Join our partners at GLOE for this annual event to celebrate Passover through an LGBTQ lens, as you explore the theme of Holding Space in Narrow Times. You'll enjoy a special Passover meal as you read GLOE's own Haggadah and perform its festive rituals with the Jewish LGBTQ community and friends.

Proudly co-sponsored by the Den alongside Bet Mishpachah, Adas Israel, Embassy of Israel, Nice Jewish Boys, Nice Jewish Girls, GatherDC, Keshet, A Wider Bridge, Washington Hebrew Congregation, and Honeymoon Israel.

Jewish mystics sought out nature as a way to experience a more profound sense of intention and attention to their lives. In this spirit, we’ll prepare for Passover—known in the Torah as Chag Ha-Aviv (“spring holiday”)—by immersing ourselves in the blooming natural beauty of our region. Join Rabbi Emmanuel for a hike in the great outdoors, where we’ll break for learning over snacks.

All are welcome! This will be a gentle hike suitable for various experience levels. No prior experience necessary. We’ll gather in Rock Creek Park, with the exact meet up location to be shared with those who sign up.

The Den is thrilled to be invited as one of the partner organizations to join the Capital Jewish Museum (CJM) this Passover season at CJM’s second annual untraditional seder to remember. Read from CJM’s community Haggadah, clink glasses over stories old and new, connect over charoset and horseradish, and find inspiration all around the table. (ages 21+).

Presented in partnership with the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, Avodah – Jewish Service Corps, DC Central Kitchen, DC History Center, Edlavitch DCJCC’s Center for Social Responsibility, Food & Friends, GatherDC, HIAS, Historic Congressional Cemetery, Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington, Rainbow History Project, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, the Den Collective, Tzedek DC. 

Join Rabbi Aderet for a night of learning and lively discussion as we explore the intersection of law, practice, and custom when it comes to Passover preparations and observance. You’ll walk away with a tangible understanding of the why, how, and what, as you prepare to enter the Festival of Passover.

No experience necessary. All are welcome.

We will gather in a central location determined by registrant sign ups.

Address will be shared with registrants.

Join Rabbi Emmanuel and Den member Mary King for a meaningful and fun-spirited trip to the National Gallery! Together, we’ll take a leisurely look at works by Jewish artists and others, reflecting on their artistic contributions, life stories, and resonances with our own perspectives. Afterward, we’ll gather for learning, discussion, and time to connect with one another over snacks and conversation.

All are welcome and no prior experience necessary.

Join Rabbi Emmanuel to enjoy a home-cooked meal, meaningful Shabbat rituals, and lots of opportunity for connection and conversation with community members. Together, we'll study a range of Jewish teachings on the upcoming holiday of Passover, reflecting on its varied themes and traditions while exploring resonances with our lives today.

We will gather in a Metro accessible location in Arlington with lots of street parking nearby. All are welcome, with no prior experience necessary. Seating is limited, with registration on a first-come, first-served basis. Please sign up by Tues. March 25th in order to receive the address and other logistical information. 

To help cover the costs for this gathering, please click here to make an $18 contribution that supports the Den and helps us continue to create these and future gatherings. If the amount is cost prohibitive, please make a contribution that you are comfortable with. A contribution is not required to participate.

Join the Den for a night at Theatre J—a project of the Edlavitch DC JCC. We will see Your Name Means Dream, José Rivera’s poignant play that explores the evolving relationship between an aging woman, Aislin, and her AI caregiver, Stacy, as they navigate questions of humanity, connection, and the soul. Blending magical realism with science fiction, the production examines what it truly means to be alive when the boundaries between human and machine begin to blur.

Following the performance, a post-show conversation with Rabbi Emmanuel will explore Jewish wisdom and values as powerful tools to unpack the challenges and possibilities of AI.

Contact Rabbi Emmanuel to receive an 20% ticket discount code exclusive to the Den’s community members.

Join members of Avodah and Sea Change for a conversation between cross-generational members fighting for social change and building relationships in coalition spaces, exploring real-life examples of leaning into relationships and community organizing. Moderated by the Den’s Rabbi Emmanuel Cantor.

