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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251211T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251211T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20250902T145945Z
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SUMMARY:Rekindling Light and Joy Through Writing & Art
DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, December 4\, 11 & 18\, 2025\n1-2:30 p.m. EST\n$154\n \n\nRemember: Joy is not merely incidental to your spiritual quest. It is vital. – Reb Nachman of Breslov\n \nIn times of personal and collective darkness\, how do you stay inspired and revive your creative spirit?\n\nYou don’t have to do it alone. \nIn this workshop\, poet and painter Cathleen Cohen and essayist and memoirist Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer will guide you through Jewish texts\, poetry\, and creative exercises. Together\, you’ll explore ways to rediscover joy and rekindle your creative passion in honor of Hanukkah\, so that you can step into Hanukkah and the winter season with a renewed sense of inner light. \nWhether you’re just beginning your creative journey or you’ve been writing or making art for years\, this workshop invites you to discover fresh techniques and pathways that will deepen your connections and nurture joy as a spiritual practice. \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 \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 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/rekindling-light-and-joy-through-writing-art/2025-12-11/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Immersions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251217T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251217T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251114T163726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251125T201058Z
UID:32759-1765976400-1765980000@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Magnify the Light: Hanukkah 5786/2025
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, December 17\, 2025\n1-2 p.m. EST\n$18\n \n\nHanukkah calls us to notice the light — even when the world feels dim.\nThis year\, Ritualwell invites you to Magnify the Light\, a special Hanukkah event and eight-night practice of reflection\, creativity\, and renewal. \nIn a time of worldwide darkness — both literal and metaphorical — we gather to recognize\, amplify\, and tend to the many lights that still shine. History teaches that the way forward in dark times is to follow the lights of hope\, connection\, compassion\, and justice\, even when it feels difficult. A single spark can grow into a flame\, and a flame into a fire. But first\, we begin with a spark. \nGuided by mindfulness teacher Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein\, we’ll gather on December 17 to meditate\, reflect\, and learn together\, opening space to nurture awareness and deepen our presence through the light of Hanukkah. \nThis experience comes with a new creative booklet for Hanukkah. For eight nights\, as you kindle your hanukkiah and set aside a pause in your day\, we invite you to open the booklet — a collection of readings from Ritualwell writers\, prompts\, and creative invitations designed to awaken your awareness of light in its many forms. \nEach night\, you can: \n\nPause in ritual to light the candles and name a light of justice in our world.\n\n\nReflect on a short reading that invites us to see the lights among us.\n\n\nEngage with a creative prompt that invites your expression.\n\n\nRenew your personal spirit and our shared communal vision.\n\nBring your candles\, your curiosity\, your voice\, and your yearning. Let’s kindle together — and let the light we do see grow warm and wide. Your printable Magnify the Light PDF booklet will be sent to you electronically before Hanukkah begins. \nThis session 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\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/magnify-the-light-a-hanukkah-practice-for-spirit-and-justice/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251218T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251218T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20250902T145945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251111T122212Z
UID:32049-1766062800-1766068200@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Rekindling Light and Joy Through Writing & Art
DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, December 4\, 11 & 18\, 2025\n1-2:30 p.m. EST\n$154\n \n\nRemember: Joy is not merely incidental to your spiritual quest. It is vital. – Reb Nachman of Breslov\n \nIn times of personal and collective darkness\, how do you stay inspired and revive your creative spirit?\n\nYou don’t have to do it alone. \nIn this workshop\, poet and painter Cathleen Cohen and essayist and memoirist Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer will guide you through Jewish texts\, poetry\, and creative exercises. Together\, you’ll explore ways to rediscover joy and rekindle your creative passion in honor of Hanukkah\, so that you can step into Hanukkah and the winter season with a renewed sense of inner light. \nWhether you’re just beginning your creative journey or you’ve been writing or making art for years\, this workshop invites you to discover fresh techniques and pathways that will deepen your connections and nurture joy as a spiritual practice. \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 \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 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/rekindling-light-and-joy-through-writing-art/2025-12-18/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Immersions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260105T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260105T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251125T180242Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251216T173250Z
UID:32969-1767618000-1767623400@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Nia into the New Year
DESCRIPTION:Monday\, January 5\, 2026\n1-2:30 p.m. EST\n$18\n \n\nStart 2026 in active movement and flow of you body and creativity through the practice of Nia!\n \nJoin the Ritualwell community and Nia instructor Janice Steinberg (who is also one of our Advot members) to engage your body\, spirit and creativity through Nia movement followed by prompts for reflection and writing. No experience needed.\n \nNia is based on the philosophy that everyone can enhance their potential for a healthy\, meaningful life by engaging their senses and listening compassionately to their bodies. While it is adaptable to individual needs and abilities\, its core principle is finding your body’s joy of movement\, whether that’s swaying gently in a chair or dancing. Nia is low-impact and designed to be done barefoot. But it’s fine to wear tennis or jazz-dance shoes if that’s best for you. What you’ll need is a clear space so you have room to move\, or\, if you choose to stay seated that will work\, too.\n\nHave writing materials at hand. You may want art materials\, as well.\n \n\nThis online session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \n\nA lifelong search for embodied spirituality led Janice Steinberg to the rich body-mind-spirit practice of Nia. She holds a Black Belt in Nia and has been teaching for 17 years. Her spring retreat in Italy\, “Dance into Ancient Wisdom\,” combines movement and the Kabbalah Tree of Life. She is also an author. Her novel The Tin Horse was published by Random House\, and she has a five-book mystery series published by Berkley. \n\n \n\n      \n        \n      \n    \n \n \n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/nia-into-the-new-year-2/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260111T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260111T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20250903T170439Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T152216Z
