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Meet Our Faculty Rabbi Goldie Milgram, Program
Director |
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Rabbi Goldie Milgram, MSW
is Program Director of the Center for Jewish Jewish Meditation and faculty
chair of Professional Skills and Spiritual Development at The Academy for Jewish Religion.
She is internationally known as a teacher of Jewish meditation and spiritual practices. A
graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, she has additional smichah
(ordination) from Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Her interest in meditation was most likely embedded by having attended meeting for worship during her private school education at Westfield Friends School. At the same time, her grandfather of blessed memory, Benjamin Fradin, a talmud scholar introduced her to some of the esoteric practices in Jewish mysticism. During her early twenties her fascination with expanding the skills of mind and spirit led her to became involved with bio-medical research, documenting the nature of alpha waves and conducting double-blind alpha wave feedback studies. Training in Transcendantal Meditation during this time she also experimented with yoga and other meditation forms. During studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, she met a street Kabbalist named Dudaim Ba'Sadeh and learned the art of Kabbalistic amulet making, walking meditations and visual art-based meditation work (called a shviti). Her interest in the origins of Kabbalah was peaked by this unique man and she began the academic study of Kabbalah in classes with Dr. Moshe Idel at Hebrew University. Expanding upon her career as a Jewish Federation community planner and executive director, she entered rabbinical school in her mid-thirties. She extended her studies in Kabbalah, mysticism and meditation through courses with Dr. Arthur Green and Rabbi Dr. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She conducted a study of Kabbalistic shabbat preparation rituals and began to study Hassidus with both scholars. A growing friendship with Shefa Gold, a sister rabbinical student, trained in Sufism and vipassyna meditation, found Goldie studying and travelling with her friend. During the terribly painful time of divorce, Reb Goldie became particularly grateful for Shefa's instruction in mindfulness meditation methods. She then attended a series of Jewish meditation retreats first with Rabbi Jeff Roth and then Shefa and Sylvia Boorstein. Troubled by some aspects of "zen" meditation, and deeply impressed by the spiritual power reclaimed for Judaism by the chanting meditations of Rabbi Shefa Gold, Goldie began to look every more deeply into Judaism for its natural history of meditation, movement and chant. Richly rewarded, she began to integrate chanting, visualization and other forms of Jewish meditation into the services she was leading at her student pulpit in Hammonton, N.J. She also began to study yoga with another rabbinical student colleague, Miriam Klotz, and to explore the idea of integrating yoga and davenning to create an in-body Jewish morning spiritual practice. Rabbi Milgram began to do volunteer work for Reb Zalman, soon finding herself the co-director of ALEPH: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal, his research and development organization for Jewish spirituality. In this capacity she met a fascinating network of deeply Jewish, ultra creative and spiritual colleagues, several of whom also focus their primary efforts in Jewish meditation, particularly Rabbis Rami Shapiro, David Cooper and Avram Davis. Receiving spiritual direction from Reb Zalman has led to many transformative moments in Reb Goldie's life including speaking at the shloshim of Rabbi Shlomo Carlbach on Reb Zalman's behalf and that same day at the installation of Rabbi Shohama Wiener as the first woman president of a seminary in Jewish history. She and Shohama found a kinship of spirit and together organized a focus group on Jewish healing and meditation that drew practitioners from around the country to Goldie's home. Today Reb Goldie serves as faculty member and chair of Professional Development at The Academy for Jewish Religion and director and founder of The Academy's Center for Jewish Meditation and Spiritual Practice at the very seminary headed by Rabbi Wiener. Rabbi Milgram also began to travel to the former Soviet Union as a scholar-in-residence rabbi for Project Kesher, working with Jewish women newly awakening to their Jewish identities in that region. When Reb Zalman asked her to visit the grave of Reb Nachman on a mission for him during her travels, a chain of remarkable transformative events unfolded which continue to influence her to this day. Also on one of these trips a Hassidic Rebbe based in Berditchev told women to be more respectful and call her Rabbi Milgram "Reb Goldie" which is how she came to be known by that name. At this time a long-lost friend who had been her USY Israeli dance partner appeared at a bio-ethics conference where Reb Goldie was on a panel, since that is her academic Jewish specialty (see conventional bio for details). In this wonderous encounter with Rabbi Seth Brody, z"l, a scholar of Kabbalah, whose fascination with imagery of the Zohar knew no bounds, Goldie found a soul mate in Jewish meditation and spiritual exploration through a Kabbalistic lens. His tragic death from cancer only a few years later at the age of 43 left her with the hope of fulfilling one of his dreams, the creation of a seminary program sensitive to Jewish spirituality with public offerings in NYC. For a long time Rabbi Milgram chose not to teach Jewish meditation or Kabbalah, feeling surely there were better adepts for such a serious assignment. With the prodding of friends and colleagues and through her friendship with Kripalu Yoga instructor Laura Asita Vidmar, she found herself invited to teach at Kripalu. Bemused and doubting her adequacy she went and has served the large Jewish constituency there for three years as a retreat teacher of Jewish meditation and spiritual