issue #014: counting seven
weeks of omer, months of horror
hi sweet community! i hope your pesach was meaningful, and that you are finding inspiration to keep resisting, challenging, and building everywhere you look. students on university and college campuses all over north america rising up and demanding divestment from companies enabling the siege on gaza has been so inspiring. as always, please lean on community — i hope the events in this issue help with that.
a reminder: 🧿SHTETL CRIER has shifted to a monthly cadence. next issue comes out june 1st! keep submitting!
housekeeping
this newsletter is “too long” for your email & will get cut off. go to shtetlcrier.substack.com to read the entire post
new events that haven’t appeared in a prior issue are marked with 🆕
an event appearing in this newsletter is not an endorsement of said event
this newsletter is free & compiled with love for community. and i wouldn’t say no if you ever wanted to buy me a coffee
i would love to see more canadian events outside of toronto in future issues. if you know progressive jews living outside toronto, please share this newsletter with them
& lastly: help me get the word out about 🧿SHTETL CRIER! share this newsletter / tiktok / instagram reel / instagram post / facebook post
🇨🇦 canadian events
exhibition opening
🆕Opening Reception | Maxwell M. Kalman: Lessons from the Ordinary (Museum of Jewish Montreal / Musée du Montréal juif)
📆May 2, 2024 / 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST
📍Quebec > Montreal > Museum of Jewish Montreal, 5220 Boul. Saint-Laurent
Join the Museum of Jewish Montreal for an opening reception to celebrate our first heritage exhibition at our Mile End home, "Maxwell M. Kalman: Lessons from the Ordinary." This display is a photographic retrospective of the career of Maxwell M. Kalman, who designed buildings for Montreal's working class, affluent families, as well as Jewish businesses and institutions that still stand proudly today. Initially presented at McGill University's School of Architecture in 2006, we are thrilled to be re-staging this exhibition to new eyes, with materials on loan from the Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives.
Following some remarks from the Museum's team, guests are welcome to explore the exhibition, as well as meet the original curators and archivists behind the 2006 exhibition. Pre-registration is required for all who wish to attend. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🎨Art & Craft
🤔Questions? austin@imjm.caevent
🆕How Does an Archive Breathe? A Look Inside the Jewish Museum Berlin (Museum of Jewish Montreal / Musée du Montréal juif)
📆May 5, 2024 / 1-3PM ET
📍Quebec > Montreal > Museum of Jewish Montreal, 5220 Boul. Saint-Laurent
Join the Museum of Jewish Montreal for a special look inside the holdings of the Jewish Museum Berlin, presented by head archivist Aubrey Pomerance. The Jewish Museum Berlin is one of the outstanding institutions on the European museum landscape. The family collections that have been donated to the museum by German Jewish families and their descendants from around the world offer a fascinating insight into almost all aspects of Jewish life in Germany. Aubrey Pomerance will present examples from various collections spanning numerous centuries and elucidate the various ways that the holdings are utilized. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 📚Education
🤔Questions? anya@imjm.caworkshop / class
🆕Hinenu: We Are Here (LGBTQ+ at the J & Machane Lev)
📆May 5, 2024 / 2:30-5PM ET
📍Ontario > Toronto > Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave.
LGBTQ+ at the J and Machane Lev invite youth aged 11-18 to participate in the creation of a collective art installation. The art created during this workshop will be on display in The Gallery at the J during Pride Month.
About the exhibit:
The Hebrew word "hinenu" means "we are here." This installation will explore Queer and Trans Jewish visibility at summer camp. Riffing off the common graffiti tagline "___ was here," we will intentionally create space to write, scribble, collage, leave handprints, doodle, and claim a space as our own. Queer Jews have always been here, and will always be here. Let's create something that shows the power and necessity of Queer Jewish playfulness, friendship, and care! Learn more
For: Youth, Queer & Trans Jews
Tags: 🎨Art & Craft, ✊Social Justice
🤔Questions? emunahw@mnjcc.orgevent
🆕Psychology Unplugged: A Musical Conversation About Judaism and the Mind (Museum of Jewish Montreal / Musée du Montréal juif)
📆May 7, 2024 / 7-9PM ET
📍Quebec > Montreal > Museum of Jewish Montreal, 5220 Boul. Saint-Laurent
