The Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS) and Or Halev Center for Jewish Spirituality and Meditation (OHL) have announced a new partnership to develop the next generation of advanced Jewish mindfulness meditation teachers in North America, Israel, and the United Kingdom. The initiative will be led by Or Halev Founder and Executive Director Rabbi James Jacobson-Maisels and jointly developed and staffed by both organizations. It is planned to launch with a two-year cohort of fellows in the fall of 2021. 

The new program is intended to help professional teachers of Jewish mindfulness practice, and Jewish professionals who incorporate mindfulness in their teaching, to become master teachers.

The partnership brings IJS’s North America-focused work into dialogue with developments in Jewish spiritual life in Israel, where Or Halev is based, and in the UK, where it has a substantial presence.

Jacobson-Maisels has served as Rosh Yeshiva of the Romemu Yeshiva in Manhattan and has taught at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and Hadar. As part of the new agreement, he will also become a visiting member of the IJS faculty and teach in IJS programs.