Our Programs
Coming March 2025 / Adar 5785
Our Current Programs
Hannukah and Eid Al-Banat: Friendshiop, Heroism & LightThe Jewish calendar is rich with holidays connected to the seasons, our Jewish history, agriculture and collective memory. There are also many community-specific holidays celebrated throughout the Jewish world that may not be on your Jewish calendar. Join us as we explore, Eid Al Banat- Chag HaBanot,(literally, Holiday for Girls), a Tunisian Jewish holiday which focuses on heroism, friendship and celebration during Hanukkah. At this session we will learn about the holiday and hear the voices of some Sephardic women sages and leaders including Osnat Barazani, and Farha Sasson. This session includes text study and group sharing and facilitation.
Ammud Hebrew Reading Test ClassAmmud has been at work building an incredible JOC For Us By Us 10 week long Hebrew reading curriculum that will launch by fall 2025! Please join us in ensuring our curriculum best serves our JOC Torah learning community by joining this test class, so we can collect your feedback and test out our signature new curriculum. Please ensure that you are able to attend the full two hours before signing up. This trial class is led by T'helah Ben-Dan of The Kefar, who is building out Ammud's Hebrew curriculum. This particular course is designed to teach Hebrew reading, so please only sign up if you do not already know how to read in Hebrew. Please also ensure that you're able to commit to attending the full two hours if you sign up.
Parasha StudyJoin Rabbi Heather for Parasha Study, a weekly drop-in space where JOCs can dive deep into learning the beauty of Torah, share their unique and inspiring takes on the week's Parasha (Torah portion), and build community.
Read our 2023 Lookback
Program History
During the month of Elul, it is traditional to blow the shofar each day in order to awaken to the magnitude of the season. In this session, we'll explore what we're awakening to, and then you'll be guided through holistic preparation for the High Holidays using the Kabbalistic Four Worlds framework. Engage in activities that support realignment of body, mind, spirit, and heart for this sacred season. Through journaling, study, and discussion, immerse yourself in a journey towards a meaningful 5785.
The High Holiday season, rooted in the rich tapestry of Jewish tradition, offers a profound opportunity for personal and communal transformation through introspection, prayer, and renewal. Beginning with Elul, a month dedicated to self-examination and preparation, this period invites us to carve out time and space for spiritual growth, leading into Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Engaging deeply with these rituals and teachings, participants can emerge fully prepared to enter a meaningful and spiritually enriched High Holiday experience, rejuvenated by the timeless wisdom of our ancestors.
In this class, delve into the mystical dimensions of the Aleph Bet, where each letter is not just a sound but a pathway to understanding life's virtues. We’ll start with exploring the layers of Aleph, connected back to how we show up in our lives navigating the delicate nature of taking up space and humility. Through the lens of the Aleph Bet, we'll discover how to root ourselves in the profound meanings of words, opening our hearts and minds to the teachings of the Torah and connecting more deeply with the depth of Judaism.
In this class, students will delve into the concept of "freedom as a verb" through the lens of Passover. By engaging in thoughtful discussions around the central Passover story, students will reflect on how freedom manifests as an active pursuit in their own lives. Through examining the Passover narrative and rituals, we will explore the ways in which freedom, conscious effort, choice, and ongoing commitment contributes to our daily choices.
Torah draws on our collective wisdom during such a heavy and hard time. Torah is capable of holding so much. Let Torah, prayer, and Ammud community hold you.
Embark on a transformative journey into the heart of Jewish spirituality and tradition. In this immersive class, we will delve deep into the world of Brachot, Jewish blessings, to discover how they serve as a profound framework for living an authentic Jewish life. Guided by experienced educators and scholars, you will explore the significance, history, and practical application of Brachot in your daily life. This program is designed for individuals of all backgrounds who are eager to connect with Jewish tradition on a meaningful and personal level.
Let us root in Torah and connection during this difficult time as our JOC Ammud community.
Let us root in Torah and connection during this difficult time as our JOC Ammud community.
Do you find it hard to stick to the goals you set for yourself? Looking to make some changes in your life, but having trouble truly committing to bringing them to fruition?
Start off the Jewish New Year with kavanah (intention) and create your New Year's Resolutions for 5784! Engage in self-reflection through journalling and chevruta (learning pair) to find joy in coming up with a plan to meet your goals, both Jewishly-specific or otherwise!
