Tonight will be the first of three free online seminars organized by the Jewish Social Services Agency to offer “spiritual wisdom and practical suggestions for feeling more calm, grounded and hopeful as we live through the pandemic,” according to the agency’s website.
Each weekly seminar will feature a rabbi or Jewish mental health professional and last approximately one hour. The first half hour will feature a conversation between the facilitator and the speaker. The second half, will be a time for the audience to share their questions and concerns with the speaker.
JSSA operates across the entire Washington, Maryland, and Northern Virginia area and does not limit its services to members of the Jewish community. The seminar series is called “Growing Our Resilience: How Jewish Spirituality Can Help Us Find Greater Calmness, Strength and Hope During the Pandemic,” but all are welcome to attend. Registration is required for any or all of the seminars via the JSSA website.
Here is a sneak peek at what they will address each night:
“When God Gives Us Feelings” featuring Shimmy Feinteuch, LCSW Wednesday, July 1 at 8 p.m.
How becoming more mindful about our feelings can bring greater meaning, hope and productivity into our struggles during the pandemic.
Feintuch maintains a private practice in Manhattan, with specialties in addictions and anxiety. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Touro College Graduate School of Psychology, and a Behavioral Health Clinician at Ezra Medical Center.
“Five things that can help us grow our resilience” featuring Rabbi Lisa Goldstein Wednesday, July 8 at 8 p.m.
What Jewish spirituality can teach us about how cultivating gratitude, joy, courage, connection and trust can help us be more resilient during these challenging times.
Goldstein is a rabbi, teacher and facilitator. For many years she was the director of Hillel of San Diego. From 2011 to 2019, she led the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, a global leader of Jewish mindfulness and spiritual practices. She has taught Jewish mindfulness meditation, prayer, and spiritual practice in various contexts for 20 years.
Grieving our COVID losses featuring Rabbi Joe Ozarowski Monday, July 13 at 8 p.m.
How Jewish mourning rituals and concepts can help us make meaning of our personal and professional losses in the pandemic and maintain structure in our lives.
Ozarowski is an educator, prolific author, and board-certified chaplain. Since 2005, he has served as Rabbinic Counselor and Jewish Chaplaincy Services Chaplain for Jewish Child and Family Services (JCFS) Chicago. He is the immediate past president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and currently serves as a national officer of Neshama: The Association of Jewish Chaplains. His first book, To Walk in God’s Ways: Jewish Pastoral Perspectives on Illness and Bereavement, is considered a standard in the field of Judaism and Pastoral Care.