practice. She began teaching Jewish meditation in New York City in the fall of 1998 with the encouragement of her teachers and colleagues. Reb Goldie continues her interest in healing and spirituality and has added to studies in the fields of psychoneuroimmunology and spiritual mentoring. Her marriage to Barry Bub, a mind-body-spirit Gestalt-trained family physician, medical educator and journalist in 1998 added the hope and hard work of spiritual intimacy to her conscious agenda. They travel together often as a teaching and counselling team, offering spiritual direction by appointment, often working internationally with rabbis, physicians and therapists, who appreciate deep, confidential support and guidance. The emphasis in Reb Goldie's meditation classes is on the integration of meditation and spiritual development with a Jewish life. She often travels to lead meditation-based retreats and to teach Judaism as a spiritual practice. In 2000 and 2001 she will be offering retreats and services at Kripalu in Lenox, MA.and Esalen in Big Sur, California. Learn more about the conventional resume and life of Rabbi Goldie Milgram |
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Rabbi Shefa Gold is a
faculty member of The Academy, a Pathfinder of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and core
faculty member of Elat Chayyim retreat center. A graduate of the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College, she has additional smichah from Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. An
accomplished artist, musician and composer, her CDs and tapes offer beautiful chanting
experiences. Visit her web site at: http://rabbishefagold.hypermart.net/ Ecstatic
Meditation
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| Rabbi Shohama Wiener is a pioneering teacher of Jewish
meditation and healing,and President and Spiritual Director of The Academy for Jewish
Religion, the pluralistic seminary that ordains both rabbis and cantors. She is editor of
"The Fifty-Eighth Century: A Jewish Renewal Sourcebook", co-editor of
"Worlds of Jewish Prayer", and contributor to "Meditation from the Heart of
Judaism." As a child Rabbi Shohama had a strong interest in spiritual matters and in healing, but her rationalist upbringing discouraged these inclinations. She attended Wellesley College and Harvard University during the "God is dead" years, and put her spiritual search on hold until midseventies, when the need resurfaced strongly. She learned Transcendental Meditation, which put her in touch with her soul and her Jewish nature. Shohama decided to see if meditating with "Shalom" would work as well as her TM mantra. It did, and so she began her journey into Jewish meditation, and an intense,loving relatioship with God. She developed a passion for the study of Jewish texts and traditions, and promised God that once she was ordained as a rabbi, she would devote herself to the Jewish path of spiritual healing. During the '80's she entered rabbinical school at The Academy for Jewish Religion, and began to study additionally with Rabbis Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Shlomo Carlebach, z"l, and Meir Fund. From them she learned about kabbalistic healing and hasidic mysticism. She began to write songs of prayer and healing, and to study meditation in Israel with the followers of the late Aryeh Kaplan. The summer after her ordination in 1986, Shohama went on a pilgrimage to Israel with Reb Zalman, and in the cave of Machpelah,the burial place of Abraham and Sarah, he gave her his personal smichah (ordination blessing) for the teaching of Jewish meditation and healing. Shohama then began to teach Jewish meditation at Jewish conferences, and to work with people privately in their search for healing. In 1987, Rabbi Shohama became Executive Dean of The Academy for Jewish Religion, as well as its first Spiritual Director. She entered a D.Min. program at New York Theological Seminary where she studied spiritual direction, and began to expand her studies of healing. Discovering that she had an aptitude for energy healing (called "laying on of hands" in the Talmud), she studied Reiki levels I and II, as well as Therapeutic Touch. She was influenced by the imagery work of Colette Aboulker-Muscat, Bernie Siegel, and others. During several more trips to Israel, she researched the roots of Jewish healing, and was particularly moved by the way people prayed at the graves of the rebbes, as well as at Rachel's Tomb.This led her to study intercessory prayer, and to begin to teach people to give each other blessings and to pray for each other. Her work has evolved over the thirteen years that she has been teaching Jewish meditation, and now includes assistance from Shechinah (the feminine presence of God), and from angelic energies as well as ancestors and guides. Her life as wife, mother, grandmother, and, since 1994, President of a fast-growing seminary, keep her well-grounded and committed to tikkun olam, healing of the world. In 1995 Shohama met Alan Dattner, a physician skilled in holistic healing. It was "love at first meditation" and they immediately began the deep spiritual and emotional work of building a sacred relationship. Alan learned about personal prayer and ritual, and Shohama began to study the use of herbs and other nutritional approaches to wellness. They married in 1998, and have begun to partner in visioning and teaching about spiritual healing.Some of the places Rabbi Wiener has taught include Elat Chayyim, the National Havurah Institute, CAJE, the Aleph Kallah, Ruach HaAretz, Kripalu, a number of liberal and traditional synagogues, and, of course, her seminary. This July Rabbi Shohama will be teaching at Elat Chayyim, and in September she will conduct High Holiday services at Congregation Kona Beth Shalom on the big island of Hawaii. Shohama's teaching opens people's hearts and souls to the presence of the Holy, the Loving, and the Joyful One. Her workshops are participatory and intimate. She feels blessed to be called to this path. |
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Mindy Ribner C.S.W.
