Earlier this month, we entered the month of Kislev. The Hebrew word Kis means “pocket,” and lev means “heart,” making Kislev the “Pocket of the Heart.” For alumna Ilana Rose Cloud, each month she enters the “Pocket of the Heart” through her monthly Well Circle, which she has been organizing since 2017. TischPDX supported and nurtured this labor of love TischPDX supported and nurtured when Ilana was part of the first cohort in 2018. 

During her cohort experience, Ilana explored how to structure leadership for sustainability, improve programming, and develop the community. She also focused on empowering fellow Well Circle members to take on leadership and hosting roles themselves. Being coached by TischPDX empowered Ilana to better guide Well Circle attendees, inspiring them to lead and host. She also gained skills in conflict resolution, helping to address any issues that arose between attendees.  

Since its inception, three Tisch alumni have contributed in various leadership roles. As board members, they have helped shape the circle’s development, brainstorm group norms, define its mission and vision, and support the evolution of its structure. 

“TischPDX has supported me in more ways than I can count to create a thriving and meaningful community of women who celebrate and learn about Jewish traditions, ourselves, and our connection to each other.” 

The cross-pollination of her experience in TischPDX and At the Well has nurtured the well circle into its 8th year. With Ilana’s leadership continuing to grow and change, the circle also grew large enough to have both a closed monthly gathering and commmunity-wide gatherings that involve more behind the scenes planning by the expanded leadership team that joined Ilana. The monthly moon manuals are still a supportive resource as are the alumni connections and resources of TischPDX over the years. 

With TischPDX’s support and encouragement, Ilana was inspired to volunteer with At the Well participating in their Well Circle coaching program to help create more circles around the world. Her experience proved invaluable in helping others gain confidence. Ilana also collaborated with the At the Well team to create a calendar and coloring book sharing her talents with a broad global audience. 

How JoCI Grantee Research is Shaping Jewish Community Engagement (from their recent newsletter)

“In recent years, groundbreaking research on Jews of Color has emerged through the support of the JoCI, enriching our communal understanding of identity and belonging within the Jewish landscape. This article highlights three recently completed studies by our grantee partners that were inspired by JoCI’s groundbreaking studies and made possible by our investment in research and grantmaking. Each study contributes to a deeper understanding of how JoC navigate our Jewish identities, what systemic changes are still needed to foster a more inclusive community, and how our voices can be amplified through thoughtful programming and community engagement.

This research was stewarded, conducted, and analyzed by Jews of Color through a partnership between TischPDX, JOC Collective, JOCI and Tiyuv, which does JOC-led and oriented research and evaluation. View the data in a report below and TischPDX will be hosting discussions of the survey findings and key trends…”

Read the full newsletter article here

Welcoming New Board Members 
TischPDX welcomed three new board members: Devra Polack, Dorit Lev-Price, and Thomas Garnett Grubb! Read their bios here.

On August 1st, TischPDX welcomed three new board members: Devra Polack, Dorit Lev-Price, and Thomas Garnett Grubb. They have a wealth of experience in Jewish community organizing, mediation and dialogue, entrepreneurship, and a passion for building justice-filled Jewish communities. 

Cultural Shift Project
TischPDX is convening an advisory committee and beginning training alumni with Kirva’s DRIO program to integrate mussar into anti-racism work.

Following the results of our 2023/24 Jews of Color in the Pacific Northwest Survey, TischPDX is convening an advisory committee of local, regional, and national folks to help guide us moving forward. This committee will begin meeting in the fall and we will be sharing updates and recommendations as those meetings proceed. TischPDX alumni will also be training with Kirva to understand how mussar (Jewish ethical learning) can be applied to anti-racism work through their Dismantling Racism from the Inside Out Cohort (DRIO) program.

Cohort update
This fall, TischPDX will support a series of alumni-led educational cohorts.

This fall, instead of our Emerging Jewish Leadership Cohort, TischPDX will begin supporting a series of alumni-led educational cohorts- deepening Talmud learning, digging into Mussar, dialogue and mediation through a Jewish lens. Our first pilot cohort will be led by Rabbi Emily Kapor-Mater and will be focused on teaching Svara style Talmud learning.

Grants & Fundraising Corner
TischPDX is excited about two new grants and grateful for the new donations and monthly donors we received at our June Shavuot event.

UPSTART GRANT: TischPDX has been accepted in the Upspring 2025 cohort. From Upstart’s website: TischPDX staff “will participate in a 12-month program, gaining access to the expertise, community, and capital to create long-term sustainability and scale their ventures’ impact. They join the ranks of over 100 alumni organizations that are working to create a positive impact and inspire new experiences in the Jewish community and the world we share. “

We welcome new funder, Shards of Light, supporting us with the Cultural Shift Project.

Fundraising: We welcomed new donors and new monthly donors at our Shavuot event! Many thanks to all the presenters, organizers, volunteers and attendees that made our June event so special.

