Elat Chayyim Advanced Meditation Program (ECAMP II)
Facilitated by Rabbi Jeff Roth, Rabbi Joanna Katz and Rabbi Alan Lew
For almost 10 years the Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality (ECCJS)
has been the home for Jewish silent meditation training programs.
The Program
The two-year
comprehensive curriculum includes four seven-day retreats and has built-in
mechanisms for sustaining practice in day-to-day life.
Between retreats
each participant will have two to three scheduled phone communications with
a teacher and be paired up with another student (chevruta) to discuss
suggested topics, learn from a reading list and receive community support in
the practice. Throughout the two years, ideas and questions are also communicated
on our secure online website.
Alumni of past two-year meditation programs (MLT, JMAT, & ECAMP) are welcome
to attend any of the ECAMP retreats for a $300 program
fee plus room and board.
The ECAMP Practice
Contemplative practice is a powerful method for awakening
spiritually in one’s
life. Our minds can be preoccupied with spiraling thoughts and stories about
identity, memories of our past, and hopes or fears for the future; the Jewish
sages called this mochin de’katnut, or small mind. From the place
of small mind, we get caught up in our selfish needs; act unwisely and unkindly
to ourselves and to those around us.
Mindfulness practices taught in the ECAMP program help you to navigate small
mind reality and to gain access to an expanded awareness or mochin
de’gadlut (big mind). From this mind state, which is a natural capacity for all human
beings, one can experience the holy interconnected reality that underlies all
of being. This experience, called devekut by Jewish mystics, brings with it
profound wisdom and opens the heart of compassion, providing us with the motivation
to make a real difference in the world (tikkun olam). The program aims to apply
and integrate teachings into the everyday aspects of our lives.
Retreat Curriculum
The four retreats are all seven days in length. The first
retreat of the cycle focused on developing a deep concentration practice.
We stay in communal silence except for prayer and teaching. Basic practices
include sitting, walking and eating meditation. There is contemplative
davening (prayer) every morning using a combination of kavvanot (intentions),
chants and silence. Walking practice is both a group activity and a solitary
practice to intensify your experience.
The themes of the next three retreats reflect a threefold set of life practices:
the contemplative study of Torah and sacred texts; the deepening of our connection
to prayer and for opening the heart of compassion; and gemilut
hasadim (acts
of kindness), the ways in which these practices impact our conduct in all aspects
of our lives, whether as parents, partners, workers, activists, etc. Each
retreat will introduce small group discussions and study focusing on the theme
of that particular retreat.
Program Requirements
Enrollment in this cycle of the Institute is closed. Alumni of MLT, JMAT or ECAMP are welcome to join the December 28 - January 4 week-long retreat for a program fee of $300. Please contact Jeff Roth with any questions you might have about participation in the program.
Facilitators
Norman Fischer is
a Zen priest, teacher, poet and former co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center.
He is also the co-founder of Makor Or, a Jewish meditation center in San Francisco. He
leads Jewish meditation sessions around the country. He is an author and the
founder of the Everyday Zen Foundation.
Rabbi
Joanna Katz, co-founder of Elat Chayyim, has been teaching meditation
for the past seven years. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock's
Dedicated Practitioner Program and a longtime student of Sylvia Boorstein.
She is the Jewish Chaplain at Taconic Correctional Facility and a student of
the 50/50 work, a spiritual helpership modality. Her current spiritual work
is focused on the Practice of Freedom in daily householder life.
Rabbi Alan Lew is the founder and director of Makor Or, a center for Jewish Meditation.
He is the author of One God Clapping; The Spiritual Path
of a Zen Rabbi and
This Is Real And You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days
of Awe as a Journey of Transformation.
Rabbi Jeff Roth is co-founder of Elat Chayyim where he served as Executive
Director and Spiritual Director for 13 years. He is an experienced meditation
teacher and the facilitator of over 60 Jewish meditation retreats. He
has led six two-year training programs in meditation.
Registration Information
Program Fees
Alumni of past two-year meditation programs (MLT, JMAT, & ECAMP) are welcome to attend any of the ECAMP retreats for a $300 program fee per week. This does not include the cost of Room and Board. We strive to make our programs affordable to everyone. For information about Financial Assistance, please see below.
