JMR29​

November 13-15, 2020
Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center
Falls Village, CT
Parsha Chayei Sarah - פרשת חיי שרה
 
Co-Chairs: 
Harold Belkowitz
Elliott Myrowitz
Roger Zimmerman

For information, contact JMR29@menschwork.org

"The Jewish Men’s Retreat brings together an incredible group of men each year. The generosity of spirit, affirmation of the image of G-d in each other, and cultivation of our best selves at these retreats inspires and uplifts long after the closing circle. The JMR is a great way to reconnect with yourself as a man and to find out how other men are doing. It’s not often safe to be vulnerable with other men, but at JMR this is not only possible but encouraged and supported."
—Mark Dwortzan

"​For me, perhaps the highlight of JMR was Mishpacha Groups.  They provide men with the opportunity to share their challenges and successes around a theme emerging from the Torah. This is a safe, nonjudgmental space to unburden oneself and cultivate new strengths."
-Adam Frost

Sample Jewish Men's Retreat Weekend

​Every JMR is different and reflects the creative energy of the Co-Chairs and their planning team.  Each JMR will share the common elements of Shabbat services and
Menschwork's trademark ​Mishpacha Groups (confidential, nonjudgmental, ​deep discussion groups relating to the weekend's theme). 

Below is a sample weekend agenda.

Erev Shabbat
Arrival & Check-In (2:00 - 4:00 p.m.)
Welcoming Ceremony
Candle Lighting & Kabbalat Shabbat
Dinner
Mishpacha Group, Session 1 (small groups where safely discuss the weekend's theme)
Niggun Jam or Drum Circle
 
Shabbat
Breakfast
Shabbat Services 
Lunch
Early Afternoon Activities
Mishpacha Group, Session 2
Dinner
Evening Program, Mariv, and Havdalah
Campfire
 
Sunday
Breakfast
Morning Activity(ies)
Mishpacha Group, Session 3
Lunch
Closing Ceremony
Departure (around 1:30 p.m.)

About Shabbat Services

Do you like to pray with beautiful music in a beautiful environment?  If so, JMR is for you. 

Services at the JMR provide an opportunity to soar (through spirited singing and dancing), contemplate (through expert facilitation and silence), and learn (through engaging Torah study).

​What is the ​Jewish Men's Retreat?

The Jewish Men’s Retreat (JMR) community represents a broad range of Jewish men: young adults and elders; all sexual orientations; single, married, and divorced; JMR veterans and many newcomers; and men with a broad range of Jewish knowledge and observance. Along with the connections that naturally develop among men who meet at our retreats, many men have used the JMR as an occasion to deepen their relationships with their fathers, sons, or brothers, friends, and congregants by inviting them to join them for the weekend. About 400 men have participated in JMR over the past 25 years. Give yourself and others the gift of experiencing this truly unique weekend!

Our Vision
The vision of JMR is to call men forth into the fullness of their being as individuals and as active participants in their communities and in the wider world.

Our Mission
The mission of JMR is to create loving, transformative experiences that encourage men to take the next steps on their journeys as  empowered Jewish men.

History
JMR previously existed under the auspices of Eilat Chayim Jewish Renewal Retreat Center and Camp Isabella Freedman, now part of Hazon.

What's a
Mishpacha Group?

The central component of each JMR is the Mishpacha Group.  

The JPS dictionary defines Mishpacha as: "Literal​ly, 'family'. ...The word conveys a warm feeling of friendship."  During the JMR weekend, we create several small Mishpacha of 5-8 men.  Each group meets three times during the weekend to explore how the retreat's theme (which is derived from the Shabbat parsha) applies to their lives. It is a chance to explore aloud one's inner self confidentially without feeling evaluated or criticized. Many participants feel that their Mishpacha group experience draws their deepest response and is the most important part of a very vital Jewish Men's Retreat.

Here is a short short video explaining a Mishpacha Group.

