mitzvot or poetry writing is needed. \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 \nPoet\, essayist\, translator and Fulbright Scholar\, Rachel Neve-Midbar’s collection Salaam of Birds was chosen by Dorothy Barresi for the Patricia Bibby First Book Prize and was published by Tebot Bach in January 2020. She is also the author of the chapbook\, What the Light Reveals (Tebot Bach\, 2014\, winner of The Clockwork Prize). Rachel’s work has appeared widely in various publications and anthologies. Her awards include the Crab Orchard Review Richard Peterson Prize\, The Passager Prize\, and nominations for The Pushcart Prize. Rachel is a newly-minted PhD from The University of Southern California\, where her research concerned menstruation in contemporary poetry. She is currently a Fulbright Post Doc in Israel translating the poems of Holocaust poet Abba Kovner. Rachel is also the co-editor of Stained: an anthology of creative writing about menstruation (Querencia Press\, July 2023) and her scholarly work Thought and New Language in the Menstrual Poem is due out from Palgrave MacMillan in 2026.\n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/exploring-mitzvot-through-poetry-a-deep-dive-into-mikveh-challah-and-candle-lighting/2025-03-13/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Mitzvot-through-Poetry_NovDec2024_raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250317T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250317T143000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20241218T164029Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241218T164029Z UID:29069-1742216400-1742221800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Writing with Rebbe Nachman: Creating our own Spiritual Stories DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, February 17\, 24 & March  3\, 10\, 17 and 24\, 2025\n1:00-2:30 p.m. EST\n$250\n \nRebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772 – 1810) is an enigmatic figure whose life and teaching still exert enormous influence across the Jewish world. The stories of Rebbe Nachman draw upon deep\, archetypal themes in our consciousness. These stories often read like fantastical children’s tales\, or Kafka-esque puzzles\, posing us questions intended to provoke awakening. They are based upon Rebbe Nachman’s profound grasp of Torah and Kabbalah\, and have also been read in the light of broader creative and intellectual movements such as Romanticism and Existentialism. Rebbe Nachman himself said that the stories were his deepest\, most powerful teachings.\n \nJoin Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein to learn about and discuss some of Rebbe Nachman’s key stories\, discovering the meaning that they hold for us today. Then\, building on this inspiration\, we will take time to create our own stories\, or at least begin them. There will also be time for optional sharing and feedback\, so we can benefit from one another’s wisdom and perspective on what we have created.\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 \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\n \n \n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/writing-with-rebbe-nachman-creating-our-own-spiritual-stories/2025-03-17/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/RAW-Writing-with-Rebbe-Nachman-Creating-our-own-Spiritual-Stories-with-Rabbi-Daniel-Raphael-Silverstein.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250318T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250318T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250109T155913Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250218T140611Z UID:29059-1742299200-1742304600@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Honoring Loved Ones in Writing & Art DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, March 4\, 11\, 18 & 25\, 2025\n12:00-1:30 p.m.\n$180\n \n\n\n\n\nNow more than ever\, we need the guidance of our ancestors\, and creative expression provides a wonderful path for connection. \n\n\nIn Jewish tradition\, there are many ways to honor both the living and those who have departed. Delve into\, celebrate\, and awaken the spirits of the teachers\, mentors\, friends\, and loved ones who have impacted your life through the written and visual arts. \n\n\nJoin poet and painter Cathleen Cohen along with Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer from Ritualwell\, an essayist and memoirist for a series of creative exercises and prompts designed to help you express your love and gratitude for those who have profoundly shaped your journey and to summon their wisdom into your own life. \n\n\n\nWhether you are new to creative expression or a seasoned writer or artist\, this workshop offers an opportunity to discover fresh creative techniques and pathways to enhance the strongest bonds in your life.\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 \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).\n \n \n \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\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/honoring-loved-ones-in-writing-art/2025-03-18/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/RAW-Honoring-Loved-Ones-in-Writing-Art-with-Cathleeen-Cohen-Gabrielle-Kaplan-Mayer.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250320T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250320T140000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20240916T210435Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240916T210435Z UID:29563-1742472000-1742479200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Humanizing Mitzvot Through Poetry DESCRIPTION:Thursdays March 6\, 13\, 20 & 27\, 12-1:30 PM ET\n12-2 p.m. EST\n$180\n \nJoin poet Rachel Neve-Midbar to explore three mitzvot–candlelighting\, challah and mikveh–through the poetry of the body and everyday life. \nIn this this generative poetry workshop\, we’ll deepen our understanding and emotional connections to traditional forms\, freshened through a contemporary lens. We will address questions surrounding these mitzvot (traditionally considered “women’s” mitzvot)\, such as: Were they genuinely meant to be exclusive to women? How can we interpret them in the context of contemporary gender fluidity and feminist viewpoints? \nDiscover poetry to expand your understanding of these mitzvot and and craft your own poems inspired by newfound insights and interpretations of these rituals. All are welcome\, no previous experience with these mitzvot or poetry writing is needed. \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 \nPoet\, essayist\, translator and Fulbright Scholar\, Rachel Neve-Midbar’s collection Salaam of Birds was chosen by Dorothy Barresi for the Patricia Bibby First Book Prize and was published by Tebot Bach in January 2020. She is also the author of the chapbook\, What the Light Reveals (Tebot Bach\, 2014\, winner of The Clockwork Prize). Rachel’s work has appeared widely in various publications and anthologies. Her awards include the Crab Orchard Review Richard Peterson Prize\, The Passager Prize\, and nominations for The Pushcart Prize. Rachel is a newly-minted PhD from The University of Southern California\, where her research concerned menstruation in contemporary poetry. She is currently a Fulbright Post Doc in Israel translating the poems of Holocaust poet Abba Kovner. Rachel is also the co-editor of Stained: an anthology of creative writing about menstruation (Querencia Press\, July 2023) and her scholarly work Thought and New Language in the Menstrual Poem is due out from Palgrave MacMillan in 2026.