History

ALEPH was created through a merger in 1993 between the P'nai Or Religious Fellowship founded by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in 1962, and The Shalom Center, founded by Rabbi Arthur Waskow in 1983. (In 2005, the Shalom Center became again an independent organization.)

ALEPH is a core institution in the Jewish Renewal movement, dedicated to the Jewish people's sacred purpose of partnership with the Divine in the inseparable tasks of healing the world and healing our hearts.

ALEPH Oral History. Jewish Renewal founders talk about their experience in the early days of P'nai Or/ALEPH. Download the transcript from the Welcoming Ceremony at the 2009 ALEPH Kallah.

 Mission

ALEPH supports and grows the worldwide movement for Jewish renewal by organizing and nurturing communities, developing leadership, creating liturgical and scholarly resources, and working for social and environmental justice.

ALEPH has attracted and energized thousands of seekers returning to Judaism, including many whose journey has led them through other spiritual traditions.

ALEPH's affiliated projects include:

• The Kallah, Jewish Renewal’s premier biennial international gathering, held in the summer of odd-numbered years.
• Ruach HaAretz: leadership trainings and a biennial summer retreat, held in even-numbered years.
• Rabbinic Pastors Association: an ofspring of OHaLaH, serving Rabbinic Pastors and Chaplains.
• ALEPH’s Ordination Programs: Rabbinic, Cantorial, Rabbnic Pastor, Spiritual Director.
• The Beit Midrash: offering publications, prayer books, CDs, DVDs and TeleCourses.
• Affiliated Communities: Jewish Renewal congregations and havurot worldwide.
• Sage-ing: empowering elders as mentors and wisdom-keepers.
• Kesher: outreach, programs and Israel trips for young leaders in their twenties and early thirties.
• C-DEEP: Center for Devotional, Energy, and Ecstatic Practice: spiritual retreats and chant leader training.
• Rodef Shalom School for Peace: empowering peace builders in American Jewish communities.
• Tikkun Olam: interfaith and Jewish community wide efforts to heal the planet, seek peace and work for justice.
• Institute for Contemporary Midrash: a resource service on midrash (Biblical commentary) through the arts.

IN addition ot its affiliated projects, ALEPH enjoys a mutually supportive sister-organization relationship with:

• OHALAH: The Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal.
  

 Kol ALEPH

The ALEPH newsletter, Kol ALEPH, is now a weekly blog!. It is free to all ALEPH members and to members of ALEPH-affiliated communities.

Click here for our Kol ALEPH quarterly newsletter and annual report archives.

If you are an ALEPH member who wishes to re-subscribe to our monthly Member Services mailings, including Kol ALEPH, please click here.

ALEPH Membership

All individual/household members of ALEPH, as well as members of ALEPH-affilated communities, are entitled to benefits of membersip including a subscription to Kol ALEPH, participation in our member discussion list, discounts on purchase through the ALEPH Beit Midrash, participation in distance learning courses and other benefits.

ALEPH maintains a strict policy on the use of our member information. Download Privacy Policy

ALEPH On-line Member Discussion and Announcement Lists

The ALEPH Member Discussion list, aleph-pnai-or, is a dymanic and diverse community of Jewish renewal activists, teachers, authors, artists and seekers engaged in lively discussions of topics ranging from Jewish culture and history to text study, current events and more. To join, contact list manager, Rabbi Jeff Marker <rabjeff@gmail.com>. You must be a current ALEPH member to participate. Please read the terms and conditions of participation before joining.

ALEPH also provides an announcement list, aleph-re-news, with monthly reports and periodic updates on programs, events and resources of interest to Jewish renewalists.

Volunteer Opportunities with ALEPH