Adventure Rabbi Comes to New York:

After years of fielding requests from New Yorkers for a more active Adventure Rabbi presence in New York, we are delighted to announce the official launch of Adventure Rabbi / New York.

This initiative is led by our Rabbi Jessica Marshall.

In addition to running monthly events such as Havdallah hikes, Shabbat bike rides, and learning opportunities, Rabbi Jessica will be available for:

• Bar and Bat Mitzvah in the New York Area as well as alternative destination Bat and Bar Mitzvah
• Baby Naming Services in New York and New Jersey, including Westchester and Long Island
• Brit Bat Services in your home (NY/ NJ)
• Funerals (in the Greater New York Area)
• Service Leading for Havurah and other groups
  
  For more information about any of these life cycle events,
  please click here and we will have someone contact you >>

Did you know that:

• Over 12% of the members of our Social Networking Site are from the NY area.
  
• New Yorkers make up a growing number of participants on our Rosh Hashanah retreat.
  
• The Adventure Rabbi, Rabbi Jamie Korngold, grew up in New York and graduated from New York's Cornell University.
  
• Central Park is mentioned several times in Rabbi Korngold's forthcoming book God in the Wilderness.
  
• Over 45 people showed up for our first Central Park Hike in 2006.

Rabbi Jessica Kessler Marshall was ordained at Hebrew Union College, a Reform seminary in New York City, in May 2008. She was born in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Psychology. Before beginning her rabbinical studies, she was a Jewish youth educator in Boston.

She has served synagogues in Ohio and on Long Island and has also done pastoral counseling at the Jewish Home and Hospital in the Bronx. She has additionally had internships at The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs in Chicago and United Jewish Communities in Washington D.C.

Jessica first became captivated by the profound relationship between Judaism and ecology on a 300 mile Jewish environmental bike ride in Israel. The spiritual power and peace she felt while cycling through Israel’s desert were the driving force behind her decision to center her rabbinate around Judaism’s environmental foundation.

The inspiration of our natural world appears everywhere—from the Torah, to our prayer books, to mystical experience, to our commandments to protect it. Jessica is looking forward to connecting New York Jews creatively, passionately, and in a socially conscious manner with Judaism.

Jessica recently completed her seventh Jewish environmental bike ride raising money to support Jewish environmental education as well as an Israeli organization which brings together Americans, Palestinians, Israelis, and Jordanians to work jointly toward environmental justice.

While Jessica Marshall is training as a Reform Rabbi at Hebrew Union College, she enjoys working with Jews across the denominational spectrum. She believes that our connection to nature and concern for the environment is an inherently inclusive and Jewish act and a unifying theme for Adventure Rabbi.

To receive information about upcoming programs in the Greater New York area, for Jewish singles and couples (interfaith-couples are welcome) please be sure you are a registered user on our Social Networking site and sign up for the Adventure Rabbi New York Group. Click here >>

With its curving walkways and abundant hedges, Central Park was designed to transport visitors into the heart of nature with a simple stroll through the park. We will use this urban oasis to surround ourselves with God's creation and rejuvenate our souls.

After brief introductions, we will hike at a moderate pace. As we hike up the trail, we will have time to chat and get to know each other. On Adventure Rabbi hikes you will discover a group of fascinating and inspirational people, eager to meet new people and explore their Judaism in unique ways.

Occasionally during the hike, we will take a break to catch our breath and admire the gardens. The Rabbi will offer readings from Jewish text and discuss the spiritual opportunities that abound in nature.

Halfway through the hike, we will pause for a half-hour service. The service will be filled with familiar prayers and songs, accompanied by nature readings from Jewish tradition.

Toward the end of the service, we take a few moments of quiet introspection. It is a chance for each of us to contemplate the sounds, smells and sights that around us.

After a bit of chocolate, we'll head back out of the park and head to a nearby restaurant or bar for something to eat and drink.