What is the Havurah Initiative?
The havurah initiative at CBI supports the development of homegrown, peer-led, Jewish micro-communities that foster deep interpersonal connection among members.
There are many ways for us to build community and to find meaning at the intersection of our Jewish identities – as parents, young adults, spiritual seekers, outdoor enthusiasts, bakers, and more. The havurah intiative is a platform that supports opportunities to share Shabbat, to learn together, to share stories, to explore interests, and to incorporate Jewish ritual into our lives. Havurot are open to CBI members as well as non-members.
Havurot have 7-15 members, meet 9 times per year or more, have a Jewish focus, and share leadership among its members. These are intended to be small groups of committed members who meet regularly. Each Havurah has a connector or co-connectors who cultivate the vision of the havurah, manage communication and scheduling, and report back to the CBI havurah coordinator.
Funding by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation provides stipends to connectors for the first two years and program funds to havurot for the first five years.
Want to learn more about the Havurah Initiative?
Read more at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and watch a short video.
Join a Havurah
Interested in joining a Havurah?
Fill out this Interest Form or reach out to the individual havurah connectors directly by using the CBI Directory (for logged in ShulCloud users only) or by asking Amy Stein to be connected.
Current Havurot that are open to new members:
Avodat Lev, Isabel Marcus
Avodat Lev, meaning “heart work”, is a songful, contemplative prayer practice that follows the format of the weekday services in a mix of simple chants, meditations, and poetry in Hebrew and English. The practice is meant to guide us in greeting the afternoon/evening, acknowledging our own holiness and our connection to the holiness of Creation, expressing gratitude, and setting an intention for the month/ season ahead. Avodat Lev was developed by the Adamah program at Isabella Freedman. No prior prayer knowledge or practice is required and all are welcome.
Services will be held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 7-8pm, at Temple Israel Greenfield during the winter, and at Abundance Farm in the summer. The first session at the new location will be held in December. Stay tuned for the exact date.
Comedy Improv, Karen Pettinelli
Throughout Jewish history, humor has been a key strategy in persevering through difficult times. This comedy improv havurah gathers monthly on Monday evenings to practice comedy improv techniques together. If you have any experience- however limited- in comedy, improv, or acting, you’re welcome to join us as we play short- and long-form games and hone our improv skills as individuals and as a group. We are creating a space to foster connection and nourish our souls through playfulness.
Creative Writing, Chaya Grossberg
Creative Writing Havurah for writers who are focused on long-term writing projects.
This havurah welcomes writers at all levels of experience who are already writing a longer form work and those who want to start one or turn a shorter piece into something more sustained and substantial. Participants might work on a memoir, novel, collection of poems, collection of short stories etc.
At each meeting, we will check in with members about their writing project, spend time working on longer-term projects and share with each other as desired. Members will be encouraged to connect between meetings for support and solidarity, if they want.
Meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at CBI.
The Found Tribe: A Jews of Color Havurah, Emet Marwell
Are you a Jew of Color (JOC) looking for a tight-knit community with others who truly understand both the challenges and joys of being a JOC? Join The Found Tribe, a havurah for self-identified JOCs to build community, find support, go on fun adventures, and just hang out.
*A note on the name: Out of the 12 Tribes of Israel, 10 are considered lost. Many have theorized that specific pockets of Jewish communities (who often could be considered People of Color) around the world are descendants of one of the Lost Tribes. The name “The Found Tribe” evokes a sense of belonging and reclamation of JOC’s place in Jewish spaces.
Healing Circle, Bonnie Diamond
The Healing Circle Havurah is a spiritual support group for people living with illness. It is based on the belief that illness can deepen our spiritual journeys, and provide an opportunity to connect more deeply with ourselves, with the sacred, and with those that we care about. The group fosters ways to listen to our inner wisdom and provides a safe space to cultivate kindness, patience and love. Monthly meetings are held on Sundays at 4:00, in person at CBI.
Hearing Our Voices, Knowing Our Stories: Women in Jewish Texts, Tiertza -Leah Schwartz
Interested in learning about the stories of women in Jewish texts? Wondering what their relevance is to us today? Join for a monthly discussion of Jewish women in text. We'll read, learn, and explore the stories of these powerful ancestors. We meet monthly on the second Tuesday of the month from 5:15-6:45 mostly on Zoom and occasionally in person.
Jews Read Palestinian Stories, Judi Wisch
Many of us grew up celebrating the 20th century miracle of Israel reborn as political state. Our hearts are breaking over the unimaginable violence and loss of life of Israelis and Palestinians this year. Might reading the personal narratives of Palestinians over this last century shed light on our understanding of the conflict? Might we be able to simultaneously hold the stories and pain of both peoples?
This monthly intergenerational gathering is an opportunity to come together with others who like to read and who are interested in better understanding the experience of Palestinians through their own voices. Participants will help select what is read, and may include books (fiction and non-fiction), short stories, and poetry.