Join Rabbi Adina Lewittes and musician Ryan Stotland for an exploration of psychology through song and scripture. This program will weave together original music and deep Jewish teachings to explore how to harness the complexities of our brains and the stressors of contemporary life in the search for more mindful, grounded living. Over the course of the night, we’ll take a new look at ideas such as the gift of stress, the success of failure and our brains on G-d, among others. Guests are invited to participate in this rich and wide-reaching discussion through a Q&A period. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🎶Music, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? anya@imjm.caevent
Warsaw Ghetto Memorial: Looking at Resistance Through the Lens of Family History (United Jewish People's Order/Jews for Social Justice Winnipeg)
📆May 7, 2024 / 7-9PM CT
📍Manitoba > Winnipeg > 591 Pritchard Avenue (at McGregor)
An annual program of remembrance of the fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto, with an address by Cecil Rosner, whose parents survived the Nazi occupation of Poland and moved to Winnipeg in 1948. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 📚Education, ✊Social Justice
🤔Questions? united.jpo.canada@gmail.comcourse
🆕Lishma Jewish Learning Project - Spring Semester (Lishma Jewish Learning Project)
📆starts May 8, 2024 / 7-9PM ET
📍Ontario > Toronto > Holy Blossom, 1950 Bathurst St
Lishma is excited to share this semester of learning for the sake of learning, for those in their 20s and 30s. Join us this spring for:
- Deeper Time: Ancestral Altars and Connections Beyond the Moment with Robbie Solway
- Shabbat Lab (presented in partnership with Jewish& + OneTable)
- Sacred Space: Co-creating an Ancestral Altar
- Are You There, God?: Exploring Theology through the lens of Torah and Commentary with Lara Rodin
Learn more
For: Adults in their 20s & 30s
Tags: 🌚Holiday Observance, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? Laurens@mnjcc.orgevent
🆕Jewish& at the Toronto Holocaust Museum (Jewish&)
📆May 8, 2024 / 7-9PM ET
📍Ontario > Toronto > Toronto Holocaust Museum, 4588 Bathurst St
Jewish& invites interfaith/mixed heritage couples for a guided tour of the new Toronto Holocaust Museum and post-tour facilitated conversation. Led by Museum staff, couples will delve into the stories of survival, agency, and courage, learning about the Holocaust through the lens of survivors who made new lives in Canada. Together, we'll examine how these narratives resonate within our modern context and the significance they hold for those in interfaith relationships. Through guided discussions and reflective exercises led by facilitator Rabbi Denise Handlarski, couples will have the opportunity to explore their own connections to the stories shared, deepening their understanding of each other's backgrounds and experiences, and fostering meaningful dialogue. Learn more
For: Adults, Interfaith / Multicultural / Mixed Heritage Couples
Tags: 📚Education, 🥳Social
🤔Questions? Laurens@mnjcc.orgevent
🆕Free Film Screening: The Wild One (Miles Nadal JCC)
📆May 9, 2024 / 1-3PM ET
📍Ontario > Toronto > Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina Ave
The award-winning documentary The Wild One explores the legacy of Jack Garfein, celebrated Broadway director, Actors Studio West co-founder, controversial filmmaker who confronted censorship, and Holocaust survivor. This film screening - in honour of Holocaust Remembrance Day - is made possible by Jewish Story Partners and Good Docs. Presented by the Miles Nadal JCC in partnership with Toronto Public Library as part of its Jewish Heritage Series. Learn more
For: Adults
Tags: ✊Social Justice, Holocaust Education; Film History
🤔Questions? lisar@mnjcc.orgworkshop / class
🆕Kultur-krayzl Workshop Series - Roots & Stems: Intergenerational Storytelling (KlezKanada & L’Annexe: the Ometz Centre for Young Adults)
📆starts May 9, 2024 / 3:30-5PM ET
📍Quebec > Montreal > Cummings Centre, 5700 Westbury Ave
Come join us for Roots & Stems, a three-part workshop series designed to bring different generations together through art, storytelling, and shared experiences! Welcoming those aged 16-35 and 50+ to share and learn from each other, this series is open to all - no previous art experience needed!
At each workshop, we'll begin with a guided art activity that will spark conversation and offer space for personal storytelling. From exploring life rituals to delving into creative memoirs, we'll be exploring topics that resonate across ages and which invite us to cultivate multigenerational friendships and connections. Each session builds on the last, so folks who can make it to all three dates (May 9, May 16, May 30) will be prioritized! Learn more
For: Youth, Everyone Aged 16-35 and 50+
Tags: 🥳Social, 🎨Art & Craft
🤔Questions? info@klezkanada.orgevent
🆕LGBTQ+ Shabbat Dinner (LGBTQ+ at the J)
📆May 10, 2024 / 6:30-9PM ET
📍Ontario > Toronto > Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave.
