Ritualwell

ADVOT@Ritualwell Studio sessions - Spring semester
2023-04-19 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Join in for a time to create and connect!

From Brokenness to Healing: Making Meaning through Memoir
2023-04-18 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
April 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
How can we make meaning from returning to a challenging or traumatic life experience on the page? What does it mean to write from the scar rather than the wound? And how can we find a spiritual lens in which to frame our trauma? In this six-week workshop, we will focus on the definition of trauma, how returning to it can help heal, how writing structure and pacing can help contain it, and how we can revision ourselves before and after. There will be opportunities to share work and receive feedback from the instructor on works in progress.
Ellen 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.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Recognizing the Good: Writing Jewish Prayers and Poems of Gratitude
2023-04-17 12:00 - 13:30
April 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
Judaism offers many opportunities to express gratitude, from the morning blessing Modeh Ani to Shabbat and holidays. To inspire poetic and liturgical writing, join us for a deep dive into the Jewish language of gratitude – hakarat hatov. Among our explorations: gratitude as a spiritual practice; hidden meanings in the language of gratitude; language that undermines gratitude; and the connection between prayer and gratitude. We’ll learn together and write from the heart.

Alden Solovy spreads joy and excitement for prayer. An American Israeli liturgist, lyricist, poet, author, and educator, Alden is the Liturgist-in-Residence for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Alden teaches prayer and spirituality throughout the world. Based in Jerusalem, his six solo books include These Words: Poetic Midrash on the Langauge of Torah,This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day, This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings, and This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer, all published by CCAR Press. A regular contributor to Ritualwell and a member of the Ritualwell Immersion faculty, his work is anthologized in more than 20 other volumes across the religious spectrum. Alden also contributes regularly to RavBlog, ReformJudaism.org, and the Times of Israel. He’s a three-time winner of the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism. Alden made aliyah to Jerusalem in 2012. See his work at www.tobendlight.com. Alden can be reached at alden@tobendlight.com.

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

How to Write Trauma Without Retraumatizing Yourself
2023-03-28 12:00
Writing about trauma can help organize thoughts, regulate emotions, encourage us to reach out for support, and enable us to discover meaning. But revisiting trauma on the page can be triggering. We will talk about how to write about traumatic experiences without retraumatizing ourselves or overwhelming our readers and what keeps writers grounded and writing.
Ellen 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.
This session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
We are happy to offer this session for free. A suggested $18 donation has been added to the ticket. If you are unable to donate, you may remove that suggested amount from the ticket. Please consider donating if you’re able, to help us continue to offer free programs like this one.

Poetic Midrash: A Conversation between Hila Ratzabi and Alden Solovy
2023-03-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Join Ritualwell’s Hila Ratzabi in conversation with liturgist Alden Solovy in discussion of his new book, These Words: Poetic Midrash on the Language of Torah. Hila and Alden will explore creative midrash and the process he used to write 70 poetic midrashim on individual words of Torah. Alden will also read selections from the book and discuss the Torah learning behind several of the poems.

Alden Solovy spreads joy and excitement for prayer. An American Israeli liturgist, lyricist, poet, author, and educator, Alden is the Liturgist-in-Residence for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Alden teaches prayer and spirituality throughout the world. Based in Jerusalem, his six solo books include These Words: Poetic Midrash on the Language of Torah, This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day, This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings, and This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer, all published by CCAR Press. A regular contributor to Ritualwell and a member of the Ritualwell Immersion faculty, his work is anthologized in more than 20 other volumes across the religious spectrum. Alden also contributes regularly to RavBlog, ReformJudaism.org, and the Times of Israel. He’s a three-time winner of the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism. Alden made aliyah to Jerusalem in 2012. See his work at www.tobendlight.com. Alden can be reached at alden@tobendlight.com.
The session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
We are happy to offer this event for free. A suggested $18 donation has been added to the ticket. If you are unable to donate, you may remove that suggested amount from the ticket. Please consider donating if you’re able, to help us continue to offer free programs like this one.

