Isabella Freedman

Located near the New England town of Falls Village, Connecticut, Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center presents guests with 380 acres of forests, meadows and lakes along with accommodations for 180. For 113 years, Isabella Freedman has continued to innovate based on the changing needs of the Jewish community. Initially open to Jewish women who worked in the sweatshops in New York City, today’s programs reach out to a wider population and include ADAMAH: The Jewish Environmental Fellowship, Senior Adult Summer Camp, and most recently, a merger with Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality. 

Isabella Freedman also stands out for the way it operates.
The Director’s Message at the front of its 2007-08 Program Catalog proudly declares that the calendar “mirrors the diversity and richness of the larger Jewish community... [welcoming] people from nearly every Jewish background, sexual orientation, age group, race and denominational affiliation.” Similarly, its Commitment to Sustainability claims an energy efficiency that is at least 30% better than the State Code. On the horizon, the acquisition of an additional 20 acres will host a working organic farm. 

With a “strong, young, energetic leader at the helm,” a variety of programs and a bucolic setting, Isabella Freedman is becoming “the retreat center of choice.”