Meetings aree held on the third Sunday of each month from 4:00-6:00 pm.
If you are interested in learning more, please fill out this short Google form
Mah Jongg, Beverly Blatt
Monthly gatherings bring people together for playing, conversation, and learning. All levels are welcome including those new to the game who can learn from experienced players in the group. Meetings are held at CBI on the first Thursday evening of the month.
Mazel Tots, for Gan Keshet Families, Aaron Berkenwald
A Havurah for parents with young children in Gan Keshet to gather, “kvetch and kvell” about the ups and downs of parenthood. Bagels and coffee included. Come share stories, exchange tips and create lasting friendships with other jewish parents in the community.
Storytelling, Chaya Grossberg
Join this monthly group to craft and to share your stories. The focus will be on storytelling as a performance art, not a support group vibe. Themes will vary and speakers can ask for positive and constructive feedback from the group, if desired. Participants will work with humor, emotional evocation, physical scenery, painting a picture, and different storytelling styles.
Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
In this Havurah we will meet to share our stories of our childhood sexual abuse in hopes that connecting in a group will help us heal collectively. We will read healing texts – prayers, poems and even sing songs. Group members can bring art, poems and songs that they created that are helping with their healing process. We will share our pain and be witnessed by others. We will end with a meditation. During our shares we will simply witness and listen and not respond to anything the person shared. We know that being heard and having space held for us is how we transform our isolating pain to an empowering connection. Our shares can be about what happened in childhood or anything else we are dealing with currently. For the sake of everyone in the room, our shares won’t contain graphic details. If our abusers are Jewish and give us complicated feelings regarding Judaism, we will work to disentangle the abuse from Judaism and find ways to heal with Jewish prayers. If our abusers are family members, we will find ways to create new family, and new loving relationships. We will do rituals to remove the abuse from our bodies. We will find ways to not be steered by these deep wounds anymore. We know that healing is possible, especially when we are together, especially when we share our pain and when we hold the pain of others. This will be a peer-led group. It is not therapy and will not be run by a therapist. We meet the second Thursday of every month at 7:15pm in classroom 2 at CBI. Email Amy Stein to be connected to the leader of this havurah or just show up. If you wish to remain anonymous you can email Amy with a different email or name. We won’t disclose any information that is shared in the meetings nor will we disclose who comes to the meetings. All genders welcome.
Ukulele, Donna Sarro
Fans of the ukulele unite! Whether you are an experienced player or are brand new to this instrument and want to learn, this havurah is for you. Gatherings include playing, learning, singing, and exploring music ranging from Jewish music and klezmer to all kinds of secular music that members of the group want to play together. Some instruments will be available to borrow. Meetings are held every two weeks at 6:00 pm on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month.
Visual Artists, Jennifer Lotstein
The purpose for this group is supporting each other in regards to our work as visual artists, learning and sharing technical information, studying Jewish artists, field trips to galleries and museums , sharing our work .The group meets at the home of Jennifer Lotstein in Northampton on the third Thursday of the month from 6-8pm . The meetings are potluck.
Women’s Niggunim Sound Healing, Nina Umai Spiro
During monthly gatherings, we focus on experiencing the power of our own voices as spiritual sound healing instruments while singing sacred niggunim together as living prayers. Each woman is invited to bring a niggun to sing in our circle and will be joined by all our voices in unison. The havurah meets on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm on Abundance Farm.
*Nigun (plural Niggunim), meaning “tune” or “melody” is a form of Jewish religious song or tune sung in groups. It features repetitive sounds instead of formal lyrics.
List of CBI havurot that have reached capacity and are currently closed:
Am Yisrael Chai-vurah, Leah Finch
Caregivers Havurah, Naomi Tannen
Documentary Films, Ellen Pader
Genealogy, Paula Ressler
Jewish Cultural Artists, Rachel Leader
Jewish History and Life, Henny Lewin
Ladyslipper Shtetl, Aaron Kagan
Life Legacy Writing, Judith Breier
Madrachim, Emmy Marks & Amelia Richmond-Cayen
Men’s Group, Owen Mitz
Rosh Chodesh, New Moon Rising, Sylvie Jensen
Shabbat Dinner, Bonnie Diamond and Dan Price
Veg Pod, Elly Alexander
Wounds into Wisdom, Leslie Leff
Want to Start a New Havurah?
We are currently accepting applications for new havurot. Each havurah must have a connector who serves as a lead organizer. While havurot are intended to be non-hierarchical and peer-led, the connector plays a critical role in managing communication and scheduling for the group, cultivating the vision of the havurah, filing reports, and attending check-in meetings with CBI's havurah coordinator. Connectors are paid a stipend of $1,000 per year for the first two years for their work getting the group up and running. Rolling deadline for applying, one year commitment to the project.
Please answer the questions on this application and email it to Amy Stein.
Reach out to Amy with questions anytime.
