(Formerly The Ritualist)
The BIRTH of a baby.
A BAR or BAT MITZVAH.
The decision to WED.
The need to arrange a FUNERAL.
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Each of these MILESTONES is momentous. Marking the transition with a JEWlSH RITUAL can make it even more meaningful. VISION We envision a future in which Judaism is experienced as accessible, inspiring and vital to the vast majority of Jews. The contribution of JEWISH MILESTONES to the realization of this vision is in harnessing the transformative power of lifecycle rituals, forging a new professional path for facilitators of ritual and encouraging candid discussion of the de facto reality of contemporary North American Jewish life that is lived primarily outside of a synagogue framework. |
MISSION
Jewish Milestones is dedicated to deepening the engagement of Jews with their heritage
by supporting active participation in authentically Jewish and personally meaningful rites of
passage: typically related to birth, maturation, partnering, and loss.
We accomplish our mission by serving as an educational resource to:
- Celebrants who are seeking personalized, educative consultations and ritual-related referrals.
- Ritual facilitators, professionals and lay people, in order to cultivate reflective practitioners, promote best practices and help augment their own capacity to serve in the context of their own communities.
- Jewish communal organizations, researchers and all those interested in exploring the various fields that intersect with our work (such as Jewish practice among non-synagogue members, the needs of interfaith families, innovation in Jewish ritual, etc.)
FOUNDATION
- The Centrality of Education
First and foremost, we see ourselves as educators. Education is our primary task and it defines our approach.
- The Transformative Power of Ritual
We know that ritual in general, and Jewish lifecycle ritual in particular, holds the potential for powerful personal and communal transformation. The process that leads up to the ritual, plus the relationship that is established between the participant(s) and the facilitator, activates this power.
- The Acceptance of Diversity
We believe it is important to accept, if not embrace, diversity in Jewish practice, identification, and association. This is in addition to a fundamental belief in the equality of all people.
- The Development of Lay Facilitators
According to traditional Jewish law (halakhah), lifecycle rituals do not require the presence of an ordained rabbi. We promote the (re)empowerment of educated lay leaders in the provision of religious services, such as the facilitation of lifecycle rituals, and foster the development of best practices for this emerging field.
VALUES
- Tzelem Elohim—respect for the uniqueness and fundamental equality of every human being
- Brit—commitment to forging professional relationships based on well-articulated expectations, clear boundaries, and mutual respect
- Mikadesh Hol—belief in the nearly limitless possibilities of experiencing the sacred
~~UPDATE~~
The "Chemo Siddur" Project
Hineni– Here I Am: A Companion for Chemotherapy is a spiritual companion currently under development by Jewish Milestones. Here I Am • Hineini is a hybrid book that
captures elements of a prayer book, a journal, a scrapbook, and a photo
album. The book is personal,
intimate, flexible, and designed to accompany a cancer patient on her or his
journey through treatment and beyond.
Find out more about this extraordinary new ritual object...
Jewish Choice Awards - Best in the West!
This autumn, Natan and Jumpstart
teamed up with GreatNonprofits, Guidestar, Jewish Funders Network, Jewish
Telegraphic Agency, the Slingshot Fund, and Upstart Bay Area to launch theGreatNonProfits 2009 Jewish Choice Awards to recognize the top-rated Jewish
nonprofits that make a difference – and Jewish Milestones was a winner!
Jewish Milestones has one the “Best in the West” in the medium-sized nonprofit category. Click here to see the complete list of winners. To leave a review of Jewish Milestones, click here.
Slingshot: Five and Counting!
Jewish Milestones has again been
named one of the nation’s 50 most innovative Jewish nonprofits in Slingshot
09/10. Slingshot’s annual
guidebook features programs, organizations, and leaders that take innovative
approaches to addressing age-old concerns of identity and community in Jewish
Life today. The organizations
listed in Slingshot are selected from among hundreds of nominees across the
country. Finalists are chosen
based on their strength in four areas: innovation, impact, leadership, and organizational efficiency.
This is the 5th consecutive year that Jewish Milestones has been given this honor. Download or order the 2009-10 edition of Slingshot here.
A few words from outgoing Board President, Toby Rubin
It has been my pleasure to serve
as founding president of Jewish Milestones' board for the past 5 years.
As I conclude my term to focus on my role as CEO and Founder of UpStart Bay
Area, it is also my pleasure to announce Jewish Milestones as a winner of the
Jewish Choice Awards! The Jewish Choice Awards began this year as a joint
initiative of six organizations, including UpStart Bay Area, committed to
developing entrepreneurship and innovation in Jewish life. To learn more
about The Jewish Choice Awards, click here.
It's not a surprise to any who knows the work of Jewish Milestones that people touched by the organization would be inspired to act on its behalf. Thanks to Jewish Milestones, my own family was able to grieve for a lost loved one through a shiva minyan, a gathering that honored all who were present, our tradition, and the marvelous man we lost. our story is a small one in the broad reach of Jewish Milestones' impact. I have truly been honored and improved both as a person and a Jew by my association with the work, staff and board of Jewish Milestones. I am delighted to see their work honored by the Jewish Choice Award, and look forward to many more exciting "milestones" in the years to come. I will always be near.
