ALEPH Canada High Holyday Retreat on Hornby Island

Wednesday-Sunday 8-12 September 2010
Friday-Sunday 17-19 September 2010

Led by Rabbi Daniel Siegel and Noam Dolgin

 

Links

ALEPH Canada Home Page

ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal (International)

Canada Helps

 

The Retreat Leaders:

Rabbi Daniel Siegel is the Director of Spiritual Resources for ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and Rabbinic Director of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal Canada. He was the first person to receive semicha from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Reb Daniel served two college campuses – the University of British Columbia and Dartmouth College – for a total of more than twenty years. Together with his wife and partner, Hanna Tiferet, he co-founded Or Shalom in Vancouver, BC. Rabbi Siegel is a certified mediator and co-founded a successful mediation program at Dartmouth College. Reb Daniel is the editor of ALEPH’s Siddur Kol Koreh project and numerous teachings of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, including the recently released books, “Credo of a Modern Kabbalist” and “Integral Halachah.”

Vancouverite, Noam Dolgin is an experiencial Jewish educator focussing on environmental responsibility and sustainable living within Jewish thought and practice. Noam crisscrosses North America teaching children, youth and adults about how to green their personal and communal practice. Noam is also Director of Vancouver's TAG program for teens and Executive Director of the Green Zionist Alliance, working from North America to promote environmental sustainability in Israel. Previous work includes co-founding Adam Va-Adamah, Canada's first Jewish environmental organization and serving as the Associate Director of the Teva Learning Center, North America's foremost Jewish environmental education organization, for 7 years. Noam has also published a number of Jewish environmental curricula and most recently a transit guide to Vancouver entitled, Canada Line Adventures. More information on Noam’s work is available at www.noamdolgin.com

 

  

Description:

This will be an intimate High Holyday experience for 20-30 people.

We will combine traditional liturgy, creativity, and study to create a unique connection among the deep meaning of these special days, our people’s traditions, and our contemporary commitment to a Judaism which embodies the universal as well as the particular.


Beginning with a Rosh HaShanah dinner, we will meet to share in the familiar sounds and form of the evening service. The next day, we will davven together with an emphasis on adjusting the order of the service to focus on the major themes of Rosh HaShanah, the blowing of the shofar and the three unique sections of the Musaf (additional) service, usually recited so late in the morning that many of us have already left for home.
The second day of Rosh HaShanah will, G!d willing, be spent outdoors, as we take the beautiful Helliwell Part walk, stopping for prayer, for the shofar to sound, for a picnic lunch, and tashlich.
On Yom Kippur, we will again begin with a shared meal, followed by a traditional Kol Nidre service. During the day, we will once again structure the service so that it guides through the process which brings us to the Holy of Holies and the feeling of having been forgiven by a loving and compassionate universe and its Creator.
There will be opportunities for study, for outdoor mikveh, hikes, and bicycle rides, as well as a Shabbat program for the day after Rosh HaShanah.
For those coming for Yom Kippur, there will be the added treat of the annual Hornby Island Fall Fair, which has been moved to Sunday for the very first time!

Tentative Schedule:

Rosh HaShanah

Wednesday Sept 8th, 2010
4:30 pm Mikveh at Little Trib (for those who wish and can arrive earlier)
7:00 pm RH Ma’ariv (Traditional Service)
7:45 pm Dinner

Thursday Sept 9th, 2010
10:00 am RH Shacharit
12:45 pm Lunch
3:30 pm Hike

Friday Sept 10th, 2010
10:30 am RH 2nd day Shacharit at Helliwell Park
12:30 pm Picnic lunch at Helliwell (pot luck)
1:30 pm Tashlich at Helliwell
6:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat
7:30 pm Shabbat Dinner

Shabbat Sept 11th, 2010
10:00 am Shabbat Shuvah Shacharit & Torah
1:00 pm Lunch
4:00 pm Minchah & Study on T’shuvah
Beach Stroll and personal meditation
7:30 pm Havdallah and Campfire

For those who register for both RH and YK:

Sunday Sept 12th – Thursday Sept 16th, 2010
10:00 am Meditation & Text Study

YOM KIPPUR

Friday Sept 17th, 2010
6:00 pm Pre YK Dinner
7:00 pm Kol Nidre (Traditional Service)

Saturday Sept 18th, 2010
10:00 am YK Services
7:30 pm Break Fast

Sunday Sept 19th, 2010
All Day Hornby Island Fall Fair

FEES AND REGISTRATION

This retreat is a program of ALEPH Canada and all attendees should be current members. You can take out a membership now by credit card through CanadaHelps and receive a tax receipt directly from them.

For those of you who want to get an early start, please go to http://www.hornbyisland.com for a good list of places to stay.

We are also hoping to help where needed with both accommodation and food, so please watch for further updates.