This fall, TischPDX alum Rabbi Kapor-Mater (Cohort 4/5783) is teaching Talmud in a learning cohort pilot program in partnership with TischPDX. She is excited to teach at a high level, allowing participants to delve deeply into the text and explore the Talmud with both breadth and depth. Rabbi Kapor-Mater is particularly enthusiastic about learning with people who don’t necessarily share the traditional yeshiva worldview, as this diversity of perspectives will enrich discussions and deepen engagement with the texts.

The desire to organize this cohort emerged from Rabbi Kapor-Mater’s experience during their TischPDX cohort, where she noticed a significant hunger for traditional yet radical Jewish learning, particularly among people who lack access or exposure to traditional yeshiva education. The hunger for this learning was often felt by individuals from marginalized communities who have been systematically excluded from such spaces. Rabbi Kapor-Mater aims to challenge the conventional perception of what a Talmud or Torah scholar is and hopes to create an inclusive space for this learning experience. When asked about her favorite part of teaching Talmud, she shared, “I love it when a student comes up with something I have never heard before. That’s why I teach—there’s no better way to learn than to teach.”

This year, Rosh Hashanah starts on October 2, two weeks later than last year! Wondering why the holidays shift each year? Our ancestors developed intercalation the only calendar system that aligns with the lunar cycle and remains within two weeks of the solar cycle. This also ensures that our holidays start on the new moon!

As the new moon and Rosh Hashanah approaches, may your cheshbon ha’nefesh guide you into 5785 with clarity and sweetness.

Gathered below are resources for Elul and  for the upcoming High Holidays

Programs:

Turn and Return: Weekly Journey through Elul with Rabbi Yael Levy

Join Elul Programming with the Jewish Studio Project 

Sign up for Rabbi Jordan Braunig’s daily elul spiritual prompts

Resources:

Elul Moon Manual from At the Well – Lovely prompts and activities for Elul

Check out my Spiritual Accounting Activity I created this year

Read:

Psalm 27 – It is customary to read during Elul, every day, once a week or just once

 Omer/Teshuvah by Shifrah Tobacman 

This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared by Rabbi Alan Lew

Preparing your Heart for the High Holidays by Rabbis Kerry Olitzky and Rachel Sabath

Renewing Your Soul by David A Cooper

The Jewish Book of Days by Rabbi Jill Hammer

The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo (Meditation)

How to Sit by Thich Nhat Hanh (Meditation)

2023 has been a year of transition, evaluation, and professionalization as TischPDX adapted to significant staff changes, decided to pause and evaluate our core cohort program, expanded our Alumni Support program, and built resources for our Cultural Shift Project, which surveyed Jews of Color in the Pacific Northwest.

A highlight of the year was our robust partnership with Tiyuv, through which we were able to evaluate the impact and outcomes of the Emerging Jewish Leadership Incubator, and design a rigorous survey of Jews of Color in the Pacific Northwest. The data and insights this partnership has garnered has prepared TischPDX to build on our strengths as we plan for the next year.

View our 2023 Annual Report

The Results Are In

Tiyuv partnered with TischPDX, JOC Collective, and Jews of Color Initiative (JOCI) and launched a survey to gain valuable insights into the demographics and interests of JOCs in the PNW, including affiliations, interests, and engagement in Jewish communal life.
TischPDX and the JOC collective launched a comprehensive survey to gain valuable insights into the demographics and interests of Jews of Color in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). The data collected from this survey provides a much-needed, evidence-based understanding of JoC in the PNW, including affiliations, interests, and engagement in Jewish communal life.

This research was stewarded, conducted, and analyzed by Jews of Color through a partnership between TischPDX, JOC Collective, JOCI and Tiyuv, which does JOC-led and oriented research and evaluation. View the data in a report below and TischPDX will be hosting discussions of the survey findings and key trends.

View the results here

We’re announcing a long awaited project today in collaboration with the JOC Collective! We’re introducing our 2023 Cultural Shift Survey!  A comprehensive survey crafted to gain valuable insights into the demographics and interests of Jews of Color (JoCs) in the Pacific Northwest (PNW)!! To take the survey and to learn more please go to: tischpdx.org/pnwsurvey/

The confidential data collected from this research is being stewarded, conducted, and analyzed by Jews of Color through a partnership between TischPDX, @jewsofcolorcollective, JOCI and Tiyuv.  You can share this survey with Jews of Color in your community and beyond and we’d be so grateful! 

We know that many people in our Jewish communities, especially Jews of Color, have been feeling disconnected or maybe experiencing fraying relationships with their Jewish communities at this time. We hope that this survey can be an offering to bridge those gaps and foster a deeper sense of belonging, return or Teshuvah.

Who is eligible to participate in this research?

• Jews who identify as a Jew of Color, however they understand that term;
• currently live in the Pacific Northwest United States (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, or Alaska);
• Must be age 18 or older.

Participants can fill out the 2023 Cultural Shift Survey starting in November 8 – January 5. TischPDX will publish the data in a report and host discussions of the survey findings and key trends in April 2024. 

To take the survey or to learn more please go to tischpdx.org/pnwsurvey/

Thank you so much for helping us get the word out! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, to our Director of Programs, Metasabiya at [email protected].