by BZ [➚] · Tuesday, June 26th, 2007
This is my workshop description for the NHC Summer Institute:
Havurah: What’s Next?
Many new independent minyanim/havurot/communities have sprouted up over the last few years. These communities have a particularly strong following among people in their 20s and 30s, and exist primarily in urban centers. This workshop is for people in this constituency who are starting to think about the next stage. Where will we move if we can’t afford to stay in our current neighborhoods? What kinds of meaningful Jewish communities will we create there? What new models of Jewish education will we create for our children? How can we think about doing this together? This workshop is an open discussion to brainstorm proactively about these questions.
I have explicated these questions (and my reasons for asking them) in much greater detail at Mah Rabu. I know a bunch of Jewschoolers will be at the ‘tute, but even if you’re not there to participate in the conversation in person, we can start talking here on the Internet. What are your ideas?
by zt [➚] · Wednesday, March 14th, 2007
Last year, I went to this retreat and thought it was great. In fact, it was so good that this year, the retreat will have a strong crew of Jewschoolers including Shamirpower, Ruby-K, BZ, Jo, RDL, and more. Here are the details:
Havurot and havurah-niks from throughout the Mid-Atlantic and beyond
will gather April 20-22 in Reisterstown Maryland
for a celebration of grassroots Jewish life.
If you’re planning to join us, please REGISTER this week:
www.havurah.org/other/ChesapeakeRegistration2007.pdf
We’ll learn Torah, including:
* Exodus from Egypt: What Really Happened? (Does it Matter?)
* Digitally Enhanced: Using Archaeology and Photography to Study Torah
* Globalization and Going Beyond the Letter of the Law
We’ll study words of prayer and songs of praise, including:
* Morning Prayers as a Spiritual Journey
* Sing! Sing! Sing!
* Dwelling in the House of the Lord: Re-examining the 23rd Psalm
We’ll share resources for building Jewish community:
* Havurah: Supportive Community, Spiritual Home
* Siddur Eit Ratzon: Getting to Know a New Prayerbook
* Jewish Book Swap
We’ll connect adam and adamah, people and planet:
* Mayim Hayim: A Jewish Approach to Water & Human Rights
* Visit the new organic farm & greenhouse at Pearlstone Retreat Center
* Seed-saving Workshop
* Family Hike
* Rhapsody in Green
* Kids’ Havurah: Night Hike
* Kids’ Havurah: The Nutrient Cycle on a Jewish Farm
* Ride with “Team Havurah” in Hazon’s DC Jewish Environmental Bike Ride
Come share Shabbat in familiar and new ways with your whole family,
and with new and old friends. Children and teens are most welcome!
Please take a moment to print and send your form:
www.havurah.org/other/ChesapeakeRegistration2007.pdf
Looking forward!
Joelle Novey & Blaine Saito
chesapeake-retreat@havurah.org
by BZ [➚] · Wednesday, November 15th, 2006
Everyone has something to teach. Especially YOU.
Course proposals are being accepted for the National Havurah Committee‘s 2007 Summer Institute (August 6-12 at Franklin Pierce College in southern New Hampshire). Regular Jewschool readers have been reading about the Institute for a while. It’s a week of Jewish learning and living in a pluralistic multigenerational egalitarian community, bringing together and catalyzing Jewish communities across North America.
The 2007 Institute theme is “V’rav shelom banayich” (“Great shall be the peace of your children”), from Isaiah 54:13, from the haftarah of consolation that will be read that week. Courses are welcome that speak to this theme in any way.
Last year’s courses ranged from Talmud to Zohar to Jewish poetry to Palestinian narratives to Torah commentary through movement to Jewish war ethics. At the NHC, every teacher is a student and every student is a teacher, so teachers teach their own course for 90 minutes a day and participate in the rest of the Institute program for the other 22.5 hours. And teachers get to attend the whole week for free! I have taught twice at the Institute (once on Talmud, quantum mechanics, and indeterminacy; once on the history and mathematics of the Hebrew calendar), and these have been among my best teaching experiences, in a participatory community that really understands the value of learning and teaching.
What are YOU interested in teaching and studying? Submit a course proposal by November 29. Pass this on to any great teachers you’d love to learn with!
by Ruby K [➚] · Monday, August 14th, 2006
Well, attempting to coordinate several programs and blogging during the already jam-packed NHC Summer institute proved more difficult than I thought. We did have enough bloggers there to have our own minyan, though, so I’m hoping that in the coming days, we’ll hear a little more from their perspectives.
