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It's good to be a Jew really! Not necessarily easy or problem-free, but fundamentally, life-affirming-ly, soul-enriching-ly good. After more than a quarter century as a rabbi, I am convinced of the worthiness and richness of pursuing a Jewish path (and there are many possible expressions of that path.) And yet so many of us are ambivalent about our Jewish identity. Perhaps we suffer from "Post-Traumatic Synagogue Disorder", having been raised in a spiritually empty house of worship that was dramatically dissonant with our own experience of the sacred. Perhaps we assumed that Judaism was too tribal, and we longed for the universal. Perhaps the terror of the Holocaust loomed too large. Perhaps no one ever even showed us how to begin.
"Healing the Jewish Self" is a workshop that I have refined over the past 30 years that offers us a safe space to explore our Jewish identities, even the painful parts, and to shed light on those shadowed and sometimes hidden places of doubt, criticism and pain.
In this transformative workshop, through lecture and discussion, interpersonal sharing, joyous Shabbat services, spiritual teaching from the Jewish tradition, visualization, creative movement, and song, participants can explore their relationship to Judaism in a safe, confidential, and "judgment-free" environment. By identifying and exploring the negative stereotypes we have absorbed as Jews, we will grow in love and compassion for ourselves and for one another.
There is not some single "right" way to be a Jew. This workshop will help you be the Jew that you would like to be, choosing today rather than reacting to the past. You'll thank yourself for coming.
Here is what some past participants have to say:
"I imagine that my Jewish self has been attempting to heal since the day I was born into a small Hungarian community of Holocaust survivors. But it was not until I attended Rabbi Jonathan Kligler's Healing the Jewish Self workshop that the true healing of my family's legacy of losses began. For once I was in a safe space where my grief was not pathology but the necessary next stage of growing into my joyful Jewish self."
Julia Indichova, Woodstock, NY, author of Inconceivable and The Fertile Female
"Many things promise to "change your life." But the time I spent in the workshop called Healing the Jewish Self really did change mine. I walked in, a seemingly disinterested and disaffected Jew, unaware of the longing for Jewish identification that had separated me from some of the deepest yearnings of my heart. I learned, I experienced, I felt, I mourned and I celebrated with a wonderful group of likeminded people and came away with a determination to live my life fully, as a Jew. So much of the good in my life has come to me as a result of this decision and the actions that I took as a result. My love of Judaism is real, it informs every aspect of my life and I consider myself blessed."
Carol Fox Prescott, Lake Hill, NY, master acting teacher, author of Breathing, Awareness and Joy
This intensive weekend workshop meets at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation and begins with registration at 4:30pm on Friday followed by dinner and programming, continues all day Saturday and concludes at 2:00 pm on Sunday. There are modest additional fees for meals. The delicious catered meal plan includes Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and dinner, and Sunday lunch. Special dietary needs can be accommodated.Contact the institute for more information.
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LocationLev Shalem Institute of the Woodstock Jewish Congregation (View)
1682 Glasco Turnpike
Woodstock, NY 12498
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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Contact
Q&A
| Question: |
what are the hours sat and sunday? |
| Answer: |
Saturday begins with tea/coffee at 9 am followed by Shabbat Services. There are afternoon and evening programs with lunch and dinner in between; programs end at 9 pm. Sunday begins with tea/coffee at 9 am and the morning program, followed by lunch and the closing circle at 1 pm. |
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