Please join us for our monthly LGBTQ+ Shabbat Dinner. These dinners are designed to intentionally create space for LGBTQ+ Jews and our loved ones to gather, share a Shabbat meal, and build community. This month we have Shira Bodnar leading us in song, and an opportunity to wish multiple community members a mazal tov on upcoming celebrations! Learn more
For: Everyone, Queer & Trans Jews
Tags: 🥳Social, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? emunahw@mnjcc.orgservices
🆕Jewish& Synagogue Scouts at Annex Shul (Jewish&)
📆May 11, 2024 / 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM ET
📍Ontario > Toronto > Annex Shul, 36 Harbord St
Interested in exploring congregational life in Toronto, but unsure of what might be a good fit for you/your family? Anxious about stepping into a new synagogue space for the first time? Come explore Toronto’s synagogues with your Jewish& community. Together we will scout out different services, experience what they have to offer, and hear directly from their leadership about how they are welcoming Jewish& (interfaith / mixed heritage / multicultural) people and families into their communities. Bring your curiosity and your questions, and let’s explore! Be sure to sign up for our mailing list to hear about more upcoming scouting trips. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🥳Social, 🌚Holiday Observance, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? Laurens@mnjcc.orgevent
🆕The Book of Izzy: Book Launch and Discussion with Author Ben Gonshor (Museum of Jewish Montreal / Musée du Montréal juif)
📆May 14, 2024 / 7-9PM ET
📍Quebec > Montreal > Museum of Jewish Montreal, 5220 Boul. Saint-Laurent
We invite you to join us to celebrate the launch of Ben Gonshor's debut novel, The Book of Izzy. Accompanying the author for a discussion will be literary translator Sebastian Schulman. Complimentary wine and refreshments will be provided. Copies of The Book of Izzy will be available for purchase, with thanks to Bibliophile Bookstore. Please note that pre-registration is required for all who wish to attend. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: Literary
🤔Questions? austin@imjm.caevent
🆕LGBTQ+ Lag B'Omer (LGBTQ+ at the J)
📆May 26, 2024 / 4-6PM ET
📍Ontario > Toronto > Christie Pits, 750 Bloor St W.
Join LGBTQ+ at the J around the fire to celebrate Lag B’Omer. We will sing songs, roast marshmallows, and have gender affirming haircuts available! This holiday marks the end of a mourning period in the Jewish calendar and is traditionally celebrated by gathering around a bonfire with music. As some people refrain from cutting their hair during the mourning period, there is also a tradition of getting your hair cut. What a perfect way to celebrate our chosen gender presentations and increasing our joy by getting a fireside gender-affirming cut! Learn more
For: Queer & Trans Jews
Tags: 🥳Social, 🌚Holiday Observance, ✨Wellness
🤔Questions? emunahw@mnjcc.orgretreat
KlezKanada's Summer Retreat (KlezKanada)
📆August 20-26, 2024
📍Quebec > Sainte-Agathe-Des-Monts > Dos bisele glik (Le P’tit Bonheur)
KlezKanada's Summer Retreat is a place where a true community is formed and where the living, vibrant tradition of Yiddish culture and Jewish music continues to thrive. Each year, KlezKanada's Summer Retreat draws people from around the world. Whether on the shores of a calm lake, nestled amongst the beautiful Laurentian mountains or through the screen, participants celebrate the tradition, innovation, and continuity of Jewish music and Yiddish culture. Intergenerational, interdisciplinary, and international, KlezKanada's Summer Retreat has grown into one of the leading Jewish cultural events in the world. Registration information coming April. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 📚Education, 🥳Social, 🎶Music, Yiddish
🤔Questions? info@klezkanada.org💻 virtual
course
🆕Sephardic and Mizrahi Identities: Beyond Ashkenormativity (Judaism Unbound)
📆starts May 1, 2024 / 12-1:30PM ET, 9-10:30AM PT
💻virtual
Ready to dive into an exciting exploration of Sephardic and Mizrahi identities? This course is a journey through the vibrant cultures, traditions, and stories that make these communities so unique. We'll be delving into everything from customs and languages to rituals that set Sephardic and Mizrahi experiences apart from the more well-known Ashkenazi Jewish traditions. We'll also be shining a light on Ashkenazi dominance in Jewish narratives and making space for Sephardic and Mizrahi voices to be heard loud and clear.
Throughout the course, we'll be mixing things up with readings, videos, and group chats, so you'll get a feel for the diverse journeys of Sephardic and Mizrahi communities. From the expulsion from Spain to the spread across the Middle East and North Africa, we'll be covering it all. By the end of this course, you'll be equipped to challenge the status quo and embrace a more inclusive view of Jewish identity—one that celebrates the rich contributions of Sephardic and Mizrahi communities. Learn more
For: Adults
Tags: 📚Education, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? hello@judaismunbound.comworkshop / class
🆕International Workers Day with The Workers' Studio (Jewish Studio Project)
📆May 1, 2024 / 7-9PM ET, 4-6PM PT
💻virtual
A space to decompress, rest, and feel nourished through creativity in honor of International Workers Day. This session aims to center the experience Jewish and Jewish-adjacent essential workers, gig workers, artists, and activists. During these weekly 90-minute, virtual sessions we’ll use the Jewish Studio Process, a unique methodology combining practices from the field of art therapy with a reimagined approach to Jewish learning, to cultivate our inherent creativity as a spiritual practice. No previous art-making experience necessary. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🎨Art & Craft, ✊Social Justice
🤔Questions? info@jewishstudioproject.orgcourse
🆕Prayer as Home for the Soul: Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Teachings on Prayer (Judaism Unbound)
📆starts May 1, 2024 / 7-8:30PM ET, 4-5:30PM PT
💻virtual
Many are familiar with Abraham Joshua Heschel’s teachings of the Sabbath as a cathedral in time, or of his time marching in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which he described as “I felt my legs were praying.” Less widely known, however, are Heschel’s deep insights into the practice of prayer.