(Updates: TheLastTrumpet chimes in with his perspective. Plus, ZT takes a moment away from destroying Gellman’s Lieberman piece to post his shabbas roundup, and part II. TheWanderingJew started a new blog and has three posts on the ‘Tute. sounds like i’m not so crazy to be missing it right now)
But going back to my Wendesday post, some really fantastic highlights to touch upon, including a concert/dance party with VA’s Vulgar Bulgars that, without having seen Golem’s extremely well received show, I would still say rivaled their skills, energy, and Old World revival/New World twist. More »
by Ruby K [➚] · Wednesday, August 9th, 2006
Sequestered here in New Hampshire with sharp ears and eyes still focused on the outside world, Israel, awesome primary victories and the AL East standings, it’s still been a pleasure to mostly submerge in the goings on of this year’s institute. A few highlights from the first few days:
The opening program did a great job of getting people up to speed, letting us know what was happening, introducing us to some new people and making everyone feel welcome without feeling like a cheezy icebreaker. BZ and ER really put an incredible amount of effort and thought into the whole Institute and it shows.
I ended up missing the evening program Monday night (in part to phonebank for Ned Lamont), but went out to a raucous round of singing in Cheney Chapel later in the evening, facilitated by Itinerant Rabwhat, making her first NHC appearance as one of this year’s bumper crop of blogging everett fellows (including KungFuJew and TheLastTrumpet). Some great tunes were taught, a lot of folks went for more mellow stuff between the rain and their long travels. After things wound down, I made my way back to bed and a sleeping Knucklehead.
My morning class this year is Phil Terman’s Writing and Listening to Jewish Poetry , and I was pleased to see a good mix of new and old friendly faces inside the class. We jumped right in to writing and critique the first class, which was a little off for some of the members of the class but I was fairly comfortable with. My favorite performance piece is a five minute barage about my lifelong battle with depression, so I slip into comfortable spaces easier than most. Thanks to a smart suggestion by one of my new poetry buds in the class, we did proper introductions this morning, which helped bridge the gap between those who were and weren’t really participating. I’ve really written some entertaining things here that are a complete change from most of my stuff, I guess being up here is a big shift in perspective. Phil’s approach is good for helping me clear my head and write a little differently as well.
My afternoon class is Jewish Ethics in an Age of Global Commerce and Conflict with Brent Spodek, JTS Rabinnic student and educator with the AJWS. Also a good mix of old and new friends in that class, and Brent is really making some great connections between traditional Jewish texts, “modern theorists” (I guess when compared to quoting Exodus, anyway) like Locke and John Rawls, and tying into issues like globalization and how the voices in those texts should guide our actions. Some great give and take in there, lots of good folks to have that discussion with, too. Big issues, serious texts, and chuchums, what could be better?
Well, I’ll tell you what could be better. last night’s klezmer/jazz/bluegrass jam was better. Some AMAZING musicians came through and we played till nearly 2 am. And we really did cover the spectrum, though I know our bluegrass folks would’ve liked for us to do a little more old timey. We even snuck in some Shlomo for good measure.
Off to dinner. Boy, do I miss meet. Stay tuned for more updates!
by Ruby K [➚] · Friday, August 4th, 2006
… until the National Havurah Committee’s Summer Institute has begun. After a harrowing week with some great bright spots, Rooftopper Rav, BZ, Knucklehead and myself are up here at Franklin Pierce College from some pre-Institute shabbas. While we await the arrival of 300 of our close friends, we’re relaxing, going over details, napping, taking it all in.
I’ll be part of the crew of Jewschool live-bloggers, bringing details from many of the great events, as well as the two awesome classes I’m taking: Jewish Poetry Workshop with Phillip Terman, and Jewish Ethics in an Age of Global Commerce and Conflict with Brent Spodek. Also helping put together a coffee house, an open room poetry reading, and a klezmer jam.
Not only that, the NY Times covered VULGAR BULGARS are performing saturday night.
Have a change of heart? Want to be in the middle of nowhere with BZ, Rooftopper Rav, KungfuJew, Shamirpower, ChorusofApes, ZT and a whole slew of other great folks? You may still be able to register! Email institute@havurah.org and check it out.
If you’re not going to make the institute, go to CT and help Ned Lamont instead. I’m just sayin.
by BZ [➚] · Tuesday, January 24th, 2006
The course descriptions are here for the 2006 NHC Summer Institute!!! The Institute (August 7-13, 2006, Franklin Pierce College, Rindge NH) is a week of multigenerational nondenominational Jewish learning where every teacher is a student and every student is a teacher. More »
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