LGBTQI Jewish Clergy Retreat
Nehirim is thrilled to announce our first LGBTQI Jewish clergy retreat, welcoming Rabbis, Cantors, Rabbinic Pastors and students thereof to San Francisco from Sunday, December 7 through Wednesday, December 10.
Together we will:
- Celebrate our diversities-Jewishly, LGBTQ, age, family configurations, race, geography, and more
- Explore the particular gifts, strengths and role of LGBTQI spiritual leadership in the Jewish world.
- Discuss what it means to ‘queer’ Judaism-in terms of midrash, musar, mindfulness, mystery and more.
- Enrich ourselves with amazing learning, sharing and creating of cutting edge:
- Queer theology
- Ritual
- Liturgy
- Models of pastoral care
- Halachic discourse
- Musar
- Practical Rabbinics
- Spiritual practice
- Immerse ourselves in beautiful prayer, food and community
- Have FUN!! Sing, dance, laugh and more.
- Discern whether/how/when we might continue to meet/collaborate/celebrate
Much thanks to the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, which is generously funding this event and to Rabbi Camille Angel for offering the beautiful Sha’ar Zahav to host.
WHERE: Congregation Sha’ar Zahav on Dolores St. in San Fransisco, CA
WHEN: Sunday December 7, 2014 - Wednesday December 10, 2014 (noon)
Click here to Register now
Pricing
$95 base registration
To apply for financial aid, click here.
Schedule
Sunday, December 7
3:00 Welcome and intention setting
3:15 Mincha
3:30 Hopes and celebration of our histories and our diversities
4:15 Break 4:30 Maariv
5:00 Opening panel—LGBTQI gifts and our role in lifting up the consciousness of klal Yisrael
6:30 Dinner on site
8:00 Mishpacha groups 9:00 Break/schmoozing
Monday, December 8
8:30 Shacharit (Options: Traditional/Renewal/yoga or meditation)
9:30 Theology panel 11:00 Break 11:15 One workshop each from the following tracks:
- Theology
- Ritual
- Liturgy
- Musar
12:45 Lunch on site-cohort tables
- RRC
- HUC
- AJR
- JTS/Ziegler
- Boston Hebrew
- ALEPH
- Independent
- Orthodox
2:00 Ritual panel
3:30 Mincha
4:00 One workshop each from the following tracks
- Pastoral care
- Halachic discourse
- Practical rabbinics
- Mindfulness
5:30 Maariv
6:15 Dinner on site
7:45 Mishpacha groups
8:45 Cabaret, Fashion Show, Fun!
Tuesday, December 9
8:30 Shacharit (options: Traditional/Renewal/yoga or meditation)
9:30 Pastoral Care Panel
11:00 Break
11:15 One workshop each from the following tracks:
- Theology
- Ritual
- Liturgy
- Self care
12:45 Lunch on site—cohort tables
- Working for an LGBTQ shul
- Senior or solo rabbi in a mixed shul
- Assistant rabbi in a mixed shul
- Other rabbinic position
- Cantors
- Rabbinic Pastors
- Students
2:00 Interfaith panel and discussion—Hear from a Muslim and Christian queer clergy about their vision for queering Islam and queering Christianity to spark conversations about visions for queering Judaism 3:30 Mincha
4:00 One workshop from each of the following tracks:
- Pastoral care
- Halachic discourse
- Interfaith work
- Self care
5:30 Maariv
6:15 Public session—Creating Beloved Community: Ally clergy, LGBT members of local community, others are invited to a “Learning Out” conversation—What do I wish allies knew about me. What do allies wish we knew?
7:15 Dinner at local restaurants
Wednesday, December 10
8:30 Shacharit (Options: Traditional/Renewal/yoga or meditation)
9:30 Small group discussions on whether/how/when we might continue to meet/collaborate/celebrate in the areas of theology, ritual, liturgy, pastoral are, interfaith work, musar, practice, self care
10:30 Report out and full group discussion on same question
11:30 Evaluation
11:45 Closing-prayers/blessings/celebration
12:00 Adjourn, box lunches
Click here to Register now
Housing
Our retreat will take place at Congregation Sha’ar Zahav in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. We recommend that our out-of-town visitors stay in/and around San Francisco. We have a group rate at Hotel Diva in the downtown area. (group code TBD). In addition, we have a home stay request form for you to consider as well as we have a number of less expensive Bed and Breakfasts which can not be held with a group rate for the retreat, but would be great choices for accommodation. We highly recommend making your hotel and Bed and Breakfast reservations as early as possible. We have created a map that shares a few local favorite spots in the area of the retreat. Take a look.