\n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/exploring-mitzvot-through-poetry-a-deep-dive-into-mikveh-challah-and-candle-lighting/2025-03-20/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Mitzvot-through-Poetry_NovDec2024_raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250324T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250324T143000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20241218T164030Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241218T164030Z UID:29070-1742821200-1742826600@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Writing with Rebbe Nachman: Creating our own Spiritual Stories DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, February 17\, 24 & March  3\, 10\, 17 and 24\, 2025\n1:00-2:30 p.m. EST\n$250\n \nRebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772 – 1810) is an enigmatic figure whose life and teaching still exert enormous influence across the Jewish world. The stories of Rebbe Nachman draw upon deep\, archetypal themes in our consciousness. These stories often read like fantastical children’s tales\, or Kafka-esque puzzles\, posing us questions intended to provoke awakening. They are based upon Rebbe Nachman’s profound grasp of Torah and Kabbalah\, and have also been read in the light of broader creative and intellectual movements such as Romanticism and Existentialism. Rebbe Nachman himself said that the stories were his deepest\, most powerful teachings.\n \nJoin Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein to learn about and discuss some of Rebbe Nachman’s key stories\, discovering the meaning that they hold for us today. Then\, building on this inspiration\, we will take time to create our own stories\, or at least begin them. There will also be time for optional sharing and feedback\, so we can benefit from one another’s wisdom and perspective on what we have created.\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 \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\n \n \n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/writing-with-rebbe-nachman-creating-our-own-spiritual-stories/2025-03-24/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/RAW-Writing-with-Rebbe-Nachman-Creating-our-own-Spiritual-Stories-with-Rabbi-Daniel-Raphael-Silverstein.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250325T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250325T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250217T185624Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250219T175325Z UID:29763-1742904000-1742907600@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:To Laugh: Using Humor to Survive Jewish History DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, March 25\, 2025 \n12:00-1:00 p.m. EDT\n \n\nJoin Emmy-winning TV comedy writer and bestselling author (Marvel’s Look Out for the Little Guy) Rob Kutner as he shares his new book\, The Jews: 5\,000 Years and Counting —a comedic survey of all of Jewish history\, plus jokes! Kutner will read from his book and then lead participants in writing exercises designed to harness humor to disarm a menacing world.\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 \n\nRob Kutner has won 5 Emmys\, a Peabody\, a TCA\, and a Grammy writing for such shows as TBS’ “CONAN” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart\, and co-created the fact-based comedy TV show “Gander.” Rob’s other TV writing includes “Teen Titans Go!” “Ben10” “Angry Birds: Summer Madness” and HBO’s “Dennis Miller Live.” He has also written material for the Oscars\, Emmys\, Writers’ Guild Awards\, MTV Movie Awards\, Guys’ Choice Awards\, and two White House Correspondents’ Dinners. He has developed kids’ and adult animated series for Warner Brothers and SyFy.\n\nRob is the author of the satirical end-of-times bestseller Apocalypse How: Turn the End Times into the Best of Times! and the Amazon Kindle e-bestseller/Audible audiobook The Future According to Me. He is also the creator of the graphic novel “Shrinkage” for Farrago Comics. He has published humor and feature pieces for the New Yorker\, New York Times\, Esquire\, Huffington Post\, McSweeney’s\, and the Weekly Forward. Learn more about Rob here. \n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/to-laugh-using-humor-to-survive-jewish-history/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Event,Free ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/Holding-Each-Other-Oct-21.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250325T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250325T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250109T155913Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250218T140611Z UID:29060-1742904000-1742909400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Honoring Loved Ones in Writing & Art DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, March 4\, 11\, 18 & 25\, 2025\n12:00-1:30 p.m.\n$180\n \n\n\n\n\nNow more than ever\, we need the guidance of our ancestors\, and creative expression provides a wonderful path for connection. \n\n\nIn Jewish tradition\, there are many ways to honor both the living and those who have departed. Delve into\, celebrate\, and awaken the spirits of the teachers\, mentors\, friends\, and loved ones who have impacted your life through the written and visual arts. \n\n\nJoin poet and painter Cathleen Cohen along with Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer from Ritualwell\, an essayist and memoirist for a series of creative exercises and prompts designed to help you express your love and gratitude for those who have profoundly shaped your journey and to summon their wisdom into your own life. \n\n\n\nWhether you are new to creative expression or a seasoned writer or artist\, this workshop offers an opportunity to discover fresh creative techniques and pathways to enhance the strongest bonds in your life.\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 \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).\n \n \n \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\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/honoring-loved-ones-in-writing-art/2025-03-25/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/RAW-Honoring-Loved-Ones-in-Writing-Art-with-Cathleeen-Cohen-Gabrielle-Kaplan-Mayer.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250327T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250327T140000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20240916T210435Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240916T210435Z UID:29564-1743076800-1743084000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Humanizing Mitzvot Through Poetry DESCRIPTION:Thursdays March 6\, 13\, 20 & 27\, 12-1:30 PM ET\n12-2 p.m. EST\n$180\n \nJoin poet Rachel Neve-Midbar to explore three mitzvot–candlelighting\, challah and mikveh–through the poetry of the body and everyday life. \nIn this this generative poetry workshop\, we’ll deepen our understanding and emotional connections to traditional forms\, freshened through a contemporary lens. We will address questions surrounding these mitzvot (traditionally considered “women’s” mitzvot)\, such as: Were they genuinely meant to be exclusive to women? How can we interpret them in the context of contemporary gender fluidity and feminist viewpoints? \nDiscover poetry to expand your understanding of these mitzvot and and craft your own poems inspired by newfound insights and interpretations of these rituals. All are welcome\, no previous experience with these mitzvot or poetry writing is needed. \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 \nPoet\, essayist\, translator and Fulbright Scholar\, Rachel Neve-Midbar’s collection Salaam of Birds was chosen by Dorothy Barresi for the Patricia Bibby First Book Prize and was published by Tebot Bach in January 2020. She is also the author of the chapbook\, What the Light Reveals (Tebot Bach\, 2014\, winner of The Clockwork Prize). Rachel’s work has appeared widely in various publications and anthologies. Her awards include the Crab Orchard Review Richard Peterson Prize\, The Passager Prize\, and nominations for The Pushcart Prize. Rachel is a newly-minted PhD from The University of Southern California\, where her research concerned menstruation in contemporary poetry. She is currently a Fulbright Post Doc in Israel translating the poems of Holocaust poet Abba Kovner. Rachel is also the co-editor of Stained: an anthology of creative writing about menstruation (Querencia Press\, July 2023) and her scholarly work Thought and New Language in the Menstrual Poem is due out from Palgrave MacMillan in 2026.