JArts & CJP are partnering with Hebrew College to create the Artist Beit Midrash, a new Jewish learning salon, that will bring up to 28 Boston-area Jewish artists of all kinds together to study Jewish text, share their creative process, and build community.

Is your creative drive a big part of your life, personally or professionally? Would you like to nourish your creativity with Jewish learning and community? Would you like to engage in your creative work as a spiritual practice? Come join the Artist Beit Midrash! 

Launched in 2021, the Artist Beit Midrash is a Jewish learning salon that brings together Boston-area Jewish creators to study Jewish text, reflect on their creative process, and build community. In our inaugural year, our community included writers, installation artists, photographers, singers, theater directors, textile painters, memoirists, poets, potters and more. 

Applicants’ work may be Jewishly themed, but  does not need to be.  All mediums, themes, and levels of artistic and textual ability are welcome.  Adults of all ages are welcome. Commitment to creative living as Jews is what brings us together.

Admissions Are Now Closed!

When you participate, you receive:

• A community and network of local Jewish artists and creators
• Monthly guided study of rich and accessible contemporary and classical texts  
• Opportunities to reflect on your creative process in a small group setting
• A place where your work and thoughts are received as sacred gifts

COHORTS

 Tell us your 1st and 2nd choice. Cohorts are capped at 14 participants.

Wednesday Cohort
10:00am – 11:30am  
In-Person in Newton, MA, Location TBD

September 7, 2022
October 19, 2022
November 9, 2022
December 7, 2022
January 11, 2023
February 8, 2023
March 8, 2023
April 19, 2023
May 10, 2023

Thursday Cohort
6:30pm – 8:00pm
On Zoom

September 8, 2022
October 20, 2022
November 10, 2022
December 8, 2022
January 12, 2023
February 9, 2023
March 9, 2023
April 20, 2023
May 11, 2023

ADD-ONS

These are additional cohort opportunities, available at no extra cost to members of both cohorts. 

Explo: A Collaborative Workshop of Art + Ideas
In Person (pandemic permitting), TBD location in Newton

Would you like to reflect on your creative work with local Jewish artists? Would you like to learn from others’ creative endeavors and offer your own to share? Would you like to create an experimental project with Jewish artists of different mediums interested in exploring a similar issue? 

Join our new in-person Explo: Collaborative Workshop!

In Explo, you can explore a question from your creative life or a theme drawn from the text studies of the Artist Beit Midrash.  You can make your own work, come together with other artists in the group to create a collaborative piece, or offer and receive inspiration.  Stretch, transform, reflect, reimagine, and/or co-create a project rooted in meaningful exchanges within a community of local artists. Many options are possible! 

This will be an experimental space responsive to the interests of participants. Sessions will be facilitated by Shirah Rubin, Artist Beit Midrash co-founder.

Wednesdays, 10:00am – 11:30 am 
In-Person in Newton, MA, Location TBD

September 14, 2022
October 26, 2022
November 16, 2022
December 14, 2022
January 18, 2023
February 15, 2023
March 15, 2023
April 26, 2023
May 17, 2023

Zoom Parallel Play Sessions
Would you like to create in the company of other Artist Beit Midrash members, but from the comfort of your own space? Join us for our new monthly Parallel Play Sessions. Each session will begin with a short check-in and an optional prompt. Then we will all be on camera in the Zoom room, doing our creative practice alongside each other. The last 30 minutes will be reserved for sharing and reflection.

Thursdays, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
On Zoom

September 15, 2022
October 27, 2022
November 17, 2022
December 15, 2022
January 19, 2023
February 16, 2023
March 16, 2023
April 27, 2023
May 18, 2023

SERIES COST

$190 per person (need based subsidies are available)

REGISTRATION

Deadline: July 15, 2022, 11:59pm Now Closed!

Testimonials

“The course filled me with a reverence for Jewish learning, connecting my identity to my creative core.” 

– Deborah Leipziger (Poet, creator of the Jewish Poetry Festival)

“Working as an artist can be a lonely vocation. The Artist Beit Midrash introduced me to a cohort of other Jewish artists in two ways: intellectually, during our group discussions of Torah, and emotionally, when we shared our work, our inspiration and ourselves with each other. I hope to deepen friendships with these artists and find ways to collaborate in the future.”

– Leah Abrahams (Visual Artist)

“The monthly gatherings for the Artist Beit Midrash are a highlight of connection and inspiration.  In just an hour and a half, we form a supportive, thought provoking community where we learn and grow.  Our facilitators – master educators and artists – frame the learning around Jewish thought, text and creativity, always making sure that all voices are heard and celebrated.  This experience is deepening my art practice and my Jewish growth, while building a network of local artists who are also steeped in their Jewish identity. I am filled with gratitude to JArts, Hebrew College and CJP for creating the space to hold these incredibly meaningful conversations.  The Artist Beit Midrash is a gift that keeps on giving.” 

– Alisa Kolter-Berkowitz (Mixed-media Artist)

“The Artist Beit Midrash has been a deeply clarifying and enjoyable experience. Not only has it put me in touch with some wonderful artists from around the Boston area, but more importantly it has informed what kind of artist I want to be, what kind of Jew I want to be and how I can blend those two together create a meaningful impact in the communities in which I work and live.”

– Jesse Garlick (Theater Artist and Educator)

“I feel deeply grateful for my participation in the Artist Beit Midrash with Rabbi Shoshana Friedman this past year. Shoshana fostered a safe and inviting space to share and process thoughts and feelings of our personal, spiritual and artistic lives in the context of Torah and community.” 

– Robin Okun (Visual Artist)

Partners