In this six-part course, we will look at some of the forgotten female ritualists of the shtetlekh of Eastern Europe - the bobes (midwives and healers), zogerins (a title used to refer both to prayer leaders or shamanesses), shprekherins (exorcists), klogerins (professional mourners), and feldmesterins (cemetery and grave measurers). We will also highlight an often-overlooked site of spiritual activity: the cemetery. 

Looking at some real historical examples of these ritualists, some of whom were considered spiritual leaders in their communities, we will consider how and why they have been overlooked in the histories of traditional Ashkenazic Judaism, which tend to be based on sources written by a male elite. Using the Eastern European shtetl as a case study, this course will demonstrate how Jill Hammer and Taya Ma Shere’s netivot (priestess pathways) provide a useful framework studying and re-evaluating the so called ‘folk religion’. Finally, we will discuss how these practices can be revived to re-enchant and enrich Jewish practice today. While the first class will serve as an introduction, each of the following five sessions will be based on a particular shtetl practice and contain a practical element.  

Sefer Yetzirah is an ancient and foundational work of Jewish mysticism. This brief and cryptic book imagines letters as the building blocks of the universe, and focuses our attention on the components of space, time, and soul and the elements of air, fire, and water. Its goal is to allow adepts to align with, and even partake in, the Divine creative process. We will be reading sections from the book closely in order to understand the text and its potential role in an earth-based Jewish contemplative practice. We will meditate using the book’s teachings, and reflect on our own spiritual experience.

Item Past generations of Jews have had a complex spirit world to negotiate. The unseen entities around them included not only the Holy One, but angels, demons, ancestral entities, and elemental beings of various kinds. Jews have ritually engaged with the prophets Miriam and Elijah, told fables of mythical creatures, dealt with house spirits and warded off Lilith. Souls sit under trees in the Garden of Eden, rest in a storehouse under the Divine Throne, or wander the world in the form of a dybbuk (a disembodied spirit looking for a body to possess). In this class, we’ll encounter folk traditions and stories of these entities, and meditate on how we might treat the world around us as mysterious and alive.description

For millennia, the Hebrew alphabet has been a central component of Jewish magical practice. This course surveys the power that Hebrew letters held for Jewish communities across Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the variety of amulets, rituals, and sacred objects that use them. Participants will be invited to explore how these historical traditions might be recovered for current practice.

How can ritual-weaving support us in bridging the gap between our own lives and the ancient relationships with water of our spiritual ancestors?

This course is for anyone interested in how ancient texts inform modern day rhythms of Jewish life. Participants will explore how the Jewish calendar and our holiday cycle is built on the flow of water. Together, we will track the role of water throughout the Torah and how ancient Israelites’ relationship with water evolved to influence modern Jewish rituals. We will cover cycles of rain in the middle east, prayers for rain vs. dew, how water shows up in liturgy, embodied practices related to water, and more. Then, we will each design rituals to compliment the rhythms of contemporary spiritual life.

Where can we find priestess role models in the Hebrew Bible? What are the practices, skills, or approaches we could learn from them? From Miriam to Tamar, from Chanah to Devorah, from Tziporah to Samson’s mother, discover sacred moments in the stories of prophets and wise women, dedicants and holy outcasts. We’ll look at the Bible, midrash, archaeology and our own imaginings to deepen our understanding of biblical priestessing.

Reclaiming Roots is an affirming and empowering pilot multi-week course designed to guide participants on a transformative journey of self-discovery and reconnection with their occluded and/or historically repressed ethnic and ancestral heritage. This pilot course, led by Kohenet April N. Baskin, offers a unique opportunity to explore and understand the deep-seated interconnections between one's identity and the larger socio-cultural forces shaping it.

Embark on a transformative journey with Kohenet Angelique (YA) to discover the power of poetic incantations. This course will guide you in crafting meaningful incantations to reshape our world from the inside out, using parasha (Torah) portions, liturgy, and your own words as inspiration.

This class will focus on meditative practices inspired by Sefer Yetzirah, the ancient mystical Book of Creation. Rather than text study, we will focus on the images that arise when we meditate on the text and its concepts. There will be an opportunity to try the practices, share about our experience, and consider what we can take away for our lives.