“What are the human skills that we can understand through Jewish prisms?”

Dear Lab/Shul,

Earlier this month Rabbi Amichai posed this question when he was a guest on the Judaism Unbound podcast. It’s a question that serves as a core organizing principle around which we shape so much of our programming here at Lab/Shul.

Remember “Shiviti”? Our 5783 High Holy Days theme centered on the ancient art of contemplation? As our 5783 programmatic year comes to a close and we prepare to kick off our 5784 High Holy Days season in a few short weeks (stay tuned next week for the new theme reveal!), I invite us to circle back to Shiviti as a tool for grounding and reflecting on what this past year has brought us and taught us.

As I reflect back on Lab/Shul’s 5783, I am inspired by:

  • the communal musical jam session that took place as the Torah was unscrolled in a NYC park

  • the minyan of 10 adult PassAgers who marked a personal milestone in the Berkshire mountains by reclaiming an ancient Torah story as Storahtelling Mavens

  • the “Queen of England” rising up for LGBTQ+ rights at a Brooklyn nightclub on Purim

  • the Christian church choir that inspired a new retelling of the Exodus story on Passover

  • the 15 year old who was finally able to celebrate a truly personalized and meaningful B Mitzvah coming of age ritual after a long and challenging journey

  • the transformative learning I engaged in thanks to our READ (Racial Equity & Action Delegation) Team

  • the Kaddish Club member who said, “Lab/Shul has been a lifeline in a time of utter darkness”

  • the spontaneous hora that erupted after our May Sabbath Queen

  • the way the Lab/Shul staff and Board embraced the practice of re:love with each other over and over again

…and so much more.

If you’ve been inspired by Lab/Shul in any way this past year, I invite you to consider becoming a Lab/Shul Partner. Partnerhood is simply about giving something of yourself in order to get a whole lot more from our deeply engaged and cross-connected community – whether you’re in New York city or anywhere around the world. If you are already a Partner, I invite you to renew your Partnerhood now or stay tuned to your inbox for a personal reminder and renewal link.

As Lab/Shul continues our celebration of 10 years of recharging ritual reality through the end of the calendar year, I am reminded of what I told a friend about Lab/Shul after the very first Shabbat AM worship event I attended in 2013 at City Winery NYC. I said, “I left feeling like I wanted to be a better human being.”

A decade later, I continue to be empowered by the Jewish toolbox that enables us to hone our human skills, grow and flourish.

With re:love,
Sarah Sokolic and the entire Lab/Shul team