Selichot 2023: Gratitude & Blessings, Joy & Repair: A Creative Arts and Expression Workshop with Jewish Educator Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer
Followed by a Selichot Service led by Reconstructionist Clergy
Saturday, September 9, 2023 @ 8pm EST/7pm CST
Hosted by Reconstructionist Congregations Kehillath Shalom (Huntington, NY), SAJ-Judaism that Stands for All (NYC), Or Haneshamah (Ottawa), Columbia Jewish Congregation (Columbia, MD), and Shaarei Shamayim (Madison, WI)
Selichot, a service of reflection and prayer, is the official start to the High Holiday season. To help us enter this holy season, prolific Jewish educator Gabrielle Kaplan-Meyer will lead us in a Creative Arts/Expression workshop “Gratitude & Blessings, Joy & Repair.” Through reading poetry and texts, listening to music and responding to art focused on the transition to the New Year. We will have the opportunity to engage in writing and/or collage prompts and exercises to explore our emotions and energy around what we’ve experienced, how we’ve grown and what we hope to repair going forward.
Please note, we believe everyone is creative, whether they see themselves as a poet, artist or none of the above. No prior experience needed and there will be no pressure to share. This space is for you to find an avenue into teshuvah and tikkun (repair) as we approach the holiest days of the year.
The workshop will and will work well for people of all ages. If you have accessibility needs, please reach out to rachel@saj.nyc. A source sheet with texts will be sent to you ahead of time. For the workshop, please bring a journal/paper and pen for writing and paper, images from magazines or photos, scissors, a glue stick and markers if you'd like to do collage.
Following the workshop, Reconstructionist clergy from the partnering synagogues will lead a song-filled and reflective Selichot service.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer is an experienced educator, author, and speaker. At Jewish Learning Venture, she works as Director of Whole Community Inclusion. Gabby holds a B.F.A. in theater and creative writing from Emerson College and an M.A. in Jewish Studies from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
Register below then you will receive a confirmation email with the zoom link to the evening.
