We're exploring an exciting expansion: Sanctuary Silicon Valley
Sanctuary SV will be a welcoming, relationally-based, caring community centered on the needs of adults of all ages where individuals, couples, and families may experience how Judaism can ground and inspire modern living.
Sanctuary won’t be about a building or a campus; we’ll create Sanctuary wherever we gather, and, together, build mutual, genuine relationships through co-created programs of learning, ritual, and social justice, experiences that provide the time and space to connect to our bodies and souls; to continually discover how ancient Jewish wisdom can enrich our lives; and to practice how we may build a society that values all individuals and protects each of God's creations with reverence.
As we learn every day, adulthood, particularly middle-age and beyond, includes multiple transitions (some planned; some not); surprises (some joyful; some less so); and the reconceptualization of our identities as we age. Many of us have put our children’s needs and education at the center of our lives, but what happens to our sense of self, and our sense of community, when our children “leave the nest”? What does it mean to be parents of grown children? And if we are fortunate, what does it mean to be grandparents in this era? We are living longer (and hopefully) more active lives than previous generations. How can Jewish learning and ritual enable our wise-aging? How might Jewish community counter the epidemic of loneliness that is a plague of this era? As we age, what are our dreams of Jewish community and how may we pursue them collectively?
Sanctuary SV will center adults’ needs for Jewish connection and depth of engagement with Jewish learning and ritual throughout the multiple phases and transitions of our lives.
The basic building block of Judaism is a relationship. We cannot do Judaism alone. We support our participants in the construction of Jewish community on their terms. Our co-created programs of learning, ritual, and social justice, give us the time and space to connect to our bodies and souls; to continually discover how ancient Jewish wisdom can enrich our lives; and to practice how we, in turn, may build a society that values all individuals, and protects each of God's creations with reverence.
Sanctuary will be a new pathway for living Judaism in Silicon Valley.
Sanctuary SV will be a welcoming, relationally-based, caring community centered on the needs of adults of all ages where individuals, couples, and families may experience how Judaism can ground and inspire modern living.
Sanctuary won’t be about a building or a campus; we’ll create Sanctuary wherever we gather, and, together, build mutual, genuine relationships through co-created programs of learning, ritual, and social justice, experiences that provide the time and space to connect to our bodies and souls; to continually discover how ancient Jewish wisdom can enrich our lives; and to practice how we may build a society that values all individuals and protects each of God's creations with reverence.
As we learn every day, adulthood, particularly middle-age and beyond, includes multiple transitions (some planned; some not); surprises (some joyful; some less so); and the reconceptualization of our identities as we age. Many of us have put our children’s needs and education at the center of our lives, but what happens to our sense of self, and our sense of community, when our children “leave the nest”? What does it mean to be parents of grown children? And if we are fortunate, what does it mean to be grandparents in this era? We are living longer (and hopefully) more active lives than previous generations. How can Jewish learning and ritual enable our wise-aging? How might Jewish community counter the epidemic of loneliness that is a plague of this era? As we age, what are our dreams of Jewish community and how may we pursue them collectively?
Sanctuary SV will center adults’ needs for Jewish connection and depth of engagement with Jewish learning and ritual throughout the multiple phases and transitions of our lives.
The basic building block of Judaism is a relationship. We cannot do Judaism alone. We support our participants in the construction of Jewish community on their terms. Our co-created programs of learning, ritual, and social justice, give us the time and space to connect to our bodies and souls; to continually discover how ancient Jewish wisdom can enrich our lives; and to practice how we, in turn, may build a society that values all individuals, and protects each of God's creations with reverence.
Sanctuary will be a new pathway for living Judaism in Silicon Valley.
How will Sanctuary SV work?
We'll begin with our questions, the ever-changing needs of our families; the challenges of these (turbulent) times. We’ll then engage with Jewish learning, practice, and ritual in order to become more compassionate, caring, and wise. Sanctuary weaves together Jewish community through Circles and Gatherings.