Inner and Outer Peace Work Inspired by Etty Hillesum
2023-03-08 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
March 8, 15, 22, 29, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
We live in times of transition, witnessing a huge change in humanity, a time that calls us to face many challenges in the political arena. We need to find our voices to contribute to the change we aspire to see. We can find strength through solidarity, deep listening, and spiritual connection. The diaries of Etty Hillesum represent a woman who found her own path of spiritual resistance against a totalitarian regime and ideology. She searched for inner freedom, chose to believe in the humanness of all people, even her so-called “enemies,” and carried a vision of a better future in her heart no matter how hard life seemed. Using her writings as the basis for our inquiry, we will ask: What is peace work? How can we channel our anger and frustration so that it does not control us? How can we develop spiritual resilience, face thoughts of despair that sometimes threaten to take over, and step out of victimhood? What is our spiritual source? What is our vision for a better world? We will read excerpts from Hillesum’s diaries and discuss the topics of inner and outer peace, inner freedom, healing hatred, and spiritual development. We will engage in writing exercises, meditation, and group sharing. All are welcome.
Dina Awwad-Srour and Emma Sham-ba Ayalon are passionate women and peace workers who work for social change and global healing. Dina (Palestinian) is a lecturer and a writer on issues of women’s empowerment and sexuality. Emma Sham-Ba (Israeli) is a rabbi, poet, and artist. They created the Etty Hillesum Cards in three languages (English, Hebrew, and Arabic) in order to share the inspiration of Hillesum’s writings with others.

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

Inner and Outer Peace Work Inspired by Etty Hillesum
2023-03-08 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
March 8, 15, 22, 29, 2023, 12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
We live in times of transition, witnessing a huge change in humanity, a time that calls us to face many challenges in the political arena. We need to find our voices to contribute to the change we aspire to see. We can find strength through solidarity, deep listening, and spiritual connection. The diaries of Etty Hillesum represent a woman who found her own path of spiritual resistance against a totalitarian regime and ideology. She searched for inner freedom, chose to believe in the humanness of all people, even her so-called “enemies,” and carried a vision of a better future in her heart no matter how hard life seemed. Using her writings as the basis for our inquiry, we will ask: What is peace work? How can we channel our anger and frustration so that it does not control us? How can we develop spiritual resilience, face thoughts of despair that sometimes threaten to take over, and step out of victimhood? What is our spiritual source? What is our vision for a better world? We will read excerpts from Hillesum’s diaries and discuss the topics of inner and outer peace, inner freedom, healing hatred, and spiritual development. We will engage in writing exercises, meditation, and group sharing. All are welcome.
Dina Awwad-Srour and Emma Sham-ba Ayalon are passionate women and peace workers who work for social change and global healing. Dina (Palestinian) is a lecturer and a writer on issues of women’s empowerment and sexuality. Emma Sham-Ba (Israeli) is a rabbi, poet, and artist. They created the Etty Hillesum Cards in three languages (English, Hebrew, and Arabic) in order to share the inspiration of Hillesum’s writings with others.

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

Story Magic: Fiction Writing Through a Jewish Lens, Part 2
2023-03-02 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
From biblical and midrashic narratives to contemporary fiction published in literary journals, good stories ignite our imaginations and serve as portals to the human experience. In this generative workshop, we’ll explore the craft of fiction through reading and writing as we unfold the wings of imaginative prose. Each week we’ll discuss a short story, assimilate craft techniques, and write from prompts. This workshop is suitable for poets, journalists, fiction writers, and curious readers. While this immersion is a continuation of the fall series, new participants are encouraged to join.

Amy Gottlieb‘s debut novel The Beautiful Possible was a finalist for the 2017 Harold U. Ribalow Prize, a 2016 National Jewish Book Award and Edward Lewis Wallant Award. Her fiction and poetry have been published in Other Voices, Lilith, Puerto del Sol, Ilanot Review, On Being, Zeek, Storyscape, The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry, and elsewhere. She has received a Literary Fellowship and Residency from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and an Arts Fellowship from the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. Amy is a graduate of Clark University and the University of Chicago. She lives with her family on the edge of the Hudson River in New York City.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Jewish Art as Self-Defense
2023-02-28 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
February 28, March 7, 14, 21, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
Throughout history, Jewish artists have used their art as a tool for empowerment in the face of adversity. Join Black, Queer Jewish artist Ayeola Omolara Kaplan for a deep dive into creating artwork informed by Jewish social justice work. We will learn about Jewish artists and how their Jewish identity inspired their “art-ivism.” Ayeola will guide participants in creating an art piece in whichever medium they are most comfortable (visual, written, vocal, dance, etc.) in response to a social/environmental issue of their choice. This immersion will support both new and experienced creatives in learning to use art as a form of self-defense. By the end of the immersion, we each will have created a piece of art meant to empower us and developed art practices that we can return to during difficult times. We will celebrate the magic of creating art, and how to approach the creative process within the lens of Jewish spirituality.

You do not need to be experienced to create art. Art is a language we can all use. All you need is your enthusiasm to have fun and try something new.
There will be some designated time during each session for working on our art pieces; however, we encourage participants to spend some time outside of each session working on their piece. This ensures that we can spend most of the immersion learning/discussing/sharing with each other.

