Simchafest is perhaps the most joyous, and most diverse celebration of the holiday of Simchat Torah you will find. It takes the full spectrum of the community to manifest the joy of Simchafest at Isabella Freedman. Everyone is welcome – all ages, all streams, all colors, all identities.
More details and registration to come.
We will be hosting two separate retreats: Sukkahfest over the start of Sukkot and Simchafest over Simchat Torah weekend. The option to stay on site during Chol HaMoed is not available.
We will have Traditional Egalitarian and Orthodox minyanim.
All Streams of Judaism flow from One Source! “AllStream” is our name for the gathering of diverse Jewish communities at Sukkahfest. AllStream (rather than “Mainstream”) Judaism seeks to validate all streams of Jewish spiritual expression, recognizing that All of the ways of being Jewish flow from and return to One Source.
Our various educators lead a series of outdoor classes throughout the holiday, as well as yoga, tours of our organic farm, and guided hikes on our trails. While many of our activities are family friendly, there will also be some dedicated programs for kids. These will make use of our farm and the natural environment of the retreat center.
Kids programming will be outdoors as much as possible, including in the rain; a raincoat, rain boots, hiking boots or sneakers, and a labeled water bottle are required.
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg is an award-winning author who serves as Scholar in Residence at National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). She has received the Lives of Commitment Award from Auburn Seminary, was named by Newsweek as a “rabbi to watch,” as a “faith leader to watch” by the Center for American Progress and has been a Washington Post Sunday crossword clue (83 Down). Her newest book, On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World–which comes out in paperback September 13th–is a National Jewish Book Award winner and an American Library Association’s Sophie Brody Honor Book, hailed by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley as “A must read for anyone navigating the work of justice and healing.” Her other books include Nurture the Wow: Finding Spirituality in the Frustration, Boredom, Tears, Poop, Desperation, Wonder, and Radical Amazement of Parenting, a National Jewish Book Award finalist; Surprised By God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion, shortlisted for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish literature; as well as The Passionate Torah: Sex and Judaism; Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism and more. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and elsewhere.
Rabbi Eliezer Lawrence is a popular NYC-area Mohel, Jewish educator and Hebrew language specialist whose Rabbinate is centered on enriching identity and instilling meaning to Jewish texts, language, and ritual. Alongside his Mohel practice, Rabbi Lawrence is a faculty member at multiple institutions of higher learning, including Yeshiva University, and has taught in Jewish day school, yeshiva and adult educational settings across the denominational spectrum. Rabbi Lawrence studied at Yeshivat Ma’ale Gilboa in Israel and was granted rabbinic ordination from its Rosh HaYeshiva, Rabbi David Bigman. He trained to be a mohel at the London School of Circumcision, the premier mohel clinical apprenticeship program, under the supervision of one of the UK’s top Certified Mohels, Ephraim Josovic and he holds an additional certification from the Chief Rabbinate of Beit Shemesh in Israel. Rabbi Lawrence studied linguistics and Yiddish at Columbia University and holds MAs in Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language from Middlebury College, and in Bible and Semitic Languages from the Kekst School of Jewish Studies. Rabbi Lawrence has served as guest scholar in various communities and retreats and has written about halacha, language and Jewish identity for publications including Tablet Magazine and The Jewish link.
Dr. Sara Rozner Lawrence is a Psychologist whose professional and personal work focus on the intersection between mental health, sexuality, and Jewish identity. In 2016, she founded a project called Monologues from the Makom to provide a platform for Jewish women to share their personal narratives about sexuality, gender, and body image. The project was featured in the 2017 JOFA conference and was published as an anthology in 2020 by Ben Yehudah Press. In her work as a clinician, Sara is grateful to work at the VA with veterans who have experienced sexual and combat trauma and is especially passionate about serving LGBTQ veterans. Sara believes deeply in the power of presence with all of one’s various identities, and is excited to bring her full self to the joyous celebration of the Torah at Isabella Freedman!
Kohenet Shamirah Bechirah aka Sarah Chandler is a Brooklyn-based Jewish educator, artist, activist, healer, and poet. She teaches, writes and consults on issues related to Judaism, earth-based spiritual practice, respectful workplaces, mindfulness, and farming. Previously, Sarah served as the Director of Romemu Yeshiva, Chief Compassion Officer of Jewish Initiative for Animals, and Director of Earth Based Spiritual Practices at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. An advanced student of Kabbalistic dream work at The School of Images, Sarah is the founder and lead trainer for “Soft as a Rock: Public Speaking for Sensitive Souls.” softasarock.com. Currently she is the CEO of Shamir Collective, as a coach and consultant to high profile artists and authors to launch new music and books.
Rabbi Ezra Weinberg is a shaliach tzibur, officiant and Jewish educator dedicated to creating connection and community. He is a native Philadelphian and holds an MA in Conflict Transformation. Reb Ezra officiates weddings and Bnai Mitzvot, teaches a University course called, “One G-d, Three Paths”, alongside a priest and Imam. He currently works with individuals and families within the Jewish community and founded ReVoice, a network of resources for Jewish going through divorce.
Rabbi Aviva Richman is a Rosh Yeshiva at Hadar and has been on the faculty since 2010. A graduate of Oberlin College, she studied in the Pardes Kollel and the Drisha Scholars’ Circle and was ordained by Rabbi Danny Landes. She completed a doctorate in Talmud at NYU. Interests include Talmud, Halakhah, Midrash and gender, and also a healthy dose of niggunim.
Batya Levine (they/them) uses song as a tool for cultivating healing and resilience in their work as a communal song leader, shaliach tzibur (Jewish prayer leader) and cultural organizer. Batya is a co-founder and Director of Programs at Let My People Sing!, and they compose original music made of Ashkenazi yearning, queer heart-medicine, and emunah (faith). www.batyalevine.com
Rabbi Aryeh Bernstein, a Sukkahfest veteran and long-time Torah educator, is the Chicago Director of the Avodah Justice Fellowship, Educational Consultant for the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Aryeh has previously taught for Hadar, Jewish Initiative for Animals, and campuses, communities, and organizations around Israel and the U.S. Aryeh was an Editor-Translator for the Koren English edition of the Steinsaltz Talmud, is a Senior Editor of Jewschool.com, led High Holiday services at Kehilat Hadar for 18 years, and has been coming to Sukkah/Simchafest for many years. Aryeh studied for seven years at Yeshivat Ma’ale Gilboa and also at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Yeshiva University, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, and has rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Daniel Landes’s Yashrut Institute.