Membership Drive 2012

Not the Synagogue of My Youth

“Growing up, a rabbi’s finger wagged from the bima cautioning that intermarriage and the Diaspora would take down the Jewish people. Dating a non-Jew could lose your mother’s love. Torah didn’t know from women.“In adulthood, I found that our hearts regularly leap across religious divides to love. Globalism is a force of reality. Women are as touched by Torah as men. While many a modern synagogue embrace these truths, none I’ve encountered are as deft at creating a space of spiritual intimacy and rejoicing acceptance as Romemu.“To experience Romemu is to re-connect to our own truest selves. To be restored to the expansive beauty of Judaism. And to discover the passageway to our own humility and enduring strength even as we mix back into the stream of daily life. Romemu remains deeply planted in our hearts.” —Shoshanna I.

“Walking through the tall wooden doors, out of the tumult of the city into the main sanctuary, you find Romemu. It’s a wave of music and communal prayer, enveloping you no matter who you are or where you come from.“A shabbat service here is an extended yoga session for the heart. It meets you where you are and invites as much or as little participation as you like. It’s based in Jewish roots, but not tethered to them. Your dedications are prized for their sincerity, from whatever part of you that is most true. We elevate our prayers together, as a community.“Romemu has only been around for a very short time, and we’ve grown as the congregation has grown. Today we offer any number of ways to help your spiritual growth: classes and weekly learning, committees based in communal

and personal growth, and the prayer services themselves. “Romemu offers a safe, holy place in which you can let go of the binds from the week and focus your heart on its own openness. You may learn a bit of Torah along the way, or better still, you might learn about yourself.“We are women. We are men. We are gay. We are straight. We are local. We are from far away. We are celebrating. We are healing. We are the Jewish educated. We are those who don’t know a single Hebrew letter. Our experiences weave us into one diverse community as we sing the same melodies together. Our growth is shared, as is our support — the essence of true community. And once you’re on the inside of those tall wooden doors, you feel a welcomed member of our community.” —Jake F.

Who We Are Member Perspectives

Member Benefits•Entry Passes for High Holidays

•Free Adult Education Courses

•Counseling with Rabbi Ingber

•Life-Cycle Services and Support

•Weekly Yoga and Meditation

•Discounts on Special Events

•Get Active in a Committee...

•And More!

Romemu brings together a community of individuals in a compassionate setting to learn and apply the wisdom of the Torah to our current lives.

As a member, you are an integral part of this community. As you grow from your experience, your community grows.

Romemu seeks to transform the way Judaism is experienced. Committed to powerful prayer and transformative spiritual practices, Romemu engages the heart, mind and body in all we do — awakening self-knowledge, enlightening us to new perspectives, and deepening our compassion.We believe that Judaism offers seekers and skeptics alike a path that celebrates our wholeness and

provides practical, grounded ways to heal and grow anew.We are committed to developing a post-denominational Judaism that transcends ideologies and labels, that is joyful and contemplative, ecstatic and reverential. A Judaism connected to our rich traditions yet also open to new truths as they unfold from hidden and unexpected places.

Our first CD

Music is the ambrosia of Romemu. It is breath. Sustenance. Beauty. Romemu’s music lifts each listener above the hubbub of city streets —the rush of daily life — into a place of quiet worship, reflection and collective being. Contemplative melodies etch a space for personal meditation. Chanting focuses our minds on the meaning of our prayers.

A fusion of global sounds celebrates Romemu’s wide cross-section of heritage. And silence in between lets each note settle into our souls. Music navigates us through Torah, to a level of understanding that transcends words and reverberates in our spirit.

Take A Taste of Romemu home with you, share it with friends, and enjoy it online: romemu.org/taste

a taste of romemu

Our Mission

Annual RatesSingles $864 ($72/mo.) stay connected for less than your cell phone bill

Couples $1,600 ($134/mo.) a fraction of the cost of therapy and far more effective

Families $2,200 ($184/mo.) services, programs and events for every age

Student and Friend rates also available.

Becoming a member is important, and easy. If Romemu supports you, please support Romemu.

Call our office (212) 580-4294 Log-on www.romemu.org/membership Write to info@romemu.org Talk with our Membership Committee

Romemu members are also members of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Includes access to Jewish Renewal retreats, training programs and international gatherings. For more info, visit www.aleph.org

I had never been a member of a Shul. I grew up in a Modern Orthodox synagogue where my father was president and my entire family prayed each week. A spiritual odyssey as a young adult took me from Ultra-Orthodox devotion to studies of Buddhist meditation, Yoga and other sacred traditions of the body and healing arts, eventually circling back to Judaism. When I returned, I craved a spiritual home that spoke to the totality of my Jewish identity — one that could hold and expand upon my enriched tapestry of beliefs.I longed to find a community that combined the warmth of a shteibel (small sanctuary) with the deep spirituality of yoga practice; the chanting and melodies of Hassidism with the silence and contemplation of Zen. I wanted to belong to a Shul that was fully progressive and egalitarian, inclusive and loving. I wanted to find a space that honored my head and my heart, my Jewish self and my larger human identity.

I had experienced the power and beauty of that kind of community at a Jewish retreat center. Elat Chayyim is a magical place where I had been the rabbi-in-residence from 2004-2006, and where I met my dear friend and the future musical director of Romemu, Shir Yaakov. We wondered why New York City didn’t have a community like Elat Chayyim. Unable to find such a community, I felt called to create it.So, on March 25, 2006, Romemu was born. Other seekers joined us, with 125 joining our inaugural Shabbat. Since then, hundreds more have joined from Nyack to Teaneck, Newburgh to Trenton, from Borough Park to Astoria and every NYC neighborhood. Together, we have created a unique Jewish spiritual community where all parts of our beings — body, heart, mind and spirit — are welcomed and uplifted.If this vision speaks to you, we would be honored to have you join us.

In blessing and gratitude, Rabbi David Ingber

Founder and Spiritual Director

Building a Shul I Would Want to Join