Ayeola Omolara Kaplan (she/her) is a Black, Queer, and Jewish artist. Through depicting the intersections of identity, class, and spirituality, Ayeola hopes to meaningfully contribute to the growing body of revolutionary art. Her work features electrifying, surrealist imagery, created to celebrate the empowerment of oppressed people. In her experience, art is equally a spiritual and political medium. Art is the language that Ayeola uses to fully reclaim the power within herself. She hopes that through sharing her work, she is able to help spread joy and inspire folks to live truthfully and committed to building a world where we can all experience peace, freedom, and equity.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

The Thinking Heart: Facing our Fears with the Wisdom of Etty Hillesum
2023-02-22 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
“Let me be the thinking heart of these barracks.” – Etty Hillesum
These powerful words were written from within Camp Westerbork, a transit camp in the Netherlands, by one of the most extraordinary writers during the Holocaust. Etty Hillesum was murdered in Auschwitz in 1943 at the age of 29. The diaries that she wrote in the last two years of her life are a document full of love, spirituality, compassion, and trust in life. With Hillesum as our inspiration, we will challenge ourselves to tap into our own “thinking hearts”: to face our feelings with awareness, to see the “other” without animosity, hatred, or bitterness. We will explore how Hillesum’s teachings can support the healing of individuals and nations. We will ask: What does it mean to be the thinking heart in times ruled by violence and fear? How can we connect with the power of our hearts? What is the guidance of my thinking heart? The session will include meditation, writing exercises, and group sharing.
Dina Awwad-Srour and Emma Sham-ba Ayalon are passionate women and peace workers who work for social change and global healing. Dina (Palestinian) is a lecturer and a writer on issues of women’s empowerment and sexuality. Emma Sham-Ba (Israeli) is a rabbi, poet, and artist. They created the Etty Hillesum Cards in three languages (English, Hebrew, and Arabic) in order to share the inspiration of Hillesum’s writings with others.
The session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
We are happy to offer this session for free. A suggested $18 donation has been added to the ticket. If you are unable to donate, you may remove that suggested amount from the ticket. Please consider donating if you’re able, to help us continue to offer free programs like this one.

Language at the Edge: Exploring Holocaust Poetry
2023-02-09 12:00 - 13:30
February 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9, 16, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
Join us for an in-depth look at the poetry of the Holocaust, some of the most profound poetry of witness known to humankind. These poems are borne within the extremity of survival and they are, as such, evidence of what occurred. They are also poems about the limits of language itself to convey the unimaginable. In this immersion, we will read deeply from a selection of poets who wrote about the Holocaust and learn about their lives, their stories, their survival, and their language. At the same time, we will explore our own lives, our family histories, and what it means to live in a post-Holocaust world. From these stories we will begin to form our own poems of witness.
Rachel Neve-Midbar is a poet and essayist. Her first full-length poetry 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 2014 chapbook, What the Light Reveals. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies. A current Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California, Rachel is also editor of Stained: An Anthology of Writing about Menstruation for the AuntFlo2020 Project. More at rachelnevemidbar.com.

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

Jewish Art as Prayer: A Guided Art Session
2023-02-07 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
Jewish artists over the centuries have used art as a form of prayer. In this interactive session, we’ll learn about the evolution of Jewish art and begin a new piece of art of your own. Participants are encouraged to bring in an image of their favorite piece of Jewish art that will become part of our discussion. We will close by sketching a piece inspired by an aspect of Judaism that is meaningful to us. Together we’ll learn about the rich history of Jewish art, engage with others interested in incorporating art into spiritual practice, and create in a supportive environment. Participants are welcome to use the medium of art most comfortable for them (written/vocal/visual/movement, etc.). No art experience necessary. Bring your enthusiasm to try something new!
Ayeola Omolara Kaplan (she/her) is a Black, Queer, and Jewish artist. Through depicting the intersections of identity, class, and spirituality, Ayeola hopes to meaningfully contribute to the growing body of revolutionary art. Her work features electrifying, surrealist imagery, created to celebrate the empowerment of oppressed people. In her experience, art is equally a spiritual and political medium. Art is the language that Ayeola uses to fully reclaim the power within herself. She hopes that through sharing her work, she is able to help spread joy and inspire folks to live truthfully and committed to building a world where we can all experience peace, freedom, and equity.
The session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
We are happy to offer this session for free. A suggested $18 donation has been added to the ticket. If you are unable to donate, you may remove that suggested amount from the ticket. Please consider donating if you’re able, to help us continue to offer free programs like this one.