UID:32073-1768136400-1768141800@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:The 10 Rules of Writing With Etgar Keret
DESCRIPTION:Sunday\, January 11\, 2026\n1:00 -2:30 p.m. EST\n$54\n \n\nJoin us for an exclusive gathering with acclaimed Israeli writer Etgar Keret\, beloved for his wildly imaginative short stories\, wit\, and deep humanity. In this special session for the Ritualwell community\, Keret will share his “10 Rules for Writers”—hard-earned wisdom that’s as funny and surprising as his fiction.\n \nDrawing on decades of literary success\, Keret will explore how to nurture creativity\, embrace imperfection\, and find your truest voice on the page. Whether you’re an experienced author\, a devoted reader\, or just beginning to write\, this event will spark new ways of thinking about storytelling and the art of connection through words.\n\nCome ready to be inspired\, laugh\, and see writing—and the Jewish literary imagination—in a whole new light.\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\nJewish Writers’ Circles Members: Please enter your promo code on the second page. Click the “Next” button\, then enter it as a promo code\, not a membership code.\n \nEtgar Keret is a celebrated Israeli writer known for his inventive short stories\, graphic novels\, and screenwriting for film and television. His work—marked by its surreal humor and emotional depth—has captivated global audiences and been translated into dozens of languages. Keret is the author of acclaimed collections including Missing Kissinger\, Suddenly a Knock on the Door\, and Fly Already\, which won the prestigious Sapir Prize. His storytelling has also found new life on screen: Jellyfish\, which he co-directed with his wife Shira Geffen\, earned the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2007. Additionally\, Keret is a recipient of France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Charles Bronfman Prize\, recognizing his humanitarian vision and international cultural impact. He currently serves as the MFA Director for JTS’s new MFA in creative writing.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/the-10-rules-of-writing-with-etgar-keret/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260122T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260122T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251203T163949Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251215T175734Z
UID:32991-1769083200-1769088600@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Torah Metaphors: Connecting Between Biblical Figures and Our Lives
DESCRIPTION:Thursday\, January 22\, 2026\n12-1:30 p.m. EST\n$18 \nDo you ever find yourself identifying more with Jonathan’s quiet sacrifice than David’s victory? Do you wonder whether Leah could truly comfort Dinah\, or how you feel about Sarah’s choices? Torah characters carry deep emotional stories—and you may find pieces of yourself reflected in them. \nIn this introductory session\, you’ll explore your own reactions to select women and men of the Torah. We’ll ask: Where do their stories meet yours? How do their struggles echo the ones you face today? \nUsing Torah texts as creative sparks\, you’ll be invited to write directly to a biblical character—responding to their dilemmas\, imagining conversations\, and drawing meaningful analogies to your own life. What would you say to Esau about forgiveness?\nHow might it feel to step into Jochebed’s courage as she places baby Moses into the reeds? \nThe Torah is timeless\, and its dramas often mirror the challenges we navigate right now. Come join a warm\, lively exploration of these powerful metaphors—and discover how they can deepen and enliven your writing. \nThis session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \nJacqueline Jules is an award-winning author\, poet\, teacher\, and librarian. Her poetry books include Manna in the Morning (Kelsay Books\, 2021)\, Itzhak Perlman’s Broken String\, winner of the 2016 Helen Kay Chapbook Prize from Evening Street Press\, and Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember (Bushel & Peck\, 2023). Her individual poems have appeared in over 100 journals. Her books for young readers include Sydney Taylor Honor Award winners: Sarah Laughs\, Benjamin and the Silver Goblet\, and Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva. Her picture book\, Moses and the Runaway Lamb\, was a Junior Library Guild selection. She has taught writing classes through the Writer’s Center in Bethesda\, Maryland and presented workshops at numerous conferences. She is also a student of Mussar and a book club leader. You can visit her website at www.jacquelinejules.com and read her poetry online at her blog.
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/torah-metaphors-connecting-between-biblical-figures-and-our-lives/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260127T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260127T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251212T151405Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251212T151405Z
UID:33296-1769515200-1769520600@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Beyond the Eulogy
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, January 27\, 2026\n12-1:30 p.m. \n$18\n \nFor capturing the ones we’ve loved and lost so that they can be known to others\, we have eulogies and obituaries. But how do we honor the quieter\, deeper truth—the mark that a loved one has left within us?\nIn this gathering with memoirist Ellen Blum Barish\, you are invited to gently explore the unique imprint someone dear has made on your life. Together\, we’ll open space for memory\, feeling\, and reflection—considering not just who they were\, but how they continue to shape who you are becoming. \nWhat does that inner legacy look like? What does it feel like in your body\, your language\, your creative spirit? \nThrough shared readings from memoir and personal essays\, warm conversation\, and guided prompts\, you’ll begin crafting a piece of writing that honors this personal inheritance. You’ll leave with the beginnings of a meaningful story—one that brings your loved one forward in a way only you can. \n\n\nThis event will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \n\nEllen Blum Barish is the author of the spiritual memoir Seven Springs (Shanti Arts\, 2021)\, the essay collection Views from the Home Office Window (Adams Street Publishing\, 2007)\, and a contributor to Chicago Storytellers From Stage to Page (Chicago Story Press\, 2020). You can find her personal essays in Tablet\, Lilith\, Brevity’s Blog\, Full Grown People\, Literary Mama\, and The Chicago Tribune and hear them on Chicago Public Radio. She founded the literary publication Thread\, which earned four notables in Best American Essays. Ellen has taught writing at Northwestern University\, Chicago-area synagogues\, and writer’s studios\, including Story Studio Chicago and Lighthouse Lit Fest. She works privately with writers on essay collections and memoir.
