Befriending the Dark, A Dance of Light
A nature-connection experience that brings us from darkness to light.
Sunday, December 10, 2023 | 4:00 – 7:30 pm
Los Angeles, CA
An Earth-Based Hanukkah Celebration
Join Wilderness Torah, in collaboration with NuRoots, for a special Hanukkah encounter with nature, darkness, and a dance of light!
We will meet before sunset for candle making, a culturally relevant meal (not latkes) and community connection. We will be guided through a ‘Hitbodedut,’ sit-spot nature-connection practice that will bring us into an encounter with darkness, before we turn to kindling the light of the Hanukiah. Rejoice in song, music and dance as we embody the earth-based themes of the Hanukkah season!
This event is geared toward L.A. young adults in their 20s and 30s. Join us if you enjoy nature-connection and want to bring sensory awareness to the Hanukkah ritual, while also dancing and celebrating with like-minded community.
Location: Los Angeles, CA. Griffith Park. Exact meeting spot will be shared prior to the event.
Date & Time: Sunday, December 10, 4:00—7:30 pm
Registration: Participation is free! Donations are always welcome.
Schedule:
- 4:00 pm – Community Connection and Candle Making
- 4:45 pm – Opening Song Circle
- Dusk – Hitbodedut sit-spot practice (befriending the dark)
- Kindling the Hanukiah
- A Dance of Light
Reminders:
- Dress in warm layers! We will be outside and the weather may be cold.
- Bring your musical instruments, if you’d like.
- Bring a flashlight or lantern.
- A fried, culturally relevant picnic dinner will be provided (not latkes…can you guess what it is?)
This experience is part of NuRoots’ Infinite Light Hanukkah festival. Learn more and discover the lineup at nuroots.org/infinitelight.
About Your Guides
Joshua “Ooah” Reitzenstein (He/Him)
Ooah recently returned to Los Angeles from a stint in Northern California where he was immersed in Wilderness Torah’s community as a Youth Mentor and festival leader. He completed a deeply ritualized Jewish Men’s Initiation that culminated in a four-day vision-fast and is back supporting earth-based Jewish community in Los Angeles. Ooah works as a special educator in the public schools with his masters degree in Educational Leadership and Change. He continues to serve as a youth mentor, nature connection guide, and facilitator of Jewish ritual.
Amie Segal (She/Her)
Amie Segal is the founder of The Living Room, a Los Angeles based organization that hosts lively evenings of movement and dance that weave together Jewish ritual and thought. She created The Living Room to explore the idea of embodied Judaism—how a physical practice can build deeper connections that uplift Jewish spirituality. Amie has led Jewish movement programming for various LA Jewish institutions including IKAR, East Side Jews, SIJCC, Open Temple, NuRoots and Nefesh. She recently earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from CSUN. Her writing on movement and Judaism has been published in The Forward and the Jewish Journal.
