A Partnership between CBH and Ma’alot
At Congregation Bet Haverim | Sunday, June 1 - 2, 2025

We warmly invite you to a spiritually enriching Shavuot celebration, hosted in partnership with Ma’alot. This special evening weaves together Torah study, music, community, and reflection—creating a sacred space to connect with one another and our shared tradition.

We are honored to welcome musical guest Rena Branson for two special sessions, guiding us through song and nigunim (wordless melodies) to deepen our spiritual experience.

Evening Schedule

5:00–7:00 PM
Family Program with Rabbi Ariel and Cantor Jenn

• Dairy pizza dinner
• Annual Ice Cream Mountain – a joyful tradition symbolizing the giving of the Ten Commandments
• Interactive learning, group activities, and singing to bring our community together in joy and reflection
• All ages welcome!

7:00–7:50 PM
Song Circle for Healing with Rena Branson

A soulful gathering centered on individual and collective healing through music and silence. Come sing, dance, listen, shluff (nap), meditate, or otherwise glean nourishment in this circle! Rena Branson will share her songs, weaving together Jewish liturgy with original prayers for healing and transformation. Inspired by the words “p’tach libi b’toratecha” (open my heart to Your teaching), Rena’s music asks: What are we being invited to learn, grow, and heal in this moment? All are invited to sing along, and our ancestors have been singing off-key with ruach (spirit) for thousands of years, so please don’t hold back!

8:00–11:00 PM
Concurrent Learning Sessions

• Choose from 2–3 diverse learning offerings each hour, led by members of CBH and Ma’alot
• Topics range from deep Torah study and spiritual practices to creative expression
• Sessions designed to nourish body, mind, and soul

11:00 PM–12:00 AM
Sound Mikveh: The Sound of Revelation
With Rabbi Ariel, Rebekka Goldsmith, Gayanne Geurin, and Cliff Trammell

In place of water, we immerse in improvised sound, through singing, drumming, chanting, toning, and silence. Together, we embrace mystery and transformation as we reflect on the revelation at Sinai. Rebekka, Cliff, R’ Ariel, and Gayanne are synergizing their gifts to co-create a Jewishly informed, improvised sacred sound bath, a spontaneous and complete unfolding of sound, prayer and spirit in the moment. You are invited to show up, lay down, and receive as we attune to the Wider Mystery through a kaleidoscope of sonic offerings.Please bring a yoga mat or something comfortable to lie on (chairs will also be available). We’ll conclude with time for individual reflections.

12:00 AM–7:00 AM
Fireside Gathering & Sleepout
With Rebekka Goldsmith

Bring your sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows and gather around the fire for a night of wonder, reflection, and shared storytelling.  As the fire burns into morning, we’ll explore the themes of revelation and connection through song, conversation, and quiet contemplation.

7:00 AM - 7:45AM
Sunrise Yoga
With Rebecca Leary Safon

 Join CBH's Rebecca Leary Safon (RYT500 c-IAYT) for a mindful morning practice of breath and movement to awaken prana (energy) after a long night of study, connection and contemplation. Bring a yoga mat or towel, pillows, yoga blocks and any props you like to use. Chairs will also be available. Please dress comfortably.  This practice is available for all levels.

7:45 AM - 8:00AM
Morning Blessings
With Rebekka Goldsmith

This is an all night event, so bring camp chairs, pillows, blankets - whatever will make you comfortable! 

Session Descriptions:

8:00PM-8:50PM

The Rainbow Connection - Rebecca Stapel-Wax, ED of SOJOURN

Rebecca will lead us in a colorful discussion. How does the rainbow in the Noah story equate with destruction, inspire hope and in oral commentaries say that it should never be captured? What is the history of how the rainbow became a symbol for the gay community, galvanizing many flags for diverse identities?” When was your most memorable rainbow sighting - real or symbolic? Do you know every word from "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and "The Rainbow Connection? We will make sure you do!

Fascinating Lessons Learned in Rabbinical School - Lauren Levin

The Academy for Jewish Religion is at the forefront of pluralistic rabbinic and cantorial training.  Having just completed my first year at AJR, we’ll discuss some highlights of my experience studying with students and faculty representing all the Jewish denominations.  Depending on participant interest and time available, potential hot topics include digital innovation in Jewish communities; examining Torah through the lens of disability studies; the lost art of Jewish prayer; great debates in Jewish history; the architecture of Jewish ritual; and Israel post October 11th.