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/beyond-the-eulogy/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260202T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260202T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251215T174042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251215T182307Z
UID:33301-1770033600-1770037200@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Oneg Shabbat: A New Table Companion
DESCRIPTION:Monday\, February 2\, 2026 \n12-1:00 p.m. EST\n \n\nYou are invited into a rich\, behind-the-scenes exploration of Oneg Shabbat: A Sabbath Evening Table Companion\, the new publication edited by Rabbis Sandy Sasso and Jeffrey Schein and published by The Mordecai Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood. \nIn this event\, Sandy and Jeff will open the creative curtain and share the inspirations\, questions\, and intentions that shaped this beautiful volume. You’ll discover the many ways the Companion can enrich your own Shabbat practice—whether used personally\, with family and friends\, or as a resource for community gatherings. \nYou’ll also hear directly from several contributors—an artist\, a poet\, and a musician—who will speak about the creative sparks behind their work and how Shabbat shaped their offerings. Together\, we’ll explore the new digital resource and the pathways it opens for meaningful\, accessible celebration. \nThis session is designed for anyone who creates\, curates\, or simply loves contemporary Jewish liturgy—all who turn to Ritualwell for inspiration and connection. You’ll leave with fresh ideas\, creative insight\, and new ways to bring Shabbat joyfully to your table and community. \nRabbi Sandy Sasso is the author of the nationally acclaimed children’s books. Her children’s book\, The Shemah in the Mezuzah won the 2012 National Jewish Book Award for Best Illustrated Children’s Book. She is the recipient of an Indiana Author’s Award. In 2018 she received the Indiana Author’s Award for Best Regional Author.\n\n \n \n \n \n \nJeffrey Schein is the past Executive and current Senior Consultant for Jewish Education of the Mordecai Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood. He has been a leading figure in Reconstuctionist Jewish Education the past fifty years and is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (1977). He has authored 50 articles and a dozen books used in the education of Rabbis and Jewish educators.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/oneg-shabbat-a-new-table-companion/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Free
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260215T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260215T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251215T212432Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182317Z
UID:33353-1771156800-1771162200@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Drawing from Torah: A Generative Jewish Poetry Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Sunday\, February 15th\, 2026 \n12-1:30 p.m. EST \n \n\nHow do poets weave Jewish imagery\, Torah stories\, and sacred language into their work in ways that feel alive and authentic? And how might you do the same in your own poetry?\n \nThis generative poetry workshop invites you to explore Jewish themes through reading\, writing\, and conversation. Together\, we’ll read poems by writers such as John Keats\, Sharon Olds\, Dan Pagis\, Yehoshua November\, Marie Howe\, and Lucille Clifton—poets who draw on the Hebrew Bible and other Jewish texts to shape their work. We’ll look closely at how these writers transform ancient stories and symbols into powerful\, contemporary poems.\n \nYou’ll be guided through writing prompts inspired by these texts and poems\, with a special focus on moments from the Torah that spark imagination\, memory\, and meaning. During the session\, you’ll have time to write\, share your work (as you feel comfortable)\, and receive thoughtful\, supportive feedback.\n \nThis workshop is open to anyone interested in reading and writing poetry with Jewish themes—whether you’re an experienced poet or just beginning\, and whether your connection to Jewish texts is deep\, curious\, or newly forming.\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 \nDr. Eve Grubin is the author of the book of poems Boat of Letters (Four Way Books). She is also the author of Morning Prayer (Sheep Meadow Press)\, The House of Our First Loving (Rack Press) and Grief Dialogue (Rack Press). Eve holds a PhD on the poetics of reticence\, and she is a lecturer at NYU London and a tutor at the Poetry School.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/drawing-from-torah-a-generative-jewish-poetry-workshop/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Free
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260217T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260217T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251215T160915Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T201629Z
UID:33273-1771329600-1771335000@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Lifting the Threads: Writing Past and Present
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, Feb 17 & 24 and March 3\, 2026\n12-1:30 p.m. \n$154\n \n\nAs storytellers\, how do we balance our present lived experience with the past that shapes it? In Jewish tradition\, memory and narrative carry profound weight—from the retelling of ancestral journeys in the Torah to the intimate stories passed through our families. In this 3-week workshop\, we’ll explore strategies for seamlessly integrating backstory\, experimenting with time shifts to deepen meaning rather than interrupt narrative flow. Through readings\, discussion\, and writing prompts\, we will move fluidly between temporal layers—the “forward momentum” of the lived story and the “backwards glance” demanded by memory.\n \nBy the end of the workshop\, you will produce a short memoir piece that demonstrates fluid interplay between present and past—using backstory as a source of resonance\, not digression\, and honoring the threads of memory that connect us to our histories and communities.\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 \nMegan Vered writes about family\, friendship\, and the dazzle of daily life. Megan lives in Marin County\, where she facilitates local\, international\, and Jewish-themed writing groups. Her essays and interviews have appeared in HuffPost\, Kveller\, The Jewish Writing Project\, High Country News\, the Los Angeles Review of Books\, and the Writer’s Chronicle\, among others. Megan holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and chairs the board of Heyday Books. Learn more about her work at www.meganvered.com\n \n \n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/lifting-the-threads-writing-past-and-present/2026-02-17/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Immersions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260223T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260223T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251222T180236Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260218T132408Z
UID:33369-1771848000-1771853400@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Exploring Disability Torah: Text\, Reflection\, and Creative Voice