In this three-part series, we’ll explore what, according to Heschel, makes prayer hard, what makes it powerful, and what makes it necessary. Using excerpts from essays such as “On Prayer” (1969) and “The Spirit of Jewish Prayer (1958), we’ll explore what a prayer practice can offer us, including creating a a home for the soul, a pathway to radical amazement, a response to divine pathos, and a way to attune to the divine. We will also utilize reflections, meditations, and and other practices to experience and experiment with these concepts. Come those who love praying, those who feel they don’t know how to pray, those who wrestle with prayer, and those who hold beautifully expansive views of what prayer can be. Learn more
For: Adults
Tags: 📚Education, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? hello@judaismunbound.comcourse
🆕The Sacred Shmuck: Uncovering Your Inner Jewish Fool (Judaism Unbound)
📆starts May 2, 2024 / 8-9:30PM ET, 5-6:30PM PT
💻virtual
Embrace your inner shmuck and discover the wisdom of the fool in Jewish tradition - through embodied play! In this lively 3-week online course, we'll explore classic Jewish archetypes and bring them to life using clown games and exercises.
Each week we'll meet a different kind of Jewish fool - from the schlemiel and schlimazel of Yiddish folklore, to the wise men of Chelm. Through chevruta-style study and physical embodiment of Jewish stories and jokes, we'll examine what makes these characters tick and what hidden wisdom lies beneath their wacky antics. But this is no ordinary Jewish literature class! Get ready to embody the fool's spirit yourself through guided clowning exercises and techniques. We'll try on Jewish comedic personas and devise our own modern-day Jewish fool characters. Combining physical theater games with traditional Jewish learning, each session will invite you to not just study fools, but experience the liberating power of sacred silliness for yourself. Learn more
For: Adults
Tags: 📚Education, Theatre
🤔Questions? hello@judaismunbound.comworkshop / class
🆕🧿Sefardi Amulets and Plant Protection with Naomi Spector🪬 (Bibi + ni and Rowan + Sage)
📆May 5, 2024 / 3-4:30PM ET, 12-1:30PM PT
💻virtual
Sefardi Jews, who journeyed into various diasporas since the expulsion of the Jews and Muslims from Spain in 1492, have powerful relationships with plants that they were either able to travel with or that were common enough across different regions to continue to access despite displacement. In this class, we will explore the rich Sefardi folk tradition of crafting amulets for spiritual protection–from Algerian coral necklaces to Turkish rue and almond cakes.
We’ll discover the answers to the questions: Why do Jews make amulets, and how do we use them? How have Sefardim protected themselves from the “evil eye,” and what does this teach us about Sefardi cultures? And finally, we’ll learn how some Sefardi traditions and rituals for protection invoke the power of the ocean and the natural power of water 🪸 Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 📚Education, 🌿Nature, 🙏Religion & Spirituality, ✨Wellness
🤔Questions? nspector@bibiandni.comcourse
Presence and Absence: Images of the Divine in Kabbalah (Jewish Studio Project)
📆starts May 7, 2024 / 12-2PM ET, 9-11AM PT
💻virtual
We live in a time of deep division and loneliness. The Zohar, the 13th- century Kabbalistic work, offers rich and beautiful images to speak to this separation, and equally powerful ways to imagine divine presence, healing, and connection. In this series we will delve into the multifaceted, dynamic Divine through the radical imagination of the Zohar. We’ll bring what we discover into our own creativity through the Jewish Studio Process, a faciliated, intuitive use of art materials and reflective writing. We’ll pay particular attention to the experience of the Shekhinah, the feminine, immanent, indwelling Sacred Presence.
This practice is appropriate for absolute beginners and experienced artists who would like to explore this imagery. The focus isn’t on creating a polished piece of artwork, but rather on deepening your own intuition, insight and voice. During this series, we will harvest the insights and images that have come onto the page in word and color to write new midrash and liturgy. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🎨Art & Craft, 🙏Religion & Spirituality, ✨Wellness
🤔Questions? info@jewishstudioproject.orglecture
🆕Jewish Self-Defense in the Russian Empire 1903-1905 (YIVO)
📆May 8, 2024 / 1-2PM ET, 10-11AM PT
💻virtual
The phenomenon of self-defense against anti-Jewish violence prior to World War II has remained a largely unexplored topic. This presentation will delve into the history of Jewish local guard and self-defense units in Jewish communities in the Russian Empire before and during the failed 1905 revolution. Among the issues discussed will be the formation and leadership of Jewish self-defense units, the political and socio-economic background of their members, as well as contemporaneous Jewish discourse and debate on both the efficacy and the necessity of self-defense. By shedding light on Jewish resistance to pogroms through analysis of a variety of primary sources, Netta Ehrlich will contribute to our understanding of the development of Jewish self-defense both in theory and in practice. Learn more
For: Adults
Tags: 📚Education, History
🤔Questions? info@yivo.orgcourse
🆕Torah of Grains (Jewish Farmer Network)
📆starts May 8, 2024 / 7:30-9PM ET, 4:30-6PM PT
💻virtual
Join us for this two part series exploring Jewish wisdom around Wheat and other grains as we move towards the Holiday of Shavuot! Sefirat HaOmer (the counting of the Omer) is a daily practice of counting the 49 days (7 weeks) between Passover and Shavuot. The word ""omer"" refers to a sheaf of grain, and during this time, our ancestors would bring a grain offering to the holy temple in honor of this grain harvest period. The time between Passover and Shavuot, or between the first barley harvest and the first wheat harvest, is a time to remember and reflect on our movement from oppression to freedom. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🌿Nature, 🌚Holiday Observance, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? liel@jewishfarmernetwork.orglecture
🆕Lasting Peace: What Will It Take? (Boston Workers Circle & Islamic Center of New England)
📆May 8, 2024 / 7:30-9PM ET, 4:30-6PM PT
💻virtual
It is six months since October 7th, and our hearts are still breaking. How can the recognition of our joint humanity help move the world forward to a resolution of the tragedy taking place in Gaza and Israel? Please join us for a webinar with leading thinkers and activists on the crisis in the Middle East.
