Jewish Spiritual Practice & the Psychedelic Experience

Join Rabbi Ami Silver and Rabbi Zac Kamenetz on a journey into the history of psychedelic therapy, Jewish spiritual practice, and the common transformative potential of these healing modalities.

🔸 Opening Lecture: “Paths of Transformation” Jewish Spiritual Practice & the Psychedelic Experience Date: Thursday, January 28, 2021
Time: 9:00am Pacific/ 12:00pm EST/ 6:00pm CET/ 7:00pm Israel

🔸Three-Part Mini-Series: “Touching and Not Touching" Teachings and Practices for Approaching Spiritual Experience
Date: Mondays February 8-22, 2021
Time: 9:00am Pacific/ 12:00pm EST/ 6:00pm CET/ 7:00pm Israel.

Cost

Opening Lecture Only: $10
Mini-Series Only: $36
Combined Opening Lecture + Mini-Series: $40

The Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center and its employees do not condone the use of illegal recreational drugs and in no event will be liable for any loss or damage arising from the information about psychedelic drugs, their history or their therapeutic uses and effects in our classes. Any information in our classes is provided solely for educational purposes. Psychedelic drugs and therapies should be engaged only under the guidance of qualified medical professionals.

Rabbi Zac Kamenetz

Zac Kamenetz is a rabbi, community leader, and aspiring healer based in Berkeley, CA. Zac holds an MA in Biblical literature and languages from UC Berkeley and GTU. In 2012 he received rabbinical ordination, and he is a CY alum. Zack is a sought-after educator and qualified MBSR instructor (mindfulness-based stress reduction). Zac’s work has been focused on seeking answers within the Jewish tradition to life’s essential questions. Zac is the founder and CEO of Shefa, a movement seeking to integrate safe and supported psychedelic use into the Jewish spiritual tradition. He campaigns for individuals and communities to heal personal and inherited trauma and aspires to lead a Jewish religious and creative renaissance in the 21st Century. He will begin psychedelic-assisted therapy training in the Spring of 2021.

Rabbi Ami Silver

Ami Silver is a rabbi and psychotherapist (MSW) based in Jerusalem. His teaching focuses on the interface between Jewish text, practice, and personal transformation. Ami leads groups in text study and contemplative, experiential Jewish practice. As a psychotherapist, Ami’s work integrates psychodynamic perspectives together with experiential, somatic, and mindfulness-based approaches. He works in private practice supporting individuals, couples, and groups in Jerusalem and online.

Opening Lecture: "Paths of Transformation" Jewish Spiritual Practice & the Psychedelic Experience

Psychedelic medicines and therapies are showing powerful promise in the treatment of mental health issues such as PTSD and depression. As psychedelics become more integrated into the mainstream, Jewish communities have the opportunity to reawaken their own traditions describing the preparation, exploration, and integration of similar states of expanded consciousness without the use of any substance.

Date: Thursday, January 28, 2021

Lecture Length: 1-hour lecture and 30 minutes Q & A

Time: 9:00am Pacific/ 12:00pm EST/ 6:00pm CET/ 7:00pm Israel

Three-Part Mini-Series: “Touching and Not Touching" Teachings and Practices for Approaching Spiritual Experience

Is a direct encounter with God possible? Is experiencing the Divine something that Judaism views as a primary religious goal? The Torah’s core narratives, from the Avot and Imahot to the Exodus and Mount Sinai, all involve powerful and direct encounters with God. These are the seminal experiences of the Jewish faith. And yet, the Divine experience is not at the centerpiece of most of Jewish living, ritual, or learning…
Or is it? In this three-part series, Rabbi Ami Silver will share frameworks from primary Jewish sources on the Divine encounter. Through text study and guided practices, participants will become familiarized with the process of preparation, exploration, and integration of these states of experience within a traditional Jewish framework.

Dates: Mondays February 8-22, 2021

Lecture Length: 1-hour and 15 minutes