DESCRIPTION:Monday\, February 23\, 2026 \n12-1:30 p.m. EST\n \n\nJoin Ritualwell and the Disability Torah Project for a powerful\, inclusive gathering exploring disability\, Jewish text\, and creative expression. We’ll hear from Mat Wilson\, Founder and Director of the Disability Torah Project\, and a dynamic panel of writers including Dr. Amanda Mbuvi and rabbinical students Raphael Morris and Nora Chernov\, working at the crossroads of disability and Torah wisdom\, then move into a guided text-study session designed to invite your own reflection and writing.\n \nThrough a short writing prompt\, you’ll have the chance to respond to what you’ve read and experienced\, exploring how disability Torah can deepen our communal conversations\, spiritual imagination\, and sense of connection.\n \nThis event welcomes everyone—whether you identify as disabled or nondisabled\, whether you’re a seasoned text-studier or new to it. Come ready to listen\, reflect\, and write in a space of curiosity\, care\, and shared meaning-making.\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 \n\n \nMat Wilson (he/him) enjoys board and video games\, road trips big and small\, and any opportunity to be in the water. They discovered a love for Torah study through the art of source sheet creation and are currently expanding their written reflections through the Disability Torah Project. Outside of their free time\, Mat is a student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and is pursuing a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania.\n\n \n \nAmanda Beckenstein Mbuvi\, Ph.D.\, is a scholar and teacher with expertise in Tanakh\, ethics\, and multifaith studies\, and a special interest in the way stories shape communal identity. In addition to serving as the director of the Center for Jewish Ethics\, she also helps students with disabilities get the accommodations they need to participate in the RRC learning community. Mbuvi is passionate about dynamic\, inclusive Jewish communities that cultivate what she likes to call “blessed interdependence.” In addition to numerous scholarly articles\, she is author of the 2016 book\, Belonging in Genesis: Biblical Israel and the Politics of Identity Formation\, published by Baylor University Press.\n \n\n \nNora Chernov (she/her) is a student at the Reconstructist Rabbinical College where she serves as the Advanced Intern for Community Life and assists in the RRC Beit Midrash. Nora is a passionate student and teacher of text\, especially all things Talmud. When not at RRC she can be found going on long drives listening to podcasts and playing all manner of board games.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nRaphael Morris (he/they) is an AuDHD rabbinical student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He feels privileged to be part of an intellectual tradition where his preferred modes of cognition\, learning\, and communication are not just tolerated but actively valued. In his spare time\, he enjoys wiki walking\, TTRPGs\, Talmud\, long rambling conversations and anything else tangential.\n\n \n\n\n      \n        \n      \n    \n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/exploring-disability-torah-text-reflection-and-creative-voice/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Disability-Torah-raw.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251215T160915Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T201632Z
UID:33277-1771934400-1771939800@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Lifting the Threads: Writing Past and Present
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, Feb 17 & 24 and March 3\, 2026\n12-1:30 p.m. \n$154\n \n\nAs storytellers\, how do we balance our present lived experience with the past that shapes it? In Jewish tradition\, memory and narrative carry profound weight—from the retelling of ancestral journeys in the Torah to the intimate stories passed through our families. In this 3-week workshop\, we’ll explore strategies for seamlessly integrating backstory\, experimenting with time shifts to deepen meaning rather than interrupt narrative flow. Through readings\, discussion\, and writing prompts\, we will move fluidly between temporal layers—the “forward momentum” of the lived story and the “backwards glance” demanded by memory.\n \nBy the end of the workshop\, you will produce a short memoir piece that demonstrates fluid interplay between present and past—using backstory as a source of resonance\, not digression\, and honoring the threads of memory that connect us to our histories and communities.\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 \nMegan Vered writes about family\, friendship\, and the dazzle of daily life. Megan lives in Marin County\, where she facilitates local\, international\, and Jewish-themed writing groups. Her essays and interviews have appeared in HuffPost\, Kveller\, The Jewish Writing Project\, High Country News\, the Los Angeles Review of Books\, and the Writer’s Chronicle\, among others. Megan holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and chairs the board of Heyday Books. Learn more about her work at www.meganvered.com\n \n \n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/lifting-the-threads-writing-past-and-present/2026-02-24/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Immersions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Lifting-the-Threads-Writing-Past-and-Present-2026-raw.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260205T195934Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260223T203110Z
UID:34030-1771941600-1771945200@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Uncovering Feminine Strength and Wisdom
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, February 24\, 2026\n2-3:00 p.m. \nWe invite you to join us and sample our upcoming Immersion\, Sarah and Hagar: Uncovering Feminine Strength and Wisdom in community. Join poet Tzivia and Ritualwell’s Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer for an interactive conversation on Sarah\, Hagar\, and feminine wisdom\, followed by a creative writing prompt and time for sharing what we uncover. Consider it an opening doorway—if you’re drawn in\, the full series awaits. \nTo join us\, register here. \n\n \nTzivia Gover is the author of ‘Dreaming on the Page: Tap into Your Midnight Mind to Supercharge Your Writing‘\, and other books about dreams\, writing\, and everyday joy. She is the creator of ‘The Life of H: Sarah\, Reimagined’ an online poetry project. The founder of 350 Dreamers\, an online international community dreaming for global healing in this time of climate crisis\, Tzivia is a board member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams and a past Director at the Institute for Dream Studies. Tzivia is a Certified Dreamwork Professional and a Certified Proprioceptive Writing Instructor. She has her MFA in writing from Columbia University\, and has taught in college and community settings domestically and abroad. Learn more at www.thirdhousemoon.com and https://tziviagover.substack.com. \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. Gabrielle holds a BFA in theater and creative writing from Emerson College and an MA in Jewish Studies from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/uncovering-feminine-strength-and-wisdom/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/TziviaGover_Sarah_FebMar2024-raw.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260226T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260226T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251223T181853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T144313Z
UID:33375-1772136000-1772141400@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Purim & the Poetry of Resistance
DESCRIPTION:Thursday\, February 26\, 2026\n8-9:30 p.m. EST\n$18\n \n\nWhether Purim is your favorite\, somewhat problematic holiday or the source of some of your least favorite rabbinic takes\, this generative poetry workshop invites you to unpack\, reclaim\, and rewrite the sacred words we need now.\n \n\nLed by poet Anna Goodman Herrick\, author of A Speaker is a Wilderness: Poems on the Sacred Path from Broken Whole \, this Ritualwell gathering turns to the Book of Esther as a text of hiddenness\, inversion\, and holy disruption. Purim asks us to question power\, unmask false authority\, and listen for voices that have been pushed to the margins—including our own. \n\nThrough playful\, mystical writing prompts and shared reflection\, you’ll craft poems\, blessings\, and sacred language rooted in resistance\, courage\, and joy. Open to both new and seasoned writers; no prior writing experience is necessary. Come ready to play with language\, embrace the chaos\, and enter Purim as a time of celebration\, courage\, and creative rebellion.\n \n\n\n\nThis event will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.\n \n \n\nAnna Goodman Herrick is the author of A Speaker is a Wilderness: Poems on the Sacred Path from Broken Whole (Monkfish\, 2024). They work at the intersection of spirituality\, sacred words\, and human rights\, towards collective liberation. Anna has performed their poetry at the Emily Dickinson Museum\, Patagonia’s Earth Day\, and One Billion Rising’s Artist Uprising at the El Paso Border\, and shared their work at the Library of Congress\, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum\, and Bloomsday on Broadway. They have poetry in Spirituality + Health Magazine\, Rattle\, and The Los Angeles Press. Anna has created work for television and branded content for Teen Vogue\, Sony\, ABC Family\, Oprah Winfrey Network\, MTV\, and the Sundance Channel\, and created installations based on their poetry for museums and galleries worldwide.