A Rite in Yosemite
In the fall of 2007, our family embarked on a unique and very personal
journey that came to fruition in May of this year (2009) atceremony the
foot of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. Jewish Milestones enabled our
first steps and provided sensitive support and guidance along the way.
Our first contact was with Deb Fink, an Education and Referral
Specialist. She outlined the essential elements we needed (and did NOT
need) for a bar mitzvah, and together we developed an initial plan of
action. The first action item was....
Creating an Interfaith Wedding
A Jewish Milestones Workshop for JCCSF Interfaith Connection
Participants explored ways to create a beautiful and meaningful interfaith wedding ceremony honoring the backgrounds of both partners, while including elements of the traditional Jewish wedding and contemporary innovations, and providing participants with myriad resources to help in their conversation an decision-making processes.
Celebrating the Birth of a Child
A Jewish Milestones Workshop for JCCSF Interfaith Connection
Participants discussed ways to welcome a baby with a unique and meaningful ceremony that reflects the richness of both partners' backgrounds and incorporates old and new traditions and rituals. Books, websites, articles, information about ritual facilitators and moheim, and sample ceremonies were shared with participants.
Mikveh Guide Training
Our work with Mayyim Hayyim in the Bay Area has begun!
Jewish Milestones and the Jewish Welcome Network are partnering with Mayyim Hayyim (the community mikveh of Newton, Massachusetts) to training a cohort of 17 Bay Area Mikveh
Guides who will be available to witness and support mikveh immersions. Our group is fabulous and fascinating — representing all parts of the Bay Area Jewish community.
Read more about our Mikveh Guide Training...
The Dedication of The Jewish Milestones Lending Torah
The Jewish Milestones Lending Torah, restored through the generosity of
over 100 individuals and families, and rededicated for use by an untold
number of Bay Area Jews, inspires hope and gratitude in us, the staff of JM.
To read all about it in the J. - The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, click here
Bnai Mitzvah Family Camp
With the knowledge that the journey into adulthood greatly impacts the whole family—parents, siblings, relatives and friends—we invited families of children becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah in the coming year to spend a week together to explore this significant rite of passage through creative arts, experiences in nature, Torah study and peer-group discussions. The weeklong Bnai Mitzvah Family Camp, co-sponsored by Jewish Milestones and Storahtelling, was hosted at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center/ Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality in Falls Village, Connecticut, in late August.
To read all about it, click here
Slingshot // A Resource Guide to Jewish
Jewish Milestones is listed four consecutive years in Slingshot //
A Resource Guide to Jewish Innovation, created by 21/64, a division of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies:
".... It is a resource list of 50 of the most innovative [Jewish]
organizations, projects, and leaders across the country, all of them offering valuable projects with different perspectives, strategies and in different locales."
Check it out! Jewish Milestones is in the news again:
A scroll to share: Jewish Milestones dedicates a lending Torah to community
by Stacey Palevsky
J. - The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
and
Jewish Telegraphic Agency - New York, NY 11/13/2008
Op-Ed: Don’t cut support to innovative nonprofits
PDF Version
and
AND A CAMEO APPEARANCE IN... What Do You Get When You Take
Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe
by award-winning journalist Lisa Alcalay Klug
1 Hospice Nurse
2 Jewish Communal Professionals
2 Mental Health Professionals
3 Professional Musicians
1 Visual Artist-Arts Educator
and 2 Activists
ON AN INTENSIVE 3-DAY RETREAT TO
STUDY JEWISH WEDDING FACILITATION?
click here to learn more
Starring Jewish Milestones
Jewish Milestones Executive Director, Rachel Brodie led two "webinars" (web-based seminars) for rabbis, other synagogue professionals and lay leaders from Atlanta, Philadelphia and Los Angeles in late November.
The 17 synagogues are part of STAR's
(Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal) "Calling Synagogue Home" initiative to engage interfaith families through lifecycle events.
Rachel's presentation was called, "Before I Can Call Synagogue Home I Need to Know What You Call Me" Engaging the Jewish Partner in an Interfaith Relationship. click here to learn more.
Artistic Ketubot
One of the many ways that Jewish Milestones serves as a resource is to function as consultants, not only with individuals and families, but also with communal institutions. One such relationship was forged with the Peninsula Jewish Community Center (PJCC) as they developed a yearlong cultural arts celebration of the Jewish lifecycle.
click here to learn more.
Jewish Milestones has found a home
We're not in Kansas
(or a P.O. Box) anymore!
click here to learn more.
Jewish Milestones is proud to be a founding member of UPSTART
Read Our Newsletter
Jewish Milestones Newsletter Archive
Click here to learn more about the CD "IMMERSED": Music for Mayyim Hayyim!
Jewish Milestones ~ 748 Gilman Street ~ Berkeley, CA 94710 ~ 510.559.3636 ~ 510.559.4646 (fax)
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