Focus & Flow: Crafting Immersive and Embodied Jewish Experiences
Jewish tradition is embedded with rich wisdom that informs our relationship to place, time, and sacred experience. In this session, we’ll dive into the fractal nature of the Jewish spacetime continuum, and explore Mitsui Collective’s framework for embodied Jewish experience — both to deepen understanding of our own personal Jewish cosmologies and for the practical planning and implementation of mikveh-oriented ritual and learning experiences. Expect a combination of guided embodied practice alongside theory and applied frameworks to inform your own work and practice.
The Wellspring Within: Immersing in the Waters of our Creativity
Like water, creativity is an endlessly flowing, ever-present resource essential to our survival — as plentiful as it is necessary, as simple as it is sustaining. In this session we’ll dive into the inspiring and invigorating waters of creativity through a hands-on experience in the Jewish Studio Process. Jewish Studio Project’s unique methodology combines expressive art-making, Jewish text study, and spiritual practice as a way to connect more deeply to one another, to tradition and to the creative wellspring within. You’ll leave with a new approach to sustain your spirit and a practice to inspire the creative power of this incredible community.
Exploring & Shifting the Mikveh Funding Landscape
Learn about emerging trends in Jewish funding, and join expert panelists in generating new ideas for influencing our communities to invest in the open mikveh movement. Drawing from examples of creative fundraising practices, grassroots resource mobilization, and innovative Jewish grantmaking, this panel will provide our Network with a foundation of skills, knowledge, and ideas to break down barriers and build new paths toward funding mikveh.
Beyond The Count: Perspectives of Jews of Color and Implications for the Mikveh Movement
Dive into the learnings from the Jews of Color Initiative’s report, “Beyond the Count: Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Jews of Color,” which uses survey and interview data of a complex fabric of JoC’s identities, lived experiences, and perspectives. In the context of the national conversation about race in the United States, this study enhances American Jews’ understanding of their own racial and ethnic diversity and provides an opportunity to reflect on how systems of inequality are perpetuated in our own community, including at the mikveh.
Launching Lessons: New Mikveh Initiatives Worldwide
More and more communities around the globe are mobilizing to create new mikva’ot that are inclusive and accessible to all. Responding to local needs and opportunities, each of these stories is unique. And yet, they teach us all meaningful lessons about the open mikveh movement and provide tangible tools to improve our own mikveh work at home. Gather with leaders from London, Minneapolis, and Des Moines to soak up insights, gain valuable advice, celebrate the successes, and learn from the challenges that these three communities have faced in their exciting journeys to launch a new mikveh.
Hiddur Mitzvah: Art & Mikveh
Hiddur Mitzvah means “beautifying” the mitzvah, or commandment / righteous deed. What does it mean to beautify the mitzvah of mikveh? How might artistic creativity deepen ritual immersion experiences? Why does it matter how the physical space of a mikveh looks and feels? Dive into these juicy questions together, and learn from mikveh directors, artists, ritualists and organizers about the ways that mikveh-making and art-making are intertwined in their lives. Explore how some mikva’ot transform their physical spaces with art galleries, and be inspired by documentaries, paintings, and other creative endeavors that are fueling the expansion of the open mikveh movement.
Swirling in the Eddies: Extended Play Along the River of Embodied Jewish Practice
These sessions will build on the theory and practices offered in our keynote, offering extended and additional embodied practice that will serve both as movement breaks between conference sessions as well as modeling practices you can learn and adapt for your own work and programs. We’ll utilize a combination of physical movement, breathwork, music, and other embodied modalities in our learning.
Co-Creating Rituals with Communities
As an ancient practice unlike any other, mikveh’s ritual possibilities are limitless. Be inspired by innovative leaders who are harnessing, transforming, and renewing mikveh ritual through authentic community partnerships. The Queer Mikveh Project seeks to transform the traditional mikveh practice into a communal experience, centering queer Jews of color leading spiritual rituals. Mayyim Hayyim’s initiative “Let Justice Well Up” features an educational series, new mikveh immersion ceremonies, and storytelling by and for Jewish women of color. The AJU Community Mikveh’s new project “Mikvah L’Amcha: Mikvah for the People” creates curriculum and ritual resources with partner organizations like Jewish addiction recovery centers, youth programs as more. Through these diverse stories of partnership, explore new tools and opportunities for ritual co-creation in your own communities.
Kids & Mikveh: A New Generation
Do you know how fun it is to talk to kids about a water ritual for marking changes in their lives? (Hint: very fun!) One milestone of success for the Rising Tide movement will be achieved when a new generation of Jews embrace mikveh as a core Jewish practice that’s as important as Shabbat or Kashrut. Join us for an engaging session on bringing kids into the conversation about mikveh in safe, age-appropriate, and relevant ways. We’ll discuss how mikveh can be a tool in developing a strong and positive Jewish identity, techniques to ensure everyone’s physical and emotional safety, and out-of-the-box program ideas to help you and your community have this conversation. Participants from all stages of the mikveh planning and building process are welcome.
Plus…
Engaging Virtual Platforms for connecting with fellow mikveh makers, such as a Discord group chat channel, a Virtual Exhibit Hall, and shared notes
Collaborative Working Groups with Mikveh Leaders to develop proposals for Network-wide projects on fundraising, education, rituals & operations
Group Huddles for authentic mentorship and mutual support with Mikveh Guides, aspiring and emerging mikva’ot, and established mikva’ot
Wellness & Self-Care Support through breaks and movement infusions