Participants include:
- Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, PhD, Professor of Rabbinic Literature, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.
- Eman Khadra Ansari, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; PICU committee, Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund
- Susan M. Akram, Clinical Professor & Director, International Human Rights Clinic, Boston University School of Law
- Leila Farsakh, Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Boston
- Gregory Khalil, Co-founder & President, Telos; Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
- Jon A. Levisohn, Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Assoc. Professor of Jewish Educational Thought, Brandeis University
- Nadav Weiman, Deputy Director, Breaking the Silence
Learn more
For: Adults
Tags: 🇮🇱Israel/🇵🇸Palestine
🤔Questions? info@circleboston.org"workshop / class
🆕Jewish& Rosh Chodesh Iyar (Jewish&)
📆May 9, 2024 / 7-8:30PM ET, 4-5:30PM PT
💻virtual
Jewish& Rosh Chodesh (head of the month) is a monthly opportunity to get to know one another, build relationships within the Jewish& (interfaith / multicultural / mixed heritage Jewish) community, take a pause to reflect, and to do a little learning about the Jewish calendar. No advance knowledge or experience required, and all gender identities and expressions are warmly welcome. These calls take place on Zoom and include closed captioning. Learn more
For: Adults, Those In Or Of Interfaith/ Multicultural / Mixed Heritage Experience
Tags: 🥳Social, 🌚Holiday Observance, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? Laurens@mnjcc.orgworkshop / class
🆕Heeling Our Soles: The Torah of Feet (Shel Maala Yeshiva)
📆May 9, 2024 / 8-9:30PM ET, 5-6:30PM PT
💻virtual
In a famous story in the Talmud, Hillel the Elder gets challenged to teach a convert the entire Torah “on one foot.” Though that passage gets quoted often, people mostly miss its main character - feet!
Join Shel Maala for a special, one-time class on The Torah of Feet, taught by the illustrious Lex Rofeberg of Judaism Unbound. For an hour and a half, Lex will take us from priestly toe rituals, to holy foot-travel, to heel-grabbing patriarchs and beyond, with a keen eye towards what one body part can teach us about our tradition as a whole. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? shelmaalayeshiva@gmail.comworkshop / class
🆕Creating with the Moon: Rosh Chodesh Iyar with Rabbi Bec Richman (Jewish Studio Project)
📆May 12, 2024 / 1-2:30PM ET, 10-11:30AM PT
💻virtual
Ground yourself in the power of the new moon! As the tiny crescent becomes visible in the night sky, Rosh Chodesh offers us an opportunity to refresh our dreams and desires. Together we’ll reweave ourselves into the cycle of Jewish time and nourish our creative spirit so that we might enter the month refreshed and renewed.