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/no-kings-no-masters-purim-the-poetry-of-resistance/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Purim-Poetry-for-Resistance-raw-.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260303T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260303T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20251215T160915Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T201633Z
UID:33278-1772539200-1772544600@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Lifting the Threads: Writing Past and Present
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, Feb 17 & 24 and March 3\, 2026\n12-1:30 p.m. \n$154\n \n\nAs storytellers\, how do we balance our present lived experience with the past that shapes it? In Jewish tradition\, memory and narrative carry profound weight—from the retelling of ancestral journeys in the Torah to the intimate stories passed through our families. In this 3-week workshop\, we’ll explore strategies for seamlessly integrating backstory\, experimenting with time shifts to deepen meaning rather than interrupt narrative flow. Through readings\, discussion\, and writing prompts\, we will move fluidly between temporal layers—the “forward momentum” of the lived story and the “backwards glance” demanded by memory.\n \nBy the end of the workshop\, you will produce a short memoir piece that demonstrates fluid interplay between present and past—using backstory as a source of resonance\, not digression\, and honoring the threads of memory that connect us to our histories and communities.\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 \nMegan Vered writes about family\, friendship\, and the dazzle of daily life. Megan lives in Marin County\, where she facilitates local\, international\, and Jewish-themed writing groups. Her essays and interviews have appeared in HuffPost\, Kveller\, The Jewish Writing Project\, High Country News\, the Los Angeles Review of Books\, and the Writer’s Chronicle\, among others. Megan holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and chairs the board of Heyday Books. Learn more about her work at www.meganvered.com\n \n \n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/lifting-the-threads-writing-past-and-present/2026-03-03/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Immersions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Lifting-the-Threads-Writing-Past-and-Present-2026-raw.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260317T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260317T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260122T163050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260122T163050Z
UID:33794-1773777600-1773783000@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Poems of Freedom: A Reading & Writing Experience
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, March 17\, 2026\n8-9:30 p.m. EST\n \n\nPrepare for Passover—the festival of liberation—through poetry\, reflection\, and creative expression. Join Ritualwell and the Philly Yetzirah Regional Chapter for a special reading\, sharing poems inspired by themes of freedom\, liberation\, and the Passover story.\n \nAfter the reading\, you’ll be invited into a generative writing experience with a guided prompt designed to help you begin crafting your own poems of freedom. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or simply curious\, you’ll have space to write\, reflect\, and explore what liberation means in your own life and in our collective moment. Featured poets are Cathleen Cohen\, Henry Israeli\, Lynn Levin and Maya Pindyck.\n \nThis event is a beautiful way to enter the Passover mindset—through listening\, creativity\, and shared inspiration. All are welcome; no prior writing experience is necessary.\n\n \n\n \n \n \n \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\nCathleen Cohen was the 2019 Poet Laureate of Montgomery County\, PA. She created the We the Poets program for children from diverse cultural and faith communities (www.theartwell.org). Currently she teaches poetry and painting through local venues\, including Ritualwell\, Or Zarua\, Cerulean Arts Gallery and Kol Tzedek. Her poems appear in literary journals and four collections: Camera Obscura (2017\, Moonstone Press)\, Etching the Ghost (2021\, Atmosphere Press) and Sparks and Disperses (2021\, Cornerstone Press) and Murmurations (2024\, Moonstone Press). Three of her poems were nominated for Pushcart Prizes. Her artwork is available through Cerulean Arts Gallery (https://ceruleanarts.com/pages/cathleen-cohen).\n\n\n\n\n \nHenry Israeli is the author of four poetry collections\, most recently Our Age of Anxiety (White Pine Poetry Prize: 2019)\, and god’s breath hovering across the waters\, (Four Way Books: 2016)\, and as editor\, Lords of Misrule: 20 Years of Saturnalia Books (Saturnalia: 2022). His next collection\, Between the Trees (or the Lonely Nowhere) will be published by Four Way Books in 2028. He is also the translator of three critically acclaimed books by Albanian poet Luljeta Lleshanaku. His poetry has appeared in numerous journals including American Poetry Review\, Boston Review\, Plume\, and The Harvard Review\, as well as several anthologies including Best American Poetry 2025. He is Director of Jewish Studies\, Drexel University; Director of Drexel Writing Festival; and Teaching Professor\, Drexel University.\n \n\nLynn Levin is a poet and writer. She is the author of nine books\, most recently the short story collection House Parties (2023) and the poetry collection The Minor Virtues (2020). Her work has appeared in Boulevard\, Plume\, Smartish Pace\, Southwest Review\, Kerem\, Shofar\, Nashim\, Jewish Fiction Journal\, and several anthologies including The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry\, The Torah: A Women’s Commentary\, and Keystone Poetry: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania. She teaches at Drexel University and for many years taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania. Her website is lynnlevinpoet.com.\n \n \n\n \nMaya Pindyck’s third book of poems\, Impossible Belonging (2023)\, won the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Her poems have recently appeared or are forthcoming in American Poetry Review\, Ploughshares\, Plume\, GRANTA (Hebrew edition)\, Beloit Poetry Journal\, and Seneca Review. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship\, Maya is an associate professor and director of Writing at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia\, and co-author of the educational textbook A Poetry Pedagogy for Teachers (2022). She grew up in Boston and Tel Aviv. Her website is mayapindyck.com.\n\n \n \n\n      \n        \n      \n    \n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/poems-of-freedom-a-reading-writing-experience/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Poems-of-Freedom-A-Reading-Writing-Experience-.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260401T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260401T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260227T192558Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260325T212030Z
UID:34223-1775044800-1775048400@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Holding The Sweet and The Bitter: Four New Questions for Passover 2026