We will gather in Barnsdall Art Park in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California (meeting point shared upon RSVP) to mingle and prepare for this new season! Bring your own blanket!
When we live in a practice of gratitude, when we do not take things or people for granted, we truly embody hospitality. This practice unravels the interdependent relationships between waste/disposability and ethnocentrism/xenophobia--between ecological collapse and humanitarian abuses. Storytelling is a vehicle we can use to attune to hospitality. This program will offer participants opportunities to recognize the value of re-“discovering” our innate capacities to think beyond the habitual, thus expanding the possibilities of living our spiritual intelligence, our interconnectedness. We will ask how specific biblical and rabbinic ethics of co-implication (empathy) can develop a profound sense of individual agency and how that empowerment can lead to creative response-ability through collective/collaborative eco-social, spiritual justice.
We are so excited to get back to gather in-person to learn the weekly Torah portion! We'll gather in Central Park, New York (more specific part of the park shared upon RSVP) to mingle and discuss the weekly Torah portion. Light refreshments provided, bring your own blanket!
Do you always feel seen in the texts and practices of our tradition? Have you had experiences that you couldn’t find words in our tradition for? Upcoming experiences that you wish there was a ritual for? In this one hour workshop you will gather tools and begin to brainstorm how you can create personalized ritual and liturgy to help you feel more fully seen in the words you pray and rituals you practice.
Torah draws on our collective wisdom during such a heavy and hard time. Torah is capable of holding so much. Let Torah, prayer, and Ammud community hold you.
Torah draws on our collective wisdom during such a heavy and hard time. Torah is capable of holding so much. Let Torah, prayer, and Ammud community hold you.
Explore the multifaceted personalities of Torah figures through the creative lens of cooking and recipe development. Inspired by the Jewish Food Hero Cookbook series, we will delve into stories of characters like Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and Esther, unraveling their traits, challenges, and triumphs, and then translate these insights into innovative, symbolic recipes.
While we won’t be doing any live cooking (though feel free to cook on your own alongside our learning), we will learn how ingredients, flavors, and cooking methods can embody the essence and experiences of these biblical icons. This program is perfect for anyone interested in combining a love for cooking with a desire to gain a deeper understanding of Jewish heritage and scriptural narratives.
Explore the text of the sages Hillel and Shammai as they make their case for the order in which the Hanukkah candles should be lit. Paired with excerpts of Katherine May's book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, we will decide for ourselves the many merits to the sages' approaches translated into wellness theories we can use in our own lives.
Let us root in Torah and connection during this difficult time as our JOC Ammud community.
Do you find it hard to stick to the goals you set for yourself? Looking to make some changes in your life, but having trouble truly committing to bringing them to fruition?
Start off the Jewish New Year with kavanah (intention) and create your New Year's Resolutions for 5784! Engage in self-reflection through journalling and chevruta (learning pair) to find joy in coming up with a plan to meet your goals, both Jewishly-specific or otherwise!
We will gather in Dolores Park in the Mission District neighborhood of San Francisco, California (meeting point shared upon RSVP) to mingle and prepare for this new season! Bring your own blanket!
We are so excited to gather in-person to learn the weekly Torah portion! We'll gather in Barnsdall Art Park in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California (meeting point shared upon RSVP) to mingle and discuss the weekly Torah portion. Bring your own blanket!
We are so excited to get back to gather in-person to learn the weekly Torah portion! We'll gather in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York (more specific part of the park shared upon RSVP) to mingle and discuss the weekly Torah portion. Light refreshments provided!
Shabbat is a time for being present, resetting, and being in community. Join us in entering a period of rest and renewal with some movement, joy, and laughter. We'll gather in Brooklyn, New York (address shared upon RSVP) to mingle, share some of our favorite pre-Shabbat rituals (and roller skating experiences), and skate!
All levels of skating experiences are welcome. Feel free to bring your own skates, otherwise skate and walker rental fees will be covered by Ammud for all that RSVP. Lockers are available for rent as well and will also be covered by Ammud for all that RSVP.
We are so excited to get back to gather in-person to learn the weekly Torah portion! After having Parasha Study online for the past 3 years (which we will continue doing, don't worry!), we can't wait to see what comes out of this in-person session. We'll gather in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York (address shared upon RSVP) to mingle and discuss the weekly Torah portion.
