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Rabbi Jamie Korngold has
always loved the outdoors, the
place where humankind first met
with God.
Adventure Rabbi was
envisioned by Rabbi Korngold,
who has experienced her most
vibrant Jewish experiences in
the outdoors. From scaling
mountains to praying beneath the
boughs of an apple tree in the
backyard, she believes that the
spirituality of the wilderness
awakens Judaism.
Surrounded by the raw wonder of
creation, Korngold helps people
experience an inner peace and an
abiding connection to her
favorite definition of G-d,
“That Which is Greater Than
Ourselves”. In the wilderness,
she believes, it is possible to
distance ourselves from politics
and protocol and allow the
awareness of the connectedness
of all things to permeate our
souls.
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Founded in November 2001, with
the intention of bringing Jews
back into communal religious
life, through innovative
religious programs, which
combine the outdoors and Jewish
practice; Adventure Rabbi, is an
exciting, fresh approach to
Judaism.
Adventure Rabbi is
philosophically and
theologically aligned with the
Reform Movement. They are
dedicated to Torah, G-d and
Israel,
and to creating opportunities to
enhance their member’s
relationships with Torah, G-d
and
Israel.
Among the programs Adventure
Rabbi offers, is a B’nai Mitzvah
program for Jews, who want to
experience and participate in,
what’s best described as, a
synagogue without walls.
Adventure Rabbi specializes in
experiential teaching of Jewish
ritual, practice and theology.
Their
outdoor programs are
infused with teaching moments.
From the Rabbi’s sermons on the
Torah potion of the week, to
discussions of contemporary
theologians such as Martin Buber
and Abraham Joshua Heschel,
every event is filled with
learning opportunities.
Becoming a bar or bat mitzvah, a
son or daughter of the
commandments, marks the
beginning of a child’s
maturation into adulthood.
Through the process the child
demonstrates his or her
burgeoning ability to take on
more responsibility for him or
herself, ethically, morally,
intellectually and physically.
This is the beginning of a
process that will continue until
adulthood is reached.
The b’nai mitzvah process itself
should mirror this maturation
and increased ability to assume
responsibility for self.
Although each component of the
learning needs to be supervised
and supported by parents, the
child’s responsibility for his
or her actions should be
stressed and called into play
whenever possible.
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Of course what makes our b’nai
mitzvah program unique is that
we offer ceremonies that are
held outdoors. Simply by being
in the wilderness, the
spirituality of the experience
is powerful.
Because we use a paper Torah
rather than a kosher parchment
Torah (which might be damaged by
the elements) our ceremonies can
take place in any location, as
accessible or adventurous as
your family chooses. Generally,
Rabbi Korngold leads the
ceremonies that take place on
the Mesa Trail in
Boulder,
Colorado,
and include an hour and fifteen
minute hike (each way) to a
beautiful natural outdoor
synagogue, nestled up against a
sheer rock face. Other rabbis
are available in services that
take place in other locations,
including outside of
Colorado.
Adventure Rabbi starts the
process assigning prospective
students a Bar or Bat Mitzvah
supervisor and arranges regular
meetings with you by phone or in
person. These ongoing
conversations will help make
your learning experience
meaningful. Generally, these are
rabbinical students from
Hebrew
Union
College,
who are passionate about sharing
their knowledge about Judaism
and whose enthusiasm is
contagious.
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For more information about the
Adventure Rabbi program visit
www.AdventureRabbi.com
Rabbi Jamie S. Korngold
is author of “G-d in the
Wilderness” and serves as the
spiritual leader of Adventure
Rabbi. Rabbi Korngold received
her ordination from Hebrew Union
College- Jewish Institute of
Religion, the academic,
spiritual and professional
development center for Reform
Judaism. Rabbi Korngold is a
member of the Central Conference
of American Rabbis (the
international rabbinic
association of Reform Judaism)
Chaver (The Boulder Colorado
Rabbinical Council) and the
Rocky Mountain Rabbinical
Association.
She lives in
Boulder,
Colorado,
with her husband and two
daughters.
G-d In the Wildnerness by Rabbi
S. Korngold
Publishers Weekly says:
Balancing an in-depth knowledge
of scripture with a wry sense of
humor and a compassion for
nature, Rabbi Korngold reminds
us of 'the nooks and crannies of
the natural world' and says that
'we must seek them out, soak
them in and care for them.'
While certainly aimed at
adventuresome readers, the
book's message, filled with
depictions of fire, water, earth
and sky, simultaneously
encourages individual
exploration and communal
responsibility.
Reprinted
by permission of Adventure
Rabbi. Copyright Notice 2008,
FunSimcha.com. All rights
reserved. This material may not
be reproduced in any form
without permission.
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