Rainbow Lev: Jewish LGBTQ+ Teen Leadership Program

Led by Chaplain Reed Kolber
March 3, 10, 17, 24, 7:00pm–8:30pm ET

$144 for four sessions, scholarships available upon personal request  

 

Join fellow LGBTQ+ Jewish teens across the globe in this four-week leadership series reclaiming and queering Jewish ritual experience. This workshop will give you the skills to use ritual as a tool for empowerment, inspirational change and joyous celebration!

 

LGBTQ+ folks are among the most creative people on this planet, creating realities and reimagining a world from the inside out—not of how things are but to how things could be. We are visionaries. Rainbow Lev is about coming together and stepping up as leaders. We are living in a time where your voice is needed more than ever. Together we will explore Jewish ritual throughout time and learn to craft personal rituals by weaving in the power of words, song, movement, body-positivity, artistic expression and the earthly elements.

In our four weeks together, we will explore ancient ritual practices, honor our queer elders, experiment with Torah and embody ritual. By the end of this program, you will come away with the knowledge and practical tools to build innovative rituals for yourself and your communities, and to have the confidence to lead them.

 

Each participant will have the opportunity to meet with the teacher for one-on-one mentorship before the beginning of the program to craft personal goals. After the last session you will have the chance to meet again to reflect on your growth and receive guidance going forward related to previous goals.

 

Week 1: Build a safe and celebratory sacred container for sharing, learning and connecting. We will explore the ancient ritual practices of building a mizbeiakh (altar) and using fire to sanctify sacred time and to mark change. Modern views of ritual and their basic components will be discussed.

 

Week 2: Explore honoring our ancestors, our diverse Jewish lineages, our transcestors and our queer elders. Each teen will have the opportunity to study an LGBTQ+ Jewish ancestor. We will reflect on each of our chosen lineages and the traditions we choose to carry forward in our lives.

 

Week 3: Investigate the power of words through Torah text. We will experiment with using language in creative ritual practice for healing, release and gathering strength.

 

Week 4: Use the ancient practice of movement in prayer. According to Jewish tradition, the bones in our spine hold special meaning. What is the story in your spine? This week we honor our bodies in all their wisdom. At the close, each person will have the opportunity to share a ritual they have designed with the new tools they have acquired.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

All sessions will be recorded and available to participants. You may join the session live or watch recordings at your own convenience.

To view our full list of online learning opportunities visit: www.ritualwell.org/learn

Chaplain Reed Kolber (they/them/theirs) is a passionate teacher, spiritual counselor, and musician. They have led Gender Spectrum’s online support groups for LGBTQ+ teens living all over the world. With over ten years of experience across Jewish movements and interfaith settings, Reed completed their chaplaincy residency at St. Mary's Medical Center where they focused on bringing yoga, music and spiritual practices to the adolescent psychiatric ward. Reed is a hospice chaplain, certified massage therapist and yoga teacher, and has had a spiritual counseling, life cycle facilitation and bodywork private practice for the past decade. Reed received their Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University in Women's and Gender Studies. They studied at Pardes in Jerusalem in a Year Fellowship Program and for two years at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Reed completed a Master’s in Judaic Studies, specializing in Jewish Values, Ethics and Action from the Academy of Jewish Religion in California. Their Master's capstone project received Jewish Innovation grants from Reconstructing Judaism and Clal to support the continuing of the project. Reed currently serves as the Community Manager at the Safety, Respect and Equity Network that promotes gender justice in the Jewish world. Reed lives in the San Francisco Bay Area of California with their partner Maggie and their pup Quincy.