Click to View

Future Dates

​JMR29: 
​November 13-15, 2020

​JMR 1:  1988 Chairs:  Yosaif August and Shawn Zevit	​JMR 2:  1993 The Mild One Meets The Wild One Parsha:  Toldot(?) Chair:  Yosaif August
JMR 3:  October 21-23, 1994 Issac Unbound! Parsha:  Vayeira Chairs:  Yosaif August and Shawn Zevit	JMR 4:  November 3-5, 1995 Parsha:  Lech Lecha
JMR 5:  November 1-3, 1996 Parsha:  Vayeira Chair:  Yosaif August	JMR 6:  November 7-9, 1997 Vision Quest ​Parsha:  Lech Lecha Chairs:  Gary Ginsberg, Benyamin Lichtenstein, Elliot Strick
JMR 7:  November 6-8, 1998 Parsha:  Vayeira Chairs:  Gary Ginsberg, Benyamin Lichtenstein, and Elliot Strick	​JMR 8:  November 12-14, 1999 Parsha:  Toldot ​Chair:  Efriam Eisen
JMR 9:  November 3-5, 2000 Being/Becoming a Mensch Parsha:  Noach ​Chairs:  Allen Spivack and Efriam Eisen	JMR 10:  November 2-4, 2001 Dancing with our Wild Side Parsha:  Vayera ​Chairs:  Steve Ornstein and Jay Lewkowitz
JMR 11:  October 18-20, 2002 Parsha:  Lech Lecha Chair:  Mark Lewis	JMR 12:  October 31-November 2, 2004 Parsha:  Noach ​Chair:  Mark Lewis
JMR 13:  2004 Reinventing the Bar Mitzvah Chair:  Bennett Neiman	JMR 14:  October 28-30, 2005 Creating A New Beginning Parsha:  Bereshit Chairs:  Les Picker and Allen Spivack
JMR 15:  October 20-22, 2006 Lighting Our Soul/Weaving the Whole. The Masks Men Wear Parsha:  Bereshit Chair:  Allen Spivack	JMR 16:  October 19-21, 2007 Healing Through the Generations Parsha:  Lech Lecha ​Chairs:  Lev Grossman-Spivack and Allen Spivack
JMR17:  October 24-26, 2008 Walking the Path of Wisdom ​Parsha:  Beresheet Chairs:  ​Lawson Shadburn Stuart Garber, Larry Siegel, and Marty Pashelinsky	​JMR18:  October 23-25, 2009 Being a Righteous Man in Our Time Chairs:  Allen Spivack, David Strauss, and Stuart Garber
​JMR19:  October 29-21, 2010 Legacy: The Hand We’re Dealt and How We Play It. Parsha:  Chaye Sarah Chairs:  David Malchman and David Strauss	JMR20:  September 16-18, 2011 Embracing Joy Parsha:  Ki Tavo ​Chairs:  Yosaif August and Lev Natan
​JMR21:  October 26-28, 2012 Breaking Our Idols...Answering the Call Parsha:  Bereshit ​Chairs:  Stuart Garber, Mark Dwortzan, and Michael Landau	JMR22:  October 24-26, 2013 Laugh, Nosh, Love, Work Kvell: Restoring Balance in our Lives​​ Parsha:  Chaye Sarah Chairs: Allen Spivack, David Malchman, Michael Landau
JMR23:  October 24-26, 2014 Build Your Heart, Build the Ark, ​Build our World ​Parsha:  Noach Chairs:  Herb Levine and Elliott Myrowitz	JMR24:  October 23-25, 2015 Destination Blessing:  Abraham’s Journey Parsha:  Lech Lecha Chairs: Mike Metelits and GregOry Frumin
JMR25:  November 11-13, 2016 Our Fathers, Our Brothers, Our Selves: Building Bridges Parsha:  Lech Lecha Chairs:  Donald Gardner and David Piver	JMR26:  November 10-12, 2017 Claiming Our Strengths ​Parsha:  Chayei Sara Chairs: Simon Olsberg, Bill Magaliff, and Michael Landau
JMR27:  October 19-21, 2018 Man Up, Mensch Up Parsha:  Lech Lecha Chairs:  Marc Jacobs and Cobi Waxman	​JMR28:  October 25-27, 2019 Beginnings:  Creating New Relationships with Yourself, Your Brothers, ​Earth, and Spirit Parsha:  Beresheet Chairs: Ralph Benmergui, Michael Evers, and David Cherenson
JMR29:  November 13-15, 2020 Parsha:  Chayei Sara Chairs:  Harold Belkowitz, Elliott Myrowitz, and Roger Zimmerman	JMR30:  2021

Parsha	Retreat(s)
Lech Lecha	1995, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2018
Beresheet	2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2019
Vayeira	1994, 1996, 1998, 2001
Chayei Sara	2010, 2013, 2017, 2020
Noach	2000, 2003, 2009, 2014
Toldot	1993, 1999
Uncertain	1988, 2004
Ki Tavo	2011