Join internationally acclaimed author Rodger Kamenetz as he explores how ancient Jewish practices offer answers to some of today’s biggest questions, and how to find moments of the sacred in an increasingly distracted world.

In this daylong retreat we will first explore a question the Dalai Lama asked the Jewish delegation in Dharamsala in 1990: how do you purify afflictive states of mind—such as extreme anxiety and reactive anger?

We will work with the power of images to learn how to move from reactivity to feeling, from the old stories of the ego to the radical amazement of the living soul.

We will explore practices using images from memory, perception, and dreams and learn techniques to move into a great opening, where we can “see into the life of things.” There will be sharing of moments of blessing, exploring the role of imagination in perception, and how imagination is necessary for a sacred encounter.

The day will be taught by Rodger Kamenetz.

Teacher Bio

Rodger is an award-winning poet, author and teacher. Of his 13 books, his best known is The Jew in the Lotus, the story of rabbis making a holy pilgrimage through India to meet with the Dalai Lama. His account of their historic dialogue became an international bestseller, prompting a reevaluation of Judaism in the light of Buddhist thought. Now in its 37th printing overall, The Jew in the Lotus is a staple of college religion courses. The New York Times called it a “revered text.” A PBS documentary followed, and a sequel, Stalking Elijah, was awarded the National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought.

Born in Baltimore, Rodger has degrees from Yale, Johns Hopkins and Stanford. At Louisiana State University, he held a dual appointment as a Professor of English and Professor of Religious Studies and founded the MFA program in creative writing and the Jewish Studies minor. He retired as LSU Distinguished Professor and Sternberg Honors Chair Professor. He lives in New Orleans where he devotes himself now to his work with clients who seek spiritual direction through dreams.

You can find out more about Rodger at: https://kamenetz.com/

Our venue is: Akiva School, 80 East End Road, Finchley N3 2SY, London

Date & Time: Sunday 11th October 2026, 10am-4pm

Everyone is welcome, and no previous experience is assumed or required.

Please bring your own lunch. 

If you have any questions, or you would like to discuss something, please contact Danny on rabbidanny@hamakom.community. He is here to help, and will welcome hearing from you.

Standard Rate: £55 – The normal cost of attending the retreat.

Supporter Rate: £95 – For those who are able to contribute a little more. Your additional contribution helps us offer Supported Rate places and make HaMakom retreats accessible to everyone.

Benefactor Rate: £145 – For those who are able to contribute more generously. Your contribution helps subsidise other participants and supports HaMakom’s wider work.

Supported Rate: £25 – For anyone for whom the Standard Rate would be difficult at the moment. Please choose this rate freely if you need it. No application or explanation is required.

If you cannot afford the Supported rate please contact Danny at rabbidanny@hamakom.community. No one will be turned away because of their financial circumstances.

At the end of the retreat, there will be an invitation to make a donation to HaMakom in support of our ongoing work.

Cancellations
Cancellations before Sunday 4th October are fully refundable, less a £10 administration fee. Cancellations less than 1 week in advance are not refundable.

The Benefits of Jewish Mindfulness Meditation

(adapted from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, with thanks)

We are dedicated  to this practice for several reasons:

• to enliven and enhance Jewish prayer, celebration, ritual and community;
• to be part of working for the betterment of our fragile and vulnerable planet; and
• to recognize the true and deep sources of happiness in a world filled with seductive, competing and ultimately unsatisfying short-term fixes.

How can Mindfulness Meditation Help?

Mindfulness meditation is training the mind. Just as we go to the gym to make our bodies stronger and more flexible, so mind training helps make our minds more spacious, perceptive and most of all free.

We train our capacity to pay attention by turning our attention, like a flashlight, on our own minds. This helps us see more clearly the nature of our own minds. We become aware of the patterns and habits that run our lives but have not been previously visible.

We begin to realize that these patterns and habits may serve our goals, desires, and purposes – but often they do not. We start to realize that there actually is a “pause button” built into our system. This pause button – or “Shabbat button” – can be activated when we become triggered by an event outside ourselves and are tempted to act in reactive, patterned and unskilful ways.

The pause wakes us up, creates a space in our mind where we can ask the question: ”What is the skilful, wholesome, wise action I need to take in this moment?” “What are my choices here?” The development of this capacity for inner freedom is why we train in mindfulness. This can be profoundly useful in our lives, especially in our relationships, and in any task we undertake to realise our dreams or express our creativity.

By cultivating attention, we are also able to feel more satisfied with each moment of our experience.

We learn to rest in this moment as it unfolds.

We learn to bring our awareness to the flow of energy in the body which is the very miracle of our aliveness. We learn to be more receptive to the fullness of each moment, rather than resisting what has already occurred or projecting what is not yet here. We learn to notice the arising and passing of all experience, recognizing how short and precious this life is.

We learn to treasure each day for the wonder that it is. This is itself a source of happiness. According to modern neuroscience, the mind is a dynamic flow of experiences rather than a fixed state. When we experience this for ourselves, we feel less isolated, less caught in judgment and adversity, and more open to the mystery and majesty of this life.