FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Debra Kolodny, Executive Director, ALEPH
DATE: February 24, 2005
Phone: 301-565-0719
Email: DebraRuth@mac.com

Dear Editor:

Enclosed is the February 2005 ALEPH News Service. We hope you run one or more of the following articles, and look forward to hearing from you if you do. This release contains:

1. ALEPH Bet Midrash set to begin new term Join us for two exciting new classes!
2. Congregation Beth Zion in Oshawa hosts day of spiritual exploration First ALEPH Caravan in Canada on April 10!
3. Nearly 1,000 Expected at Jewish Renewal Gathering in Johnstown, PA The 11th international ALEPH Kallah begins July 25
4. ALEPH Kesher Program enters 10th year at the July Kallah Remarkable leadership program for twenty and thirty somethings invites new participants
5. Jewish Renewal Life Center closes doors after fifteen successful years
6. Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal holds Eighth Conference in Boulder, Colorado next January

For further information on ALEPH or the enclosed articles please contact me at DebraRuth@mac.com or 301-565-0719.

ALEPH is a core institution in the Jewish renewal movement, dedicated to the Jewish people's sacred purpose of partnership with the Divine in the inseparable tasks of healing the world and healing our hearts. ALEPH supports and grows the worldwide movement for Jewish renewal by organizing and nurturing communities, developing leadership, creating liturgical and scholarly resources, and working for social and environmental justice. ALEPH has attracted and energized thousands of seekers returning to Judaism, including many whose journey has led them through other spiritual traditions. ALEPH's affiliated projects include the ALEPH Kallah, a biennial convocation; OHALAH: The Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal; ALEPH's Rabbinic Studies Program; ALEPH Affiliated Communities; ALEPH's Kesher program for twenty and early thirty somethings, Ruach Ha Aretz, ALEPH's Sage-ing Program; C-DEEP (The Center for Devotional, Energy, and Ecstatic Practice,) the Eco-Kashrut Project and The Shalom Center.

I look forward to working with you.
Debra Kolodny /s/

ALEPH Bet Midrash set to begin new term

With two classes currently in progress, the ALEPH Bet Midrash is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the next six-week series. Classes begin the week of March 27th and they are: “Jewish Paths to God,” with Rabbi Shawn Zevit, and “Our Own Holy Words: Jewish Journaling as Spiritual Practice,” with Rabbi Chava Bahle. Rabbi Zevit's class will meet for the first time on March 30 and will continue on Wednesday evenings at 8:30PM ET. Rabbi Bahle's class will meet for the first time on March 31 and will meet Thursdays at 7:30pm ET.

“Jewish Paths to God” will focus on humanity's essence as a reflection of the Divine Image and our search and longing for Ultimate Meaning as a great contribution that the Jewish people have made to the world. The class will explore texts from the Bible, the Talmud, Jewish Mysticism, feminist and neo-Chasidic theologians, examining views on God, Judaism and contemporary life.

“Jewish Journaling as Spiritual Practice” will explore the possibilities for using daily journaling practice as a tool for spiritual insight and meditation. Students will develop a consistent routine and create a community in which to share spiritual process.  During meetings participants will share challenges to their practice, samples of their writing and to practice deep listening.

Registration is a simple, one step process. Visit the ALEPH web site at www.aleph.org and click on the registration link for the class you wish to attend. You will be taken to a secure page where you can register and pay for the class at the same time. Classes are six weeks long, one and a half hours per session, and cost only $125.

[Please note that all ALEPH Bet Midrash courses are teleconferences!]

Congregation Beth Zion in Oshawa hosts day of spiritual exploration

Join Congregation Beth Zion on Sunday, April 10 from 9 am until 4:30 pm for the ALEPH Caravan - a Jewish Renewal festival. A transdenominational movement, Jewish renewal helps seekers find deeper spiritual meaning in their Jewish practice.

This program will explore Jewish text, prayer, and meditation in new and creative ways. ALEPH caravan programs have been extremely successful in the United States, reconnecting people with Judaism and generating energy and enthusiasm throughout the community. This dynamic event will be the first of its kind held anywhere in Canada, just 40 minutes outside of Toronto.