Survival of the Word: Poetry for International Holocaust Remembrance Day
2023-01-26 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
Many of us have heard of Paul Celan and his haunting poem of the Holocaust, “Death Fugue”: “Black milk of daybreak, we drink you at night…” In preparation for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we’ll learn about some of Celan’s contemporaries: Nelly Sachs, Bertolt Brecht, Dan Paris, Abba Kovner, Primo Levi, Ida Fink, Abraham Sutzkever and many more, who wrote about one of the darkest moments in history. We will explore a bit about these poets’ biographies, how they survived the Holocaust, where they settled, the languages they wrote in, and sample their powerful poetry.
Rachel Neve-Midbar is a poet and essayist. Her first full-length poetry 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 2014 chapbook, What the Light Reveals. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies. A current Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California, Rachel is also editor of Stained: An Anthology of Writing about Menstruation for the AuntFlo2020 Project. More at rachelnevemidbar.com.

The session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
We are happy to offer this session for free. Please consider adding a donation to Ritualwell to help us continue to offer free programs like this one!

Miracles and the Strange: Writing Inspiration from Sephardic Folktales and Modern Speculative Fiction
2023-01-25 12:00 - 13:30
January 25, February 1, 8, 15, 22, March 1, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
Traditional Sephardic folktales take the experience of the marginalized Jewish diaspora and create narratives of hope and justice through inexplicable miracles and magical events. In this generative workshop, we will use these folktales of miracles as inspiration to write our own speculative stories, using elements of the strange amid a backdrop of realism. We will look to modern fiction by Karen Bender, Lina María Ferreira Cabeza-Venegas, Shirley Jackson and Samanta Schweblin, and examine how these writers grapple with social and cultural experiences, especially the realities of violence, misogyny, and anti-Semitism, through speculative approaches to storytelling. By the end of the workshop, each participant will have developed the beginning of their own piece of writing (in any genre) confronting social anxieties, fears, and the lived experience of being Jewish in this moment in history.
Leslie Contreras Schwartz is a multi-genre writer, a 2021 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow, and was the 2019–2021 Houston Poet Laureate. She is the author of four collections of poetry, including Black Dove / Paloma Negra (FlowerSong Press, 2020), a finalist for the Helen C. Smith Memorial Award for 2020 Best Book of Poetry from the Texas Institute of Letters; Fuego (St. Julian Press, 2016); and Nightbloom & Cenote (SJP, 2018), a semi-finalist for the 2017 Tupelo Press Dorset Prize, judged by Ilya Kaminsky. Her poet laureate community projects include Writing and Mindfulness: Creative Writing Exercises, a free e-book on mindfulness and writing, and the poetry film IT’S A MASK IT’S A VIRUS IT’S A KNEE, a collective, communal poetry film composed of poems written by Houstonians about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently a faculty member at Alma College’s MFA low-residency program in creative writing. For more about her work, visit lesliecschwartz.com.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Dreamwork as a Window to the Soul
2023-01-25 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
January 25, February 1, 15, March 1, 15, 29, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
“A dream unexplored is like a letter not read,” says Rabbi Hisda in the Talmud (Brachot 55b). The biblical Jacob before him called his dream a portal to the Divine. Kabbalists after them both called dreaming a form of prophecy.
For many of us, dreams have become especially vivid during these tumultuous times. Whether or not that is true for you, dreams are an invitation to look deeper. They can be a window to your soul and a channel for your divine inner voice. In six sessions, I will introduce you to the wonderful world of dreamwork in the method I was taught, which is primarily a Gestalt approach, influenced by my experience in spiritual companionship. The main principle in my dreamwork is that the dream belongs to the dreamer, and only the dreamer holds the key to decipher it. The role of the dreamworker is to help the dreamer understand their own dream, not interpret it for them.
Participants will be asked to start keeping a dream journal before the immersion begins, and together, we will share and work our dreams. Topics will include: keeping a dream journal, learning to “interview” our dream elements, the ego in the dream, following your intuition and curiosity, dreamwork as a spiritual practice, and more. Participants will be paired off into hevruta dream partners, and you will be invited to work together practicing the method between sessions, which will be every other week. Together, we will discuss texts on dreams in pairs and as a group, and work one another’s dreams in class, with me demonstrating and offering guidance.
Rabbi Dr. Haviva Ner-David is the rabbinic founder of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body, and Soul, the only mikveh in Israel open to all to immerse as they choose. Ordained as both a rabbi and an interfaith minister, certified as a spiritual companion (with a specialty in dream work), and with a doctorate on mikveh from Bar Ilan University, she offers mikveh guidance and spiritual companioning for individuals and couples, as well as mikveh workshops and classes for groups. Rabbi Haviva is the author of three spiritual journey memoirs and a novel. Her most recent memoir, Dreaming Against the Current: A Rabbi’s Soul Journey, is about her journey into interspirituality and dreamwork. Her two previous spiritual journey memoirs are titled: Chanah’s Voice: A Rabbi Wrestles with Gender, Commandment, and the Women’s Rituals of Baking, Bathing, and Brightening, and Life on the Fringes: A Feminist Journey Towards Traditional Rabbinic Ordination, a runner up for the National Jewish Book Council Awards. Hope Valley, her debut novel, is about the friendship between a Palestinian and a Jewish woman in Galilee, where Haviva lives. She is also the mother of seven and lives with FSHD, a form of muscular dystrophy, which has been one of her greatest teachers.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Wonder and Awe: Poetry as Play and Inquiry
2023-01-18 12:00 - 13:30
Poets are lovers of language play: riffing with lyricism and idiosyncratic phrases to describe a thought, creating eccentric rhythms and sound patterns, using different types of speech, or blending references from sources as disparate as the Bible to pop culture. A poet’s writing practice is cultivated by a sense of the wonder often found in child’s play—trying out new possibilities with language and seeing how it can be shaped differently to share our individual experiences. In this session, we will look at poets who engage with the creative fire and dance of language play as a tool to make serious inquiries about the world around us. We will read the work of Jewish poets Samuel Ace, Rosebud Ben-Oni, and Erika Meitner. We will experiment with writing our own short poems that involve play and thoughtfulness.
Leslie Contreras Schwartz is a multi-genre writer, a 2021 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow, and was the 2019–2021 Houston Poet Laureate. She is the author of four collections of poetry, including Black Dove / Paloma Negra (FlowerSong Press, 2020), a finalist for the Helen C. Smith Memorial Award for 2020 Best Book of Poetry from the Texas Institute of Letters; Fuego (St. Julian Press, 2016); and Nightbloom & Cenote (SJP, 2018), a semi-finalist for the 2017 Tupelo Press Dorset Prize, judged by Ilya Kaminsky. Her poet laureate community projects include Writing and Mindfulness: Creative Writing Exercises, a free e-book on mindfulness and writing, and the poetry film IT’S A MASK IT’S A VIRUS IT’S A KNEE, a collective, communal poetry film composed of poems written by Houstonians about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently a faculty member at Alma College’s MFA low-residency program in creative writing. For more about her work, visit lesliecschwartz.com.
The session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
We are happy to offer this session for free. Please consider adding a donation to Ritualwell to help us continue to offer free programs like this one!