Get ready for Purim with an evening of learning and creativity! As we prepare for this holiday of bold reversals, colorful costumes, and spirited festivities, join Rabbi Emmanuel to study the story of Queen Esther and Mordechai’s rescue of the Jewish people in Ancient Persia. Through their tale, we’ll explore many of Purim’s rich themes—concealed identities, communal responsibility, unexpected revelations, and the power of transformation—then bring our insights to life through art-making. Whether through creative writing, poetry, interpretive translation, drawing, or sketching, no prior experience is needed—this gathering is open to all, from first-time poets or painters to seasoned artists.

We will gather at a home in Arlington, VA that is Metro accessible. Address will be shared with registrants. Please sign up below by Mon, Mar. 10.

To help cover the costs for this gathering, please click here to make an $18 contribution that supports the Den and helps us continue to create these and future gatherings. If the amount is cost prohibitive, please make a contribution that you are comfortable with. A contribution is not required to participate. We look forward to gathering together with you!

Join us for a magical evening of soulful music and connection as we come together for a fresh take on the Den’s approach to curating spirited communal singing experiences. A renewed offering of our beloved “Den Vibes” singing and havdalah (end of Shabbat ritual) gatherings, we will be held and led in communal singing by the Den Music Team (Shy Ashkenazi, Maxwell Thompson, Michael Berkson, Ben Wacks, and our Den rabbis), along with Micah Hendler, local musician, and the Founder and Artistic Director of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus. 

No experience necessary. All are welcome. We will come together for this soulful evening of communal singing in a central location in DC. Address will be shared with registrants.

To help cover the costs for this gathering, please click here to make an $18 contribution that supports the Den and helps us continue to create these and future gatherings. If the amount is cost prohibitive, please make a contribution that you are comfortable with. A contribution is not required to participate. We look forward to gathering together with you!

We have reached capacity for this event. We look forward to seeing you at another Den gathering soon!

In the wake of the Holocaust, an unpublished manuscript was found in the rubble of the Warsaw Ghetto. Written before the war, the author— Hasidic rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira—buried his life’s work shortly before his death. In doing so, he preserved his “Hakhsharat HaAvrekhim,” a spiritual guidebook seeking to speak to the life experiences and religious questions facing communities of young adults. Join Rabbi Emmanuel for study and conversation about this unique text, exploring its wisdom and takeaways for our lives today. 

All are welcome and no prior experience necessary. We will gather at a home in DC that is Metro accessible. Address will be shared with registrants.

Reproductive freedom is a Jewish value. The Den Collective is proud to partner with National Council of Jewish Women on Repro Shabbat, February 22nd (Parashat Mishpatim).

Join Rabbi Emmanuel at 12:30 PM on Saturday, February 22nd, for this special Repro Shabbat Den gathering. Enjoy a home-cooked meal, meaningful Shabbat rituals, and connections with community members as we explore Jewish perspectives on reproductive health, rights, and justice through the lens of the weekly Torah portion, Parashat Mishpatim.

We will gather in a Metro accessible location in Arlington with lots of street parking nearby. No prior experience necessary. Seating is limited, with registration on a first-come, first-served basis.

Registrants will receive address and other details.

To help cover the costs for this gathering, please click here to make an $18 contribution that supports the Den and helps us continue to create these and future gatherings. If the amount is cost prohibitive, please make a contribution that you are comfortable with. A contribution is not required to participate. All are welcome.

Mindfulness + Meditation at the Den is a holistic and soulful experience that takes us on an individual journey from being present to what we are personally experiencing inside to meaningfully connecting with the community around us. Meditation practice has the ability to build our capacity for a heightened awareness of what is real and true for each of us as we navigate our world.

Jewish wisdom, guided meditation, and mindfulness skill-building will help us ground, reduce anxiety, set tangible intentions, and become more present in our lives

No experience necessary. Dress is comfortable and please bring a yoga mat or towel if you are able.

Location will be set for a central location for those registered.

