Having come to NewCAJE, I was wondering how it will be. What gifts from the past will be brought into this present. What new gifts will be made manifest? It all begins with the Conference Opeing Ceremony!
It was wonderful to be counted among such a gifted group of leaders to help set the stage for this inspiring conference. Here's what transpired... I know my description cannot really do justice to the experience, but perhaps it can give you a taste...
Marge Eiseman sang everyone into the room to gather. Her melodious voice and minstrel spirit were inviting and welcoming. In a few short minutes, she had gathered 200 individual people together into a community if learners. The many became one.
Cherie Koller-Fox welcomed us all, giving a nod to the past and setting the intention for our time together both then and throughout the conference. She shared her vision, inviting everyone to join her in creating a communal sacred space.
I did the meditation calling ourselves in. Though we were all physically in the room, it was clear that we were not all there emotionally, mentally, spiritually. The meditation was a chance to let go of all the experiences we had along the journey to get us to the moment of being at the conference. We connected to our own selves physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually --- breathing in calm centered energy, expanding tight spaces, releasing stress and tensions, settling deeply and comfortable into our selves.
Nancy Katz led a very interactive piece where everyone got into small groups and created colorful lists of words about their hopes, dreams, visions for Jewish education at its best. It was noisy, and full of sharing, passionate conversations. The words were all gathered up to make a "wordle," a design using the words at different angles to create a pictographic idea about Jewish education!
From there I led us back into the individual realm, and participants wrote their own personal prayers for Jewish education. Then, because Judaism is a communal experience, particularly around the idea of prayer, I had everyone trade their prayers with someone else. Then they traded with 5 more people for a total of 6 trades. Then I asked everyone to pray the prayer they now held in their hands, and to keep the prayer in their name-tag holder, close to their heart, and to read it and share it and talk about it with others throughout our time together, so that these individual prayers become a communal reality.
Cherie Koller-Fox and Ken Cohen then led us through a blessing where we blessed each other, and then received a blessing from them for our time together to be full of all things wonderful and sacred and, and peaceful, and holy.
Marge then led us in rounds of Oseh Shalom to close our circle.
It was a very powerful, moving, welcoming experience, and I am truly honored to have been a part of creating sacred space.
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