Words of Power: Writing from the Language of Torah
2023-01-10 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
January 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7, 14, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
Tapping into the layers of meaning in key words of Torah will be our gateway into writing poetic midrash and interpretive Torah. Building on his forthcoming book from CCAR Press, These Words: Poetic Midrash on the Language of Torah, poet and liturgist Alden Solovy will open the well of Torah wisdom in words ranging from God’s names to the mysteries of creation.
Alden Solovy spreads joy and excitement for prayer. An American Israeli liturgist, lyricist, poet, author, and educator, Alden is the Liturgist-in-Residence for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Alden teaches prayer and spirituality throughout the world. Based in Jerusalem, his five solo books include This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day, This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings, and the newly released This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer, all published by CCAR Press. A regular contributor to Ritualwell and a member of the Ritualwell Immersion faculty, his work is anthologized in more than 20 other volumes across the religious spectrum. Alden also contributes regularly to RavBlog, ReformJudaism.org, and the Times of Israel. He’s a three-time winner of the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism. Alden made aliyah to Jerusalem in 2012. See his work at www.tobendlight.com. Alden can be reached at alden@tobendlight.com.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

ADVOT@Ritualwell Studio sessions - Winter semester
2023-01-09 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom

Dreaming Against the Current: Exploring Spiritual Modalities
2022-12-21 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
In this session, we will explore some of Rabbi Haviva’s favorite spiritual companioning modalities, including dreamwork, nature soul work, and inner child work. She will read excerpts from her new memoir, Dreaming Against the Current: A Rabbi’s Soul Journey, as examples of the modalities at work, and participants will be given prompts to begin to do some of that work themselves. There will be time for sharing as well. Participants are encouraged to come prepared with a pencil and notebook for journaling as well as an image from a dream, a significant childhood event you feel changed your life in some way, and a favorite animal, tree, or any other aspect of nature.
Rabbi Dr. Haviva Ner-David is the rabbinic founder of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body, and Soul, the only mikveh in Israel open to all to immerse as they choose. Ordained as both a rabbi and an interfaith minister, certified as a spiritual companion (with a specialty in dream work), and with a doctorate on mikveh from Bar Ilan University, she offers mikveh guidance and spiritual companioning for individuals and couples, as well as mikveh workshops and classes for groups. Rabbi Haviva is the author of three spiritual journey memoirs and a novel. Her most recent memoir, Dreaming Against the Current: A Rabbi’s Soul Journey, is about her journey into interspirituality and dreamwork. Her two previous spiritual journey memoirs are titled: Chanah’s Voice: A Rabbi Wrestles with Gender, Commandment, and the Women’s Rituals of Baking, Bathing, and Brightening, and Life on the Fringes: A Feminist Journey Towards Traditional Rabbinic Ordination, a runner up for the National Jewish Book Council Awards. Hope Valley, her debut novel, is about the friendship between a Palestinian and a Jewish woman in Galilee, where Haviva lives. She is also the mother of seven and lives with FSHD, a form of muscular dystrophy, which has been one of her greatest teachers.
The session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
We are happy to offer this session for free. Please consider adding a donation to Ritualwell to help us continue to offer free programs like this one!

