Soul Candles for the Days of Awe 5785

A workshop for those on the anti-zionist path

Sunday, October 6th, 2024, 10:30am-5:30pm PST 

5th of Tishrei on Squaxin Land, Olympia WA

During these times, for those of us who are anti-Zionist and involved in the work of Freeing Palestine, it can be difficult to engage in Jewish ritual. Our spirituality and culture are being used to green light a genocide. Connecting with our ancestors helps us remember the thread line that has always run through Judaism, those who seek to live beyond the confines of nationalism and empire and embrace diaspora and the struggle for justice for all. This embodied understanding is needed more than ever as we build our strength and brightness to continue our work to Free Palestine.

It is with this kavannah (intention), you are invited to join in our study and ritual practice of the Eastern European and Russian tradition of making Soul Candles, made to both honor ancestors and protect the living. Burned during Yom Kippur and throughout the year, their lighting awakens the souls of ancestors and calls on them to pray for the wellbeing of the living. This tradition is part of a long line of tkhines (Yiddish, derived from the Hebrew word tehinnot, “supplications”), prayers and devotional practices created and prayed by women and gender-non-conforming people who did not have access to the practices that centered Jewish men and the Hebrew language. Obscured historically by Patriarchy and Christian Dominance, we bring the tkhines and spontaneous prayers into our lives and hold them up to shine brightly.

Making Soul Candles is traditionally done during the Days of Awe (between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippor). During this workshop we will learn about the history of Soul Candles, the people who first practiced them, study text, engage in ritual (actually dipping and making beeswax soul candles) and lean into practices to support processing of grief. We will return to our ancestors, whether we know their names or not, to remind us viscerally and spiritually, of the love and care they are always supporting us with. 

One important part of this tradition is visiting graves and using candle wicks to wrap and measure cemetery perimeters with song and ritual. The first part of this workshop we will meet at a cemetery and do this practice. After a lunch break we will join back together to continue our ritual practice. 

Rebekah first practiced, learned and taught about this beloved tradition with their collaborator Jonah Aline Daniel in 5776 (2015). With a joyous heart they invite you to join this ritual space. 

A portion of profits from this class will be donated to a mutual aid effort to support a family from Gaza.

Access information: This workshop will take place in two locations in Olympia, WA. The morning session will be at a Jewish section of a cemetery, measuring cemetery perimeters and specific graves. This is a wheelchair accessible location without a bathroom nearby. The second location will also be outdoors and in the chance of rain, under an open air covered area. There are three steps to enter the bathroom. Please do a Covid test the morning of the workshop. Please do not wear scented products to this workshop.

Workshop size limited to 15 participants.

You are welcome to join regardless of your spiritual background; if you have beginner or advanced knowledge of Judaism, interest in converting to Judaism, or are a Jew by Choice. No prior knowledge of Judaism or Hebrew is required for participation in this class.

Schedule:

10:30am - 12pm  First part of workshop at cemetery

12-1:30pm  Lunch break on your own

1:30-5:30pm Second part of workshop 

All Materials are included with your registration and include:

• Jonah Aline Daniel’s Soul Candles Ritual Guide

• A prayer card with original art by Rebekah Erev

• Candle Dipping tools and materials including wicks and beeswax

• Art supplies to work with during workshop

• Snacks

Cost:

$150-$350 sliding scale

Black peoples, Indigenous peoples and People of Color are welcome to attend this workshop free of charge. 

The workshop is offered on a sliding scale. You determine your place on the sliding scale based on your income and access to resources. You may fit anywhere between the $150-$350 range.  See the green bottle graphic below from Ride Free Fearless Money about the sliding scale system to assist you in identifying what your payment for this class should be. 

Please bring:

• A journal and pen

• Photographs of benevolent blood or chosen ancestors (can be on phone/screen or paper photographs) or other meaningful ancestor things.

• An altar item that would be meaningful to include - plants, rocks, books of spiritual or ancestral significance, a prayer book, objects of meaning from your ancestors or chosen ancestors.

• Any snacks or drinks you would like. There will be water and some snacks provided during the second part of the workshop.

• A camping chair or cushion to sit on the grass (we will have extras)

Purchasing your ticket is your registration. Register by filling out this form.

Your Teacher:

Rebekah Erev is a queer artist, teacher, ritual leader/kohenet, community herbalist, dream worker and somatic practitioner. For over two decades they have practiced and taught a Judaism steeped in the old ways, ancestral and earth reverence and visions of the world to come. They celebrate diaspora with Dreaming the World to Come & Queer Mikveh Project, a community, advocacy tool and art practice. www.RebekahErevStudio.com

For more resources on ritual candles supportive of BDS and anti-Zionism, visit Jonah Aline Daniel's work with Narrow Bridge Candles.