The Havurah Initiative

Interested in joining a Havurah?
Fill out this Interest Form  or reach out to the individual havurah connectors directly by using the CBI Directory (for logged in ShulCloud users only) or by asking Amy Stein to be connected.

Current Havurot that are open to new members:

Caregivers Havurah, Naomi Tannen

A group of people who take care of loved ones who are ill or differently abled to connect through the challenges and sweetness of being a caregiver. 1 opening available for a caregiver. 

Creative Writing Havurah, Chaya Grossberg

People of all ages are invited to join writing exploration and sharing on a variety of topics including intergenerational Jewish themes. Meetings are held in person and are screen-free; bring your notebooks and pens instead of computers. The connector has extensive experience leading writing groups and will guide the group towards a shared leadership model to allow everyone to lead writing prompts and discussions. Meetings are held at CBI every two weeks at 5:00 pm on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month.

Documentary Films Havurah, Ellen Pader

This group brings together people of all ages who are passionate about (or at least very interested in) learning through the art and substance of the documentary film genre. This havurah will choose films as a group, stream them between meetings, and gather monthly to eat, socialize, and discuss all facets of the film. Regular monthly meetings will allow members to get to know each other well over time and become increasingly more comfortable stating opinions and engaging in thought-provoking discussions about a variety of themes including potentially controversial topics in the films. The group may use program funds to see new documentary releases in the cinema together or attend a screening at a museum related to an installation. Monthly meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm.

The Found Tribe: A Jews of Color Havurah, Emet Marwell

Are you a Jew of Color (JOC) looking for a tight-knit community with others who truly understand both the challenges and joys of being a JOC? Join The Found Tribe, a havurah for self-identified JOCs to build community, find support, go on fun adventures, and just hang out. 

*A note on the name: Out of the 12 Tribes of Israel, 10 are considered lost. Many have theorized that specific pockets of Jewish communities (who often could be considered People of Color) around the world are descendants of one of the Lost Tribes. The name “The Found Tribe” evokes a sense of belonging and reclamation of JOC’s place in Jewish spaces. 

Healing Circle Havurah, Bonnie Diamond 

The Healing Circle Havurah is a spiritual support group for people living with illness. It is based on the belief that illness can deepen our spiritual journeys, and provide an opportunity to connect more deeply with ourselves, with the sacred, and with those that we care about. The group fosters ways to listen to our inner wisdom and provides a safe space to cultivate kindness, patience and love. Monthly meetings are held on Sundays at 4:00, in person at CBI. 

Hearing Our Voices, Knowing Our Stories: Women in Jewish Texts, Tiertza -Leah Schwartz

Interested in learning about the stories of women in Jewish texts? Wondering what their relevance is to us today? Join for a monthly discussion of Jewish women in text. We'll read, learn, and explore the stories of these powerful ancestors. We meet monthly on the second Tuesday of the month from 5:15-6:45 mostly on Zoom and occasionally in person.

Hiking Havurah, Marla Brodsky

Enjoy scenic, moderate hikes each month with a consistent group of people, all genders, ages 18 and up. Build community while exploring the trails around us. 

Jewish History and Life Havurah, Henny Lewin

This havurah is a peer-led study group and will begin by reading The Story of the Jews, by Simon Schama, a comprehensive analysis and overarching view of Jewish history. There will be opportunities to pursue some of the topics in greater depth and textually study excerpts from famous commentators. Henny Lewin, a national award winning Jewish educator, will serve as the facilitator. This study group is open to people of all backgrounds who do not have to belong to any synagogue or even be Jewish, as long as they are interested in Jewish learning. Weekly meetings are held on Zoom every Tuesday from 12:00 - 1:00 pm. 

Jews Read Palestinian Stories, Judi Wisch

Many of us grew up celebrating the 20th century miracle of Israel reborn as political state. Our hearts are breaking over the unimaginable violence and loss of life of Israelis and Palestinians this year. Might reading the personal narratives of Palestinians over this last century shed light on our understanding of the conflict? Might we be able to simultaneously hold the stories and pain of both peoples?   This monthly intergenerational gathering is an opportunity to come together with others who like to read and who are interested in better understanding the experience of Palestinians through their own voices. Participants will help select what is read, and may include books (fiction and non-fiction), short stories, and poetry. Meetings will be held on the third Sunday of each month from 4:00-6:00 pm. The first gathering is scheduled for February 18. If you are interested in learning more, please fill out this short Google form 

Judi Wisch is a veteran Jewish educator who lived in Israel between 1973-1983. During that time she received a BA from Hebrew University in Jewish History and Geography, and worked at Neve Shalom / Wahat al Salam facilitating conflict resolution workshops for Israeli and Palestinian high school students.  

