Saturday, April 20, 2024
2 Nights Optional Free Camping April 19 and 20
Limited to 150 Participants
2 Nights Optional Free Camping April 19 and 20
Limited to 150 Participants
Friday night we open the retreat with singing on the banks of the Colorado River. This welcoming program will help you feel included, if you come alone or with friends, for the first time or the tenth. Following the opening program, we split into groups. Children under 12 years of age play games and do crafts with Adventure Judaism staff. Adults enjoy a wine tasting and discussion with Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein. Teens and the B’nai Mitzvah age students take a night hike with Rabbi Jamie Korngold. We all come back together to toast marshmallows around the bonfire. Dinner will be provided by our caterer and is certain to be delicious.
Saturday we embark on a wilderness journey for our Seder, an all-day event including a 3-mile (round trip) Seder hike up a gorgeous, winding, rock canyon. We return to the campground to enjoy a delicious catered Seder, complete with matzah ball soup and all the fixings. Later in the evening, we will enjoy the campfire and perhaps a spontaneous game of flashlight tag.
Sunday we offer a hike with Rabbi Jamie Korngold or perhaps some other offerings by our talented participants. (Maybe you?) We hike towards (but not all the way to) Jeep Arch. We conclude before lunch and head home.
Reform Passover Seder: traditional foods, innovative outdoor Seder, camping, w/ options for additional programs.
Friday, April 19, 2024
Orientation and Welcome Programs
Catered Meal Included
7:30 Night Hike for Adventure B’nai Mitzvah Class, other B Mitzvah students and Teens with Rabbi Korngold
7:30 Adult Wine tasting and discussion with Rabbi Shavit-Lonstein
Saturday, April 20, 2024 – 9:30 am
The Main Event – Passover Seder with hike led by Rabbi Korngold
9:30 am – 3 pm Hike and Seder
3:30 pm Optional Yizkor/Memorial Circle
4:30 – 5:30 pm Conclude Seder at Campground
5:30 pm Seder Dinner served
7 pm Campfire, flashlight tag, and fun
Late-night Photography Class with Mike Berkow is available to 5 participants. Please inquire.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
9:00- 11:30 Hike with Rabbi Korngold
12 noon: Leave for home
Moab, Utah, a campground, 14 miles outside of Moab.
$135/ member
$260/non-members
RVs and Camper Vans etc:
Late Fees:
Includes:
2 dinners are included with registration.
[Friday Night Meal Details]
[Passover Seder Meal Details]
Yes! In 2023 we welcomed participants from: Ireland, Toronto, California, Washington DC, Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Utah, and Colorado,
A gorgeous site along the Colorado River. [Details] Friday and Saturday camping are included in the fee. Sorry, but we’re not able to accommodate pets, even dogs. Outhouses are on site.
There is a $225 fee for vehicle campers of any kind. The recent increase of vehicle camping, such as vans, pop-ups, trailers, and RV has changed the character of this event, making it more parking lot-based, while also enabling increased access to technology. This affects the overall experience of the retreat. We know many people find vehicle camping more comfortable. However, as an incentive to try tent camping, we charge $225 for vehicle camping.
Grand Junction, CO or Moab, Utah. Rental cars are available. [Details]
Rabbi Jamie Korngold is a Reform Rabbi and author of God in the Wilderness and The God Upgrade and 9 children’s books. This is an out-of-the-box religious event. We will be carrying, lighting fire, and driving on the Sabbath and on the Holiday.
Activities + camping included with registration!
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Check-in, find out where to camp, set up tents etc.
Once you are settled, join us under the shade of the main campground pavilion for refreshments and schmoozing. Come catch up with old friends and make new ones!
6:00 – 7:00 pm
Shabbat Blessings and Catered Dinner
7:00 – 10:00 pm
Opening Circle: Sing-along, Campfire, and Marshmallows
Kids will enjoy games with Adventure Judaism Staff. This is a chance to meet other kids and make a craft that they can share at the seder.
Adventure Class (mandatory), other B’nai Mitzvah students (optional) and teens (optional) join Rabbi Jamie for a hike to Corona Arch.
Adults, bring a bottle of wine to share and enjoy “Elijah’s Flight” a wine-tasting celebration. Enjoy a Passover discussion led by Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein, while tasting wine, making new friends, and visiting with old ones. Then, linger around the fire to enjoy conversation and catching up.
7:00-7:15: All group sing-a-long
7:15-7:30: Orientation
7:30-10:30 Adventure Class, Mitzvah Class & Teens Hike up to Corona Arch
7:30-8:30 Others enjoy a discussion led by Rabby Alan Shavit-Lonstein and a wine social with wine provided by our Board.
8:00 – 11:00: Campfire hangout
9:30 am- 7:00 pm
Passover Seder
Innovative Reform Passover Seder begins with all group 3-mile hike up a gorgeous, windy, wild canyon. Along the way, we will begin to tell the story of the Exodus as we experience our own desert hike.
