Jewish Renewal is dedicated to revealing Judaism's inner spirit and nurturing the spiritual life of Jews. It makes use of both traditional practices such as meditation, chanting and music and traditional Kabbalistic and Hassidic sources, to enhance both individual and communal practice. Jewish renewal seeks to transform and renew the kavanah (spiritual intention) with which Jews of all kinds practice Judaism. It seeks to bring creativity, relevance, joy and an all-embracing awareness to spiritual practice, as a path to healing our hearts and finding balance and wholeness.

Jewish renewal is a "movement" in the sense of a wave in motion, a grassroots effort to discover the modern meaning of Judaism as a spiritual practice. It sees itself as transdenominational, a tendency that transcends the boundaries of the various movements. Jewish renewal draws heavily on the thought of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, which is a loving critique of the limitations of traditional Rabbinic Judaism and a call to continue the ongoing renewal of Jewish life in our time, as the Talmudic rabbis did in theirs. Jewish renewal is sometimes referred to as "Neo-Hasidic" or "Four Worlds" Judaism (a reference to the "four worlds" of Jewish mysticism). While it seeks to restore the spiritual vitality characteristic of the Hasidic movement of pre-war Europe, Jewish renewal believes, along with the Reconstructionists, that Judaism is an evolving religious civilization.

Jewish renewal acts to fully include all Jews and to respect all peoples. Jewish renewal helps to heal the world by promoting justice, freedom, responsibility, caring for all life and the earth that sustains all life —tikkun olam

Jewish renewal has long been committed to a fully egalitarian approach to Jewish life and welcomes the public and creative input of those who were traditionally excluded from the process of forming the Jewish tradition.

For further information, contact ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal.

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