DESCRIPTION: \nHow do I hold a sprig of parsley — fresh as the first days of spring — and dip it into salt water\, the taste of tears? How do I sing familiar songs with joy while also carrying fear\, grief\, or anger about the world around me? And how do I leave the Passover seder not only remembering liberation\, but claiming joy and resilience for the days ahead?\n\n \nTo spark thoughtful and heartfelt conversation\, the Ritualwell team has created a new collection of curated Passover resources\, including four new questions to complement the traditional Four Questions. This printable PDF will be delivered electronically and accessible online\, ready to bring to your table when you register.\n \nYou’ll also receive a recording of our meaningful event with Rabbi Isabel de Koninck reflecting on beloved Passover traditions\, rituals\, and the questions you are bringing to the holiday.\n\n \n\n\n \n\n \n\n      \n        \n      \n    \n \n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/holding-joy-and-bitterness-four-new-questions-for-passover-2026/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/pesach-booklet-raw-.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260413T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260601T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260331T120919Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T120919Z
UID:34594-1776067200-1780333200@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Holding Each Other
DESCRIPTION:Every Monday\, 12-12:15 p.m. EDT\n \nNow more than ever\, we need each other.\n \n\nEvery Monday\, join “Holding Each Other\,” a 15-minute online minyan\, facilitated by a leading Ritualwell contributor.  Together\, we’ll recite Mourners’ Kaddish and Mi Shebeirach\, the prayer for healing. To foster our spiritual resilience\, we’ll engage with a brief creative meditation.\n \nWeekly\, gather your strength and provide support to others.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/holding-each-other-2/2026-04-13/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Holding-Each-Other-25-26.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260416T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260416T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260122T162503Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260303T165235Z
UID:33850-1776342600-1776346200@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Creative Containers: Writing With Poetic Forms
DESCRIPTION:April 16\, 23 & 30 and May 7\, 2026 \n12-1:30 p.m. ET\n$180\n \nCreative containers — ranging from sonnets and sonnenizios\, to pantoums and triolets — can offer structure while also inviting depth\, complexity\, and even surprise into your writing! In this series\, poet and author Susan Comninos will guide participants through the rich possibilities of using poetic forms as tools for cohesion and focus\, as well as exploration\, expression\, and musicality. Taking as our springboards poems by Jewish voices or on Jewish themes (including work by Rochelle Nameroff\, Jaqueline Osherow\, Emma Lazarus and Robert Morgan)\, we’ll play with prompts and shared writing time to help you develop your own poetic voice within the shape of a received form. \nIn each session we’ll: \n\nLearn techniques of specific forms and how they shape content and create tone;\nRead and discuss examples that illuminate craft and purpose;\nPractice generative prompts tailored to the form of the day; and\nShare work in a supportive environment with thoughtful feedback.\n\nThis workshop is open to writers of all levels — from beginners curious about form to experienced writers looking to stretch their practice! \nThis session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \nSusan Comninos is the author of a recent book of poems\, “Out of Nowhere” (SFA Press/Texas A&M\, 2022). Her individual poems 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 adults in the community. At present\, she serves as poetry editor of Judith magazine and is at work on a second collection of poems\, “Wild Joy of Receiving.” The title poem\, published by The Baltimore Review\, is forthcoming this spring in the anthology “The Color Wheel” (Terrapin Books\, 2026). \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\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/creative-containers-writing-with-poetic-forms/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Immersions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/creative-containers-raw-.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260420T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260608T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260331T120919Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T120919Z
UID:34596-1776672000-1780938000@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Holding Each Other
DESCRIPTION:Every Monday\, 12-12:15 p.m. EDT\n \nNow more than ever\, we need each other.\n \n\nEvery Monday\, join “Holding Each Other\,” a 15-minute online minyan\, facilitated by a leading Ritualwell contributor.  Together\, we’ll recite Mourners’ Kaddish and Mi Shebeirach\, the prayer for healing. To foster our spiritual resilience\, we’ll engage with a brief creative meditation.\n \nWeekly\, gather your strength and provide support to others.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/holding-each-other-2/2026-04-20/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Holding-Each-Other-25-26.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260615T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260331T120919Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T120919Z
UID:34597-1777276800-1781542800@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Holding Each Other
DESCRIPTION:Every Monday\, 12-12:15 p.m. EDT\n \nNow more than ever\, we need each other.\n \n\nEvery Monday\, join “Holding Each Other\,” a 15-minute online minyan\, facilitated by a leading Ritualwell contributor.  Together\, we’ll recite Mourners’ Kaddish and Mi Shebeirach\, the prayer for healing. To foster our spiritual resilience\, we’ll engage with a brief creative meditation.\n \nWeekly\, gather your strength and provide support to others.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/holding-each-other-2/2026-04-27/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Holding-Each-Other-25-26.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260305T160206Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T195047Z
UID:34279-1777294800-1777298400@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:The Art of the Unexpected: A House Parties Reading
DESCRIPTION:April 27\, 2026 \n1-2:00 p.m.\n \nJoin us for an intimate book talk and reading with Lynn Levin\, acclaimed poet\, writer\, and author of the celebrated short story collection House Parties. In this special Ritualwell gathering\, Lynn will read from her vividly imagined\, witty\, and deeply humane stories that traverse everyday moments\, unexpected predicaments\, and unforgettable characters.\n \nWith her poet’s eye and storyteller’s heart\, she invites us into narratives that are both surprising and resonant\, ranging from the comic and absurd to the quietly profound. Whether you write\, read\, or simply love great storytelling\, come be inspired by Lynn’s craft\, engage with her work\, and explore what makes these stories linger in the mind long after the last page.\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\nLynn Levin is a poet and writer. She is the author of nine books\, most recently the short story collection House Parties (2023) and the poetry collection The Minor Virtues (2020). Her work has appeared in Boulevard\, Plume\, Smartish Pace\, Southwest Review\, Kerem\, Shofar\, Nashim\, Jewish Fiction Journal\, and several anthologies including The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry\, The Torah: A Women’s Commentary\, and Keystone Poetry: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania. She teaches at Drexel University and for many years taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania. Her website is lynnlevinpoet.com.\n \n\n\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/the-art-of-the-unexpected-a-house-parties-reading/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Springsummer-Immersion-graphics-2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260504T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260622T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260331T120919Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T120919Z