The Canyon Trail is not difficult and can be completed by most healthy, agile adults or children. No special gear is required other than footwear suitable for walking over slick rock. The hike involves walking approximately 1.5 miles each way over a sandy and rocky trail with an elevation gain of 440 feet. You will need your hands free scrambling over some rocky sections. We do ask you to self- access your physical ability and remain the campground if this hike is beyond your ability.
We make this into a multi-hour adventure, taking time along the hike to learn, discuss, eat lunch and enjoy the spectacular views!
When we reach the top of the canyon, an exquisite, protected “synagogue,” we begin our Passover Seder, including all the sections without food or wine. We ask the Four Questions, tell the Passover story, read from the Torah, dance, and sing.
We then hike back to camp where we pause for about 1.5 hours before we reconvene to complete our Seder and enjoy our catered Seder Meal, which is served desert style in the campground along the Colorado River. (Menu Below)
Seder continues with more singing and discussion. As dusk turns into evening, we gather around the campfire!
3:00 pm – 4:30: Hang out in camp
3:15 pm: Adventure Class sets Seder table
3:30: Yizkor/Memorial Circle to say Kaddish for loved ones
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm: Complete Seder in Campground
5:30 – 7 pm: Dinner is served
7:00 pm – 11:00: Hang out at campfire, chill, Havdallah
Late night photograph class is available for 5 participants. Please inquire.
9-11:30 Hike with Rabbi Jamie Korngold
Other talented participants might also offer break-out groups.
12 noon Head Home!
We know having eating traditional Passover foods is very important. We will be serving a traditional Seder meal, which will be Kosher for Passover. By this we mean that none of the prohibited grains or leavening products will be used. However, we will not serve kosher meats because we are not comfortable with the methods currently used to raise and slaughter kosher animals. No pork or shellfish will be served. The kitchen where the food is prepared is not a kosher kitchen. (Menu subject to change)
Friday Shabbat Dinner:
Catered
Menu subject to change by the Chef
(catered, included with registration)
Please bring your own wine, grape juice, or alternative beverage.
Please note: this is a catered meal prepared in the middle of the desert without running water or electricity. Some items are prepared ahead of time. We are not able to accommodate special dietary needs or allergies. While each item might not contain a specific allergen, cross-contamination may occur.
Our participants are:
Rabbi Korngold is an ordained Reform rabbi and the founder and Executive Director of the Adventure Rabbi Program, based in Boulder Colorado. She is nationally recognized for her innovative work combining religion and nature.
A favorite of the media, she has been featured by Good Morning America, National Geographic, NPR, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Ski Magazine as well as many other outlets.
Rabbi Korngold is an athlete and a scholar. She completed the Leadville Trail 100, a 100-mile running race in less than 30 hours and was ranked fourth in the nation for telemark mogul skiing. She is a graduate of Cornell University’s natural resources program and received her masters and ordination from Hebrew Union College.
Rabbi Korngold is best known for her ability to make Judaism relevant, meaningful and accessible and therefore opening the doors back to Judaism for thousands of disenfranchised Jews. Through her nature-based approach to religion, she is able to bridge the gap between scientific thought and religion, healing a fissure that often disrupts spiritual paths.
She lives in Boulder, Colorado where she raised her two children, Sadie and Jay.
We are thrilled that Anne will be our event planner once again this year. All is well when Anne is around! She has years of experience working as an event planner. Anne has a fabulous eye for detail, a welcoming manner, and a get-it-done attitude. Anne coordinated our Yom Kippur service, so you may have met her there.
We are thrilled that many of our long-term retreat staff will be back this year to help us hike up and down canyons, start and put out fires, help with food service, and more. We couldn’t do it with them! Look for them in their red shirts, ready to lend a hand.
Friday and Saturday night tent camping fees are included.
We divide the campground into the following sections:
We usually try to gather around one campfire, which is found in the main campground. Please bring firewood to help with this.
The campground is located on a sweeping curve in the Colorado River, just 14-miles from the town of Moab. The campground offers stunning views both up and down the river corridor. Sunset is particularly striking, as the Navajo Sandstone cliffs surrounding the campground change color as darkness falls. Our Seder will begin with a hike up a nearby canyon, right from the campground. Our campground is across from the trailhead leading to the famous Corona Arch, a 90 x 140-foot arch that rivals any in Arches National Park. View Photos >>
Van, RV, Tear-Drop, Pop-Up Camper fee is $225.
If you opt to use a vehicle camper, we invite and encourage you to “hang-out” in the campground with the group. Please don’t invite kids who are not sleeping in your RV into your RV.
The BLM requires that RVs and campers are parked in a specific area during our stay in order to leave a large area available for overflow parking for Corona Arch. Please check in with our staff before you park and unload so that we can show it to you.
The BLM policy on RV is: “Generator hours are from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.” (We are required to tell you that.)
From Moab, travel five miles north on U.S. Highway 191. Turn left (west) on Utah Highway 279 and drive ten miles. Turn left into the Gold Bar Recreation Site. The group sites are located adjacent to the Colorado River. (If you are traveling south on U.S. Highway 191, turn right onto Utah Highway 279 just past the entrance to Arches National Park.)