\n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/exploring-mitzvot-through-poetry-a-deep-dive-into-mikveh-challah-and-candle-lighting/2025-03-27/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Mitzvot-through-Poetry_NovDec2024_raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250411 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250412 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250305T171708Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250407T145016Z UID:29895-1744329600-1744415999@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Why is This Year's Seder Different? DESCRIPTION: \nRitualwell has created a  new collection of curated Passover resources: Why is this Seder Different? Questions\, Readings & Conversation Starters for a Challenging Year. This printable PDF will be delivered electronically and is accessible online.\n \n\nWhen you purchase the supplement\, you will also have access to our event recording: \n\nEngage with Rabbi Mira Wasserman in a conversation with Ritualwell’s Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer\, focusing on text study\, an interactive discussion\, and reflective writing about how the Passover seder can offer a sense of order amidst chaos.\n\n \nRabbi Mira Beth Wasserman\, Ph.D. is RRC’s interim vice president for academic affairs.work as a rabbi and scholar bridges Talmud study\, community building and the pursuit of social justice. In the classroom\, she explores the history and cultures of diverse ancient Jewish communities while fusing immersion in classical text with new critical methods and theory. Wasserman’s background in the congregational rabbinate helps her bring a practical orientation to her teaching and scholarship. She is Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Beth Shalom in Bloomington\, Ind.\, where she served for over a decade.\n \n \n\nGabrielle Ariella Kaplan-Mayer is Ritualwell’s Director of Virtual Content and Programs. She is an author\, educator and spiritual director whose work focuses on spirituality\, creativity and disability. Gabrielle is currently working on a memoir about the power of intuition and ongoing conversations with her ancestors. She writes a Substack newsletter called “Journey With The Seasons\,” a weekly practice of meditative reading with creative self-expression prompts. \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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/why-is-this-years-seder-different/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Event,Free ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/Why-is-This-Years-Seder-Different-RAW-e1742245105337.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250416T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250416T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250317T213244Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250521T175130Z UID:30048-1744804800-1744810200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Counting the Omer: A Neshamah Recharge DESCRIPTION:The Counting of the Omer is a time for spiritual introspection and growth. During a time when many of us are feeling deflated and anxious about the state of the world\, this ritual can help us to recharge our Neshamah\, our soul. \nRitualwell is here for you! Through the 7-week period of the Omer\, we’ll provide you with support\, accountability\, community and creative inspiration to do this spiritual work.  \n\n\nEvery week\, we will send you an Omer guide for the upcoming week\, aligned with that week’s spiritual theme. This guide will include Jewish wisdom texts\, readings\, sensory explorations\, and creativity prompts for the week. The printable PDF will be sent electronically and can be accessed online. When you sign up for Counting the Omer: A Neshamah Recharge\, you are also invited to join us for three special community events throughout the Omer period: \n\n\n\nApril 16\, 2025\, 12 -1:00 p.m. EDT (Recording access now available): Ignite Your Omer Counting with a gathering led by Kohenet Sarah Chandler. Whether you’re new to counting or have participated in this ritual for many years\, Sarah will provide us with a fresh perspective on the sefirah of hesed. How do you embody deeds of lovingkindness\, g’milut hasadim? We will explore ancient and modern sources for love in action\, through the sefirah of hesed. Whether you are looking to call upon divine love\, to nourish self love or discover strategies for caring for others (without burnout)\, this workshop is for anyone who is ready to tap into the flow of hesed in the first week of the omer. \nMay 15\, 2025\, 12 -1:00 p.m. EDT: Nurture Your Omer Counting midway through the Omer with artist and Kohenet Bekah Starr.  We’ll begin with a creativity warm-up exercise\, followed by an exploration of a Lag B’Omer artwork by a Jewish artist\, uncovering new insights and art techniques. Explore how art can be studied and interpreted like Torah\, revealing layers of meaning and inspiration. Then\, create your own artistic response—whether through visual art\, poetry\, prayer\, or short story—fostering creativity\, artistic growth\, and a deeper connection to Jewish artistic expression.Bekah will lead us in a generative workshop exploring what we’ve discovered through the Omer so far.\n\n‘Counting the Omer: A Neshama Recharge’ is part of Ritualwell’s annual campaign to sustain our work. Ritualwell’s mission to create a welcoming space for individuals from diverse backgrounds who wish to embrace Jewish practice has become more vital than ever. \nWe know that you appreciate us being here for you. And we need you. Ritualwell’s free offerings are made possible by gifts from people like you. \nRegister now and support our mission as we support you through the Omer–and beyond. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/counting-the-omer-a-neshamah-recharge/2025-04-16/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/Neshamah-Recharge-Omer-campaign-.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250428T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250428T141500 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250404T202859Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250408T134254Z UID:30271-1745845200-1745849700@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:MALACHIM\, Renewed: A Community Art Project DESCRIPTION:Create art. Create ritual. Create community.  \nSubmit your visual art. Be part of the creation of the new MALACHIM (Jewish Angel Cards) Set\, MALACHIM Messages of Blessing Cards: Ritualwell Community Edition.  \nThe tradition of MALACHIM (literally: messages or angels) began in a circle of friends in Jerusalem in 1989. They sang the beloved song Shalom Aleichem to honor the beginning of Shabbat\, noting that the words of the song welcome the “messengers/angels of peace\,” which are said to frequent the homes of those who bring in Shabbat (Talmud\, Tractate Shabbat\, 119a). Deborah Eisenbach-Budner created a set of MALACHIM to accompany the singing. These cards came to be known as Jewish Angel Cards; her hand-made sets found homes throughout the world. Several thousand printed sets\, now called MALACHIM Messages of Blessing\, have made their way into personal and communal rituals as well as Shabbat\, Rosh Hodesh\, and holiday tables as this folk tradition grows.   \nNow\, MALACHIM will evolve again as a collective process\, including you!     \nWe are creating a MALACHIM set that incorporates original art made by Ritualwell community members. Each of the MALACHIM will be made from a original photo/work of art. On the margins of the art will be a word in Hebrew\, transliteration\, and English.   \nOur timeline: \n\nOn Monday April 28 at 1pm EST\, Ritualwell will host a virtual launch event to invite artists to learn more about this community art project and its logistics. There will be a word bank provided; artists will be invited to submit up to 5 pieces for consideration by June 4.   \nOn Monday June 30 at 5pm EST\, Ritualwell will host a virtual unveiling gallery event for the artists and community members to share the artwork selected for the card deck. Artists will have a chance to share about their reflections from the process of art making for this project.  \nThe cards will become available for sale August 1\, in time for Elul and the Jewish New Year.  \n\n\nRegistrants commit to: \nJoin the April 28th virtual event and submit 3-5 pieces of artwork. 36 or 54 pieces will be chosen\, depending on submissions. Registrants will receive a free set of the new MALACHIM and will be credited on the physical insert and online description.   \nWe are lucky to have such a creative and inspiring network of artists at Ritualwell\, and we hope you will join us at the April 28 launch event and submit your art for consideration!  \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/malachim-renewed-a-community-art-project/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Event,Free END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250507T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250521T143000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20240912T190251Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250401T123304Z UID:27767-1746622800-1747837800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Discover Your Torah: Preparing for Shavuot with Meditation and Poetry DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, May 7\, 14 & 21\, 2025\n1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT\n$150 for three sessions\n \n\nSeven weeks after we celebrate Passover\, the holiday of Shavuot arrives to mark the giving of the Torah. Torah\, which includes the Five Books of Moses and other sacred texts\, can also refer to the wisdom and insights gleaned from your own lived experiences.\n \nIn preparation for Shavuot\, join us for a three-part series engaging in mindfulness meditation\, poetry\, and generative writing practices to explore themes related to Shavuot. This special collaboration between the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and Ritualwell brings you two expert instructors\, Rabbi Dan Liben and poet and sound artist Elana Bell\, as your guides. As we count the Omer and mark the weeks leading to Shavuot\, find inspiration within community while creating your own meaningful kavannot (intentions) for receiving wisdom.\n\n \n \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 \nElana Bell is a poet\, sound practitioner and creative guide. She facilitates artistic rituals and processes that support individuals and groups in accessing their authentic voice and alchemizing raw experience and emotion into artistic expression. Elana is the author of Mother Country (BOA Editions 2020)\, poems about fertility\, motherhood\, and mental illness. Elana’s debut collection of poetry\, Eyes\, Stones (LSU Press 2012)\, was selected by Fanny Howe as the winner of the 2011 Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets and brings her complex heritage as the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors to consider the difficult question of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition to leading her own embodied Creative Fire workshops\, Elana teaches poetry to actors at the Juilliard School and sings with the Resistance Revival Chorus\, a group of women activists and musicians committed to bringing joy and song to the resistance movement. She is also the founder of the Mother Artist Salon\, a community dedicated to supporting mothers in their artistic practice. www.elanabell.com\n \n\n \nRabbi Dan Liben was ordained by JTS and is the Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Israel of Natick\, MA. Dan began practicing Mindfulness Meditation at Elat Hayyim\, where his teachers included Rabbis Sheila Weinberg and Jeff Roth\, Sylvia Boorstein and Norman Fisher. That led him to the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS)\, where he completed the Rabbinic Leadership Program (R4) and the Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training program (Cohorts1 and 2). He taught Mindfulness Meditation for IJS Rabbinic Cohort 7\, and served on IJS’s Board for six years. In 2017\, Rabbi Liben completed Hebrew Union College’s Bekhol Levavkha\, a two-year training program in Spiritual Direction. He is currently on the staff of Spiritual Directors offering Spiritual Direction to Rabbinical students at Hebrew College\, Hebrew Union College\, and the Jewish Theological Seminary.\n \n\n \n\n \n\n\n \n \n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/discoveryourtorah/2025-05-07/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Discover-Your-Torah-RAW.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250513T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250513T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250402T212102Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250418T134126Z UID:29907-1747137600-1747143000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Mussar for This Moment DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, May 13\, 20\, 27 and June 10\, 2025\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$180\n \n\nThe first two questions the Torah asks are\, “Where are you?” and a few chapters later\, “Where is your brother?” As if one can’t answer the first question without also answering the second question; as if they are in fact the same question. Mussar is the tradition within Judaism that asks\, how did these two questions become separated?\n\n\n\nIn periods of uncertainty\, Mussar can be a practice that helps us see more clearly and not merge with our sense of despair. Join Rabbi Joshua Boettiger for a four session immersion where we will explore this ancient lineage tradition – studying middot (precepts) and practices from the Mussar masters. In each session\, we will also read and compose poetry related to Mussar themes – poetry of proximity\, relationality\, perplexity\, responsibility. No previous experience of Mussar or poetry is required–this immersion is inclusive of everyone’s background and lived experiences.\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 \n\nRabbi Joshua Boettiger is Jewish Chaplain and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson\, New York. He is the current Rosh Yeshiva for the Center for Contemporary Mussar and for the last decade\, directed the Mussar program at Temple Emek Shalom in Ashland\, Oregon. Joshua also teaches Jewish Meditation and co-leads silent retreats. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University and his poetry has appeared in the Missouri Review\, the Southern Review\, B O D Y\, and elsewhere.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/mussar-for-this-moment/2025-05-13/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Mussar-for-This-Moment.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250515T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250515T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250317T213244Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250521T175131Z UID:30050-1747310400-1747315800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Counting the Omer: A Neshamah Recharge DESCRIPTION:The Counting of the Omer is a time for spiritual introspection and growth. During a time when many of us are feeling deflated and anxious about the state of the world\, this ritual can help us to recharge our Neshamah\, our soul. \nRitualwell is here for you! Through the 7-week period of the Omer\, we’ll provide you with support\, accountability\, community and creative inspiration to do this spiritual work.  \n\n\nEvery week\, we will send you an Omer guide for the upcoming week\, aligned with that week’s spiritual theme. This guide will include Jewish wisdom texts\, readings\, sensory explorations\, and creativity prompts for the week. The printable PDF will be sent electronically and can be accessed online. When you sign up for Counting the Omer: A Neshamah Recharge\, you are also invited to join us for three special community events throughout the Omer period: \n\n\n\nApril 16\, 2025\, 12 -1:00 p.m. EDT (Recording access now available): Ignite Your Omer Counting with a gathering led by Kohenet Sarah Chandler. Whether you’re new to counting or have participated in this ritual for many years\, Sarah will provide us with a fresh perspective on the sefirah of hesed. How do you embody deeds of lovingkindness\, g’milut hasadim? We will explore ancient and modern sources for love in action\, through the sefirah of hesed. Whether you are looking to call upon divine love\, to nourish self love or discover strategies for caring for others (without burnout)\, this workshop is for anyone who is ready to tap into the flow of hesed in the first week of the omer. \nMay 15\, 2025\, 12 -1:00 p.m. EDT: Nurture Your Omer Counting midway through the Omer with artist and Kohenet Bekah Starr.  We’ll begin with a creativity warm-up exercise\, followed by an exploration of a Lag B’Omer artwork by a Jewish artist\, uncovering new insights and art techniques. Explore how art can be studied and interpreted like Torah\, revealing layers of meaning and inspiration. Then\, create your own artistic response—whether through visual art\, poetry\, prayer\, or short story—fostering creativity\, artistic growth\, and a deeper connection to Jewish artistic expression.Bekah will lead us in a generative workshop exploring what we’ve discovered through the Omer so far.\n\n‘Counting the Omer: A Neshama Recharge’ is part of Ritualwell’s annual campaign to sustain our work. Ritualwell’s mission to create a welcoming space for individuals from diverse backgrounds who wish to embrace Jewish practice has become more vital than ever. \nWe know that you appreciate us being here for you. And we need you. Ritualwell’s free offerings are made possible by gifts from people like you. \nRegister now and support our mission as we support you through the Omer–and beyond. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/counting-the-omer-a-neshamah-recharge/2025-05-15/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/Neshamah-Recharge-Omer-campaign-.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250520T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250520T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250402T212102Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250418T134127Z UID:30213-1747742400-1747747800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Mussar for This Moment DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, May 13\, 20\, 27 and June 10\, 2025\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$180\n \n\nThe first two questions the Torah asks are\, “Where are you?” and a few chapters later\, “Where is your brother?” As if one can’t answer the first question without also answering the second question; as if they are in fact the same question. Mussar is the tradition within Judaism that asks\, how did these two questions become separated?\n\n\n\nIn periods of uncertainty\, Mussar can be a practice that helps us see more clearly and not merge with our sense of despair. Join Rabbi Joshua Boettiger for a four session immersion where we will explore this ancient lineage tradition – studying middot (precepts) and practices from the Mussar masters. In each session\, we will also read and compose poetry related to Mussar themes – poetry of proximity\, relationality\, perplexity\, responsibility. No previous experience of Mussar or poetry is required–this immersion is inclusive of everyone’s background and lived experiences.\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 \n\nRabbi Joshua Boettiger is Jewish Chaplain and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson\, New York. He is the current Rosh Yeshiva for the Center for Contemporary Mussar and for the last decade\, directed the Mussar program at Temple Emek Shalom in Ashland\, Oregon. Joshua also teaches Jewish Meditation and co-leads silent retreats. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University and his poetry has appeared in the Missouri Review\, the Southern Review\, B O D Y\, and elsewhere.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/mussar-for-this-moment/2025-05-20/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Mussar-for-This-Moment.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250527T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250527T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250402T212102Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250418T134128Z UID:30214-1748347200-1748352600@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Mussar for This Moment DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, May 13\, 20\, 27 and June 10\, 2025\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$180\n \n\nThe first two questions the Torah asks are\, “Where are you?” and a few chapters later\, “Where is your brother?” As if one can’t answer the first question without also answering the second question; as if they are in fact the same question. Mussar is the tradition within Judaism that asks\, how did these two questions become separated?\n\n\n\nIn periods of uncertainty\, Mussar can be a practice that helps us see more clearly and not merge with our sense of despair. Join Rabbi Joshua Boettiger for a four session immersion where we will explore this ancient lineage tradition – studying middot (precepts) and practices from the Mussar masters. In each session\, we will also read and compose poetry related to Mussar themes – poetry of proximity\, relationality\, perplexity\, responsibility. No previous experience of Mussar or poetry is required–this immersion is inclusive of everyone’s background and lived experiences.\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 \n\nRabbi Joshua Boettiger is Jewish Chaplain and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson\, New York. He is the current Rosh Yeshiva for the Center for Contemporary Mussar and for the last decade\, directed the Mussar program at Temple Emek Shalom in Ashland\, Oregon. Joshua also teaches Jewish Meditation and co-leads silent retreats. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University and his poetry has appeared in the Missouri Review\, the Southern Review\, B O D Y\, and elsewhere.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/mussar-for-this-moment/2025-05-27/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Mussar-for-This-Moment.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250529T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250529T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250416T144700Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T192011Z UID:30338-1748520000-1748525400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Being with Grief: Jewish Wisdom for Supporting Mourners DESCRIPTION: \nThursdays\, May 29 and June 5 & 12\, 2025 \n12:00-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$154\n \nThis intimate learning journey draws on Jewish wisdom and contemporary insights to explore how we can better support those experiencing the loss of loved ones. We’ll examine how grief tests the limits of language\, explore models for understanding loss\, and study Jewish practices that create meaningful containers for grief. Discover pathways to deeper connection—whether supporting mourners\, processing personal losses\, or seeking wisdom for life’s challenging transitions through text study\, reflection\, and experiential exercises.\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\nChloe Zelkha is the incoming rabbi at Congregation Eitz Chayim in Cambridge\, MA. Drawn to grief work after the sudden loss of her father in 2017\, Chloe trained as a chaplain in a residency at UCSF Mission Bay Hospital\, offering spiritual care to patients and their families. Supported by a fellowship with Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation\, Chloe has run annual residential grief retreats for young people who have lost parents\, siblings\, partners\, and dear friends for many years. She was the co-founder of the Covid Grief Network (now part of Reimagine)\, a mutual aid network that offered free support to those grieving family to COVID-19. Chloe is also the author of Being with Grief\, a creative workbook for loss\, and maintains a private practice for those facing terminal illness as a death doula. She holds a B.A. in Religion from Carleton College and an M.A. in Education from Harvard University\, and completes her rabbinic studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College as a Wexner Graduate Fellow this May.