Lev Shomea
Institute for the Training of
Spiritual Directors in the Jewish Tradition
This institute is currently in session and is closed to new participants. Current participants may register online now for the January 12–18 retreat.
Spiritual Direction offers a unique opportunity to explore our relationship with the Holy, the mystery we call God.
Spiritual directors companion others as they reflect on their spiritual journeys and expand their awareness of the sacred dimensions that underlie the ordinary and the extraordinary events of life. Through reflection, practice and response, directors support people to cultivate their inner lives and deepen their connection with others, with creation and with the Source of Life.
The Kotzker Rebbe said: God is present where we let God in.
Spiritual direction is a practice that supports us to let God in.
What is a Jewish Spiritual Director?
A Jewish Spiritual Director recognizes the spiritual hunger of contemporary Jews. Throughout Jewish history, mentors such as the mashpia, chaver or mashgiach, provided spiritual guidance for their settings and eras.
Drawing on our heritage to create a contemporary model of spiritual companionship, a Jewish Spiritual Director helps people to connect experiences of the holy to Jewish vocabulary and tradition, explore Jewish pathways that sustain the inner life, panimiyut, and inspire participation in kehillah, spiritual community.
Register now:
Teachers
Rabbi Howard Avruhm Addison, teaches Humanities and Religion at Temple University. He is certified as an Enneagram teacher by Helen Palmer and as a fellow in Contemplative Group Leadership by the Shalem Institute. Ordained by JTS with over thirty years experience in the active rabbinate, Avruhm is the author of several books on Kabbalah, the Enneagram and interfaith traditions of Spiritual Guidance.
Barbara Eve Breitman, DMin, LCSW, itrains spiritual directors and teaches Pastoral Counseling at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She is a psychotherapist and a teacher. A pioneer in the field of Jewish spiritual guidance, she is a certified fellow in Spiritual Direction by the Shalem Institute and co-editor, with Addison, of the book Jewish Spiritual Direction. Bobbi has been designated a Mashpia Ruchani by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.
Rabbi Zari M. Weiss has been among those at the forefront of bringing Spiritual Direction to the Jewish Community. Ordained by HUC-JIR, Rabbi Weiss is passionately interested in and committed to the intersection of Jewish Spirituality and Justice. Trained at the Mercy Center in California, she is a contributing author to Jewish Spiritual Direction and Tending The Holy. She chairs the CCAR's Committee on Rabbinic Spirituality and served as Co-President of the Women's Rabbinic Network.
Ann Kline, a long-time spiritual director, author and hospice chaplain, has spent much of the past decade facilitating, teaching and promoting group spiritual direction. A contributing author to Jewish Spiritual Direction, and The Lived Experience of Group Spiritual Direction, Ann has led workshops and retreats for the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Direction, and a host of Buddhist, Christian and Jewish organizations.
Julie Leavitt is an innovator in combining the fields of Authentic Movement and Jewish Spiritual Direction. A psychotherapist and mashpia to rabbinical students at Boston? Hebrew College, Julie teaches of dance and creative movement at Lesley College. A contributing author to Jewish Spiritual Direction, she is both the choreographer and author of ? Midrash for Dina and Lilith. She was given the title Eshet Hazon by her community in 2003.
Registration Information
Program Fees
The tuition for this institute is $2900 (including a $1750 deposit) and does not include the cost of Room and Board. We strive to make our programs affordable to everyone. For information about Financial Assistance, please see below.
Room and Board
Room and board includes housing, meals, evening activities, hot tub, yoga, meditation, and full use of our facility. All rooms are air-conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter. Adults fees apply to ages 18 and higher. Rates are per person, and include all meals. For double or triple occupancy, you may either request a roommate, or be matched with one by our staff.
Deluxe rooms
Deluxe rooms have private bathrooms. Single and double occupancy are provided with queen-sized beds, triple occupancy has twin beds. Handicap accessibility available, please call (800) 398-2630 x307.
| Deluxe Rooms |
Training
Institute |
| Single Occupancy |
1,875 |
| Double Occupancy |
1,015 |
| Triple Occupancy |
715 |
Plus rooms
Plus rooms have private bathrooms.
| Plus Rooms |
Training
Institute |
| Single Occupancy |
1,540 |
| Double Occupancy |
940 |
| Triple Occupancy |
640 |
Standard rooms
Standard rooms share a bathroom with one other room.
| Standard Rooms |
Training
Institute |
| Single Occupancy |
1,275 |
| Double Occupancy |
790 |
Economy rooms
Economy rooms have twin beds with the bathroom in the hall.
| Economy Rooms |
Training
Institute |
| Single Occupancy |
975 |
| Double Occupancy |
600 |
Dormitory rooms
Dormitory rooms are either triple or quadruple occupancy with bunk beds and bathrooms on the hall.
| |
Training
Institute |
| Dormitory |
525 |
Camping
Campers supply their own tents and equipment and have access to bathrooms and showers. Camping fee includes all meals and snacks, use of the facility and its amenities, and participation in any open programming provided, such as prayer, meditation, or yoga.
| |
Training
Institute |
| Campers |
450 |
Commuter
The commuter fee includes all meals and snacks, use of the facility and its amenities, and participation in any open programming provided, such as prayer, meditation, or yoga.
| |
Training
Institute |
| Commuter |
340 |
Financial Assistance
Financial Aid for Room and Board
We provide limited scholarship funding to reduce room and board fees for those in extreme financial need. Financial aid is only available for dormitory rooms with hall baths for single adults and economy rooms for couples and families. If you would like to request financial aid, please complete the financial aid form. Please note financial aid requests must be received at least three weeks prior to the retreat.
Financial Aid for the Jewish Arts Institute
A grant from the Mazer Family Fund of UJA-New York covers up to 50% of the program fee for the Jewish Arts Institute. To apply for this grant, please complete the financial aid form.
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation's
Jewish Experience Fund for Adults
Thanks to a generous grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, adults 21 years of age or older who are residents of Western Massachusetts and want to participate in a program at Isabella Freedman are eligible to apply for up to a 50% subsidy of the total cost of the program to a maximum of $500 per program. This funding can be applied to Program Fees and Room and Board Fees. To apply for this grant, please contact The Harold Grinspoon Foundation directly.
Cancellation Policy
Payments made will be refunded in full (less a $75 processing fee) if you cancel more than 10 days prior to a retreat for which you are registered. If you cancel within 10 days or less, a non-refundable credit (less a $75 processing fee) will be held for one year from the date of issue. This credit is non-transferable. No credit or refund is available if you cancel less than 24 hours prior to or on the workshop’s arrival day, if you do not show up, or if you leave a retreat early for any reason.
Isabella Freedman reserves the right to cancel any program at any time. In the event of such cancellation, you will be given a complete refund. A full transportation refund is available if you cancel at least 3 days (72 hours) in advance. No transportation refund is available with less than 3 days notice.
If you are participating in a Training Institute and you miss or cancel one retreat session, your Room and Board Fee will be refunded according to the policy above, but the program fee for a missed or cancelled retreat session is still due. Withdrawal is permitted only after the first retreat session. If you withdraw from a Training Institute after the first retreat session, or if you are asked by faculty to leave the institute, you will receive a full Program Fee refund for any remaining pre-paid retreats.