has taught Jewish meditation and meditative Kabbalah for more than 16 years at synagogues
of all affiliation, academic institutions, community organizations, national conferences
of Jewish learning, and holistic health centers. In 1989 she founded The Jewish Meditation Circle classes listed now listed at The Academy, for beginners as well as for seasoned meditators. Drawing on the teachings and practices of the Musar, Chassidic, and Kabbalistic schools within Judaism, along with powerful breathing, visualization, and transpersonal techniques, each participant is guided through an exciting and unique exploration of self-discover and personal transformation. Classes are attended by Jews of all ages representing the spectrum of Jewish life, as well as non- Jews. Thousands of people have been introduced to Jewish meditation through Mindy. Mindy also works as a psychotherapist in private practice using Jewish meditation and kabbalah as a part of treatment. She is the author of The Gift of A New Beginning, Eveyday Kabbalah, A Practical Guide to Jewish Meditation, Healing, and Personal Growth, and New Age Judaism, Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World (the last is available as of summer 1999). She is currently updating a series of meditation tapes. Like many people in the Baby Boom generation, Mindy was not able to initially access the great reserviors of spirituality available in Judaism. Her great thirst for direct spiritual experience led her to a serious practice of Eastern meditation and various forms of yoga. She resided in two different ashrams for several years. Though the time at the ashram was full of spiritual and mystical experiences, Mindy felt considerable turmoil,conflict and concern that she was indeed following another religion through the practice of Eastern meditation, though that was not her intention. She longed for Judaism,and to find the same level of spiritual intensity that she had experienced living in the ashrams. During the time of residing in an ashram in Manhattan, she began to attend the Carlebach synagogue, and became a close student of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach for twenty years. Upon finally leaving the ashrams, she traveled to Israel many times looking for Jewish meditation, and Jewish spirituality. Fortunately, God opened gates and she was invited to join a private experiemental Jewish meditation group of spiritual seekers like herself in 1982. Upon returning from Israel, Mindy invited friends to her home and began to guide them in Jewish meditation. She was soon invited to teach at Lincoln Square Synagogue, (othrodox) Rodelph Shalom( Reform) and Ansche Hesed (conservative) which she did for several years. The students attending these classes wanted to continue, so Mindy brought them together and formed the Jewish Meditation Circle. Many of the students have remained from those first days. Having such continuity and consistency of students has allowed for in depth exploration and ressurrection of ancient forms of kabbalistic meditation. In approximately 1990, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach of blessed memory gave Mindy smicha to teach Jewish meditation. This was a powerful spiritual transmission. Mindy was also a close student of Rabbi Yitzchok Kirzner of blessed memory with whom she studied in depth Jewish classical spiritual texts. She is also a certified yoga instuctor, holistic health counselor,and has received additional training in transpersonal, gestalt, psycho synthesis psychologies,as well as in various energy and spiritual healing techniques. Her teaching of Jewish meditation is influenced by her background and training as a therapist. Meditation is a powerful tool for personal healing, and transformation.The emphasis in Mindy's Jewish meditaiton classes is experiential and emotional integration. It is not enough to have intoxicating blissful experiences in meditation,as wonderful and important as they are. These experiences must be integrated into a person's emotional life, so the meditator is a happier person, a person with a greater capacity to love unconditionally, and empowered to do what he or she is supposed to do in the brief time we are each given to be here on this earth. |
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Barry Bub, M.D. Barry Bub is a therapist trained in gestalt and chaplaincy with thirty years experience as a family physician. Dr. Bub travels, writes, counsels and teaches extensively on the powerful potential of integrative medicine based upon awareness and spirituality. He also teachings counseling skills to rabbinical and cantorial students as well as health care professionals. His work can also be experienced at retreat sites such as Esalen and National Havurah Institute. |