Kol Tefilla 2025: Illustrating Spiritual Life

JSP Theme: Creativity as a Spiritual Practice

Join Jewish Studio Project to explore how we can cultivate creativity as a spiritual practice. Our sessions will draw on the Jewish Studio Process – a unique methodology combining practices from the field of art therapy with a reimagined approach to Jewish learning and spirituality. No prior experience with art or text study needed; just bring an open heart!

Rabbi David A. Ingber serves as the founding rabbi of Romemu, the largest Renewal synagogue in the United States and as the Senior Director of Jewish Life and the Bronfman Center at 92NY. A major 21st Century Jewish thinker and educator, his rich perspective, open heart and mind, and full-bodied approach to Jewish learning has brought him to speak worldwide. He serves on the faculty for the Wexner Heritage Program, and the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America and Israel, and was an AJWS Global Justice Fellow. Rabbi Ingber has lectured extensively on the topics of spirituality, theology, Jewish mysticism, prayer, and meditation. He lives in Manhattan with his wife Ariel and their three children.

Jeff Kasowitz (he/him) is a social innovator, musician, and community builder. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of Jewish Studio Project. Jeff has decades of experience in nonprofit management and strategic planning and leads JSP’s efforts to bring the organization’s work to new regions, organizations and networks across the country. Jeff is an experienced prayer leader and has led the music for JSP’s High Holiday services for the past nine years. He released Arba’im Shanah, an album of original Jewish music, eight years ago and regularly brings his melodies to Jewish spiritual spaces.

Rabbi Adina Allen (she/her) is a spiritual leader, writer, and educator who grew up in an art studio where she learned firsthand the power of creativity for connecting to self and to the Sacred. She is cofounder and creative director of Jewish Studio Project (JSP), an organization that is seeding a future in which every person is connected to their creativity as a force for healing, liberation and social transformation. Based on the work of her mother, renowned art therapist Pat B. Allen, Adina developed the Jewish Studio Process, a methodology for unlocking creativity, which she has brought to thousands of organizational and community leaders, educators, artists, and clergy across the country. She is the author of the highly anticipated book, The Place of All Possibility: Cultivating Creativity Through Ancient Jewish Wisdom.

Kol Tefilla Schedule

Thursday night studio (7:30pm) with Jewish Studio Project, co-sponsored by Pressman Academy Parent Association:

Creative Resilience 

Creativity is inherent in each and every one of us. Accessing and activating our creativity is a way of touching in on that part of ourselves that is Divine. In this hands-on session we’ll explore a Jewish approach to creativity as a spiritual practice that can support us in today’s uncertain world. Using JSP’s unique methodology we’ll engage in discussion of Jewish texts and a facilitated hands-on experiences with basic art materials to tap into the creativity that resides at the core of who we are. You’ll leave feeling more grounded, capacious and connected.

Friday Morning Meditation w/Rabbis Ingber and Kligfeld:

Shivti Be’veit Hashem: Stillness & Reflection: A Shabbat Welcoming Meditation

Begin Shabbat with a guided meditation focused on grounding and opening the heart, preparing ourselves to fully enter the sacred space of rest, renewal, and community.

Friday Afternoon Opening Plenary with Jewish Studio Project:

Creative Rest 

Our Shabbat prayers celebrate God’s creative process in shaping the world. As preparation for Shabbat, in this session we will connect to the power and  joy of our own creativity. Drawing on the Jewish Studio Process – a unique methodology combining practices from the field of art therapy with a reimagined approach to Jewish learning and spirituality – we’ll reflect on the week that has been, ground in the moment we’re in, and open to that deep and authentic place inside of us from which our prayers flow forth. Join us to discover creativity as a conduit to relaxation, rejuvenation, and reconnection.

Friday night teaching (at dinner) with Rabbi David Ingber:

Mei’ayn Olam Ha’Bah as The Infinite Now: Embracing the Moment in Jewish Time”

This teaching will explore Jewish perspectives on time and presence, drawing from Torah, Talmudic wisdom, and mystical teachings to understand how Shabbat invites us to pause and fully inhabit each moment. (A source sheet will include texts on time, presence, and Shabbat)

Saturday morning Hama’alot

Saturday afternoon teaching with Rabbi Ingber:

Lecha Dumiyah Tehilah Beyond Words: Prayer, Silence, and the Power of Intent”

Dive into a contemplative study on the balance of words and silence in Jewish practice. Together, we’ll explore how intentional prayer and quiet meditation can deepen our connection to the divine, ourselves, and each other.

Saturday night Melava Malka with Rabbi Ingber:

“Kabbalat Shavua: A Melave Malka Experience to Receive the New Week”


Join us for a warm, soulful and musical Melave Malka as we escort the Shabbat Queen and welcome the new week with open hearts. In this sacred transition, we’ll hold on to the beauty and peace of Shabbat just a bit longer, while gently opening ourselves to the possibilities of the week ahead. Through song, sharing, and connection, we’ll practice “Kabbalat Shavua” — an invitation to receive the week as a continuation of Shabbat’s blessing, bringing a touch of the holy into our daily lives. Stay after minha and ma’ariv, ready to savor the bittersweetness of Shabbat’s departure and embrace the days to come.

Saturday night program with Jewish Studio Project:

The Place of All Possibility

“In the beginning God created.” The opening chapter of Genesis creates a powerful case for creativity: we are all creative, we are created to create, and our creating creates the world. Guided by Rabbi Adina Allen’s new book and the powerful wisdom of Torah, we will journey together through a series of interactive exercises designed to bring us closer to our own creative sparks, to each other, and maybe even to something Divine. Join us in an evening of discovery and play as explore the act of creation as one that is at once playful, prayerful and powerful.

Sunday morning closing session (done by 12pm) with Jewish Studio Project:

Art is a Spiritual Path: Creativity as Prayer

At its best, we might describe prayer as: a pathway to access deep places in ourselves; a tool for understanding our place in the world; a bridge that connects us to community in meaningful and authentic ways; an opening to feel the power of something bigger than ourselves; a link to our ancestors; an avenue through which to gain insight into life’s biggest questions. In this hands-on session we will use the Jewish Studio Process – a methodology that combines text study, processing through the use of art materials, and reflective writing – to explore the power of art making as prayer practice. Come discover the ways in which the creative process can connect us to our deepest selves, to one another and, ultimately, to the Divine.

Hotels near Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles

 

These are within 1.5 miles of Temple Beth Am and could be considered walking distance

AC Hotel Beverly Hills

Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills Marriott

The Carlyle Inn

Hotel Wilshire

Marriott Burton House, Beverly Hills

SLS Beverly Hills



These are within 1.5 – 3.5 miles of Temple Beth Am*

Century Park Hotel

Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles/Century City/Beverly Hills

Elan Hotel

Short Stories Hotel

Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

 

*Note that there is limited parking at Temple Beth Am and parking in the neighborhood or at the nearby Beverly Hills Tennis Center is encouraged.