All are welcome to join a new monthly virtual Interfaith Dialogue group across Turtle Island (North America) led and organized by a growing group of interfaith organizations, faith group leaders and community partners.
The goal: Let’s reconnect to compassion and a sense of connection with other members of our human family at a time of increasing divisiveness.
We seek to gather, NOT TO DEBATE, but rather to reconnect to our shared hope for compassion and desire for connection with other members of our human family on this continent. Please share this email with others who share our values.
How: Bring a text, quote or poem that reflects your personal understanding of compassion and be prepared to share in small breakout groups.
When: November 8th, and the second Wednesday of the month thereafter // 6-7PM Eastern, 7-8PM Atlantic, 7:30 PM-8:30PM NFLD
Why: We are one human family. Rekindle hope at a time of division. If you feel inspired after the first conversation, go and share your experience with one person who may wish to join us next time… together, we can slowly grow an ever-widening network of compassion.
This blog was first started when I was known as Rabbi Nadia and when I worked south of the colonial border, in what is known as the United States. I served as a rabbi of several large and small synagogues across Turtle Island (North America) before moving the beautiful unceded Mi'kma'ki (colonial name: Nova Scotia, Canada) where I work as a social worker. I also support a growing group of Jewish communities that are part of The Chavurah Collective: Decolonizing Judaism in Mi'kma'ki and Beyond and use this personal blog to post services that I lead, and which are open to anyone interested in joining.
As a second-generation Holocaust survivor and someone who identifies as nonbinary and transgender, I feel called to create a world free from hatred and prejudice. I understand the closet to be a metaphor for the ways that colonization/society has wounded us through intergenerational trauma that manifests in intersectional ways.
I believe in the universality of spiritual teachings across traditions and their alignment with contemporary psychological theory. As I transition from serving as a pulpit rabbi to becoming a community rabbi, I've maintained this blog as a platform to share my theology and connect with others, especially as part of my personal sense of Calling to advocate for "tikkun olam" (=the healing of the world). Canada's recent commitment to begin a restorative justice process of Truth and Reconciliation has inspired me to reflect upon the ways that decolonizing one's self can lead to restorative justice and a global healing: this blog reflects my effort to distill these insights.
Just as the fringes of a prayer shawl hold its holiness, I believe my greatest contribution lies in guiding others home and towards wholeness. Having exited my gender closet, I have continued to emerge and am committed to doing what I can to help others become who they were created to be. Engaging in the sacred work of beginning to decolonize myself, I seek to share these insights with others and to advocate for the equal rights and healing potential that I believe is what G!d wants for us all.
Through this blog, I hope to inspire healing, insight, and empowerment, inviting others to find their voice and path. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
View all posts by Rabbi Dr. Nachshon Siritsky
Emerging Torah as Rabbi Nachshon emerges 