Healing Through Writing: For Cancer Survivors and Those Facing Illness
2022-12-19 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
Cancer, like other forms of serious illness, is not simply a physical experience, but also emotional and spiritual. In order to heal from a cancer experience, we must address all three aspects. The physical healing is directed by our healthcare teams. There are many ways to heal emotionally and spiritually, but we often find ourselves navigating this on our own. Luckily, there are many ways we can enhance our healing. This session will focus on writing and ritual as a means of healing, which has been studied as an effective way to heal from both physical and emotional trauma. Led by Melissa K. Rosen, two-time cancer survivor, a member of ADVOT’s first cohort, and the Director of Training and Education at Sharsheret: The Jewish Breast and Ovarian Cancer Community. This program is open to all who have been impacted by illness.
Melissa K. Rosen, Sharsheret’s Director of Training and Education, holds a master’s degree in Jewish Communal Service from Brandeis University and has been working in the non-profit sector for over 30 years. Her professional experience includes informal education and programming, advocacy, and community outreach. Melissa has facilitated unique and lasting connections among organizations in the diverse American Jewish community. Melissa oversees community education throughout the country, training health care professionals, Jewish professionals, and Sharsheret’s volunteers. She also manages Sharsheret’s Community Partnerships. Herself a two-time cancer survivor, Melissa has used writing as a healing technique. She is passionate about the Jewish community and cancer support and advocacy.
The session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
We are happy to offer this session for free. Please consider adding a donation to Ritualwell to help us continue to offer free programs like this one!

This Little Light of Mine: 8 Mindful Rituals for Hanukkah
2022-12-13 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
During Hanukkah, at the heart of winter, we enact a ritual that teaches us to grow in our light. Starting with a single flickering flame, the festival of lights concludes with a glorious fully lit menorah, visible through the window, shining from within and out to the world. How can we allow this ritual to transform us? Join Dr. Mira Neshama Weil for a session dedicated to shining our light within and without. Through reflecting on the meaning of the festival, meditating, and learning rituals for our menorah lighting each night, we will prepare for Hanukkah with purpose and presence and make each day of lighting the menorah a truly meaningful, transformative practice. The session comprises text study, guided meditation, ritual learning and time for questions and sharings. People of all backgrounds are welcome.
Dr. Mira Neshama Weil is a Paris-born scholar and teacher of Jewish spirituality and meditation. A post-doctoral fellow (Hebrew University of Jerusalem/Oxford University) working on contemporary Jewish spirituality, a certified Jewish Experiential Educator (Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies/Yesod European Fellows), a Certified Mindfulness Instructor (Mindfulness Training Institute), a Certified Jewish Mindfulness Teacher (Institute for Jewish Spirituality), and a Certified Vinyasa-Ashtanga Yoga teacher (RYT 200h at Sira Yoga), she teaches Torah and Jewish meditation internationally for institutions such as Or HaLev, Applied Jewish Spirituality, the Romemu Yeshiva, IJS, Moishe House, and more. She lives in Tel Aviv with her husband Matan and their dog Nissim, and when she’s not busy learning or teaching about Jewish spirituality, she works on growing her illustration portfolio and her guitar and Hebrew chanting, while experimenting to bake the perfect challah.
The session will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
We are happy to offer this session for free. Please consider adding a donation to Ritualwell to help us continue to offer free programs like this one!

