Everyday Magic: Jewish Wisdom and Global Practices for Daily Life

How will you mark the first day of the school year as a family? How do you start and end a workday when working remotely? How can we use taste, smell, touch, or sound to mark important milestones and create lasting memories? Human culture has inherited rich practices and ancient wisdom that, over generations, have nourished life and created meaningful moments for our ancestors and for us.

We invite you on a journey to explore traditional Jewish ceremonies and rituals alongside practices from a variety of other cultures. Discover how these rituals can inspire mindfulness and presence in our everyday lives and special moments, helping us create memories that last a lifetime.

You will encounter both well-known and surprising ceremonies, gaining a comparative perspective on Jewish and global rituals. This course encourages participants to share their own inherited or created rituals, enriching our collective understanding and helping to develop a repertoire of daily and special occasion rituals that will enhance our lives and our community.

Session 1 | Sep 17 (FREE TASTE of EVERYDAY MAGIC)

Celebrating Fresh Starts and Marking Transitions: How Jewish and Global New Year Rituals Can Inspire Meaningful Personal and Family "First-Time" Moments

Session 2 | Oct 8

Letting Go: Exploring the Ancient Ritual of Tashlich (Literally Meaning 'To Throw') and Cross-Cultural Ceremonies to Create Your Own Practice for Releasing Burdens and Healing

Session 3 | Oct 22

Storytelling: How Judaism and Other Cultures Encourage Us to Tell and Retell Our Stories—and How Do We Want to Be Remembered?

Session 4 | Nov 5

Pouring Love: The Role of Water in Rituals and How It Teaches Us to Ask for What We Need

Session 5 | Nov 19

Minding the Bookends: Creating Daily Opening and Closing Rituals for Greater Mindfulness Inspired by Jewish and Other Cultural Doorway Objects (Mezuzah)

Tova Birnbaum is a faculty member at the Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership and a Rabbinic Ordination student at the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Beit Midrash for a new North American Rabbinate. She was the Director of Jewish Content at the Oshman Family JCC and a Senior Jewish Education Specialist at the JCC Association. Tova was born in B'nai B'rak, Israel, in an Ultra-Orthodox home, and was one of the founders of the BINA Secular Yeshiva in Tel Aviv, where she was a faculty member. She also served as the Central Shlicha (emissary), Director of the North America Region of the World Zionist Organization. Tova is a Judaic studies teacher, Theater Midrash workshop facilitator, and a Secular Jewish Life Cycle ceremonies officiant. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School and on the Birthright Israel International Education Committee. Tova holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Jewish Philosophy and a master's degree in Theater from. Tova and her husband live in Mountain View, and are proud parents of two daughters.

Tuesdays 9:00-10:30 AM | Room D129

Fee: Single session: $18 | 5 sessions: $75

Host or Publisher Oshman Family JCC