Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations has launched three new topics for a series of Winter-Spring 2019 web conversations. Convening powerful storytellers, rabbis, thinkers, and organizers, these conversations will explore spiritual practice, antisemitism and gender and gender identity. Explore the essays on these topics, share your comments and then register for the conversations!

Everyone is invited to register and participate.

Foundations of Spiritual Practice. Evolve has invited practitioners of different spiritual practices to reflect upon the underlying beliefs and notions of reality and psychology on which their practice is founded. Below are essays to read in order to realize the most from the conversations. You can find these essays on the Evolve website. (Conversation dates March 12 and March 26, 2019)

Rabbi Shefa Gold - Cleaving to God: A Jewish Way of Prayer

Rabbi Marc J. Margolius - Tikkun Middot: Integrating Mindfulness and Ethical/Spiritual Traits

Rabbi Vivie Mayer - Talmud Torah As Spiritual Practice

Rabbi Sid Schwarz - Jews with a Mission

Rabbi Jacob J. Staub - Jewish Spiritual Direction: What Are We Discerning?

Rabbi Sheila Weinberg - Mindfulness: Telling the Truth, Redeeming through Love

Rabbi Benjamin Weiner - Davenning: Finding Meaning in Jewish Prayer

Examining Antisemitism. Evolve has invited contributors to reflect on how antisemitism is and isn’t manifesting itself today and how we should respond to it. Below are essays to read in order to realize the most from the conversations.  You can find these essays on the Evolve website. (Conversation dates March 19 and April 11, 2019)

Rabbi Shai Gluskin - Is It Antisemitic to Consider Zionism a Colonial Project?

Rabbi Mordechai Liebling - A Brief History and Update on Antisemitism

Rabbi Mordechai Liebling - Thoughts on Racism and Antisemitism

Reena Sigman Friedman - Antisemitism in Europe and America in the Modern Period: Historical Perspectives

Rabbi Toba Spitzer - Beyond Erasure: A New Look at Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism

Rabbi David Teutsch - A Pittsburgh Perspective

Judaism, Gender + Identity. Conversation on gender and gender identity will involve reflections on the ongoing reconstruction demanded in the current era. Below are essays to read in order to realize the most from the conversations. You can find these essays on the Evolve website. (Conversation dates April 3 and May 7, 2019)

Rabbi Tamara Cohen and Essie Shachar-Hill - #MeToo, Gender Socialization and the Movement We Are Constructing

Gwynn Kessler - Beyond the Kingdom: Transforming God Imagery

Anonymous - Parenting a Trans Child

Rabbi Jane Litman - Pastoral Counseling for Trans Folk During Life Cycle Moments

Rabbi Dev Noily - My Name is Dev, and My Pronouns Are “They” and “Them”

Lily Solochek and Lanni Solochek - Making Jewish Ritual Spaces All-Gender Inclusive