Address will be shared with registrants.

This experience is great for those new to meditation as well as for veteran meditators.

Everyone is welcome!

Join Moishe House Arlington and the Den Collective's Rabbi Emmanuel Cantor for a special celebration in honor of the holiday of Tu BiShvat, or “new year for trees.” Like Passover, Tu BiShvat is celebrated with a Seder featuring special foods, storytelling, reflective discussion, singing, and four symbolic cups of grape juice or wine. In this spirit, Tu BiShvat offers us a unique opportunity to come together to take stock of our relationships to nature, spirituality, and community, with no prior experience necessary. Seating is limited, with registration on a first-come, first-served basis.

Join Rabbi Emmanuel for a spirited, soulful gathering in honor of the holiday of Tu BiShvat, or “new year for trees.” Like Passover, Tu BiShvat is celebrated with a Seder featuring special foods, storytelling, reflective discussion, singing, and four symbolic cups of grape juice or wine. A beloved tradition among Jewish mystics, Tu BiShvat offers us a unique opportunity to come together to take stock of our relationships to the natural world, community, and year so far. 

No prior experience necessary. Seating is limited, with registration on a first-come, first-served basis. We will gather at a home in Arlington that is Metro accessible. Address will be shared with registrants.

To help cover the costs for this gathering, please click here to make an $18 contribution that supports the Den and helps us continue to create these and future gatherings. If the amount is cost prohibitive, please make a contribution that you are comfortable with. A contribution is not required to participate. All are welcome.

Several years ago, the term “JewBarrassment” came on the scene to describe a negative feeling some experience when they make a ritual “mistake,” or don't know something relating to Jewish culture or observance. Whether you have heard of “JewBarrassment” or are new to the term, many of us can identify with the fear of not-knowing the “right” thing to do in one setting or another—regardless of Jewish background, upbringing, or experience.

In this spirit, we’ll explore with Rabbi Emmanuel a diversity of Jewish sources about “not-knowing”—including Talmudic narrative, Jewish feminist poetry, rabbinic word-play, and artistic commentary—as well as our own personal reflections.

All are welcome and no prior experience necessary. We will gather at a home in Arlington that is Metro accessible. Address will be shared with registrants. 

Come in from the cold for a hot tea and an intimate gathering about Jewish spirituality and creative practice led by Rabbi Emmanuel. Together we will explore one of, if not the most, central Jewish prayer—the Shema, and its radical declaration that God, and perhaps all people, experience, and existence, is fundamentally united in “One.” We'll then make art inspired by our learning: creative writing, poetry, interpretive translation, drawing, sketching, and more. This session is designed with first-time poets or painters in mind—nobody will be put on the spot!  

All are welcome and no prior experience necessary. We will gather at a home in Arlington, VA that is Metro accessible. Address will be shared with registrants.

Scion of a Hasidic dynasty, professor at Reform and Conservative seminaries, mystical social critic, civil rights and anti-war advocate—Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel embodied many of the biggest questions about spirituality, politics, and technology that continue to shape the Jewish community and our world today. Led by Rabbi Emmanuel, we will explore the life of one of the 20th century's greatest Jewish thinkers, reflecting on Heschel’s lessons for our own lives and current moment. 

All are welcome and no prior experience necessary. We will gather at a home in Arlington, VA that is Metro accessible. Address will be shared with registrants.

Hanukkah celebrates rededication of the Holy Temple. Join Rabbi Aderet for a special evening as we prepare to celebrate Hanukkah and explore the things we can illuminate in our own lives that have been lost or missed?

We will ground in Jewish texts and then turn to a creative visual arts process that will help us to draw out and discover the lost or missed aspects deep within each of us, that once rediscovered, can offer us insight and illuminate our lives in unexpected ways.

We will utilize different approaches in our experience together including learning, visual arts, chanting as well as a mindfulness practice. No prior experience necessary. Everyone is always welcome.

We’ll gather in a central location in DC for an evening of dynamic learning, meaningful conversation, and refreshments. Upon viewing registrant sign ups, we’ll reach out with specific location.