Room and Board
Room and board includes housing, meals, evening activities, yoga, meditation and full use of our facility. All rooms are air-conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter. Adults fees apply to ages 18 and higher. Children's rates apply to ages 4 - 17. Rates are per person, and include all meals. For double or triple occupancy, you may either request a roommate, or be matched with one by our staff.
Economy Rooms: Daisy, Elm and Kaufman
Economy rooms have twin-sized beds and a shared bathroom in the hall.
| Economy Rooms |
Seven
Nights |
| Triple Occupancy |
476 |
| Double Occupancy |
595 |
| Single Occupancy |
1008 |
Standard Rooms: May, Scheuer, Pine, Cedar, Maple, Blue Heron
Our standard rooms have either a private bathroom or a shared bathroom with one other room. Most standard rooms have twin-sized beds; queen-sized beds may be available on a limited basis.
| Standard Rooms |
Seven
Nights |
Triple Occupancy
with Private Bath |
770 |
Double Occupancy
with Shared Bath |
770 |
Double Occupancy
with Private Bath |
945 |
Single Occupancy
with Shared Bath |
1260 |
Single Occupancy
with Private Bath |
1540 |
Standard Plus Rooms: Weinberg
Our standard plus rooms have private bathrooms and queen-sized beds.
| Standard Plus Rooms |
Seven
Nights |
| Double Occupancy |
1050 |
| Single Occupancy |
1799 |
Camping
Campers supply their own tents and equipment and have access to bathrooms and showers. Camping fee includes all meals and snacks, use of the facility and its amenities, and participation in any open programming provided, such as meditation, yoga or non-holiday prayer.
| Camping Rates |
Seven
Nights |
| Each Camper |
455 |
Commuter
The commuter fee includes all meals and snacks, use of the facility and its amenities, and participation in any open programming provided, such as such as meditation, yoga or non-holiday prayer.
| Commuter Rates |
Seven
Nights |
| Each Commuter |
315 |
Children's Rates
There is no charge for infants and children ages 3 and under. Children ages 4 – 17 must share a room with at least one parent or guardian. Young adults ages 18 and above must pay the regular rates.
| Children's Rates |
Seven
Nights |
| Each Child |
315 |
Financial Assistance
Financial Aid for Room and Board
We strive to make our programs affordable to everyone. We provide limited scholarship funding of up to 30% of room and board fees for those in extreme financial need. Financial aid is only available for dormitory rooms with hall baths and economy rooms for couples and families. If you would like to request financial aid, please complete the financial aid form. In requesting aid, please consider that we have a limited pool of resources. We are committed to helping you in any we can, and we ask you to help us help others by limiting your request to your genuine need. Financial aid requests must be received at least three weeks prior to the retreat.
Cancellation Policy
Payments made will be refunded in full (less a $50 processing fee) if you cancel more than 14 days prior to your arrival. If you cancel between 13 days and 72 hours prior to a retreat for which you have registered, a non-refundable credit (less a $50 processing fee) will be held for one year from the date of issue. This credit is non-transferable. No credit or refund is available if you cancel within 72 hours of a retreat or on the retreat arrival day, if you do not show up, or if you leave a retreat early for any reason.
Isabella Freedman reserves the right to cancel any program at any time. In the event of such cancellation, you will be given a complete refund.
Inclement Weather: Isabella Freedman reserves the right to cancel a retreat due to inclement weather if, in its judgment, it will be unable to operate safely. In the event of such a cancellation, a full refund will be made to all registrants. In the event that the retreat proceeds as scheduled, no refund or credit will be available.
Shuttle and Transportation Fees: A full transportation refund is available if you cancel a transportation reservation at least 3 days (72 hours) in advance. No refund is available if less than 3 days notice is given.
Training Institutes: If you are participating in a two-year training institute and you miss or cancel one of the weeklong retreat sessions, your room and board fee will be refunded according to the policy above, but the program fee for a missed or cancelled retreat session is still due. Withdrawal is permitted only after the first retreat session. If you withdraw from a training institute after the first retreat session, or if you are asked by faculty to leave the institute, you will receive a full refund on your program fee for any remaining pre-paid retreats.
Travel Insurance: We recommend you contact your travel agent to purchase travel insurance in the event that you need to cancel or change your travel plans.
Exceptions: Exceptions to these policies may be available in the event of severe weather emergencies or the death of a close family member. To request a non-transferable credit for one of these reasons, please submit a written request to registrar@isabellafreedman.org no more than three days after the start of the event.
