The Spirituality Retreat will run from January 2-7, 2018 at the Capital Retreat Center.
In partnership with Or HaLev, the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and The NYU Center for Global Spiritual Life
The Psalms teach that the human soul is the light of God, illuminating our hearts and minds, our actions and relationships, for the Divine to enter. This retreat, held in North America, offers the opportunity for a sacred pause, enabling us to open ourselves to the joy and presence which is our divine nature and take that awakening back with us into our everyday lives. It provides the skills necessary to transform the sometimes muffled, tense or distracted experience of our lives into an open-hearted engagement with every moment. It offers the opportunity to touch that still, small voice within each of us and the soul-wisdom which is our birthright. It transforms our Jewish practice and lives into a deep mode of spiritual awakening.
Combining prayer, mindfulness meditation, silence, text study, group work and other modes of spiritual practice, this retreat will introduce participants to the profound depths of Jewish spirituality and offer the possibility of finding life-transforming meaning in the Jewish tradition. Mornings of the retreat will be spent in silence and meditation, including meditation instruction and questions and answers, with a transition in the afternoon and evening into mindful speaking, group activities and text study before returning to silence before bed. Evenings will include opportunities for teachings, sharing, art and activities. The retreat will conclude with a deep celebration of Shabbat, helping participants experience one of Judaism’s most important spiritual practices. At the conclusion of the retreat, the teachers will provide participants with resources and techniques to continue practicing and growing in their universities and home communities.
FACULTY
Rabbi James Jacobson Maisels grew up outside Hershey, PA and in Bloomfield Hills, MI. He teaches Jewish Thought and Mysticism and Jewish Spiritual Practices and Meditation at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, at Yeshivat Hadar in New York City and at the Hannaton Educational and Spiritual Center in the Galilee. Continue reading →
Yael Shy is the Senior Director of Global Spiritual Life at New York University. She founded and directs MindfulNYU, the largest campus-wide mindfulness initiative in the country.
Rabbi Benjamin Barnett is the incoming rabbi of Havurah Shalom in Portland. He is a devoted practitioner and teacher of Jewish contemplative prayer and meditation, and works to build relationships across religious and cultural lines in the name of creating a less violent world. Prior to the rabbinate, he worked with mentally ill adults and led wilderness expeditions for teenagers.
Rabbi Shuli Passow has over 15 years experience as a Jewish educator and communal professional. She has taught Torah, yoga, community organizing, and Judaism and social change throughout the Jewish community, including Jewish Funds for Justice, Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University, and Yeshivat Hadar. Shuli currently serves as Director of Community Engagement at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in New York City.
Emily Herzlin is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor, a Mind-Body Therapist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, a teacher at The Interdependence Project, and founder of Mindful Astoria.