Core Practice Leadership Development
Through our Professional Leadership Programs we create the conditions to nurture mindful Jewish leaders, engaged in spiritual practice so that they can act out of a deeper sense of clarity, authority and groundedness as spiritual leaders. Offering the riches of Jewish contemplative practice, these leaders make Jewish practice meaningful as a source of personal inspiration for engagement in all of life’s work. The program is designed to help participants grow in consciousness and character, developing as spiritual leaders. We invite you to investigate ideas about the nature of the self and God both analytically through study and discussion as well as experientially through meditation, prayer, yoga, singing and spiritual companionship.
Over the course of eighteen months, through four five-day retreats, interim text study and sustained spiritual practice, we support our participants in creating and maintaining the rich, meaningful connections to Jewish life that are so important for the overall health and continuity of our people. Investigation of the profound practices and exquisite texts of the Jewish mystical and Hasidic tradition opens new realms of theological thought and experience, grounded in new vocabulary, concepts and imagery. Contemplative practice—rooted in extended periods of mindfulness meditation, embodied practice and intentional silence—adds new dimensions to Jewish spiritual practice, supporting leaders in their work, sustaining both spirit and body.
One of the most important ingredients in sustaining spiritual growth is the support of community. We create a community of individuals who support each other’s growth and practice in an atmosphere of honesty and depth. Together, we explore and cultivate qualities of awareness and character that are essential to good spiritual leadership in the contemporary Jewish world. The program is designed to help develop a deep sense of authenticity that leads to a more integrated, flexible, responsive and skilled organizational leadership.
Hevraya Program for Professional Alumni
We continue this important work with our Hevraya Program for Professional Alumni. Hevraya is a community of practice comprised of the rabbis, cantors and educators who have completed their training through the Institute. Hevraya members seek the structure and mutual support to sustain and deepen their personal spiritual practice, and to explore together how they might share their learning with the communities in which they live and work.
Hevraya members may customize a program to maintain and deepen their spiritual development, engaging in retreats, text study, mindful Jewish leadership reflection groups, distance learning and sharing of best practice, and spiritual direction. They may also pursue additional leadership training through the Institute to develop advanced teaching skills in mindfulness meditation and yoga.
Please note, the Hevraya Resource Bank’s new address is http://ijshevraya.wikispaces.
Kivvun
Kivvun is an intensive, retreat-based learning program for Jews seeking to engage in life guided by deepening Jewish spiritual wisdom. This program helps participants discern for themselves, supported by Jewish text, tradition and practice, how to direct their lives in alignment with a deep sense of wisdom.
Kivvun provides an opportunity unique in the field of adult Jewish education: deep and continuous Jewish study over eighteen months, integrated with spiritual practice in a dedicated group of teachers and fellow students. It offers training and support in a number of practice modalities (Jewish text study, prayer, Mussar, meditation, yoga, spiritual direction, and retreat), based on the understanding that different people will resonate with different practices.
It helps participants integrate such practices and apply them to their everyday lives of work, relationships, social action and leadership. These practices help people develop their inner resources for cultivating the capacity for greater joy, courage and gratitude, as well as dealing with loss, grief, stress and fear.
For more information about Kivvun, please contact Nancy Flam.