Journaling as Revelation - Rabbi Jordan Braunig

As we celebrate our mythic story of receiving Divine wisdom, we consider what pathways towards revelation we have in our own lives. How can journaling (and writing, more generally) allow us to learn more about ourselves and about the world. What is revealed when we put pen to paper? Is it possible to experience something transcendent by letting words pour freely? Join Rabbi Jordan Braunig, Jewish Chaplain at Emory University, for learning and a meditative writing practice. Feel free to bring a journal, but pens and paper will be provided.

9:00PM-9:50PM

From Overwhelm to Action: A Shavuot Journey Through Israel-Palestine - Rabbi Ariel Wolpe

In a time when headlines about Israel and Palestine flood our screens with grief, outrage, guilt and confusion, it can feel impossible to know what to say or do. This Shavuot, join us for a reflective and action-oriented session that holds space for heartbreak while reconnecting us to core Jewish values. Come as you are—angry, uncertain, grieving, or hopeful—and let’s receive Torah together in the messiness of the world we live in.

The Hebrew G*ddess  - Rabbi Zev- Hayyim Feyer

Most of us grew up hearing that Abraham was the first to realize that there’s only one G*d, and that we Hebrews/Israelites/Jews have been strict monotheists ever since.  We were taught that monotheism was Judaism’s great gift to the world. But the story is not quite so simple. The Torah contains compelling evidence that our ancestors recognized more than one deity.  One of them, a G*ddess named Sh*ddai (usually translated as “Almighty”), is invoked no fewer than six times in the Book of Genesis (as well as several times in Exodus and Numbers).  She shows up consistently in the Torah as a nurturing, sustaining force associated with blessing and fertility.  And then, for a thousand years and more after the time of Moses, She continues to make Her Presence known in our sacred writings. Rebbe Zev-Hayyim Feyer invites us to join him on a journey through the Torah and beyond to meet Sh*ddai and follow the surprising twists and turns of our monotheistic tradition.

The Experience of Jews By Choice - Panel

What is it like to go through the process of converting to Judaism? What are some of the challenges and rewards? CBH members Tom Downs, MaryBeth Hayes, Amy Lighthill, Rebeca Quintana, and Bill Witherspoon will share their journeys.

10:00PM-10:50PM

Hasidic Nigun Circle - Rena Branson

Nigunim are spiritual melodies that allow us to express emotions, experiences, and prayers that words can't capture. In a supportive environment, we will explore this healing practice together through singing nigunim from the Chabad Hasidic tradition as well as contemporary melodies. ChaBaD, or חב"ד, is an acronym for Chochma—the seedling of bright wisdom, Binah—taking root in deeper understanding, and Da'at—intimate knowledge that bears fruit in practice. During this circle, we will explore brief meditations to invite in all the parts of ourselves, practicing self-compassion as a foundation for showing up with love in our lives and the broader world. Come as you are!

Bio:

Rena Branson (she/they) is a Jewish composer, ritual leader, and educator who uplifts personal and collective healing through song. She served for three years as the cantorial soloist at Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir in Philadelphia, and now brings heart-opening musical offerings to diverse Jewish communities across the US. Rena’s second original album, In Doing & In Dreaming, is in the seed funding stage. Learn more and support Rena’s music at renabranson.com!

Midlife, Meaning, and the Mess In Between- Andrew Kissel 

What does it mean to reach midlife and realize you're both further along and still finding your way? In this reflective session, Andrew will share personal insights from turning 40—on aging, friendship, and the quiet shift from seeking self-improvement to learning acceptance. Inspired by a recent Gray Area podcast with philosopher Kieran Setiya, we’ll explore how growing older often brings fewer choices, more responsibility, and a surprising hunger for freedom. Together we’ll reflect on what we’ve learned, what still feels uncertain, and how we want to move forward from here.

The Radical Relative: Writing the Communist into Family History - Dave Schechter

Award-winning journalist Dave Schechter shares the fascinating journey behind his book A Life of the Party, which brings to life the story of his great-aunt Amy—a passionate advocate for working people and a lifelong member of the Communist Party. In this session, Schechter will reveal why he chose to tell her story as historical fiction, how he wove together fact and imagination, and what he discovered—about history, storytelling, and family—along the way. Join him for a conversation about writing across generations, exploring political legacies, and the surprising truths that emerge when we dig into our roots.