UID:34598-1777881600-1782147600@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Holding Each Other
DESCRIPTION:Every Monday\, 12-12:15 p.m. EDT\n \nNow more than ever\, we need each other.\n \n\nEvery Monday\, join “Holding Each Other\,” a 15-minute online minyan\, facilitated by a leading Ritualwell contributor.  Together\, we’ll recite Mourners’ Kaddish and Mi Shebeirach\, the prayer for healing. To foster our spiritual resilience\, we’ll engage with a brief creative meditation.\n \nWeekly\, gather your strength and provide support to others.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/holding-each-other-2/2026-05-04/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Holding-Each-Other-25-26.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260504T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260504T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260204T202024Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260304T152527Z
UID:33936-1777899600-1777905000@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Writing Memoir from Photos
DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, May 4\, 11 & 18\, 2026\n1-2:30 p.m.\n$154\n \n\nPhotographs are powerful vessels of memory—small artifacts that live in albums\, frames\, and on our phones\, holding moments of joy\, longing\, love\, and loss. \nIn this three-week memoir writing workshop\, led by Lisa Grunberger\, we will explore how photos can serve as meaningful starting points for writing about the past. Together\, we’ll consider how images invite stories forward\, helping us approach both cherished memories and more difficult ones with care. \nAlongside our own writing\, we will engage with reflections on photography from writers such as Susan Sontag and John Berger. Through guided prompts and gentle exercises\, participants will use personal photographs to generate new creative work\, including short “micro-memoirs” that can stand alone or grow into longer pieces. \nEach session will include time for sharing\, discussion\, and supportive feedback. Working with photos can be a tender\, accessible way to honor our experiences and deepen the stories we carry. \nAll sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience. \nPoetry Pushcart nominee and Temple University English Professor Lisa Grunberger is a first-generation American writer. Her award-winning poetry book For the Future of Girls is a lyrical reflection on life as a woman\, a mother\, and a daughter of Holocaust survivors. It was nominated for an Eric Hoffer Independent Press award. She’s the author of Yiddish Yoga: Ruthie’s Adventures in Love\, Loss and the Lotus Position (Harper Collins); Her poems appear in Breaking the Glass: A Contemporary Jewish Poetry Anthology (The Laurel Review\, 2023). A widely published writer\, her work has appeared in The New York Times\, Newsday\, The Southern Review\, The Paterson Literary Review\, Mudfish\, Bridges\, Of the Book Press\, The Jewish Literary Journal\, and Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture and Heritage (ELJ Editions)\, Crab Orchard Review\, Mom Egg Review\, The Baffler. She’s been translated into Slovenian\, Russian\, Spanish\, Yiddish.\n\nALMOST PREGNANT\, her play about infertility and motherhood\, is published by Next Stage Press; Her play\, Alexa Talks to Rebecca won the Audience Choice Award at the Squeaky Bicycle Theatre. She’s working on a memoir called Me and My Makers: A Memoir of Adoption\, Genes and Love.\n\n\n      \n        \n      \n    \n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/writing-memoir-from-photos/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Immersions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/writing-memoire-raw-.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260506T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260506T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260304T184804Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260304T184933Z
UID:33938-1778068800-1778074200@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Shekhinah: A Creative Tradition
DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, May 6\, 13\, 20 & 27\, 2026\n12-1:30 p.m. EST\n$180\n \n\nOne of poetry’s oldest and most powerful purposes is to make divine presence perceptible through language. In this series led by poet Joy Ladin\, we will explore the rich intersections between poetry\, Jewish tradition\, and the Shekhinah: Judaism’s name for a form of God’s presence that dwells within human life—within time\, space\, relationship\, community\, and even suffering.\n \nUnlike other understandings of divine presence that arise through prophecy or revelation\, the Shekhinah emerged through the imaginative and spiritual work of the rabbis. The word comes from a biblical root meaning “to dwell\,” yet the Shekhinah does not appear in the Torah. Instead\, it was developed in response to human longing and need—a way of naming the sacred as something close\, intimate\, and accompanying.\n \nTogether\, we will read early rabbinic texts alongside later interpretations\, including medieval mystical writings and contemporary feminist Jewish poetry that reimagines the Shekhinah as a more explicitly female-identified presence.\n \nThrough discussion and gentle writing exercises\, participants will experiment with language as a way to search for\, question\, imagine\, and respond to the Shekhinah—or however we understand presence beyond the human. This series offers space for reflection\, creativity\, and spiritual exploration through the art of poetry.\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 \nJoy 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.wordpress.com.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/shekhinah-a-creative-tradition/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Immersions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Shekhinah-A-Creative-Tradition-raw.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260511T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260629T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260331T120919Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T120919Z
UID:34599-1778486400-1782752400@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Holding Each Other
DESCRIPTION:Every Monday\, 12-12:15 p.m. EDT\n \nNow more than ever\, we need each other.\n \n\nEvery Monday\, join “Holding Each Other\,” a 15-minute online minyan\, facilitated by a leading Ritualwell contributor.  Together\, we’ll recite Mourners’ Kaddish and Mi Shebeirach\, the prayer for healing. To foster our spiritual resilience\, we’ll engage with a brief creative meditation.\n \nWeekly\, gather your strength and provide support to others.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/holding-each-other-2/2026-05-11/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Holding-Each-Other-25-26.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260518T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260706T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260331T120919Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T120919Z
