Empowering Young Adults to Take Jewish Life into their Own Hands:

Wilderness Torah engages young adults in experiential Judaism congruent with their values – authentic, collaborative, and connected to nature. Wilderness Torah trains young adults to co-create engaging and transformative Jewish village-building festivals. Hundreds of young adults have taken their first steps in teaching classes, mentoring youth, leading prayer, facilitating groups, and stepping into communal leadership.

Revolutionizing Jewish Youth Education:

Wilderness Torah is transforming Jewish education. At a time when “nature-deficit disorder” is becoming all too real and when classroom Judaism is no longer cutting it for our kids, Wilderness Torah employs pedagogical tools that inspire young minds, awaken curiosity, and take youth on a journey that gets them excited about Judaism and nature. B’naiture is revolutionizing the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, meeting youth in this critical life stage by giving them tools for self-reliance, awakening Jewish tradition, and providing appropriate spiritual and physical challenges. B’hootz is setting a new standard for Sunday school – in the forest! B’hootz more than doubled in size this year, now serving more than 30 youth ages 5-10; B’naiture is fully enrolled with nearly 20 youth this fall.

Reweaving the Fabric of Multi-Generational Community:

Wilderness Torah embraces the Jewish value l’dor v’dor, “from generation to generation,” tackling the challenging lack of connection between generations at the root of modern societal problems. Wilderness Torah reweaves the fabric of multi-generational community with festivals for all ages where our elders are supported and honored. Our new bi-annual “Family Nature Day” provides kids and parents an easily accessible way to explore the intrinsic Judaism in nature together.

Bringing Innovative Nature-Based Programs to Jewish Institutions:

Without solicitation, Wilderness Torah is being summoned by synagogues, JCCs, and Jewish Day Schools from across the Bay Area to provide experiential, nature-based programs for young adults, children and families. This year alone, we have initiated new partnerships with four synagogues, three Day Schools, three JCCs, and one Midrasha teen program.

Building a Movement:

Wilderness Torah regularly receives requests from across the U.S. and around the world, including from Israel, England, and Australia, to create Wilderness Torah programs in their communities. Having proven concept on its innovative festivals, leadership model, and youth programs, Wilderness Torah is planning to scale its programs by developing curricula and a young-adult leadership training program to bring this model to communities across the Jewish world.