"It’s no longer unusual to meet #synagogue-goers who #meditate regularly. Some do it in a specifically #Jewish way, while others use #Buddhist #meditation practices to complement their Jewish #spiritual lives.
Few institutions have played a greater role in spreading meditation among mainstream #Jews in #America than #MakorOr, the #meditationcenter housed within Congregation #BethSholom in #SanFrancisco. This month, the #Conservativesynagogue in the #RichmondDistrict is marking a milestone: 25 years of Jews sitting together in silence. (Though I’m a member of Beth Sholom, I’m a total newbie to the world of Makor Or.)
Makor Or was co-founded by #poet and #Zen priest #NormanFischer and the late Beth Sholom #Rabbi #AlanLew, who wrote books like “One God Clapping: The Spiritual Path of a Zen Rabbi” and the High Holidays classic “This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared.”