(FALLS VILLAGE, Conn.) – Blues for Challah: The Second Set, a weekend-long workshop exploring the spiritual and mystical aspects of the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan, will take place at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center from Friday, November 30, 2012 to Sunday, December 2, 2012. Highlights of the program, the second such at the retreat center in the Berkshires, include a documentary screening of Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Story, after which Wavy Gravy will Skype in for a Q&A led by the film’s director, Michelle Esrick; The Kabbalah of Bob Dylan, a multimedia presentation by the Berkshires’ own Seth Rogovoy, award-winning music critic and author of Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet; and a keynote session with author Arthur Kurzweil, who will provide a guide to the sacred meaning of the Woodstock Nation. And since a weekend honoring the Grateful Dead wouldn’t be complete without a jam session, Saturday night promises to provide amateur and seasoned musicians with a venue for a truly “high time.”
Innovative and immersive retreat experiences are nothing new to the Berkshires. But a weekend rooted in Jewish pluralist community celebrating the legacy of the Grateful Dead is nothing if not unique.
“You don’t have to be a certain kind of Jew to enjoy this weekend,” says program manager Adam Sher. “Actually, you don’t even have to be Jewish. All you need is a love of the Grateful Dead and a curiosity about the connections between the music of our lives and spirituality.
In the words of “Rockin’ Renaissance Rabbi” Moshe Shur, who will tell the story of his 5 years on the road with Jerry Garcia and company from 1969-1974, “If you move and groove, this is the place for you. This is good fun, thanks to the One!”
Prices (which include a room, all programming, and delicious farm-to-table meals & wine) start at $233 for the 2-night weekend event. Those who register by 11/2 will enjoy a 10% discount to the all-inclusive rate.
For more information and a full “set list” visit Blues for Challah: The Second Set.