During this 90-minute, virtual session we’ll use the Jewish Studio Process, a unique methodology combining practices from the field of art therapy with a reimagined approach to Jewish learning, to cultivate our inherent creativity as a spiritual practice. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🎨Art & Craft, 🌚Holiday Observance
🤔Questions? info@jewishstudioproject.orgcourse
🆕Disability Wisdom As Soul Care w/ Rabbi Lauren Tuchman (Kirva)
📆starts May 15, 2024 / 11AM-12:45PM ET, 8-9:45AM PT
💻virtual
This ten-session program facilitated by Rabbi Lauren Tuchman teaches the Jewish spiritual practice of Mussar (applied Jewish ethics) to equip participants with soul-nourishment, spiritual tools, support for developing a regular spiritual practice, and community. We will approach Mussar from a disability wisdom perspective and honor Torah found in classic Jewish texts and in those from Jews and others with disabilities. We will be launching two, ten session practice groups. One group will primarily be for folks living with disability, chronic illness or who are exploring that identification for themselves. This group will be on Wednesdays at 11am-12:45pm (EST). The other group will welcome all who wish to practice and learn regardless of disability status or identification. This group will be on Thursday evenings from 7pm-8:45pm (EST). Learn more
For: Everyone, Jews With Disabilities or Chronic Illness
Tags: 📚Education, 🙏Religion & Spirituality, ✨Wellness, Disability
🤔Questions? info@insideoutwisdomandaction.orgworkshop / class
🆕Have You Made Art About It Yet? Counting The Omer Edition with Rabbi Adina Allen (Jewish Studio Project)
📆May 16, 2024 / 12-1:30PM ET, 9-10:30AM PT
💻virtual
Explore the power of art making as a tool for personal and collective renewal! The counting of the Omer is an auspicious time in the cycle of the Jewish year as we mark the days between Passover and Shavuot. What can we learn from this practice of counting? What knowledge is unearthed when we pay close attention to each moment? Using the Jewish Studio Process - a unique methodology combining practices from the field of art therapy with a reimagined approach to Jewish learning and spirituality - we’ll connect to the power of counting each day, and the small, caring, disciplined steps through which we prepare to receive revelation. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🎨Art & Craft, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? info@jewishstudioproject.orgcourse
🆕Thorns in the Vineyard: Criminals, Snitches, and Jewish Views on the Law (Shel Maala Yeshiva)
📆starts May 19, 2024 / 2-4PM ET, 11AM-1PM PT
💻virtual
Are Jews allowed to talk to cops? Is halaxa more “thin blue line” or “ACAB”? What happens at the intersection between intra-communal Jewish law and enforcement, and the secular/goyish carceral state? Dive into these questions, as alive now as they’ve ever been, as we ground ourselves in a two-thousand year old Rabbinic tale to figure out whether pigs are kosher or treyf when it comes to the police. Learn more
For: Adults, Queer & Trans Jews
Tags: ✊Social Justice, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? shelmaalayeshiva@gmail.comlecture
🆕Lexi Wants To Know Everything About Siddur Davar Hadash (The Torah Studio)
📆May 19, 2024 / 6-7PM ET, 3-4PM PT
💻virtual
This month, Lexi wants to know everything about Siddur Davar Hadash! Recently published by brin solomon (it/its), Siddur Davar Hadash is "an attempt to imagine what a fully inclusive, de-stigmatized Jewish liturgy might look like." In honor of the completion of this 800+ page project, Lexi is interviewing brin about its process and the kind of Judaism it wants to bring to the world.
Lexi Wants To Know Everything is a podcast interview series by The Torah Studio about Jews and the weird things we do, hosted by Lexi Kohanski. Be a part of the conversation - join the live recording of this episode on Zoom on May 19. Suggested donation $10, no one turned away for lack of funds. Learn more
For: Youth, Adults, Queer & Trans Jews
Tags: 📚Education, 🌚Holiday Observance, ✊Social Justice, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? lexi@thetorahstudio.orgcourse
🆕Yiddish Beginners Classes (The Learning Coop)
📆starts May 27, 2024
💻virtual
Learn Yiddish in a small, supportive group. Pay What You Can, Anti-Zionist, Queer Normative! Build diaspora culture, explore Yiddish language, histories, resistance and more! Prices, times, levels and content are flexible depending on student interest, so please get in touch if you're interested. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 📚Education, Yiddish
🤔Questions? estherorama@gmail.comworkshop / class
🆕Creating with the Moon: Rosh Chodesh Sivan with Rabbi Bec Richman (Jewish Studio Project)
📆June 2, 2024 / 1-2:30PM ET, 10-11:30AM PT
💻virtual
Ground yourself in the power of the new moon! As the tiny crescent becomes visible in the night sky, Rosh Chodesh offers us an opportunity to refresh our dreams and desires. Together we’ll reweave ourselves into the cycle of Jewish time and nourish our creative spirit so that we might enter the month refreshed and renewed.