“Miracles” writes Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, “have gone from being the great proof of religion to its great disproof. A source of embarrassment at worst, and perhaps, at best, confusion.” 

Agree? Disagree? Not sure? No matter where you stand, join Rabbi Emmanuel as we prepare for Hanukkah together through intimate study and conversation about miracles: their place in Jewish texts, traditions, and history, as well as our own lives and the world around us. 

All are welcome and no prior experience necessary. We will gather at a home in Arlington, VA that is Metro accessible. Address will be shared with registrants.

Awakened Heart is a holistic and soulful mindfulness experience that takes us on an individual journey from being present to what is in our hearts to connecting with the community around us. We begin with guided meditation and silence, and then turn outward to connect in community for learning, sacred chanting and a contemplative Shabbat morning prayer experience.

After the service, we will enjoy a kosher Shabbat lunch together.

We have reached capacity for this gathering. We look forward to seeing you at our next Den gathering.

How do we best support others, and how can others best support us? Join Rabbi Emmanuel for a series exploring Jewish texts, traditions, and ideas around “chesed,” the practice of showing up for others at times of grief, illness, hardship, and struggle. An opportunity to connect with one another, we will also reflect on our own experiences of chesed, strengthen our “chesed skills,” and consider what can get in the way of both giving and receiving chesed: fear, confusion, stigma, and broader conditions such as work/life balance, climate anxiety, and social injustice.  

All are welcome. No previous experience necessary, including prior class attendance. We will gather at a home in Arlington, VA that is Metro accessible, address will be shared with registrants.

Our gathering on Mon, Nov 25 will explore Jewish sources and personal reflections related to experiences of moving to a new place.

How do we best support others, and how can others best support us? Join Rabbi Emmanuel for a series exploring Jewish texts, traditions, and ideas around “chesed,” the practice of showing up for others at times of grief, illness, hardship, and struggle. An opportunity to connect with one another, we will also reflect on our own experiences of chesed, strengthen our “chesed skills,” and consider what can get in the way of both giving and receiving chesed: fear, confusion, stigma, and broader conditions such as work/life balance, climate anxiety, and social injustice.  

All are welcome. No previous experience necessary, including prior class attendance. We will gather at a home in Arlington, VA that is Metro accessible, address will be shared with registrants.

Our gathering on Mon, Nov 18 will explore Jewish sources and personal reflections related to experiences of moving to a new place.

This is a FREE event intended for people experiencing infertility as well as their friends and family to gain tips and tools from professionals and veterans of infertility on how to support people during this time. Join us for snacks & drinks while you hear from an amazing panel of experts and veterans of infertility! Proudly co-sponsored by the Den alongside organizations across the Greater Washington Jewish community.

How do we best support others, and how can others best support us? Join Rabbi Emmanuel for a series exploring Jewish texts, traditions, and ideas around “chesed,” the practice of showing up for others at times of grief, illness, hardship, and struggle. An opportunity to connect with one another, we will also reflect on our own experiences of chesed, strengthen our “chesed skills,” and consider what can get in the way of both giving and receiving chesed: fear, confusion, stigma, and broader conditions such as work/life balance, climate anxiety, and social injustice.  

All are welcome. No previous experience necessary, including prior class attendance. We will gather at a home in Arlington, VA that is Metro accessible, address will be shared with registrants.

Our gathering on Monday, 11/11 will explore Jewish sources and personal reflections related to illness and healing.

**Please check Den website under “Gatherings” for future Chesed classes: Nov. 18 and Nov. 25**

Shalom! We have heard from many Den community members interested in a Hebrew language course. We are thrilled to share that Gil, a long-time Den member and Hebrew educator, has graciously offered to teach a Hebrew Language course exclusively for the Den community! 

Our "Cafe Ivrit," or "Hebrew Cafe" will consist of 10 class sessions and a class Shabbat Dinner. 