We love dogs, and wish they could be part of the camping experience. However, we’re not able to accommodate dogs at this event.
We recommend the following places to watch your dog in Moab, Utah:
There are picnic tables and outhouses. Bring extra toilet paper just in case. Ample parking is available.
There is no drinking water on site. Untreated (but tested) water is available at Matrimony Spring, located just east of U.S. Highway 191 on Utah Highway 128.
One gallon per person per day is recommended.
You are welcome to book your own accommodation in Moab or surrounding areas. Discounts will not be given for those staying elsewhere.
There are more and more places to rent camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad) so you have less to schlep. There will also be people on hand who can teach you to set it all up. We googled “rent camping gear” and found a plethora of companies that will send the gear to you. Check it out!
Please note that Moab is at 4,000 feet, which is lower than Denver. Although most people do not experience altitude sickness at this elevation, you may notice that you are a bit short of breath and can not exercise as rigorously as you do at sea-level.
Please be sure to drink lots of water and have adequate protection from the sun (sunscreen, hats, sunglasses.) Dehydration can greatly increase your risk of altitude-related sicknesses.
Based on the averages recorded at this time of the year, we expect temperatures between 39 and 76 degrees. Please bring appropriate gear to be outside in sun, rain or snow! It does get very windy in Moab. There is a gear list at the bottom of the page. Unfortunately, besides for some sun shelters, we do not have an indoor option available if bad weather prevails. That’s the adventure part of Adventure Rabbi (and we’re not the Slacker Rabbi program after all). Fortunately, there is usually only 1.2 inches of rain in Moab in April. There will be no refunds for bad weather.
For our guests from afar, we suggest flying to Moab, Utah’s Airport or Grand Junction, Colorado and renting a car. All the national chains of rental cars are available from Grand Junction Airport.
Distance from nearby points:
Grand Junction, CO: 113 miles from (1 hour 50 min)
Denver, CO: 355 miles (5 hours 28 minutes)
Boulder, CO: 366 miles (5 hours 49 min)
Salt Lake City, Utah: 234 miles (4 hours)
Aspen, Colorado: 239 miles (4 hours)
Eagle, Colorado: 229 miles (3 hours 29 minutes)
Bring your friends, your parents, your kids or come alone. This is a Seder not to be missed.
We urge you to purchase private trip insurance in case you need to cancel. Due to the high expenses of running this trip and the low fee we charge each participant, we are unable to refund your payments for any reason, even really good ones! The best we will be able to do is convert your payment into a donation. If we cancel the event, you will receive a full refund.
We have included the directions in the confirmation email you received upon registration.
The first part of the seder (Saturday at 9:30 am) will be a hike and a service up a canyon, across the road from the campground. The hike is 1.5 miles each way over a sandy, rocky and uneven trail with an elevation gain of about 400 feet. The trail is not stroller accessible, and you will need to have both hands free for several spots where you will need to scramble. There are two sections where you will have to duck down and crawl / squeeze through, and maybe crawl on your knees.
Please wear/bring:
Optional:
Please bring your own wine, juice or other beverage.
Something to sit on (i.e. crazy creek chair, cushion, pillow, ensolite pad). We don’t recommend chairs with legs, as you’ll then be well above the Seder table.
The “table” will be bolts of fabric rolled out on the ground. Think Bedouin style.
Plate, Cup, Fork, Knife & Spoon: To avoid using disposable dishes, we ask you to bring your dish ware. You will need:
Dinner: small plate for appetizers, dinner plate, bowl for soup, glass for wine/ juice, glass for water, spoon, fork, knife, napkin, water, wine or juice.
A full listing of the menu is located above.
Please help us decorate the table by bringing ritual objects or other pretty things (i.e. seder plate, matzah cover, Elijah`s cup, flowers etc.)
We are NOT providing wine and juice. Please bring your own favorite.
Recreational Drugs Legal in Colorado (but not in Utah or Federal Land):
Please remember that what is legal in Colorado is not legal in Utah. We are also staying on Federal (US BLM) land, and substances legal in Colorado are not legal on Federal land either. Please leave it at home in Colorado.
The campground is right next to the parking lot, so you will not have to hike or backpack to the campsite. There will be people that can help you set up your tent if this is new to you and please offer a hand if you see someone who needs help. A description of the campground is here >>
Please bring everything you need to camp including:
Optional:
Tip: Don’t forget to bring your pillow from home. A sleeping bag seems MUCH comfier when it’s matched with a familiar pillow.
You are welcome to book your own accommodation in Moab or surrounding areas. Discounts will not be given for those staying elsewhere.
Water:
Meals:
Facilities:
In case of bad weather, we adapt. (This is the Adventure Rabbi Program after all. For details about the Slacker Rabbi program, please visit here >>)
Please be prepared with rain gear, wind jackets, warm clothing, umbrellas, extra tarps if you have them. Check the weather forecast for Moab, Utah before you come.
Cell coverage is very limited at the campground. Some text messages (might) get through. But prepare to really be off-the-grid. If you need to call someone, you’ll likely have to drive into the town of Moab (about 10 minutes by car).
See you in Moab!