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/being-with-grief-jewish-wisdom-for-supporting-mourners/2025-05-29/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Being-with-Grief-Jewish-Wisdom-for-Supporting-Mourners.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250603T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250603T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250402T212102Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250418T134129Z UID:30215-1748952000-1748957400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Mussar for This Moment DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, May 13\, 20\, 27 and June 10\, 2025\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$180\n \n\nThe first two questions the Torah asks are\, “Where are you?” and a few chapters later\, “Where is your brother?” As if one can’t answer the first question without also answering the second question; as if they are in fact the same question. Mussar is the tradition within Judaism that asks\, how did these two questions become separated?\n\n\n\nIn periods of uncertainty\, Mussar can be a practice that helps us see more clearly and not merge with our sense of despair. Join Rabbi Joshua Boettiger for a four session immersion where we will explore this ancient lineage tradition – studying middot (precepts) and practices from the Mussar masters. In each session\, we will also read and compose poetry related to Mussar themes – poetry of proximity\, relationality\, perplexity\, responsibility. No previous experience of Mussar or poetry is required–this immersion is inclusive of everyone’s background and lived experiences.\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 \n\nRabbi Joshua Boettiger is Jewish Chaplain and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson\, New York. He is the current Rosh Yeshiva for the Center for Contemporary Mussar and for the last decade\, directed the Mussar program at Temple Emek Shalom in Ashland\, Oregon. Joshua also teaches Jewish Meditation and co-leads silent retreats. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University and his poetry has appeared in the Missouri Review\, the Southern Review\, B O D Y\, and elsewhere.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/mussar-for-this-moment/2025-06-03/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Mussar-for-This-Moment.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250604T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250604T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250317T213244Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250521T175132Z UID:30131-1749038400-1749043800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Counting the Omer: A Neshamah Recharge DESCRIPTION:The Counting of the Omer is a time for spiritual introspection and growth. During a time when many of us are feeling deflated and anxious about the state of the world\, this ritual can help us to recharge our Neshamah\, our soul. \nRitualwell is here for you! Through the 7-week period of the Omer\, we’ll provide you with support\, accountability\, community and creative inspiration to do this spiritual work.  \n\n\nEvery week\, we will send you an Omer guide for the upcoming week\, aligned with that week’s spiritual theme. This guide will include Jewish wisdom texts\, readings\, sensory explorations\, and creativity prompts for the week. The printable PDF will be sent electronically and can be accessed online. When you sign up for Counting the Omer: A Neshamah Recharge\, you are also invited to join us for three special community events throughout the Omer period: \n\n\n\nApril 16\, 2025\, 12 -1:00 p.m. EDT (Recording access now available): Ignite Your Omer Counting with a gathering led by Kohenet Sarah Chandler. Whether you’re new to counting or have participated in this ritual for many years\, Sarah will provide us with a fresh perspective on the sefirah of hesed. How do you embody deeds of lovingkindness\, g’milut hasadim? We will explore ancient and modern sources for love in action\, through the sefirah of hesed. Whether you are looking to call upon divine love\, to nourish self love or discover strategies for caring for others (without burnout)\, this workshop is for anyone who is ready to tap into the flow of hesed in the first week of the omer. \nMay 15\, 2025\, 12 -1:00 p.m. EDT: Nurture Your Omer Counting midway through the Omer with artist and Kohenet Bekah Starr.  We’ll begin with a creativity warm-up exercise\, followed by an exploration of a Lag B’Omer artwork by a Jewish artist\, uncovering new insights and art techniques. Explore how art can be studied and interpreted like Torah\, revealing layers of meaning and inspiration. Then\, create your own artistic response—whether through visual art\, poetry\, prayer\, or short story—fostering creativity\, artistic growth\, and a deeper connection to Jewish artistic expression.Bekah will lead us in a generative workshop exploring what we’ve discovered through the Omer so far.\n\n‘Counting the Omer: A Neshama Recharge’ is part of Ritualwell’s annual campaign to sustain our work. Ritualwell’s mission to create a welcoming space for individuals from diverse backgrounds who wish to embrace Jewish practice has become more vital than ever. \nWe know that you appreciate us being here for you. And we need you. Ritualwell’s free offerings are made possible by gifts from people like you. \nRegister now and support our mission as we support you through the Omer–and beyond. URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/counting-the-omer-a-neshamah-recharge/2025-06-04/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/Neshamah-Recharge-Omer-campaign-.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250605T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250605T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250416T144700Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T192012Z UID:30341-1749124800-1749130200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Being with Grief: Jewish Wisdom for Supporting Mourners DESCRIPTION: \nThursdays\, May 29 and June 5 & 12\, 2025 \n12:00-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$154\n \nThis intimate learning journey draws on Jewish wisdom and contemporary insights to explore how we can better support those experiencing the loss of loved ones. We’ll examine how grief tests the limits of language\, explore models for understanding loss\, and study Jewish practices that create meaningful containers for grief. Discover pathways to deeper connection—whether supporting mourners\, processing personal losses\, or seeking wisdom for life’s challenging transitions through text study\, reflection\, and experiential exercises.\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\nChloe Zelkha is the incoming rabbi at Congregation Eitz Chayim in Cambridge\, MA. Drawn to grief work after the sudden loss of her father in 2017\, Chloe trained as a chaplain in a residency at UCSF Mission Bay Hospital\, offering spiritual care to patients and their families. Supported by a fellowship with Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation\, Chloe has run annual residential grief retreats for young people who have lost parents\, siblings\, partners\, and dear friends for many years. She was the co-founder of the Covid Grief Network (now part of Reimagine)\, a mutual aid network that offered free support to those grieving family to COVID-19. Chloe is also the author of Being with Grief\, a creative workbook for loss\, and maintains a private practice for those facing terminal illness as a death doula. She holds a B.A. in Religion from Carleton College and an M.A. in Education from Harvard University\, and completes her rabbinic studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College as a Wexner Graduate Fellow this May.