Classes will meet on Sunday's at 7pm:

• Dec 8, 15, 22

• Jan 5, 12, 19, 26

• Feb 2, 9, 23

• Shabbat Dinner date TBD with the group 

The first and final class sessions will meet in-person, and the remainder of the sessions will meet over zoom. 

Sign Up Information

Gil's vision is to customize this special offering to participants' Hebrew language goals and interests. To this end, please complete the form below by Mon, Nov 11.

About our educator:
Gil is an Israeli Hebrew speaker with a background in Hebrew language education and a variety of experiences as both a teacher and student. He is truly excited to share his passion for Hebrew and provide a fun, meaningful, and engaging learning and community-building experience for all. Gil is committed to helping you achieve your Hebrew goals with patience, understanding, and mutual respect for our time and efforts.

Todah/Thank you!

The registration deadline for Cafe Ivrit/Hebrew Cafe is Mon, Nov 11th. Sign up below.

The diversity of the American Jewish community is one of its greatest strengths. Yet where did all the differences between Jewish denominations and communities come from? How might understanding Jewish history help us make decisions about our Jewish lives today?

Join Rabbi Emmanuel for an exploration of the origins of Jewish religious movements as we know them, including Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, the American Jewish Counterculture, and more. Through study, conversation, and relationship-building with one another, we will consider the role Jewish history plays in our current moment and the choices we make throughout our Jewish journeys. 

All are welcome, and no previous experience necessary. Participants are expected to attend all classes in the series as material will build from class to class. We will meet on Wednesdays@ 7pm: 11/13, 11/20, + 12/4.

Central meeting locations will be determined based on registration.

Connect in community and learn together with other couples—partnered, engaged, married, Jewish, multifaith, interfaith, and more— from across the Greater Washington area.

Our learning will be based on circle members’ questions and interests. Together we will explore relevant Jewish texts, traditions, and ideas to cultivate meaningful ways to infuse Judaism into your lives, relationship, and home. Our learning circle will also be an opportunity to build deeper connections among members, as well as craft meaningful Jewish experiences together. No prior experience necessary.

Sample of Class Topics:

• Meaningful + Inspirational Shabbat/Holiday Practice

• Infusing Your Home with Jewish Values + Ethics

• Jewish Wisdom on Cultivating Intimacy in Relationships + “Me Time”

• Integrating diverse traditions (interfaith/multifaith/Jewish)

• Navigating Additional Resources + Offerings Throughout the Greater Jewish Community

Sign Up Information

The Couple’s Learning Circle is intended to build meaningful relationships among group members. Space is limited to foster an intimate and connected cohort dynamic. Sign up is on a first come, first served basis. Meetings will be held monthly from December through May, in addition to a cohort Shabbat experience.

We are asking everyone to please contribute $360/couple in order to help make this 6-month cohort learning experience possible. If this amount is cost prohibitive for you, please contribute what you are comfortable with. Cost is not a barrier for entry.

The registration deadline for the Couple’s Learning Circle is Mon, Nov 11th. Sign up below.

Connect in community and learn together with others who identify as men. This circle is open to all male and male-identifying folks who are looking to connect and explore their identity as it relates to Judaism, gender, and more.

Led by Rabbi Emmanuel, our learning will be based on circle members’ questions and interests. Together we will explore relevant Jewish texts, traditions, and ideas, as well as reflect on our own diverse life experiences of Jewishness and masculinity. Our learning circle will also be an opportunity to build deeper connections among members, as well as craft meaningful Jewish experiences together. No prior experience necessary.

Sign Up Information

The Men’s Learning Circle is intended to build meaningful relationships among group members. Space is limited to foster an intimate and connected cohort dynamic. Sign up is on a first come, first served basis. Meetings will be held monthly from December through May, in addition to a cohort Shabbat experience.

We are asking everyone to please contribute $180/person in order to help make this 6-month cohort learning experience possible. If this amount is cost prohibitive for you, please contribute what you are comfortable with. Cost is not a barrier for entry.

Final class dates and central meeting locations will be determined and then shared with registrants after sign up closes.

The registration deadline for the Men’s Learning Circle is Mon, Nov 11th. Sign up below.