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Judaism has a `Jewish Renewal'

TARZANA - The bliss that follows meditation, chant or a spiritual walk is what members of Makom Ohr Shalom expect during and after services at the synagogue.

Makom Ohr Shalom is part of the nondenominational, worldwide movement in Judaism called Jewish Renewal that had its roots in the 1960s.

Jewish Renewal started to embrace forgotten elements of Judaism that weren't commonly found in synagogues at that time. The leaders of the movement returned meditation, chanting, mystical teaching of the Kabbalah and dance to services.

"There were those who were not happy with the suburban synagogues back then. They said, `Hey, when I go to yoga or experience Sufi music, that makes me feel different and I can't find that anywhere in my synagogue.' We started digging into our past and found there was an energy in what we were doing," said Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, one of the key leaders of the movement.

Schachter-Shalomi, who lives in Boulder, Colo   Read Full Article...