The three dynamic presenters will be Rabbi Daniel Siegel, ALEPH Director of Spiritual Resources and co-spiritual leader of B'nai Or Boston, Rabbi Elliot Ginsburg, Associate Professor of Jewish Thought and Mysticism at the University of Michigan and rabbi of the Pardes Hannah minyan in Ann Arbor, and Paula Baruch, Associate Director of The Orchard Multifaith Spirituality Centre and Spiritual Director from Peterborough, Ontario. Workshops will include: Seeing the Aleph: The Holiness of the Interpersonal in Jewish Mystical Teachings; Leaping vs. Waiting: A Hasidic Teaching on Elemental Trust; Custom and Law in Jewish Communal Life; Matzah: Bread of the Afflicted; Bread of the Redeemed; Jewish Contemplative Practices; and Jewish Soul Music.

Debra Kolodny, ALEPH Executive Director said: “Being in a position to create opportunities like this, where people fall in love with Judaism—some for the first time, others for the 100th time-- is such a joy. When people explore the mysteries of the Torah as well as its plain meaning, when they study Chasidic text and learn practices like meditation and chanting, when they davenn (pray) in a service that blends traditional and powerful new compositions, hearts open and souls are nourished. ALEPH hopes to bring events like this to every community around North America in the next several years.”

The event costs $54/person including a kosher lunch. Pre-registration is $48.

For more information go to www.aleph.org/retreats.html or contact Koren Kassirer at 905-697-7710; korenkassirer@yahoo.ca

Nearly 1,000 Expected at Jewish Renewal Gathering in Johnstown, PA

“From Generation to Generation: Renewing Roots, Leaving Legacies,” the 11th International ALEPH Kallah will be held July 25-31 on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, PA.

Sponsored by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, the ALEPH Kallah will offer an extraordinary range of over 100 classes, workshops, religious services and Jewish entertainment. From spiritual direction to social action imperatives, from Jewish meditation to masterpieces of Jewish mystical song, the ALEPH Kallah is a week-long celebration of Jewish living and learning. Nearly 1,000 participants from across the nation and around the world will explore Jewish texts, rituals, ethics, music and dance. The Kallah is designed to meet people where they are - ranging from brand new to Jewish learning and practice to pillars of Jewish scholarship and leadership. All will encounter a week that promises to provide an unforgettable experience.

Teachers include nationally recognized Jewish scholars and spiritual leaders. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, founder of the Jewish Renewal Movement, will be joined by Rabbis Arthur Waskow, Daniel Siegel, Shefa Gold, Marcia Prager and scores more. Well-known cantors, musicians, and dancers are also among the instructors at this year's ALEPH Kallah.

ALEPH nurtures a worldwide grassroots movement for Jewish Renewal. ALEPH organizes and supports Jewish communities; ordains cantors, rabbis, and rabbinic pastors through programs led by outstanding faculty from all denominations; and works for social and environmental justice. The ALEPH Kallah is egalitarian, and welcome singles and couples, elders and youth, single parent, intermarried, and gay and lesbian families as well as traditional families.

Fees are $795 per person and include double occupancy accommodations, eco-kosher meals, and all program fees. Commuter rates available. For additional information, please e-mail KallahAJR@aol.com or call (303) 554-5913.

ALEPH Kesher Program enters 10th year at the July Kallah

The ALEPH Kesher (“connection”) program engages, educates, and empowers young Jews as it connects them to organized Jewish life. The primary vehicle for achieving these goals is a week-long experience at the biennial Kallah where Kesher supports a community of young leaders, challenging and inspiring participants in their spiritual explorations and personal vision. This year's Kallah takes place in Johnstown, Pennsylvania the week of July 25.

The experience starts with a powerful Shabbaton, July 22-24, where participants will pray and dine with the premier teachers in the Jewish Renewal movement, have their initial meeting with their personal mentors, study torah, engage in creative spiritual practice and begin planning their week together. Kesher participants will then join the rest of the Kallah attendees-this year projected at close to 1000. They will continue to study and pray as well as participate in Kesher specific activities like conscious community service, ongoing mentorship dialogues and participant led teachings and programming.

