Membership
Although we offer membership, even that is unconventional. Why should a family of five pay the same dues as a family of one? In our congregation, you build a membership that reflects your family. And as a popular alternative, we offer pay-as-you-go, fee-for-services. Gone are the days when Jews would willingly pay 3% of their income for synagogue dues even when they only attended High Holiday services. Today’s Jews ask, “What am I getting for my money?” and only wish to pay for what they use.
At Adventure Judaism, you become part of our community just by showing up.
Services
We do not offer weekly Shabbat Services. Our constituency doesn’t want to go to weekly services. (Do you? Many synagogues provide them, so we can recommend one for you.)
Adventure Rabbi people are busy with full lives, and on weekends, we ski, hike, party, hang out, dance, and relax. When the weekend arrives, we don’t want to get dressed up to come to the synagogue to count pages and have the Rabbi preach at us and tell us how we should be more Jewish.
We have found that when an event is offered weekly, potential participants tend to say, “Oh, I’ll just go next week,” and never actually go. Less frequent offerings increase and concentrate attendance.
We offer one Friday night a month in the summer months, which has become a beloved Boulder classic event. Our services are brief and joyful. (We have no interest in long, boring, sad services.)
Participant Involvement & Power to Create
Many of our most popular programs were created at the suggestion of our participants. For example, Kara and Steve Mertz dreamed up Passover in Moab.
We are an agile and flexible program, unlike large synagogues, which have institutional traditions, chains of command, and committee charts. We have few committees and fewer meetings. New program ideas, or at least ones that can support themselves financially, can easily and quickly be brought to fruition.
Prayer
We do not believe that prayer changes the will of a divine being. Therefore, we feel liberated to expand and contract our liturgical choices to create a meaningful service. We do believe that communal prayer offers an opportunity to connect with others in our community, our families, and the Jewish people all over the world and to look within ourselves.
Origins of the Program
If you want the inside scoop on how this program was started, read the forward of Rabbi Korngold’s book God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi. (Doubleday, 2008)
But the official pitch goes like this. Adventure Judaism was envisioned by Rabbi Jamie Korngold, who has experienced her most vibrant Jewish experiences in the outdoors. From scaling mountains to running ultra-marathons, she has found that the spirituality of the wilderness awakens Judaism.
Surrounded by the raw wonder of creation, Rabbi Korngold helps people experience inner peace and an abiding connection to That Which Is Greater Than Ourselves. In the wilderness, she believes, it is possible to distance ourselves from politics and protocol and allow the awareness of the connectedness of all things to permeate our souls.
When we were founded in 2001, the program was called “Adventure Rabbi.” But 16 years later, our staff had grown to include three rabbis, three educators, and a vibrant congregation. In 2017, we adopted the more inclusive name of Adventure Judaism.
Join us; let the wilderness awaken your Judaism.
Location
The Adventure Judaism Headquarters is located in Longmont, Colorado, just 20 minutes from Boulder, and is managed by Executive Director Rebecca Shavit-Lonstein. We have a large office building where we teach classes, lead smaller services, and hold meetings and conferences. For larger services, we rent space. Our religious school meets in the local elementary school.
Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Shavit-Lonstein is the Senior Rabbi of our team. he received Rabbinical Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2000. Before ordination, he studied at Machon Pardes in Jerusalem (1993-1994)—his BA in History and Peace Studies (1989) from Washington University in St. Louis. For more information, see his full bio below.
Rabbi Emerita
Rabbi Jamie Korngold founded Adventure Judaism in 2021. In 2026, she transitioned to Rabbi Emerita. She will continue to lead High Holidays and Passover until 2030. Rabbi Korngold received her Doctor of Divinity and ordination from Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion, the academic, spiritual, and professional development center for Reform Judaism. Her undergraduate degree (B.S. Forestry) is from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Creed
Adventure Judaism is philosophically and theologically aligned with Progressive Judaism and the Reform Movement more specifically. We are dedicated to creating opportunities to enhance our participants’ relationships with self, community, and Judaism. We provide a Jewish backdrop and context for their lives and, through positive, communal Jewish experiences, improve their sense of Jewish identity.
Our rabbis are ordained by the seminaries of the Reform and Conservative Movements and are expected to teach and preach in ways consistent with Progressive Judaism’s mores.
As liberal Jews, we look to our tradition for wisdom, insight, and guidance. We then couple our ancient teachings with modern interpretations to find appropriate forms of contemporary religious expression.
We are committed to women’s equality in all forms of practice and worship, including people of all sexual orientations, and outreach to interfaith families and couples.
Life-Cycle Events
Adventure Judaism offers life-cycle events for all stages of Jewish life. These events are usually held in private homes, rented facilities, or wilderness venues.
Brit Milah and Brit Bat are the beginning of life ceremonies in which the Jewish infant enters the covenant with God. The parents commit themselves to raising their child with 1) the study of the Torah, 2) the practice of mitzvot (Jewish ritual/ethics), and 3) preparing their child to have a Jewish home of their own someday.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah: Rabbis from Adventure Judaism officiate at Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremonies for candidates who have completed the requirements of our B’nai Mitzvah program. We have also created a Bar and Bat Yisrael program for students who wish to focus less on Hebrew and more on “mensch” training.
Weddings: Rabbis from Adventure Judaism officiate at weddings in all sorts of venues, including synagogues, backyards, hotels, homes, parks, and mountaintops.
Funerals: Rabbis from Adventure Judaism officiate at funerals
Teaching
Adventure Judaism specializes in the experiential teaching of eco Judaism and Jewish ritual, practice, and theology. Our outdoor programs are infused with teaching moments. Every event is filled with learning opportunities, from the Rabbi’s sermons on the Torah portion of the week to discussions of contemporary theologians such as Martin Buber and Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Rabbi Shavit-Lonstein is an expert in Rabbinic texts dealing with Jewish attitudes about nature and teaches from the Talmud, Midrash, and other sacred texts. Rabbi Shavit-Lonstein also has a strong background in Jewish ethics and frequently teaches the subject of Jewish ethics for everyday living.
Children and Teens Programs
Adventure Rabbi Kids “ARK”, our alternative religious school for grades 1-6, is run by Rebecca Shavit-Lonstein and is located in Boulder, Colorado. ARK is very camp-like, with a focus on buiding freindships. We nurture students’ Jewish identities and expand their Jewish knowledge. Filled with activities, crafts, songs, and games, we make learning fun. We also run an engaging, fun-filled teen program in Boulder, Colorado, and opportunities for teens to intern in our religious school.
Our active teen program is parent-led. Teens from many different congregations join our group and participate in monthly fun events.
