Upcoming Events: Services and Dialogue Group

Uncategorized 2 Minutes

Mark your calendars!

I am excited about the growing number of people across Turtle Island, who are organizing Shabbat dinner gatherings to stream our innovative approach to Shabbat services in small communities (Chavurah/regional hubs). Therefore, due to poular request, a TIME CHANGE: starting in December, our services will begin 45 minutes later than previously advertised. Please use this updated schedule. 

Whether you are joining as an individual or a group, we are excited to have you!!! Services are open to all: Jews and those who find Judaism meaningful! Whether you believe in G!d or you don’t… whether you are a fan of organized religion or not, I do my best to make them as accessible and “low-barrier” as possible. Services are primarily in English and all Hebrew is translated/transliterated. More importantly, I work to translate the ancestral teachings of the Torah and Talmud and Kabbalah into something that is trauma-informed and aligns with therapeutic principles and social justice values, and reflects my commitment to neurodecolonization and healing. The goal is to destress and find enough insight or peace or solace from community, tradition, music and meditation that we can recover from the week and experience a sense of Light that can help us prepare for Shabbat/rest.

The Chavurah Collective which includes Reform Judaism in Atlantic Canada: Decolonizing Judaism in Mi’kma’ki and Beyond as well as Kol Israel Community of Kentucky has several upcoming virtual events:

November 24th, 6PM Atlantic (5PM Eastern/6:30PM NFLD): Shabbat Service of song, meditation and healing. Please register for the link.

December 8th,  6:45PM Atlantic (5:45PM Eastern/7:15PM NFLD): Shabbat and Hanukkah Services. Please register for the link.

December 13th, 7PM Atlantic (6PM Eastern/7:30 PM NFLD). Turtle Island Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue group. Fight the growing divisiveness! Join people of all religions and no religion in dialogue and connection. Bring a quote or a poem about HOPE to share. Please use this Zoom link provided by our partner Interfaith Paths to Peace.

January 10th, 7PM Atlantic (6PM Eastern/7:30 PM NFLD). Turtle Island Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue group. Fight the growing divisiveness! Join people of all religions and no religion in dialogue and connection. Bring a quote or a poem about HOPE to share. Please use this Zoom link provided by Interfaith Paths to Peace: https://zoom.us/s/9847872987

January 19th,  6:45PM Atlantic (5:45PM Eastern/7:15PM NFLD). Shabbat Service of song, meditation and healing. Please register for the link.

Please contact me if you are interested in getting involved in the leadership of this new approach to creating Jewish community. We will begin some organizing meetings in 2024 (insh’Allah/im yirtzeh Hashem/may we be so blessed/ptooey! ptooey! ptooey!).

Published by Rabbi Dr. Nachshon Siritsky

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.

Published