Kesher Coordinator Red Blustein urges all interested to participate if they can. She says, “The Kesher program and the ALEPH Kallah helped me to recreate a new bond with Judaism and to find new ways of being Jewish. Kesher became a family for me in just a few days. As a result of communal prayer, dialogue, open and honest communication and a willingness to be together I forged bonds that I will remember for the rest of this lifetime.” With financial subsidies available for those in their twenties via work-study and matching scholarship funds, everyone who feels drawn to the experience is welcome to apply.

Started in 1993 by the sole twenty-something attendee at the Kallah, Kesher became an official ALEPH program in 1995 and grew to more than 55 twenty and thirty-somethings by 2003. Even more are expected this year. Almost all Kesher organizers and participants (“Kesherites”) are college aged or recent graduates and are active in other social, political and spiritual causes. Since the 2001 Kallah, every Kesherite has gone on to greater involvement in his or her local Jewish community, magnifying the number of people affected by the program to hundreds every year. All report a profound shift in their sense of themselves as Jews, their desire to remain connected to Jewish community and their commitment to Jewish living.

The 11th International ALEPH Kallah's theme is “L'Dor V'Dor: From Generation to Generation Renewing Roots, Leaving Legacies”. Check the ALEPH web site for details about classes and teachers. For further information about the Kallah or the Kesher program contact S. Red Blustein indigohippy@aol.com or www.aleph.org.

Jewish Renewal Life Center closes doors after fifteen successful years

In 1990, Rabbi Julie Greenberg founded the Jewish Renewal Life Center as a lay leadership training program in Jewish spirituality and community building. Over the years, over a hundred students have participated in the Core Group, a year-long residential immersion in Jewish living, learning, community service projects, individual spiritual practice and counseling embedded in the rhythm of the Jewish year. Hundreds more partook of the Life Center through its special events, Shabbatons and Weekend Training Intensives, including the well-received Soulworks trainings in spiritual direction.

The Life Center drew on the wonderful collection of Jewish Renewal leaders who live and work in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia, along with other teachers drawn from throughout the country. Frequent faculty members included Rabbis Arthur Waskow, Marcia Prager and Shefa Gold, as well as Spiritual Directors Barbara Breitman and Sandy Cohen. Other teachers included Avram Davis, Mordechai Gafni and Savina Teubal.

For many participants, the Life Center was a gateway back into Judaism. For most it opened doors to professional work in the Jewish community or helped them deeply integrate Jewish wisdom and spiritual practice into a variety of careers including education, counseling, health care and social service. Life Center graduates have gone on to enter Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative and non-denominational seminaries as well as the ALEPH Rabbinic Program.

In 2002, Rabbi Greenberg accepted a position as rabbi of Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir — Heart of the City — in Philadelphia. Confident that the work of training spiritually skilled community members is being carried on in other settings, she decided to formally bring the Life Center to a close.

While this door is closing, many others have opened. ALEPH has been growing and nurturing a host of other programs that continue to address the needs of adult Jewish learners and seekers, featuring many of the same top teachers. These include the ALEPH Bet Midrash and ALEPH University Distance Learning Programs, and the Kesher program for young adults. Training for spiritual leaders is offered through the Kol Zimra Chant Leaders' Training retreats led by the Center for Devotional, Energy, and Ecstatic Practice (C-DEEP), a project of ALEPH, and the Davening Leader Training Intensives (DLTI) a two year course offered through the ALEPH Professional Development Program. Both are held at Elat Chayyim. The ALEPH Sage-ing Project for Jewish elders is a new project on the horizon. We also offer trainings for community leaders, Jewish educators and others as part of our services to ALEPH-affiliated communities, and through our new affiliated project, Ruach HaAretz. Learn more about these and other ALEPH programs on our website at www.aleph.org.

Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal holds Eighth Conference in Boulder, Colorado next January

The YOCA 8 conference will be held at the Boulderado Hotel on the following dates:

EcoKashrut class January 3-6, 2006
Shabbaton January 6-8, 2006
Conference January 8-11, 2006
Post Conference Activities January 11-12, 2006

If you are a rabbi, cantor or rabbinic pastor, or a student enrolled in an institutional or private study program for one of these professions, check the website at ohalah.org for periodic updates or send your name, title and email address to pfbaugh@aol.com to join the mailing list. Ohalah members and students in the ALEPH Rabbinic Program are automatically on the mailing list.