During this 90-minute, virtual session we’ll use the Jewish Studio Process, a unique methodology combining practices from the field of art therapy with a reimagined approach to Jewish learning, to cultivate our inherent creativity as a spiritual practice. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🎨Art & Craft, 🌚Holiday Observance, ✨Wellness
🤔Questions? info@jewishstudioproject.org🌎 retreats outside canada
Legacy Trip Alabama: Jewish Edition with Kohenet Dr. Harriette E Wimms (Legacy Trips)
📆May 3-5, 2024
📍USA > Alabama > Montgomery
Together, we will face the truth of America's history of anti-Black racial terror and violence, self reflect on the ways each of us have upheld and perpetuated white supremacy in our lives, and embrace our ability to affect change and dismantle racism, first within ourselves, and then in our families and communities. Our purpose is to listen to and learn from Black leadership, utilize antiracism tools and resources to strategize ways to do less harm, be better co-conspirators to BIPOC and develop ways to move forward with mindful action toward collective liberation. Learn more
For: Everyone, Black Jews
Tags: 📚Education, 🥳Social, ✊Social Justiceretreat
🆕Kol Retreat for Jewish Music Across the Diaspora (Kol and Urban Adamah)
📆May 10-12, 2024
📍United States > California > Berkeley, CA > Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth St
Join us for a weekend of music, Shabbat practices, and community building. This unique participatory retreat brings together singers, musicians, and learners of diverse backgrounds and ages to explore both ancestral and modern Jewish music. Everyone is a learner, everyone is a teacher. Together with our faculty teachers, we will co-create the weekend. Bring your songs and spirit to share. We are committed to making space for Jewish and non-Jewish people of all backgrounds and intend to include a diverse array of music cultures. We sing and play for our love of healing, community and liberation, and to ground and elevate ourselves. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: ✊Social Justice, 🎶Music, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? kolretreatbayarea@gmail.comretreat
Shavuot at Isabella Freedman (Adamah)
📆June 11-14, 2024
📍USA > CT > Falls Village > Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center
Celebrate Shavuot in the beautiful foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. Join us for an inclusive celebration of revelation that includes delicious farm-to-table foods, all-night learning concluding with a sunrise hike to the top of the mountain, a pilgrimage parade featuring goats, fruits, and more. Our schedule is packed with activities for the whole family. Nourish your mind, body, and soul this Shavuot. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🥳Social, 🌿Nature, 🌚Holiday Observance, 🙏Religion & Spirituality, ✨Wellness
🤔Questions? IFregistrar@adamah.orgretreat
Shavuot at Pearlstone (Adamah)
📆June 11-14, 2024
📍USA > MD > Reisterstown > Pearlstone, 5425 Mt Gilead Rd
This annual immersive retreat is filled with inspiring Jewish learning, spirited singing, festive farm-to-table meals, and a pluralistic community building experience. Details regarding teachers and programming still to come. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 📚Education, 🥳Social, 🌿Nature, 🌚Holiday Observance, 🙏Religion & Spirituality, ✨Wellness
🤔Questions? neshama.sonnenschein@adamah.orgretreat
🆕Camp Isabella Freedman (50+) (Adamah)
📆June 28-July 7, 2024
📍USA > CT > Falls Village > Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center
SUMMER-FILLED FUN, GEARED TOWARDS ADULTS 50 AND OLDER. Re-experience the delight of summer camp; spend time boating on our lake, swimming in the pool, exploring our nature trails or attending classes. We’ll have arts and crafts, dance and movement, memorable films, talent shows, campfires and lakeside happy hours.
Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center has been offering annual summer camp experiences for adults since 1956. We are honored to continue this tradition for adults by providing you with a warm and welcoming atmosphere for one of the best summer vacations you’ll ever have. Learn more
For: Adults 50+
Tags: 🎨Art & Craft, 🥳Social, 🌿Nature
🤔Questions? IFregistrar@adamah.orgretreat
Let My People Sing! Summer Retreat (Let My People Sing!)
📆July 11-14, 2024
📍USA > Connecticut > Falls Village > Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center
SAVE THE DATE! The summer retreat is coming back for another year at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, July 11-14th, mark your calendars! We can't wait to sing with you again ❤️
Registration opens May 6, 11AM ET
Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🥳Social, 🎶Music
🤔Questions? info@letmypeoplesing.orgfestival
Yidstock: The Festival of New Yiddish Music (Yiddish Book Center)
📆July 11-14, 2024
📍USA > Massachusetts > Amherst > Yiddish Book Center
Yidstock is back! Now in its twelfth year, Yidstock brings the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music to the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. This four-day festival will include musicians and performers at the forefront of the Yiddish music scene. In addition to seven concerts, the lineup also includes four workshops, ten talks, and one special film screening, all in celebration of Yiddish music, language, and culture. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🥳Social, 🎶Music, Yiddish
🤔Questions? info@yiddishbookcenter.orgretreat
We Are Family: JOCSM In-person Shabbaton (The Jews of Color Mishpacha Project)
📆July 12-14, 2024
📍USA > Maryland > Reisterstown > Pearlstone Retreat Center
SAVE THE DATE! You are cordially invited for a weekend of connection, rest and release! We welcome Jews who are People of Color, Sephardic, and Mizrahi of every age, gender, orientation and denomination, their families and allies. Come participate in JOC-led learning, prayer and ritual, spirited singing, to connect with nature — and of course to enjoy nourishing kosher farm-to-table meals. Programming is available for families with children, youth, and adults, including diverse prayer options and varied affinity spaces! Learn more
For: Jews Of Colour, Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews
Tags: 📚Education, 🥳Social, 🌿Nature, 🎶Music, 🙏Religion & Spirituality
🤔Questions? JOCMishpacha@gmail.comretreat
🆕Torah Yoga (Adamah)
📆July 29-August 4, 2024
📍USA > CT > Falls Village > Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Cente
A TORAH YOGA RETREAT INTO OUR SPIRITUAL NATURES. We will immerse into the 5 elements around us and within us through the eyes of our Jewish sages and yoga practices. Each day we will draw from Torah Yoga teachings and the beautiful nature around us. Registration opens soon!
