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August 3, 2001/Av 14, 5761, Vol. 53, No.43
Kallah unites Jews in a 'cornfield'
JESSICA BARBER
Editorial Intern
Fifteen members of Ruach Hamidbar-Spirit of the Desert attended Kallah, a gathering sponsored by the Alliance for Jewish Renewal (ALEPH), which brought renewal artists, leaders, performers and teachers together July 1-8 for communal learning and celebration in De Kalb, Ill.
Judy Christensen, president of Ruach Hamidbar, enjoyed a three-hour morning meditation class, attended many different services and met Jews from different communities.
"I had a wonderful time," said Christensen. "I was being Jewish in the middle of a cornfield in Illinois."
Jewish renewal bills itself as a worldwide, transdenominational movement grounded in Judaism's prophetic and mystical traditions. All Jews, regardless of denomination, gender or sexual orientation, are accepted.
The event offered singing, dancing and various educational classes and seminars.
Ruach Hamidbar member Susan Pinkus enjoyed the various aspects of the event.
"I went to a service that was unlike any I've ever been to," said Pinkus. "It opened my eyes to different possibilities that Judaism can be."
Pinkus also enjoyed the many talented musicians present at services.
"The musicians at the service I attended were incredible," she said. "Their voices sounded like angels."
More than 800 people attended the event at Northern Illinois University, the first Kallah to be held in the Midwest.
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