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/being-with-grief-jewish-wisdom-for-supporting-mourners/2025-06-05/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Being-with-Grief-Jewish-Wisdom-for-Supporting-Mourners.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250610T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250610T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250402T212102Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250418T134129Z UID:30216-1749556800-1749562200@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Mussar for This Moment DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, May 13\, 20\, 27 and June 10\, 2025\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$180\n \n\nThe first two questions the Torah asks are\, “Where are you?” and a few chapters later\, “Where is your brother?” As if one can’t answer the first question without also answering the second question; as if they are in fact the same question. Mussar is the tradition within Judaism that asks\, how did these two questions become separated?\n\n\n\nIn periods of uncertainty\, Mussar can be a practice that helps us see more clearly and not merge with our sense of despair. Join Rabbi Joshua Boettiger for a four session immersion where we will explore this ancient lineage tradition – studying middot (precepts) and practices from the Mussar masters. In each session\, we will also read and compose poetry related to Mussar themes – poetry of proximity\, relationality\, perplexity\, responsibility. No previous experience of Mussar or poetry is required–this immersion is inclusive of everyone’s background and lived experiences.\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 \n\nRabbi Joshua Boettiger is Jewish Chaplain and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson\, New York. He is the current Rosh Yeshiva for the Center for Contemporary Mussar and for the last decade\, directed the Mussar program at Temple Emek Shalom in Ashland\, Oregon. Joshua also teaches Jewish Meditation and co-leads silent retreats. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University and his poetry has appeared in the Missouri Review\, the Southern Review\, B O D Y\, and elsewhere.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/mussar-for-this-moment/2025-06-10/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Mussar-for-This-Moment.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250612T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250612T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250416T144700Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T192013Z UID:30342-1749729600-1749735000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Being with Grief: Jewish Wisdom for Supporting Mourners DESCRIPTION: \nThursdays\, May 29 and June 5 & 12\, 2025 \n12:00-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$154\n \nThis intimate learning journey draws on Jewish wisdom and contemporary insights to explore how we can better support those experiencing the loss of loved ones. We’ll examine how grief tests the limits of language\, explore models for understanding loss\, and study Jewish practices that create meaningful containers for grief. Discover pathways to deeper connection—whether supporting mourners\, processing personal losses\, or seeking wisdom for life’s challenging transitions through text study\, reflection\, and experiential exercises.\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\nChloe Zelkha is the incoming rabbi at Congregation Eitz Chayim in Cambridge\, MA. Drawn to grief work after the sudden loss of her father in 2017\, Chloe trained as a chaplain in a residency at UCSF Mission Bay Hospital\, offering spiritual care to patients and their families. Supported by a fellowship with Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation\, Chloe has run annual residential grief retreats for young people who have lost parents\, siblings\, partners\, and dear friends for many years. She was the co-founder of the Covid Grief Network (now part of Reimagine)\, a mutual aid network that offered free support to those grieving family to COVID-19. Chloe is also the author of Being with Grief\, a creative workbook for loss\, and maintains a private practice for those facing terminal illness as a death doula. She holds a B.A. in Religion from Carleton College and an M.A. in Education from Harvard University\, and completes her rabbinic studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College as a Wexner Graduate Fellow this May.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/being-with-grief-jewish-wisdom-for-supporting-mourners/2025-06-12/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Being-with-Grief-Jewish-Wisdom-for-Supporting-Mourners.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250617T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250617T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250424T155546Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250609T155138Z UID:30414-1750161600-1750167000@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Writing Postcards From the Heart DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, June 17\, 2025 \n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n \n\n\nWrite your own postcards to a loved one\, to your younger self\, to an artist you love\, or to even to G-d in this interactive writing workshop with Poet and Professor Lisa Grunberger. Jewish thought has much to teach us about anger and compassion. For example\, Rebbe Nachman taught that the best antidote for one’s anger is a compassionate heart. In Hebrew\, the word for “compassion” (rachamim)\, shares the same root as the words for “womb” (rechem) and for “tomorrow” (machar).\n \nWriting is cathartic\, a ritual that helps us process complex emotions like grief and anger. You are encouraged to bring photos of people\, alive or not\, you might want to write postcards to so their energy is close. We will have time to share our spontaneous postcard writing with each other; you will be surprised at the creative writing that emerges with these short postcard-writing exercises. A postcard can spark the first lines of a novel\, a song\, or even heal a relationship. Discover how writing from the emotional “place” of pain\, love\, curiosity\, anger\, or grief can create a bridge to heal.\n\n\n\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\n\nPushcart nominee and Temple University English Professor Lisa Grunberger is a first-generation American writer. Her award-winning poetry book\, I am dirty (Moonstone Press)\, and Born Knowing (Finishing Line Press)\, are lyrical reflections on life as a woman\, a mother\, and a daughter of Holocaust survivors.  Her book\, Yiddish Yoga: Ruthie’s Adventures in Love\, Loss and the Lotus Position (Harper Collins)\, about a widowed grandmother who does yoga to help her grieve\, is currently being adapted as a musical. Almost Pregnant\, her play about infertility and assisted reproductive technologies\, is published by Next Stage Press. \nHer poetry book\, Mercy Wombs\, was the finalist in Settlement House American Poetry Prize for first-generation poets. She is a widely published poet whose work has appeared in The New York Times\, The Paterson Literary Review\, Mudfish\, The Drunken Boat\, Bridges: A Jewish Feminist Journal\, Philadelphia Poets\, Paroles des Jour\, Dialogi\, Crab Orchard Review\, Mom Egg Review\, The Baffler\, and Fine Linen Press. Her poems have been translated into Hebrew\, Slovenian\, Russian\, Spanish and Yiddish. \n\n  \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/writing-postcards-from-the-heart/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Event,Free ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Writing-Postcards-From-the-Heart.