Soul of Shabbat: Writing from the Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy
2022-11-28 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
November 28, 30, December 5, 7, 12, 14, 2022
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
Shabbat is a time of sanctity and rest that has inspired poets and liturgists for centuries. In this immersion, we’ll explore the Kabbalat Shabbat service as a doorway into writing our own prayers and poems about Shabbat. We’ll examine core themes and metaphors of Shabbat as well as related textual sources. We’ll delve into Shalom Aleichem and Lecha Dodi as well as themes of creation, light, oneg (delight), and neshamah yeteirah, the special gift of an additional “Sabbath soul.” Join poet and liturgist Alden Solovy as we use each of these themes as an invitation to create new Shabbat poetry and prayer.
Alden Solovy spreads joy and excitement for prayer. An American Israeli liturgist, lyricist, poet, author, and educator, Alden is the Liturgist-in-Residence for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Alden teaches prayer and spirituality throughout the world. Based in Jerusalem, his five solo books include This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day, This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings, and the newly released This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer, all published by CCAR Press. A regular contributor to Ritualwell and a member of the Ritualwell Immersion faculty, his work is anthologized in more than 20 other volumes across the religious spectrum. Alden also contributes regularly to RavBlog, ReformJudaism.org, and the Times of Israel. He’s a three-time winner of the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism. Alden made aliyah to Jerusalem in 2012. See his work at www.tobendlight.com. Alden can be reached at alden@tobendlight.com.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Ukrainian Jewish Experience through the Lens of Literature
2022-11-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
In this immersion, we’ll read some of the most iconic and unforgettable Ukrainian-Jewish writers and poets: Isaac Babel, Sholem Aleichem, Lidiya Ginzburg, Der Nister, and others. Religious or secular, written in Russian or Yiddish, these works bring the old world roaring back with humor, wisdom, tragedy, dreams, eros, and above all, a rich Jewish history. Keeping Ukraine and its people in our hearts minds will be both a balm and a tribute in this difficult time.
Jake Marmer is a poet, performer, and educator. He is the author of three poetry collections: Cosmic Diaspora (Station Hill Press, 2020), as well as The Neighbor Out of Sound (2018) and Jazz Talmud (2012), both from The Sheep Meadow Press. He also released two klez-jazz-poetry records: Purple Tentacles of Thought and Desire (2020, with Cosmic Diaspora Trio), and Hermeneutic Stomp (Blue Fringe Music, 2013). Jake is the poetry critic for Tablet Magazine. Born in the provincial steppes of Ukraine, in a city that was renamed four times in the past 100 years, Jake lives in LA.

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

Writing the Spiritual Essay
2022-11-03 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
Your search for meaning. Describing the indescribable. Your life purpose. Honoring the sacred. Reframing a tragic moment from your life. Whether you are atheist, agnostic, spiritual, mystical, full of faith, full of doubt or some of both – how can we write about the spiritual part of our lives? Finding the words for the spiritual side of your life – or lack thereof – offers the chance for powerful personal growth. In this immersion, we’ll use sections of essays and memoirs to help us dig into elements that make a personal narrative spiritual. What separates this writing from personal, confessional, coming-of-age or quest pieces? We’ll discuss scene, detail, language, pacing, storyline, structure, voice and theme. Writing prompts will be offered each week, and we’ll share work in progress. Writers of all levels and backgrounds are welcome.
Ellen 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.

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

Story Magic: Fiction Writing Through a Jewish Lens, Part 1
2022-11-01 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
From biblical and midrashic narratives to contemporary fiction published in literary journals, good stories ignite our imaginations and serve as portals to the human experience. In this generative workshop, we’ll explore the craft of fiction through reading and writing as we unfold the wings of imaginative prose. Each week we’ll discuss a short story, assimilate craft techniques, and write from prompts. This workshop is suitable for poets, journalists, fiction writers, and curious readers.
Amy Gottlieb‘s debut novel The Beautiful Possible was a finalist for the 2017 Harold U. Ribalow Prize, a 2016 National Jewish Book Award and Edward Lewis Wallant Award. Her fiction and poetry have been published in Other Voices, Lilith, Puerto del Sol, Ilanot Review, On Being, Zeek, Storyscape, The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry, and elsewhere. She has received a Literary Fellowship and Residency from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and an Arts Fellowship from the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. Amy is a graduate of Clark University and the University of Chicago. She lives with her family on the edge of the Hudson River in New York City.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

ADVOT@Ritualwell Studio sessions - Fall semester
2022-10-25 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom

Written in Moonlight: A Monthly Rosh Hodesh Journey
2022-10-25 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
This group meets monthly from October through June. You may register for individual monthly sessions or the full year. All sessions will be recorded in case you can’t attend live.
Full year (9 months): $300 (save $24!)
Single sessions: $36 each
Join us for Ritualwell’s inaugural monthly Rosh Hodesh experience! Each month, from October through June, we will gather virtually for ritual and writing in a creative-spiritual liminal space. We will be guided by the ancient Jewish tradition of welcoming each month with the emergence of the new moon. We will honor the wisdom and practices of our foremothers, recalling that Rosh Hodesh has historically been a sacred time for women—and celebrating those women who our tradition lifts up throughout the year—while raising a tent that is wide enough for all who wish to enter. At each gathering, participants will be invited to contribute a short song, prayer, meditation, niggun, poem, story, kavannah, or drash dedicated to the emerging month, followed by teaching, discussion, and writing prompts led by Sivan Rotholz, a ritualist, community builder, and professor of gynocentric Torah and creative writing who believes deeply in the magic of the new moon. People of all genders and backgrounds are welcome. No previous ritual, writing, or Rosh Hodesh experience necessary.
Sivan Rotholz is a professor of gynocentric Torah and creative writing. She has taught at Brooklyn College, Tel Aviv University, Columbia/Barnard Hillel, Moishe House, and elsewhere, and has shared her Torah in synagogues and living rooms across the globe. Her writing has appeared in the Jewish Journal, 929, and Ritualwell, among other publications. She is the Education Director for Achayot – Jewish Women Writers, and is pursuing rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion.

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

Meditating with the Siddur
2022-10-24 13:00 - 14:30 | Zoom
Prayer is a means to connect meaningfully to the infinite loving center of the universe. Yet praying from words written by other people in very different contexts from our own can be challenging. If we slow down our encounter with each prayer, we can appreciate that they are each a carefully composed work of spiritual technology. They are roadmaps of inner discovery, full of questions that can invite us to open to new experiences of self-awareness, gratitude, empathy, love, resilience, connection, and wholeness. In this immersion, we will explore prayers from Shacharit (the Morning Service) as invitations to meditative practices and exercises, including embodied movement, writing exercises, guided visualizations, chanting, and so on. Together, we will deepen our experiential connection to prayers such as the Shema and the Amidah, in ways that we can later draw upon whenever we desire. With each prayer, we will search for how it resonates within us, and how it can support us in our ongoing journey of becoming our best possible selves. There will also be space for intentional sharing, so we will be enriched by both our own inner experiences and that of our fellow community members.
Daniel Raphael Silverstein is a rabbi, educator, meditation teacher and MC/poet. He lives in Israel with his family, where he directs Applied Jewish Spirituality, an online portal which makes the transformative spiritual wisdom of our tradition accessible to all who seek it. Daniel is an accredited teacher of Jewish Mindfulness Meditation and regularly teaches classes and retreats. Daniel was born and raised in London, and he 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.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Filling the Well: A Monthly Embodied Creativity Salon
2022-10-19 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
In this FREE monthly drop-in salon, we will use embodied practices, including breathing, sound meditation, and movement to quiet the inner critic, calm the nervous system, and open the creative channel. From that place we will explore generative prompts designed to free your creative expression. You will leave the space more deeply connected to your authentic creative voice and ready to put it to use.

Elana 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 in 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

Please note these sessions will not be recorded.
We are happy to offer this series for free. Please consider adding a donation to Ritualwell to help us continue to offer free programs like this one!

Songs of the Grass: Exploring Jewish Eco-Poetry
2022-10-13 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
“Each and every grass has a song” – Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav
The Jewish environmental movement has sought to excavate and breathe new life into ancient texts that call us to right relationship with this fragile and holy earth. Jewish poets vividly describe the human encounter with plants, animals, and the elements where they often find intimations of the Divine or cause for protest on behalf of the non-human world. Together we’ll read poetry and other Jewish writings that will inspire our own experiments with eco-poetry. Some poets we will read include Marge Piercy, Muriel Rukeyser, Alicia Ostriker, Adrienne Rich, Denise Levertov, Stanley Moss, Stuart Kestenbaum, Phillip Levine, Mónica Gomery, and more! We’ll engage in writing exercises, some of which will take us outside to our local environments to allow us to listen to, and translate, the voices of the earth. You will come away with a deepened appreciation for Jewish wisdom on the environment and a number of poem drafts that will help you envision your personal Torah of the earth.
Hila Ratzabi is the author of the poetry collection There Are Still Woods, forthcoming in September 2022 from June Road Press. She holds a BA in English/Creative Writing from Barnard College, a BA in Jewish Philosophy from the Jewish Theological Seminary (Double Degree Program, 2003), and an MFA in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College (2007). Her poetry is published in a variety of literary journals and in The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry and Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology. Her articles have appeared in publications including The Wisdom Daily, MyJewishLearning.com, the Jewish Daily Forward, Kveller, Alma, and Zeek. Ratzabi is Director of Virtual Content & Programs at Ritualwell.org and lives in Oak Park, Il., outside Chicago, with her spouse and two children.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
