This page is intended to provide halachic information for those considering attending Nehirim retreats. If you don't see your question answered, please ask.

Davening (prayer): On Friday night, all of Nehirim davens together. Kabbalah Shabbat is non-traditional, and may include the use of instrments. Maariv is traditional and led by a man with no musical accompaniment. On Saturday morning, we usually offer are two services: a non-traditional one and a "traditional egalitarian" option. The traditional service is egalitarian -- there is mixed seating and full participation by women. The traditional service does a triennial kriyah, but does the full davening in a traditional way. Shabbat Mincha and Maariv include traditional-egalitarian options. Sunday morning minyan is community-led, and standards are decided by those who come. Over the years, we have found that this blend best reflects the needs and desires of Nehirim attendees. Naturally, we welcome your feedback.

GLBT: As a GLBT organization, Nehirim's "bottom line" is a celebration of the unique gifts of GLBT Jews. Naturally, many of our attendees are struggling with how to reconcile their sexuality with their religious hashkafa. We honor and support those journeys. We are committed to providing a safe space for all our participants, which means that differing paths must be respected and honored without expressions of judgment or criticism. As an organization, we are opposed to efforts to demonize, erase, or deny the existence of sexual and gender diversity. Nehirim is about living a full spiritual and emotional life, embracing of both sexuality and religion.

Shabbat: Not all Nehirim programs are Shabbat-observant, but there is always at least one program option in each time slot that is. Some teachers use instruments, electricity, and writing implements on Shabbat; we ask our teachers to indicate this in advance. Except for Kabbalat Shabbat, which may include a guitar or drums, all of the all-retreat programs are shomer shabbat; we do not use electricity or amplification at meals, and ask that all participants respect shabbat in public spaces. There is an eruv at Isabella Freedman which is checked every Friday. There is no eruv at other Nehirim sites.

Kashrut: Nehirim's Kashrut policy varies by retreat.
Nehirim East and Nehirim Womens Retreat: Isabella Freedman has an on-site Orthodox mashgiach, and is regularly rented out by Orthodox organizations. Dairy products are not cholov yisrael. Additional kashrut information may be obtained on the Isabella Freedman website.
Nehirim West and Community Gathering: We offer two options: the host site provides vegetarian meals cooked on non-kosher equipment, and we will provide catered, sealed kosher meals upon request. Please be sure to note your request for hechshered kosher food when you register, as last minute requests cannot be accommodated. You may also wish to bring snacks with you.
Queer Shabbaton New York: All food is hechshered kosher and not prepared on Shabbat. Please contact the retreat director for more information.

Other: As part of our commitment to pluralism, we do not ask our attendees to adhere to anything other than the American customs of tzniut, or to any particular mode of religious expression. We are a diverse community; some men wear kippot and others do not. Most (though not all) women dress in ways other than the Orthodox standard.
At meals, some people will likely do the full benching after every meal, but the community may only do a single line of chant, or a full benching, or an abbreviated benching; we try to include all options.
We do a halachic kiddush together, but also respect people's desires to do their own if they wish.

In general, Nehirim may be the most religiously diverse spiritual gathering in the Jewish world. United as members of sexual or gender minorities, we embrace a very broad range of religious and social identities. We have had orthodox participants at every one of our retreats, and most of our staff has been orthodox at some points in our lives; we know the issues! If you are halachically observant, we hope this page has been useful to you, and hope you will join our diverse community.