We all seek meaning in our lives through many different channels and from a variety of sources. Sanctuary will be an additional strand of the tapestry of Jewish life in Silicon Valley. For those who are synagogue members, Sanctuary can serve as a complement to synagogue or JCC programming. For others, the smaller scale, relationally-centered, high-touch and flexible experiences of Sanctuary, might comprise the full extent of their Jewish communal participation. Click here to learn more about our proposed Subscription & Fee Structure.
Sanctuary's goals are to transform Jewish life in Silicon Valley through four principal shifts in Jewish communal life:
1. Instead of centralizing Jewish expression on campuses or in buildings that we drive to, we are infusing our homes and neighborhoods with Jewish practice.
2. Instead of big events, we’ll create small cohorts, deep conversation, and a focus on spiritual and intellectual growth.
3. Instead of staff planning programs, we’ll be co-creating together.
4. Instead of settling for polarization, the diminishment of civil discourse, and the easy acceptance of long-held (even trite) teachings about Judaism, we’ll build a Sanctuary in which we encourage a diversity of perspectives, welcome critical thinking, and expect that encountering our differences of opinion or of practice will enable us to lead more compassionate, informed, and fulfilling lives.
We invite you to sign up here for a House Meeting.
There’s plenty for us to discuss and we'd love to engage you with this effort. In the coming weeks, Rabbi Morrison will host two (one online; one in person) house meetings to discuss Sanctuary. You'll have an opportunity to ask questions, share feedback, and to help shape the future of this endeavor. If you'd like to meet one-on-one with Rabbi Morrison, either on Zoom or for coffee, he would welcome the opportunity to speak with you. Please feel free to reach out.
We'll begin with our questions, the ever-changing needs of our families; the challenges of these (turbulent) times. We’ll then engage with Jewish learning, practice, and ritual in order to become more compassionate, caring, and wise. Sanctuary weaves together Jewish community through Circles and Gatherings.
- Circles are small, and meet regularly (mostly in person), organized by neighborhoods, around shared interests, questions, life stages, or all of the above.
- Gatherings (both in-person or online) are larger and bring together a cross-section of Sanctuary participants.Here are some Circle and Gathering ideas we're exploring.
We all seek meaning in our lives through many different channels and from a variety of sources. Sanctuary will be an additional strand of the tapestry of Jewish life in Silicon Valley. For those who are synagogue members, Sanctuary can serve as a complement to synagogue or JCC programming. For others, the smaller scale, relationally-centered, high-touch and flexible experiences of Sanctuary, might comprise the full extent of their Jewish communal participation. Click here to learn more about our proposed Subscription & Fee Structure.
Sanctuary's goals are to transform Jewish life in Silicon Valley through four principal shifts in Jewish communal life:
1. Instead of centralizing Jewish expression on campuses or in buildings that we drive to, we are infusing our homes and neighborhoods with Jewish practice.
2. Instead of big events, we’ll create small cohorts, deep conversation, and a focus on spiritual and intellectual growth.
3. Instead of staff planning programs, we’ll be co-creating together.
4. Instead of settling for polarization, the diminishment of civil discourse, and the easy acceptance of long-held (even trite) teachings about Judaism, we’ll build a Sanctuary in which we encourage a diversity of perspectives, welcome critical thinking, and expect that encountering our differences of opinion or of practice will enable us to lead more compassionate, informed, and fulfilling lives.
We invite you to sign up here for a House Meeting.
There’s plenty for us to discuss and we'd love to engage you with this effort. In the coming weeks, Rabbi Morrison will host two (one online; one in person) house meetings to discuss Sanctuary. You'll have an opportunity to ask questions, share feedback, and to help shape the future of this endeavor. If you'd like to meet one-on-one with Rabbi Morrison, either on Zoom or for coffee, he would welcome the opportunity to speak with you. Please feel free to reach out.