Three free, virtual art-making rituals: for those who have lost mothers, for those who identify as a mother, and for those who have chosen not to parent.

Mother’s Day can elicit many different feelings including joy, grief and everything in between. We invite you to choose from three concurrent 90-minute gatherings that will explore the many emotions of this day. Each session 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 - as a way to process and connect in community.

Yizkor for Mothers Day
(For those who have lost a mother)
Seeds of healing are deeply held in the spiritual practice of grieving and remembering in community. This session is for those who have lost a mother and experience some measure of grief on this day. You are invited into this creative Yizkor/Remembering without having to qualify your relationship with your mother - whether you were estranged or entwined, seen or unseen. Together we will have time for writing, creative process, small group sharing and prayers of remembering. Facilitated by Karen Lee Erlichman.

The Messines of Motherhood
(For those who identify as a mother)
Motherhood: It's brutal, it's beautiful, it's messy, and it's always changing. And while we all may be in different seasons of this journey, there is much wisdom, comfort, and care that we can share with one another. This session is for those who identify as a mother and want to process all that is wrapped up in this role and identity. Together we will use the Jewish Studio Process to explore texts (both Jewish and otherwise) to reflect on the messiness of motherhood and its impact in our identity. Facilitated by Ilana Jaffe-Lewis.

Co-Creating Otherhoods
(For those who have chosen not to parent)
Whether for reasons of environmental collapse, financial limitations, illness/disability, or other motivations, more and more of us are choosing to be child-free, but may still feel some pangs of regret or anxiety about our aging and our future. From the outside, the choice to be child-free may look like wanting to have kids and being unable to, or like not having kids "yet,” so it’s not always something we wear on our sleeves. This session is for those who have chosen not to parent. Together we will use the Jewish Studio Process to explore texts (both Jewish and otherwise) to reflect on our experience and ask: what are the positive values of “not-parenting” and how do we build a language around purposeful values, not absence or lack? Facilitated by Sharoni Sibony.