Come away with us this summer to a beautiful setting in the southern Berkshire mountains! This experience is for anybody looking to join an uplifting and relaxing Jewish-inspired spiritual retreat. No previous yoga practice or Torah study is necessary to participate, all are welcome! Learn more
For: Adults
Tags: 🥳Social, 🌿Nature, ✨Wellness
🤔Questions? IFregistrar@adamah.orgretreat
Ruach, Jewish anti-Zionist body-based healing group (Wendy Elisheva Somerson)
📆August 1-4, 2024
📍USA > Washington > Seattle > 8011 Fauntleroy Wy SW
Ruach means breath/spirit in Hebrew. Ruach is a Jewish body-based healing group for anti-Zionist Jews that Wes/Wendy has been running since 2021 in the Pacific Northwest.
In-person Ruach is a 4-day anti-Zionist Jewish healing group held in Seattle Washington. Learn somatic practices in the forest and by the water. Applications due June 30th. Learn more
For: Adults, Jews Of Colour, Queer & Trans Jews, Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, Ashkenazi Jews
Tags: 🌿Nature, ✊Social Justice, 🙏Religion & Spirituality, ✨Wellness, 🇮🇱Israel/🇵🇸Palestine
🤔Questions? wsomerson@gmail.comretreat
🆕Family Farm Camp (Adamah)
📆August 14-18, 2024
📍USA > MD > Reisterstown > Pearlstone Campus
RETREAT, FARM, LEARN AND CELEBRATE AT FAMILY FARM CAMP! Family Farm Camp brings together families for an immersive experience of learning, playing, celebrating and community building.
Earth-based Jewish wisdom is woven into campfire songs and storytelling, wild edible walks and brachot (blessings), high adventure ropes course & team building games, night hikes, and of course a vibrant and joyous Shabbat celebration! Our schedule includes a drop-off camp component, activities for the whole family, and programming at night once kids are in bed. Learn more
For: Families
Tags: 🥳Social, 🌿Nature
🤔Questions? alustig@pearlstonecenter.orgretreat
🆕Cultivating Culture: A Gathering of Jewish Farmers (Jewish Farmer Network)
📆December 12-15, 2024
📍USA > CT > Falls Village > Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center
It's been four years since our last gathering and we can't wait to see you! Cultivating Culture will convene 120 Jewish farmers for a weekend of learning and community building. The kitchen and dining room are glatt kosher under supervision of the Hartford Kashrut Commission.
Our schedule will highlight the many facets of Jewish agricultural wisdom, uplift the diverse stories of Jewish farmers past and present and leave room for lots of structured and unstructured shmoozing (socializing). Past session topics have included ancestral livestock ethics, Jewish food justice, the Torah of trees, and Jewish farm economics. Learn more
For: Jewish Farmers
Tags: 📚Education, 🥳Social, 🌿Nature
🤔Questions? liel@jewishfarmernetwork.org📢 announcements
announcement
🆕Jewish Bloc for Palestine Anti-Zionist Shabbos Siddur (London's Jewish Bloc)
This siddur was originally made for the London Jewish Bloc’s big shabbos meals, which bring together UK Jews fighting for Palestinian liberation, from the river to the sea. After many requests, we’re making physical copies and the PDF available for everyone 🤍
It’s a collection of prayers, poems, songs, prose, illustrations, images & more from various artists & archives. Pay what you can ~ 100% of proceeds go to eSims for Gaza 🇵🇸 Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🌚Holiday Observance, ✊Social Justice, 🙏Religion & Spirituality, 🇮🇱Israel/🇵🇸Palestine
🤔Questions? zissel.aronow@gmail.comannouncement
🆕Buttons and stickers to replant Palestinian olive trees
I created buttons, stickers, and a lotion to support Palestinian farmers through the replanting of olive trees in Palestine. Monies are sent through Zatoun's Trees for Life program, and you may support these efforts directly. Buttons and stickers cost a sliding scale of $2-$5 each. Please add $2 for postage within Canada, or pick up at Bloor and Dovercourt in Toronto. Learn more
For: Everyone
Tags: 🌿Nature, ✊Social Justice, ✨Wellness, 🇮🇱Israel/🇵🇸Palestine
🤔Questions? AnarresHealth@gmail.comweekly event
Estranged Family Support Group (Jamie Aster/PQDJ Archive)
📆Sundays / 7:30-9PM CT, 8:30-10PM ET, 5:30-7PM PT
💻virtual
a peer support group that supports anti-zionist jews who are experiencing family estrangement. while you don't need to be queer or disabled to participate, this is a space that centers these identities. Learn more
For: Adults, Queer & Trans Jews, Disabled Jews
Tags: ✨Wellness, 🇮🇱Israel/🇵🇸Palestine
🤔Questions? pqdjarchive@gmail.comyelling into a virtual megaphone 📣
while ringing a virtual bell 🔔
while unfurling a long parchment scroll 📜
— and sending love as i do it,
💖 vlada, AKA your shtetl crier