Wilderness Torah

You’ve heard about Jewish ancestors wandering in the desert for all those years. Wilderness Torah encourages people to wander on their own journey, taking Jewish education beyond physical walls and into nature. Jewish holiday retreats and outdoor education opportunities celebrate Judaism’s earth-based roots, using nature as a tool to reconnect to tradition and community. Wilderness Torah knows that young adults want to take community building and spirituality into their own hands and connect with religion in unique ways. Here, Jews of all ages celebrate holidays in their original land-based context: Passover in the Desert, Tu B’Shvat in the Redwoods, Sukkot on the Farm, and outdoor High Holiday retreats.Even elementary school kids can trade in the traditional Hebrew school classroom for B’hootz, a “Sunday school in the woods.” Bar mitzvah–aged teens can join the B’naiture program, where they can unplug from technology and plug in to Jewish wisdom during their b’nai mitzvah. The Shomrim program serves teens who apprentice as mentors for younger kids. The engagement here is multigenerational, with a focus on serving all age groups and reclaiming elders as revered, respected, and cared for community members.

Wilderness Torah is now spreading beyond its California home base. New multiday retreats are growing in Israel, Vermont, Florida, Texas, Colorado, and beyond. It is increasing community leadership with a three-month program that has trained nearly 200 young adults in facilitation, Jewish ritual, and collaborative leadership. The Wilderness Torah Training Institute has trained nearly 100 people from 12 states and four countries, who are launching programs inspired by Wilderness Torah models in 2018. The organization is debuting a new slate of community programs with monthly Shabbat services, overnight Shabbatons, new classes and workshops, and new parent and tot programming. As Wilderness Torah expands its reach and its impact grows, more Jews will get out and disconnect in order to reconnect with their community and find a renewed inspiration for Jewish tradition.