Independent Jewish Shul in Brookline, MA

Contact Us: 617-566-8171 | info@tbzbrookline.org

Creative Ritual Writing Workshop for JOCs with Mayyim Hayyim (in person at TBZ)

May 23, 2024    
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Ritual offers us ways to mark time, draw meaning from experience, and take notice of the life we are living. It ushers us through the transitions in life and connects us to our selves, our communities, and our ancestors. But Jewish communal life and the ritual opportunities it offers can be stressful and alienating for Jews of Color and folks who don’t see their identities reflected in the ritual practices or the people who facilitate them. Thankfully, Jewish life is not set in stone – it is dynamic and needs us to bring creativity and personal experience in order to grow it and make it more welcoming and embracing. In this workshop, we will look to mikveh, the ancient practice of ritual immersion in water, as a model for how ritual functions and a canvas for creating ceremonies to mark the transitions in our own lives. Each participant will create a personal ceremony following the Mayyim Hayyim ceremony model for use in their own life. Participants will also be invited to visit Mayyim Hayyim to immerse in the mikveh waters using their ceremony.