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250624T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250624T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250506T135444Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250515T122158Z UID:30562-1750766400-1750771800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:The Creative Fire of Folklore DESCRIPTION: \nTuesday\, June 24\, 2025\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n \nIn this generative poetry event\, we’ll chart ways to use your family or community’s sayings in poems that explore how the past informs the present. Come prepared to have fun\, while trying your hand at techniques for folding both folklore and imagery into poetry that’s at once individual and universal. Together\, we’ll play with writing exercises and discuss published work. By the end of class\, you’ll have a draft that you can shape for further development.\n \nNo previous poetry experience is required–this event is inclusive of everyone’s background and lived experiences.\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 \nSusan Comninos is a widely published writer and author of a recent book of poems\, “Out of Nowhere” (Stephen F. Austin Univ. Press/Texas A&M\, 2022). Her individual poems\, often on Jewish themes\, have appeared in the Harvard Review Online\, Rattle\, The Common\, Prairie Schooner and North American Review\, among others. She’s taught writing to undergraduates at Siena College\, The College of St. Rose and SUNY Albany\, as well as to adults in the community. She is currently at work on a second collection of poems\, called “Wild Joy of Receiving.” She lives in upstate New York. \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/the-creative-fire-of-folklore/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Event,Free ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/The-Creative-Fire-of-Folklore-raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250626T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250626T203000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250513T160346Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T144650Z UID:30666-1750964400-1750969800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Advot End-of-Year Celebration and Poetry Reading DESCRIPTION:Thursday\, June 26\, 2025\n7-8:30 p.m. EDT\n \n\n\n\nJoin us to celebrate the contributions of our Advot@Ritualwell members and the unveiling of our fourth anthology showcasing their creations. Advot@Ritualwell serves as an online community for Jewish writers to learn\, connect\, and collaborate\, providing a platform for mutual support in what can often be a solitary journey. Members bring their diverse backgrounds and expertise to share\, co-create\, and inspire one another. This event is their opportunity to showcase their work to you. Show your support by attending! Registrants will receive a 15% discount on their purchase of the anthology. \n\n\n\nThe members of our ADVOT community include: Elliott batTzedek\, Elizabeth Caplun\, Rabbi Nachshon Carmi\, Alex Carter\, Cathleen Cohen\, Muriel Dance\, Batya Diamond\, Elisa Friedlander\, Rabbi Dayle Friedman\, Ona Gritz\, Ziva Harmatz\, Marc Jacobs\, Ann Kanter\, Judith Kerman\, Chelsea Levinson\, Rabbi Janet Madden\, Beverly Pincus\, SJ Schlossman\, Gail Simmons\, Janice Steinberg\, Julie Stone\, Cantor Keren Webber\, Tiferet Welch and McKenzie Wren.\n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/advot-end-of-year-celebration-and-poetry-reading-2/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:ADVOT,Event,Free ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Advot-EOY-Celebratation-2025-Raw.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250708T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250708T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250513T200728Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250701T191021Z UID:30677-1751976000-1751981400@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Writing Jewish\, Writing Funny DESCRIPTION: \nTuesdays\, July 8\, 15\, 22 & 29\, 2025\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$180\n \n\nJoin us for an engaging adventure with Emmy-winning TV writer and LMU film school professor Rob Kutner as we delve into how Jews have utilized humor to navigate their challenging history. Together\, we will explore various “tricks of the trade” to spread joy to ourselves and others during these tough times. \nKutner will share examples of how humor has played a crucial role in overcoming adversity throughout history\, showcasing how these techniques can be applied to contemporary challenges. \nOver the course of four sessions\, participants will have the opportunity to: \n\nPitch their creative ideas\nEngage in comedic writing exercises\nReceive constructive feedback from both the instructor and fellow participants\nParticipate in guided revision sessions\n\nNo prior writing or comedy experience is necessary; this enjoyable and interactive experience is crafted for everyone! \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\nRob Kutner has won 5 Emmys\, a Peabody\, a TCA\, and a Grammy writing for such shows as TBS’ “CONAN” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart\, and HBO’s “Dennis Miller Live.” He has published humor pieces for the New York Times\, Esquire\, Huffington Post\, McSweeney’s\, and the Weekly Forward. He is also the author of the sci-fi humor books Apocalypse How: Turn the End Times into the Best of Times! \, The Future According to Me\, the kids’ graphic novel Snot Goblins & Other Tasteless Tales\, and the new comedic Jewish history book\, The Jews: 5\,000 Years and Counting. \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/writing-jewish-writing-funny/2025-07-08/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250709T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250709T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182455 CREATED:20250430T171233Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250625T211416Z UID:30422-1752062400-1752067800@ritualwell.org SUMMARY:Finding Shekhinah DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, July 9\, 16\, 23 & 30\, 2025\n12-1:30 p.m. EDT\n$180\n \n\nWhat and where is the Shekhinah\, the divine presence\, how can we find Her in our world and our lives\, hear Her voice\, feel Her within and around us?\n \nEach of our four meetings will explore these questions by considering one of the Shekhinah’s many incarnations in Jewish tradition through text study\, discussion\, and creative exercises (sharing will be optional) intended to help us examine our ideas about and experiences of divinity\, and imaginatively trying out different relations to divine presence.\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 Joy Ladin has published ten books of poetry\, including her new collection\, Shekhinah Speaks (Selva Oscura Press); The Book of Anna\, winner of the National Jewish Book Award; and Transmigration\, a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. She is also the author of a memoir of gender transition\, Through the Door of Life\, which was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award\, and The Soul of the Stranger: Reading God and Torah from a Transgender Perspective\, a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards and the Triangle Award. Ladin has received fellowships and scholarships from the National Endowment for the Arts\, the Fulbright Foundation\, and the American Council of Learned Societies Research\, among other honors. A nationally recognized speaker on transgender issues\, she convenes an online conversation series\, “Containing Multitudes\,” which is available at JewishLive.org/multitudes. Her writing is available at joyladin.com.\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n  URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/finding-shekhinah/2025-07-09/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Immersions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Finding-Shekhinah-2025-raw.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR