Jews of Color Sanctuary partnership with Mayyim Hayyim entered its third year with the opening of Let Justice Well Up, a text study for Jewish women and nonbinary folks of color. This year we will explore our connection with the moon that moves tides, orders our Jewish calendar, and invites celebration of Shekhina, the female-centered aspect of the divine. Let the monthly blessing of Rosh Chodesh, birth of the new moon, wash over you through Jewish and secular texts welcoming us into ancient ritual and tradition to nourish our lives, creative practice, and personal ritual.
Register to join this affinity space for Jewish women and nonbinary folks of color on fourth Sundays through July between 9-10:30amPT / 12-1:30pmET / 6-7:30pmWAT / 7-8:30pmIT. Cost is self-determined sliding scale $36-$118. If cost is a barrier, please contact Soreh Ruffman at sorehr@mayyimhayyim.org.
Affinity space supports deepening what we do in such spaces through the nature of being among peers in ways that can foster connection, insight, and healing. Affinity space has a long history across cultural traditions, including Judaism. Affinity by gender, age, trade, skill level are so common, we may no longer see them as such. Our time in affinity enhances when we are together.
Learning is a foundational activity that has experienced perhaps every kind of affinity filter that can be imagined. My inquisitive nature fuels a love for learning, and my love for learning embraces my curiosity. I pour all of this love into the sessions I facilitate, seeing these moments as opportunities to celebrate the learn/teach balance in each person, idea, and question. The chance to learn in female and nonbinary people of color space is among the rarest of learning affinity space I get to inhabit, either as learner or teacher.
This is why I am delighted to once again be leading text study for Jewish women and non-binary folks of color for the Mayyim Hayyim Let Justice Well Up text study series supported by the Miriam Fund. Six sessions will be offered on second Wednesdays, starting February 14, through June with a special closing siyum on July 3. We will bring in the wisdom of water, ritual, and more as we explore justice through the power of our perspective as Jewish women and non-binary folks of color. Our cultural communities have rich foundations of female and tum tum ancestral wisdom that has birthed and nurtured our communities. That is the legacy we are rippling into.
Register for one session or all six, but don’t miss this opportunity to learn together in this rare affinity space that I believe will feed our souls in ways that truly enrich the other spaces we inhabit. All you need is yourself, some creative practice materials at hand, and an openness to allow the text to tap into your innate wisdom that already connects you with Torah through your lived experiences. Get ready to fall in love with text study, and please share this with the women and non-binary folks of color you are in solidarity with. Collectively, we will make this space what we need it to be. I’m excited to learn together again!
Join this text study affinity space by and for Jewish women who also hold intersectional identities as people of color. The intention is to create a space where we can welcome each other as siblings while also honoring the wealth of diversity within Jews of Color spaces. There will be opportunities to suggest text study ideas and room to express your Torah. The series is on a sliding scale of $0-36 for seven sessions which can be attended individually or collectively. No prior text study experience is required.
We will open our study will the sacrifice of Yiftach’s Daughter, exploring the offered themes of sacrifice and ritual through our unique experiences as people of color. We’ll use the framework of our study to lead us into creating Jewish ritual for the moments of our lives.
Session Dates: March 6 & 20, April 3 & 10, May 1, 15 & 29
Let Justice Well Up is hosted by Mayyim Hayyim and generously funded by the Miriam Fund.
Jews of Color Sanctuary 