Mah Jongg Havurah, Beverly Blatt

Monthly gatherings bring people together for playing, conversation, and learning. All levels are welcome including those new to the game who can learn from experienced players in the group. Meetings are held at CBI on the first Thursday evening of the month.

Mazel Tots, for Gan Keshet Families, Aaron Berkenwald

A Havurah for parents with young children in Gan Keshet to gather, “kvetch and kvell” about the ups and downs of parenthood.  Bagels and coffee included. Come share stories, exchange tips and create lasting friendships with other jewish parents in the community. 

The Ohel Minyan, Sara Farber

The mission of the Ohel Minyan Havurah is to nurture and sustain a halakhically traditional, egalitarian, multi-generational Jewish community in Northampton, MA. We are a community built around our love of communal prayer and a desire to help one another through life stages, challenges, losses, and celebrations. We meet daily for morning minyan in the backyards of the minyan coordinators. Everyone is welcome. Sign up here to let us know you will be coming to minyan. Visit our website for details. Join us for the monthly Rosh Hodesh Minyan at CBI also! 

Storytelling, Chaya Grossberg

Join this monthly group to craft and to share your stories.  The focus will be on storytelling as a performance art, not a support group vibe. Themes will vary and speakers can ask for positive and constructive feedback from the group, if desired. Participants will work with humor, emotional evocation, physical scenery, painting a picture, and different storytelling styles. The first meeting will be held on February 6 at 6:00 pm at the Lilly Library in Florence.

Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Havurah   

In this Havurah we will meet to share our stories of our childhood sexual abuse in hopes that connecting in a group will help us heal collectively. We will read healing texts – prayers, poems and even sing songs. Group members can bring art, poems and songs that they created that are helping with their healing process. We will share our pain and be witnessed by others. We will end with a meditation. During our shares we will simply witness and listen and not respond to anything the person shared. We know that being heard and having space held for us is how we transform our isolating pain to an empowering connection. Our shares can be about what happened in childhood or anything else we are dealing with currently. For the sake of everyone in the room, our shares won’t contain graphic details. If our abusers are Jewish and give us complicated feelings regarding Judaism, we will work to disentangle the abuse from Judaism and find ways to heal with Jewish prayers. If our abusers are family members, we will find ways to create new family, and new loving relationships. We will do rituals to remove the abuse from our bodies. We will find ways to not be steered by these deep wounds anymore. We know that healing is possible, especially when we are together, especially when we share our pain and when we hold the pain of others. This will be a peer-led group. It is not therapy and will not be run by a therapist. We will meet the second Thursday of every month at 7:15pm starting on October 12 in classroom 2 at CBI. Email Amy Stein to be connected to the leader of this havurah or just show up. If you wish to remain anonymous you can email Amy with a different email or name. We won’t disclose any information that is shared in the meetings nor will we disclose who comes to the meetings. All genders welcome. 

Ukulele Havurah, Donna Sarro

Fans of the ukulele unite! Whether you are an experienced player or are brand new to this instrument and want to learn, this havurah is for you. Gatherings include playing, learning, singing, and exploring music ranging from Jewish music and klezmer to all kinds of secular music that members of the group want to play together. Some instruments will be available to borrow. Meetings are held every two weeks at 6:00 pm on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month.

Visual Artists Havurah, Jennifer Lotstein

This group welcomes 10-12 artists to share work and support each other, to discuss spiritual growth through art, to study Jewish artists, and to take field trips to galleries and museums. This group meets monthly on the last Thursday of the month 4:30-6:30 pm.

List of CBI havurot that have reached capacity and are currently closed:

Am Yisrael Chaiverah, Leah Finch

Jewish Cultural Artists Havurah, Rachel Leader

Ladyslipper Shtetl, Aaron Kagan

Life Legacy Writing, Judith Breier

Madrachim, Emmy Marks & Amelia Richmond-Cayen

Men’s Group Havurah, Owen Mitz

Shabbat Dinner Havurah, Bonnie Diamond and Dan Price

Shoah (Holocaust) Community Education Havurah, Alan Berkenwald

South Street Neighborhood Havurah, Amy Meltzer

Veg Pod Havurah, Elly Alexander

Wounds into Wisdom Havurah, Leslie Leff

Havurah hosted at the Jewish Community of Amherst and open to the CBI community:

The Modern Great Jewish Thinkers Havurah reads and discusses works which focus on Jewish philosophy, culture, faith, and other aspects of Jewish thought. Each month, a different member of the havurah chooses a short work by a modern Jewish thinker, and prepares several questions for the group to ponder. We meet either in-person or via Zoom, depending on the wishes of the havurah members. For more information, please contact Rivka Cooper.