Learning the Art of Jewish Retreat-Making

Learning the Art of Jewish Retreat-Making:
A Deeper Look at Retreatology with Renata LiSha, Moishe House 2021 Retreatologist

 

If you are a part of the Moishe House community, chances are high that you have attended one of our Immersive Learning Retreats; but have you ever wondered about the logistics – like how they are organized, who manages all the moving parts, or how a theme is selected? If you have, then Retreatology just might be the training program for you. What is Retreatology? It is the premier training in the art of Jewish Retreat-Making where participants (or “Retreatologists”) learn how to create a Jewish gathering for their friends and community from start to finish. Our Retreatology sessions cover it all — from goal-setting to venue selection to experience design, but most of all, we are looking for community builders, creatives, and people who dream big!

As an essential part of our community-building model, Moishe House (MH) Immersive Jewish Learning Retreats are transformative experiences that train MH residents, hosts, and new members of our community in program development and facilitation so they can create custom programming for their peers. Moishe House retreats are known for creating spaces to ask the most pressing spiritual questions of our lives and include everything from group study and creative writing to Torah, yoga, and Jewish mindfulness.  

From concept creation to implementation, Retreatology provides the foundation, inspiration, and skill sets required for individuals to create these types of experiences with a high level of quality, professionalism, hospitality, and of course, FUN!

Here is what one of our 2021 Retreatologists, Renata LiSha, had to say about her experience planning and hosting the Align with your Lineage Retreat in Moshav Shefer, Israel:

Retreat Planning

I felt this [retreat planning] process was like a personalized internship where I could work with other facilitators and educators to create a meaningful and memorable retreat program. The planning process was so powerful and helped me reflect on these ideas that I had for years. I was able to do this in an intentional space with people who also believed in that vision. I was able to see the gifts of each individual coming to the retreat and engage them. To do a retreat through Moishe House, I felt I had the structure and guidance to make it clear as to what my vision was – people felt more comfortable and trusting in me knowing that it was through an organization that was providing resources and funding and bringing these tools to the community to create a wider network of creatives and healers. [I have] hosted retreats in the past but felt so much more at ease and confident because Moishe House helped me work through it every step of the way. Every moment of the retreat planning process was a learning process pre- and post-retreat [attendee] reflections can be used in the future as tools to improve. 

 

Retreat Execution

The retreat was one of the best weekends of my life! Each participant offered so much to the sacredness and beauty of the space, it truly wouldn’t be the same if one person weren’t present. From the moment we sat in the opening ceremony, I witnessed everyone loosen up and break down (it was very humbling to see tears and hear all the heartfelt stories). I think the greatest takeaways from the retreat were developing deep and meaningful sisterhood connections, exploring the dynamic roles of biblical characters, and embodying our ancestors to fully receive their wisdom and activate our healing potential.

I loved how everyone expressed their creativity, using different modalities and art forms; and I can’t imagine a better opening ceremony, it was perfect. I started with a story from my journey that essentially led me towards ancestral healing, which made everyone feel safe to open up and be vulnerable. It was also really helpful for me to publicly share this story, which I’ve mostly kept private to preserve its sanctity. I felt that it was received well and served as an appropriate introduction for myself as the facilitator of this retreat. I then asked everyone else to introduce themselves by putting a sentimental object on our “ancestral table” and embodying the family member whom they associated with it. This activity brought everyone to tears.

So much of the retreat was about trusting in our inherent abilities and activating our full potential, which most of the participants said they had never realized before. This was one of my primary intentions — that the participants would recognize and strengthen their abilities as a tool for their healing. Because we all had the foundation of Torah and a desire to seek truth, we could go so much deeper in our Jewish learning conversations. I truly believe everyone had something special to offer to the space and it wouldn’t be the same if one person weren’t present.

Since moving to Israel I grappled with the theme of identity a lot. In a lot of conversations about olim (immigration of Jewish people to Israel for aliyah), many participants shared that for most of their life they have felt disconnected from the land of Israel and the story their ancestors personally experienced. During the retreat we discussed the significance of us gathering in Israel, on [the U.S. holiday of] Thanksgiving, as first (or second) generation immigrants. Making aliyah is a rite of passage that many of our ancestors could only dream of, and the fact that we’re here now and intentionally gathering to share stories, form meaningful connections, and create new traditions for our future generations is incredibly special. It was such a blessing for me to facilitate this experience.