UID:34600-1779091200-1783357200@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Holding Each Other
DESCRIPTION:Every Monday\, 12-12:15 p.m. EDT\n \nNow more than ever\, we need each other.\n \n\nEvery Monday\, join “Holding Each Other\,” a 15-minute online minyan\, facilitated by a leading Ritualwell contributor.  Together\, we’ll recite Mourners’ Kaddish and Mi Shebeirach\, the prayer for healing. To foster our spiritual resilience\, we’ll engage with a brief creative meditation.\n \nWeekly\, gather your strength and provide support to others.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/holding-each-other-2/2026-05-18/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Holding-Each-Other-25-26.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260520T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260520T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260318T191155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T142339Z
UID:34371-1779282000-1779285600@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Omer Counting for Purpose
DESCRIPTION:Join us for seven weeks of prompts\, practices\, and a communal gathering with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg that will ground you in your life’s purpose.\n \nOver the seven weeks of the Counting of the Omer\, we are invited to clarify and commit to the purpose that wakes us in the morning\, guides us through the day\, and brings a sense of meaning when we close our eyes at night. Anchoring ourselves in our why can give us strength\, courage\, and compassion as we share our gifts with the world and shape it in the ways we are called to. \n \nAs Viktor E. Frankl wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning\, “Those who have a why to live can bear almost any how.” In challenging times\, this wisdom reminds us that purpose can sustain us even when the path forward feels uncertain. \n \nAs we enter the Omer\, we invite you to support Ritualwell’s annual campaign that helps sustain this work of creativity\, connection\, and Jewish meaning-making. Your gift is an invitation into a shared journey—one of reflection\, learning\, and discovering what is yours to offer. \n \nDuring this challenging time\, the Omer offers a space to reconnect with what matters most\, be lifted by sacred middot (values)\, and notice\, name\, and be guided by your unique purpose. Supporters of the campaign are invited to join a special seven-week journey of reflection and creativity. Each week\, participants will receive teachings\, short videos\, and writing prompts exploring the sacred qualities within us—love\, strength\, compassion\, resilience\, humility\, connection\, and presence—and asking a deeper question: What is mine to offer the world? Those who join the journey will also be invited to gather for a special culminating event. \n \n\nCulminating Event with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg\nWednesday\, May 20\, 2026\n1-2:00 p.m. EDT\n \n\nWhen we gather for this closing event\, we will honor the path we’ve walked and the moment we are living in. In a time when many feel overwhelmed or unsure how to respond to the challenges around us\, this gathering lifts up a powerful truth: each of us carries a unique way of serving\, creating\, and bringing healing to our communities and our world. \n \nWe are honored to welcome Rabbi Ruttenberg\, an award-winning author\, teacher\, and activist whose work explores the intersection of Jewish wisdom\, accountability\, justice\, and spiritual purpose. Drawing from the themes of her National Jewish Book Award–winning book On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World\, she will offer insight\, inspiration\, and grounding for the sacred work of living our values in complicated times. \n \nTogether\, we will reflect on the spiritual growth of the Omer journey and explore how our individual gifts\, voices\, and actions can help shape a more just and compassionate world. \n \nCome to be nourished by community\, guided by wisdom\, and reminded that your presence—and your purpose—matter. \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 \nRabbi Danya Ruttenberg is an award-winning author of eight books who now makes her primary writing home with the newsletter/magazine LifeIsASacredText.com. She has received the Lives of Commitment Award from Auburn Seminary\, and the Rabbinic Human Rights Hero Award from the human rights organization T’ruah\, was named by Newsweek as a “rabbi to watch\,” and as a “faith leader to watch” by the Center for American Progress\, and has been a Sunday Washington Post crossword clue (83 Down). Her most recent book\, On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World is a National Jewish Book Award winner and an American Library Association’s Sophie Brody Honor Book. It was hailed by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley as “A must read for anyone navigating the work of justice and healing.” \nShe has written for a number of publications\, including The New York Times\, The Washington Post\, The Atlantic\, and been featured on NPR\, the Today Show\, USA Today\, MTV News\, and elsewhere. Her activism has taken her from the jail cell to the White House and back again\, and has included advising lawmakers; organizing 2\,500 rabbis in the fight for reproductive freedom through the fall of Roe; and mobilizing Jewish communities around economic justice and abuse accountability. Her North Star is the belief that we have a moral and religious obligation to care for one another\, and to fight for a more just world. \n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/omer-counting-for-purpose/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260525T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260713T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260331T120919Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T120919Z
UID:34601-1779696000-1783962000@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Holding Each Other
DESCRIPTION:Every Monday\, 12-12:15 p.m. EDT\n \nNow more than ever\, we need each other.\n \n\nEvery Monday\, join “Holding Each Other\,” a 15-minute online minyan\, facilitated by a leading Ritualwell contributor.  Together\, we’ll recite Mourners’ Kaddish and Mi Shebeirach\, the prayer for healing. To foster our spiritual resilience\, we’ll engage with a brief creative meditation.\n \nWeekly\, gather your strength and provide support to others.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/holding-each-other-2/2026-05-25/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Holding-Each-Other-25-26.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260601T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260720T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T182447
CREATED:20260331T120919Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T120919Z
UID:34602-1780300800-1784566800@ritualwell.org
SUMMARY:Holding Each Other
DESCRIPTION:Every Monday\, 12-12:15 p.m. EDT\n \nNow more than ever\, we need each other.\n \n\nEvery Monday\, join “Holding Each Other\,” a 15-minute online minyan\, facilitated by a leading Ritualwell contributor.  Together\, we’ll recite Mourners’ Kaddish and Mi Shebeirach\, the prayer for healing. To foster our spiritual resilience\, we’ll engage with a brief creative meditation.\n \nWeekly\, gather your strength and provide support to others.\n 
URL:https://ritualwell.org/event/holding-each-other-2/2026-06-01/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Free
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ritualwell.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Holding-Each-Other-25-26.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR