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Buddhist Retreat
Helps Jewish Roots

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New York (JTA) — A recent
Buddhist retreat, led by
Vietnamese Zen monk Thich
Nhat Hanh, had the unusual
effect of connecting many
Jewish participants back to
their Jewish roots.
The retreat's organizers
had expected many Jews to
attend.
After all, Jews seem to be
attracted to Buddhism in
disproportionate numbers
and certainly account for a
large percentage of people
who work in the "helping
professions" like psychology,
social work and medicine,
for whom the retreat was
designed.
So when organizers and
some Jews involved in Bud-
dhist Jewish dialogue real-
ized that many Jews were
likely to be present, they ar-
ranged for a Jewish compo-
nent to be integrated into
the Buddhist event.
Besides, the retreats were
scheduled to fall on the
weekends of Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur.
Shefa and Andy Gold were
brought in to conduct Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur
services at the retreats.
Shefa is a fifth-year student
at the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College and
Andy has been ordained as a
"rabbinic pastor" by Jewish
Renewal leader Zalman
Schachter-Shalomi.
Together the Golds run an
ecumenical retreat center in
New Mexico named Rose
Mountain.
Before the first retreat
began, in Rhinebeck, N.Y.,
the Golds were concerned
about how Jewish par-
ticipants would respond to
the Jewish component being
brought into the experience.
"People feel torn, are
struggling with a way to re-
tain their Jewish identity
while doing what feels spiri-
tually nourishing to them,"
said Shefa Gold, in an inter-
view shortly before Rosh
Hashanah.
But instead, they found
Jewish participants to be
hungry for Judaism and
ready to get back involved in
Jewish life.
At the service they led on
the first day of Rosh
Hashanah, 150 of the
retreat's 600 participants at-
tended.
Some 200 participants
came to the tashlidi service
held on the second day of the

-

holiday, at which Jews tra-
ditionally toss crumbs into a
body of water to symbolize
the casting off of their sins.
Many returned to the ser-
vice on Friday night to
welcome Shabbat Shuva and
to the morning service, as
well as to the Havdalah ser-
vice which concluded
Shabbat and ushered in the
important week of repen-
tance which leads to Yom
Kippur.
A similar program of ser-
vices is planned for the se-
cond retreat, to be held in
Charleston, W. Va.

The retreats were
scheduled to fall on
the weekends of
Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur.

"There was a lot of healing
going on about Jewishness,"
said Shefa Gold, after the
first retreat. "Some felt bad
about not being with their
families and communities
(on the holiday), and were
relieved they could have a
deep Rosh Hashanah experi-
ence.
"Others were so happy
there was something Jewish
they could relate to. People
said over and over again how
comfortable it was to be Jew-
ish, that it wasn't so easy to
fit into another religious cul-
ture.
"It wasn't my intention to
`win back' Jews, but many
people said 'I feel like I can
be Jewish again, I'm coming
home.' It was very powerful.
There was such a need for
it," said Shefa Gold.
Some non-Jews, including,
a large contingent of Viet-
nam war veterans who at-
tended the retreat, also came
to the tashlich service.
The focus of the retreats
was Thick Nhat Hanh, the
Zen monk and political ac-
tivist who is well known for
his opposition to the Viet-
nam war and was nominated
for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Bringing the Golds
together with Thich Nhat
Hanh was a match made by
people involved in the Jew-
ish renewal movement,
specifically the organization
ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish
Renewal.

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