Accommodations
- Hotel: Comfort Inn, a San Francisco hotel near Fisherman’s Wharf at 2775 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 928-5000 http://www.
comfortinn.com/hotel-san_ francisco-california-CA004 - Reservation Contact: Henrietta “Henree” Weiner, Director Of Sales Phone: 1-415-928-5000 Ext 7513 [email protected]
- Instructions: Each Rabbi or Clergy Member will need to call the hotel and speak with Henree to make the reservation and will be paying on their own.
- Take Note: Henree will be on vacation September 6 - 11 as well as September 24 to October 6. During this time no one will be able to take reservations for our group. Please be sure to notify the Nehirim participants to make their reservations anytime other than on these days.
- Group Id: Room Reservation under the name “Nehirim Retreat.” Group ID# 182 75 53
- Airbnb, https://www.airbnb.com San Francisco based Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations.
- Parker Guest House (B&B) | http://www.parkerguesthouse.com/index.html | 520 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94114 | (415) 621-3222 | Rates start at $159. Your stay includes free WiFi, continental breakfast, wine social, and use of the extensive public rooms, gardens and sunning areas. Again, we can not hold rooms here for the retreat so book soon if you want to stay here. In the Castro neighborhood. This guest house is in safe, and easy walking distance to Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. The walk is .3 miles long with no hill. It would take 5-minutes to walk to or from Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. This B&B is NOT wheelchair accessible, and has 21 rooms.
- The Inn on Castro (B&B) http://www.innoncastro.com | 321 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114 | (415) 861-0321 | Rates start at $115 (single) and $125 (double) which include a full breakfast. This guest house is in safe and easy walking distance to Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. The walk is .5 miles long with a mild slope. It would take 13-minutes to walk to or from Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. This B&B is NOT wheelchair accessible, and has 8 rooms.
- The Inn San Francisco (B&B), http://www.innsf.com | 943 S Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110 | (415) 641-0188 | Rates start at $135. Your stay includes breakfast, hot tub, sun deck, garden, and complimentary beverages served in the double parlors. This B&B is located in the heart of the Mission. They do not allow us to hold rooms for the retreat so book soon if you want to stay here. This guest house is in safe and moderate walking distance to Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. The walk is 1 mile long with no hill. You would pass by a moderately transitional neighborhood but it should be safe during the day. It would take 20-minutes to walk to or from Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. This B&B is NOT wheelchair accessible, has 21 rooms and welcomes dogs with an additional fee.
- Comfort Inn, a San Francisco hotel near Fisherman’s Wharf http://www.comfortinn.
com/hotel-san_francisco- california-CA004 | 2775 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94109 | This hotel is in a safe neighborhood but it is not in walking distance to Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. The walk is 2.7 miles long with moderate hills. It would take 60-minutes to walk to or from Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. It will take 30-minutes to catch a MUNI Bus #47 or #49 from the hotel to 16th and Mission Street and a few more minutes to walk from the bus stop at 16th and Mission to Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. This hotel is wheelchair accessible, has 138 rooms and is near Fisherman’s Wharf, the San Francisco Marina Yacht Harbor, Fort Mason Center, Union Street and Lombard Street. - Home Stay (please fill out this form for guests & hosts)
- MUNI BUS & LIGHTRAIL, http://www.sfmta.com The easiest way to pay is by cash. Just enter the bus on the front and place $2 in the machine.
- BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) http://www.bart.gov, Trains arrive at the SFO International Terminal every 15 minutes and it’s just 30 minutes to downtown San Francisco. From Downtown, a BART ride is a safe and flat 8-minute walk from the 16th Street BART Station to Congregation Sha’ar Zahav.
- Parking, street parking is the only available option nearby Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. We recommend that you take public transportation if at all possible.
Director
Debra Kolodny, Executive Director
Debra Kolodny joined Nehirim as its Executive Director in March of 2013. She brings over thirty years of local and national leadership in LGBT organizations, including: six years as National Coordinator for BiNet USA, six years facilitating NGLTF’s National Religious Leadership Roundtable and publishing the anthology, “Blessed Bi Spirit: Bisexual People of Faith” in 2000,. Deb has also published dozens of articles on religion and sexuality and taught in hundreds of venues on the topic of Judaism, sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition to her work with Nehirim she serves as rabbi of P’nai Or of Portland, is active in interfaith social justice work and is a frequent guest speaker, ritualist, and teacher. Prior to joining P’nai Or she served as Executive Director of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal for nine years. Rabbah D’vorah has been practicing taiji since 1995, meditation for almost as long, and is passionate about ecstatic dance.