We will explore the legacies each of us inherits and the legacies we bestow to the world as we make our way through life. Legacy plays a central role in the stories of Isaac and Ishmael as they wrestle with the actions of their parents and their own struggles to reconcile with each other. Our lives, too, are shaped by the legacy of prior generations and our life experiences.

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JMR20
September 16-18, 2011

Embracing Joy

Parsha: Ki Tavo

Chairs:

Yosaif August and Lev Natan

Come join a fantastic group of Jewish men as we gather for our 20th Annual Jewish Men’s Retreat (JMR)! Our focus this year is on embracing and expanding our ways of experiencing aliveness and joy. The date we’ve chosen is an especially powerful date as it is the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov – the rabbi who brought joy back into Judaism. We’ll even be throwing a huge bonfire birthday party for him!

Each person experiences ‘Joy’ differently, and you will have an opportunity to join one of a dozen different ways during the weekend. From the contemplative to the playful, from musical expression to outdoor activities, come join men from across the United States and Canada for this special, anniversary gathering!

JMR gatherings are always a very inclusive and welcoming event: young adults and elders; gay, bi, straight, and those in transition; single, married and divorced; JMR veterans and newcomers, and men with a broad range of Jewish observance. Along with the connections that naturally develop among men who meet at our retreats, many men have used the JMR as an occasion to deepen their relationships with their fathers, sons or brothers, friends and congregants by inviting them to join them for the weekend.

If you were here for last year’s JMR and partook of the joy of that gathering, COME ON BACK… it keeps getting better! If it’s been a few years since you’ve been here, this is the year to come back! If you’ve never attended an annual Jewish Men’s Retreat this is the year to do it!

JMR21: October 26-28, 2012
Breaking Our Idols…Answering the Call

Parsha: Bereshit

Chairs:

Stuart Garber

Mark Dwortzan, and

Michael Landau

Come join our gathering of 80-plus spirited Jewish men during the peak fall foliage season at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center (IFJRC) in northwest Connecticut as we celebrate our 21st annual Jewish Men’s Retreat (JMR). Located two hours from New York City and three hours from Boston, IFJRC is a relaxing Berkshire retreat destination that provides excellent glatt kosher dining, country lodging, miles of hiking trails, great cycling and an organic farm. It serves as the perfect backdrop for a full weekend of inspiring and enriching JMR activities.

This year’s gathering will focus on our patriarch Avraham and his courageous journey from the familiar world of his father’s house to answer G!d’s resounding call. Taking our inspiration from his journey, we’ll explore the ways we, as Jewish men, are being called in our lives and consider the obstacles (our own “idols”) that hold us back. The weekend’s activities include spirited davening, drumming, dance and song, conversation and contemplation, large and small group activities, great meals, time outdoors and more.

Our weekend community represents a broad range of Jewish men: young adults and elders; gay, bi-, straight and questioning; single, married and divorced; JMR veterans and many newcomers; and men with a broad range of Jewish knowledge and observance. Along with the connections that naturally develop among men who meet at our retreats, many men have used the JMR as an occasion to deepen their relationships with their fathers, sons or brothers, friends and congregants by inviting them to join them for the weekend. Give yourself and others the gift of experiencing this truly unique weekend!

We spend much of our lives laughing, noshing, loving, working and kvelling (LNLWK). Yet, many of us go through our lives jumping from task to task with no clear sense of why we are doing what we are doing. Our cycle of living often seems disconnected and out of balance. Life often pulls us along – this way and that – with little rhyme or reason. We may even ask ourselves to what end and purpose do we spend our lives immersed in these endeavors?

JMR 22 will explore the points of connection in our lives as we laugh, nosh, love, work, and kvell. We will consider the ways we can find balance and rhythm by exploring the four magical worlds we all inhabit – physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional. How do these “worlds” become out of balance and how do we restore balance, wholeness and vitality to our lives?

JMR22
October 24-26, 2013

Laugh, Nosh, Love, Work Kvell:

Restoring Balance in our Lives

Parsha: Chaye Sarah

Co-Chairs: Allen Spivack,

David Malchman, and Michael Landau

JMR23: October 24-26, 2014

Parsha – Noach

Chairs:

Herb Levine and Elliott Myrowitz

Come join 100 men of all ages and diverse Jewish backgrounds in the autumn splendor of the Connecticut Berkshires at Hazon’s Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. Give yourself the gift of a weekend retreat where you can take the next step in your journey as a Jewish man, inspired by Torah, your ancestors and the men around you.

We create a sacred space where men give each other loving support and make commitments to improve themselves, their communities and the world.

JMR24:
Destination Blessing: Abraham’s Journey

October 23-25, 2015
Parsha: Lech Lecha
Chairs: Mike Metelits and GregOry Frumin

This is the theme we have distilled from our parsha Lech Lecha: go into your self. Through activities, contemplation, prayer, study and brotherhood, we will develop a deeper sense of our journey, and what it might mean to “be a blessing” as Avram was told. Appreciating the role of personal reflection and cultivation in this journey, together we will build a retreat filled with compassion, joy, and understanding.

Come join 100 men of all ages and diverse Jewish backgrounds in the autumn splendor of the Connecticut Berkshires at Hazon’s Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. Give yourself the gift of a weekend retreat where you can take the next step in your journey as a Jewish man, inspired by Torah, your ancestors and the men around you.

We create a sacred space where men give each other loving support and make commitments to improve themselves, their communities and the world.