N

ot that Jewish women need 
an excuse to get together and 
find inspiration but, if they 
did, the celebration of a new Jewish 
month offers such an opportunity 
through a variety of Detroit-area 
Rosh Chodesh groups. 
“Participating in a Rosh Chodesh 
group is a great way to ground your-
self once a month. Women are always 
busy, often doing so much for others. 
This is a unique opportunity to tap 
into something reflective and mean-
ingful,” said Itty Shemtov, who runs 
the Rosh Chodesh Society at The 
Shul in West Bloomfield. 
“One of the greatest things I find 
about these gatherings is that during 
every meeting there is that aha 
moment where participants walk 
away in awe over what’
s presented. 
We could be discussing topics like 
Purim, where everyone knows about 
the holiday, or we could be talking 
about something more obscure like 
Jewish views on sleep; regardless of 
the topic, there is always that time 

where something really resonates.”
These women-only gatherings have 
probably been done in some form 
for centuries, according to Shemtov. 
However, Rosh Chodesh groups real-
ly emerged in the 1960s and ’
70s, the 
same time the women’
s movement 
gained momentum. 
According to biblical commentary, 
Rosh Chodesh is a particularly spe-
cial day for women because while 
Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving 
the Ten Commandments, the women 
refused to relinquish their jewelry for 
the creation of the golden calf. God 
rewarded them by making the start 
of each new month a holiday where 
they did not have to work. Some 
explain that it’
s considered a holiday 
for women because the waxing and 
waning of the moon is connected to 
a woman’
s menstrual cycle. 
Regardless of the reason, the 
celebration of Rosh Chodesh has 
evolved to include a time for women 
to meet regularly on or around the 
start of a new month to learn and 

explore themes related to women. 
The emphasis of these get-togethers 
is typically centered on spirituality, 
Jewish ritual and celebrations. 

GROUPS IN DETROIT
These groups are popular around the 
globe and can be found in various 
forms throughout Metro Detroit. Some 
run under the auspice of congrega-
tions, others operate through Jewish 
organizations, and a few are organized 
and run independently by like-minded 
women. 
The Rosh Chodesh group at Adat 
Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills 
started approximately six years ago as 
a one-time women’
s event. However, 
because it was so well received, it 
evolved into a series of gatherings held 
throughout the year. 
Another began because the 
Downtown Synagogue didn’
t have a 
sisterhood and congregants wanted to 
get women of different ages together 
for discussions on Torah and relevant 
women’
s issues. Although no longer 
affiliated with the synagogue, the 
group is in its eighth year. 
The most significant expansion of 
local groups began three years ago 
when the first Rosh Chodesh Circle 
was formed by The Well, an outreach 
organization for young Jewish adults 
in Metro Detroit. The Well now runs 
nine groups, thanks to funding pro-
vided by a local donor and educational 
material provided by, and often con-
fused with, an international organiza-
tion called At The Well.
These groups are a collection of 
like-minded women “open to trying 
new things and engaging more deeply 

with spirituality, wellness and friend-
ship,” according to Avery Drongowski, 
26, The Well’
s community manager. 
Drongowski said The Well groups 
are carefully put together based on a 
variety of factors including partici-
pants’
 shared interests, stages in life 
and careers. 
Simply stated, their model for put-
ting together groups is based on ask-
ing the question “could these women 
end up being best friends,” according 
to Drogowski. “Our goal is to make 
strong, lasting relationships.” 
Brooke Bendix, 34, of Detroit said 
the Rosh Chodesh Circle has made a 
positive impact in her life by creating 
strong bonds with other like-minded 
young Jewish women.
“Once a month, in the Jewish tra-
dition of Rosh Chodesh, our circle of 
nine young women comes together 
and re-connects on a more spiritual 
level and that has been something 
unique to be a part of,” Bendix said. 
Rosh Chodesh groups, like Bendix’
s, 
operating under the auspices of The 
Well, rotate between participants’
 
homes where they gather for dinner 
followed by a discussion related to the 
monthly theme. It is up to the host to 
use the materials provided by At The 
Well and add her own spin when pre-
senting on the topic. Cooking demon-
strations, yoga sessions and art projects 
are among some of the more hands-on 
experiences groups have incorporated 
in their get-togethers.
Participants say what makes these 
groups work so well is the small sizes, 
which allow the women to really get 
to know each other and feel comfort-
able sharing deeper thought and ideas. 

LEFT: Adat Shalom’
s Rosh Chodesh Study Group led by Rabbi Rachel Shere, left. RIGHT: A Rosh Chodesh Circle from The Well: Meredith Dahlen, Southfield; Connie Gaines, Royal Oak; Mariel Schartz, Detroit; 

Lauren Rouff, Birmingham; Avery Drongowski, Madison Heights; Lauren Zeid, Birmingham; and Emiko Hayashi of Novi.

JERRY ZOLYNSKY

SUSIE STEINBERG 

continued on page 12

jews d
in 
the
on the cover

 
Time for 
Renewal

Rosh Chodesh groups help connect women 
for spiritual inspiration, friendships.

JEN LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

10 May 16 • 2019
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