To My Beloved Lab/Shul Community,

This past Friday night, I had the pleasure of joining many of you in NYC for our first Sabbath Queen of the season to gather and bring in Shabbat together. As I stood there during the ritual in a packed room, I couldn’t help but feel an immense sense of gratitude for this community and the ways it brings me peace. I hadn’t realized until that night, how much tension I had stored in my body and the heaviness I felt in my spirit from the many weeks of the turmoil and violence in Israel/Gaza. I couldn’t help but feel relief, however brief, in the beauty of all of us singing together as a community. How often do we get to do that these days?

This is what I need right now and I am becoming more intentional in seeking those moments through community.

If you find yourself feeling the same way, I invite you to join me at Lab/Shul’s Winter Retreat from Friday, Dec. 8th to Sunday, Dec, 10th in Connecticut. 

Throughout this special weekend, community members of all ages will have the opportunity to engage in moments of learning and ritual, connect with old friends or make new ones, create art and be in nature together. We’ll celebrate Shabbat and Hanukkah with Storahtelling and song, while we take time to process and reflect, hike, make bonfires, and much, much more! If all these interests you, please click this link for more information and to register. Space is limited so sign up now!

Looking for more local Lab/Shul love?
Join us for a special SoulSpa on December 2nd in Harlem as this year’s GENerate cohort culminates their year-long journey with a co-created Storahtelling ritual, examining the story of Jacob wrestling with the stranger/angel in the context of aging and eldering.

Needing to Connect Virtually?
Rabbi Amichai’s “Heirlooms” and “Below the Bible Belt” series continue weekly for the full community, as well as weekly “Heart Circle” and monthly “Spiritual Survival Salons”, which are exclusive to Lab/Shul Partners only.

Not yet a Lab/Shul Partner? Become a Partner at a price point that works for you.

With the federal holiday of Thanksgiving upon us, questions about how to gather and celebrate, or whether to gather and celebrate at all, come up for many of us. It can feel more overwhelming than ever, given discord we may be experiencing in our own families and communities over world events, and it’s precisely because of that that I feel called to center gratitude — to remember that gathering in community and finding things to be grateful, even in the really hard moments, can serve as powerful tools for healing and understanding each other differently.

I can’t wait to see you at our upcoming Winter Retreat and if you have any questions or issues, please email me at Stephen@labshul.org – we’ll make it work!

With gratitude,

Stephen Silva,
Partner & Retreat Coordinator