At Ammud, we're all about Torah and giving Jews of Color learning spaces to study the depths of Torah. Join us to learn about Shavuot, a holiday commemorating when G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish people, and connect with other JOCs in-person in New York City! The learning will be accessible if it is your first time studying Torah or your 1000th!
We'll gather in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York to mingle, enjoy light refreshments, and share resources on how to celebrate this wonderful holiday!
Torah draws on our collective wisdom during such a heavy and hard time. Torah is capable of holding so much. Let Torah, prayer, and Ammud community hold you.
We dress up during Purim, but what is the deeper spirituality of it? What does Judaism say about how Purim is connected to Yom Kippur? How does Purim connect to our unique experiences as Jews of Color and how we navigate multiple identities and the parts of ourselves we share or do not share with the world? We'll explore the act of masking during Purim as a metaphor for the complexities of navigating multiple identities, including the unique experiences as Jews of Color within the broader tapestry of Jewish life.
What do you want for yourself, your community and society at large? How do you align your choices in moving you closer to your deep motivations? Learn and practice the tools the Jewish spiritual wisdom of mussar offers in recognizing choice points, connecting our choices to our deep motivations, and cultivating our deep motivations as desires of the soul. This special collaboration with Kirva previews their amazing February course rooted in group learning and discussion, head-heart spiritual practice, journal reflections, personal prayer, and guided meditations.
Join us as we dive into understanding ourselves, discussing authenticity, and moving through the world with our JOC identities. This class will have us reflect on what authenticity means to us as individuals and ways to navigate being ourselves in the broader world. This class will use Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewish text sources to guide us in this exploration.
Let us root in Torah and connection during this difficult time as our JOC Ammud community.
Join Ammud in partnership with the Pardes North America for a virtual cohort to bond with other JOCs and learn tools to build community, centered in Torah. So much of Jewish life happens in the context of community, yet how often do our gatherings lack the warmth, inspiration and sense of purpose that we crave? In this 6-week fellowship experience, you will learn what Jewish tradition has to say about how to build community with intentionality. Grounded in The Art of Gathering, we will explore a Torah portion from each of the Five Books of Moses and connect back to values in Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering. Together we will gain practical tools in order to create gatherings that lead to connection and belonging.
Join Ammud in partnership with the Pardes North America for a dynamic and interactive session to learn tools to build community centered in Torah. So much of Jewish life happens in the context of community, yet how often do our gatherings lack the warmth, inspiration and sense of purpose that we crave? In this hour and a half immersive online experience, we will learn what Jewish tradition has to say about how to build community with intentionality. Together we will gain practical tools and Torah for how to craft an invitation with intrigue and purpose as well as how to curate a space in order to create gatherings that lead to connection and belonging.
Have you ever yearned for a deeper connection at services? Preparing before Yom Kippur through knowing the depth and beauty of the Neilah service, will give ground to spiritual transformation. Let’s make Yom Kippur personally meaningful to you through preparing in JOC community as we elevate the sacred, salient and final service of Yom Kippur, the beautiful Neilah while we gather in Prospect Park, Brooklyn!
Join us in Av Menachem, the consoling month of Av, as we prepare for the next step towards the High Holidays: the selichot of the month of Elul. Selichot are songs of deep reflection, repentance, and remorse whose repetitive and trancy tunes induce a meditative feeling, giving us space and time to prepare for our future.
We will gather as a community of Jews of color in Upshur Community Garden in Washington, D.C. to learn some songs, study some text, and share space with each other. No previous singing, studying, or selichot experience necessary!
Have you ever wondered what is behind the scenes when creating a class for adults? Interested in getting your toes in the water to explore the art of andragogy (the method and practice of teaching adults)? Are you also interested in learning something new about the Jewish holiday Tisha B'Av?
Join us for a 90-minute workshop where you will come away with new tools to facilitate classes for adults, all the while learning about Tisha B'Av. This program is open to all JOCs, no matter your experience level in either teaching or knowledge on Tish B'av. There will be something for everyone!
At the intersection of masculinity and mental illness lies the potential for radical kindness, or total animosity. Through artistic, poetic, and Torah exploration, we will tap into the history of masculinity across various cultures and its normalization of silence, gathering lessons to help heal ourselves and our communities.
Does our tradition accept that the gender we were assigned at birth can change? We will engage in a text study and learn a very different side of two familiar stories. This new perspective will lead us through an exploration of the changing nature of gender.