By Matt W.
Rabbi Michelle Medwin hosted a spiritual retreat last month, giving Jewish students an opportunity to get some time off in the presence of God.
Upon arrival at Temple Shalom in Monticello, N.Y., Rabbi Medwin conducted a Saturday morning Shabbat (Sabbath) service. The service included a discussion of the true meanings of the Hebrew prayers and songs that are part of Shabbat.
Following the service and lunch, the group watched a documentary concerning the Jewish understanding of God.
After a discussion about the documentary, students broke up into groups, and traveled to different stations around the synagogue.
Each station had a poster with statements about God. After reading the statements, students discussed their personal beliefs with each other, comparing them to the statements on the poster.
“I wanted students to be able to really think about what God means to them, and how God plays a role in their lives,” said Rabbi Medwin.
According to the students who attended the retreat, it was a great success.
“The retreat definitely stimulated a lot of thoughts about what my understanding of God is. I thought it was fantastic and I’d like to go to another [retreat],” said Family Six’s Bobby M.
Rabbi Medwin reported that she has plans to host this type of spiritual retreat two times a year.
