The Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality
 Manifesting the Divine in The Four Worlds of Body, Heart, Mind and Spirit
The Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality continues to offer the transformational and cutting-edge retreat experiences carried over from Elat Chayyim in Accord, NY. Our year-round programs promote practices that draw on the wisdom of Jewish tradition and reflect the values and consciousness of our evolving society. Experiential approaches to Jewish learning, ritual and prayer are designed to help us all on our search to cultivate awareness of the Divine presence in all aspects of life.
“This place opened my mind to what healthy, vibrant, connected, spiritual Jewish community can look like. It made me hopeful about my own life, spiritually and otherwise.” – Elat Chayyim retreat participant
Unique retreat features such as alternative prayer services, mishpacha sharing circles, silent breakfasts and evening programs invite guests to discover more about themselves and their Jewish lives.
Contemplative Silence is encouraged in our dining room and main building from the moment we rise through breakfast. This gentle mindfulness practice enables us to be more available to the present moment and fully open ourselves to the journey of the day ahead.
Prayer during Elat Chayyim retreats is designed to foster an experience that opens the heart, connects us deeply to community, and reveals our deepest truths. Chanting, movement, contemplative practice, and other techniques may be used to engender a direct sense of connection to, and conversation with, the divine. The movement is away from traditionally linear, masculine and text-heavy davening, into a more circular, feminine-balanced, experiential approach that enables a profound and sometimes ecstatic connection to our hearts and to God. Please see specific program descriptions for more details.
Mishpacha Sharing Circles and Spirit Buddies offer opportunities for retreatants to speak their feelings, reactions, enthusiasm, values and thoughts during an Elat Chayyim retreat. Mishpacha ("family") groups serve as safe emotional spaces in which small groups of participants can express the sometimes profound insights, struggles, challenges and surprises that they may experience over the course of a retreat. For many participants, the mishpacha group experience inspires peak retreat insights and proves to be a deeply powerful and transformative experience of sacred communal space.
Our Children’s Program during the Elat Chayyim Summer Program gives children the gift of a joyous and engaging Jewish experience. Children ages 4 – 14 receive a balance of creative learning, arts, environmental and organic farming education, sports and outdoor activities. Educators are trained to provide an emotionally safe environment to form a respectful and vibrant children’s community. Two or three age-groups are formed based on the number of children at each formal program. For more information, please see the Children's Program info on our Family Retreats page.
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