Kohenet trains women to identify traces of the Divine feminine within Torah and tradition and to create Jewish rituals and sacred experiences embodying this wisdom.
The initial two-year training, led by Kohenet founders Holly Taya Shere and Rabbi Jill Hammer as well as accomplished guest teachers, focuses on thirteen priestess paths as a frame for exploring and engaging in the realms of the ritual craft/ritual art, spirit-led activism, creative liturgy, thealogy, midrash (creative interpretation of sacred texts), sacred song and movement, spiritual journeying and dreamwork, as well as earth-honoring and mystical practices for Shabbat and festivals. The intensive concludes with an initiation ceremony joining us together as part of this ancient sisterhood.
The Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Training Intensive gathers for four weeks over two years. Sessions will take place in summer and winter at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut, under the auspices of The Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality. Specific winter and summer dates are announced no later than nine months prior to sessions.
Each day of each retreat week focuses on a netivah, a path of Jewish priestess work. Weekdays open with feminine-inflected prayer and include study sessions on sacred text; experiential sessions that awaken the soul; spiritual crafts such as amulet-making, dream-work, and chant; and opportunities to share and discuss important issues facing Jewish women. A guest teacher may give a session on music, midrash, archaeology, peacemaking, or another critical topic. Each week culminates in a celebratory Shabbat experience centered on the Divine feminine.
Conference Calls
Kohenet participants also engage in monthly phone calls to check in, learn about the Jewish holiday cycle, and cultivate their home spiritual practice. Conference call sessions serve to deepen our learning and strengthen our community. There are 8-10 phone sessions per year.
Phone Interviews
During your scheduled phone conversation with a Kohenet facilitator, be prepared to discuss your application essays and ideas for an individual project.
Initiation
At the culmination of the two-year Kohenet Intensive, trainees who have attended at least 3 retreat sessions out of 4 and have fulfilled the course requirements will have the opportunity to engage in initiation as a Tzovah, a keeper of sacred time and space, with the blessing of their community. Tzovot will be invited to continue for a two year advanced training toward a deeper Kohenet/Priestess Ordination, to move more fully into teaching and training others.