The Nehirim Men’s Retreat is a weekend of community, spirituality, and fun for queer Jewish men, featuring workshops, Shabbat services, and plenty of time to relax and connect. Our participants have said things like:

“Nehirim has truly enriched my life.”

“Nehirim keeps me connected to the Jewish community in multiple ways – education, friendships, and enthusiastic engagement. Thank you!”

“This was a very important and transformative experience for me.”

“This was a great, insightful, and fun weekend.”

“YOU GUYS KICK ASS”

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Click one of the following links for more information:

Apply for Financial Aid

Tachlis (Practical Information)

Tachlis (Practical Information)

Registration and Pricing

We are committed to enabling everyone to attend the Men’s Retreat and look forward to a wide range of sexual, gender, economic, religious, and ethnic diversity. Prices shown below are per person and include all room & board for two nights, and all your program expenses.

Dorm triple/quad (bathroom down the hall): $250

Economy (shared bath): Double $325, Single $375

Standard (private bath): Double $400, Single $450

Deluxe: Double: $475, Single: $525

Location & Transportation Information

The retreat will be held at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT. For directions and transportation information, please visit the Isabella Freedman website. Transportation is “on your own” — we cannot assist with transportation requests. To offer or request a ride to the retreat, visit our Ride Board. Isabella Freedman is also accessible by train from NYC. If you need to be picked up or dropped off at the Wassaic train station (for MetroNorth service from New York City), a shuttle will be made available for a $15 charge per person each way. Details will be posted in February. For other pickup times or locations, Lakeville Taxi, (860) 435-8000, is available. Lakeville Taxi is a reservation service; 24 hours advance notice required, and reservations are nonrefundable within 24 hours.

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Last Year’s Schedule (for reference)

Friday, March 30
3:00 – 4:30 Arrival, snacks, and registration
4:30 – 5:00 Welcome and opening program
5:15 Mikva/Preparing for Shabbat
6:00 Candle-lighting & Shabbat Services
7:30 – 9:00 Shabbat Dinner
9:15 – 10:15 Small Groups
10:30 – 11:30 Tisch (Singing, drinking, celebration)

Shabbat, March 31
8:00 – 9:00 Morning Yoga
8:30 – 9:15 Breakfast
9:30 – 11:45 Shabbat Morning Davening
10:30 – 11:45 Services alternative
12:00 – 1:15 Lunch

1:30 – 2:30 Afternoon Workshops 1
— Cultivating Empowerment from the Inside Out (Danny Arguetty)
— Performing the Body (Shawn Shafner)

2:45 – 3:45 Afternoon Workshops 2
— Finding Trust in Sensual Touch (Joe Weston)
— Torah Study on the Parsha (Rabbi Y. Greenberg)
— Co-Parenting (Gregg Drinkwater & Amichai Lau-Lavie)

4:00 – 5:00 Afternoon Workshops 3
— The Erotic Economy of ‘Family Values’ (Jay Michaelson)
— Asher Yatzar and the Tao of Poo (Shawn Shafner)

5:30 – 6:30 Afternoon Spiritual Practice
6:30 – 7:30 Seudah Shlishit (Third meal/Dinner)
7:40 – 8:40 Small Groups
8:45 – 9:00 Maariv Evening Service
9:00 – 9:30 Havdalah
9:30 – 10:30 Talent Show
10:30 – 11:30 Campfire

Sunday, April 1
7:30 – 8:00 Cold breakfast available in dining hall
8:00 – 8:45 Morning spiritual practice
— Yoga
— Shacharit

9:00 – 10:00 Breakfast
10:00 – 11:30 Sunday session
— Respectful Confrontation (Joe Weston)
— What We Know about the Jewish LGBT World (Gregg Drinkwater)

11:30 – 12:30 Closing session & final small group
12:30 Lunch
2:00 Tzeitchem L’Shalom!

Teachers for 2012

Retreat Director

Jay Michaelson

Jay Michaelson is the founder of Nehirim. For the last ten years, Jay has been a leading advocate for the inclusion of sexual minorities in religious communities, and his work in this area has been featured on NPR, CNN, and the New York Times. Jay is also a contributing editor to the Forward, Associate Editor of Religion Dispatches magazine, and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. In 2009, he was included on the “Forward 50” list of “the men and women leading the American Jewish community into the 21st century.” He is the author of four books, most recently God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality.

Zvi Bellin PhD

Dr. Zvi Bellin is the Engagement Associate for Nehirim and is responsible for pastoral counseling, community relations, and programming at Nehirim retreats. He leads workshops and directs retreats that integrate body-heart-mind-soul in a variety of spiritual and religious contexts. Zvi earned a PhD in Pastoral Counseling and an M.A. in Counseling and Guidance. He is a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance. He has worked as a therapist in a number of mental health settings, and has interned as a Psychiatric Chaplain. In addition to his work with Nehirim, Zvi is the Director of Jewish Education for Moishe House.

Full faculty list will be available in January

Contact Us for More Information

If you would like more information, if you would like to volunteer to teach or lead services, you can always email us at info[at]nehirim.org.