Heard Round WexWorld: Mindfulness Practiced

Carole Caplan, WHP Alum (Chicago 06) – Ann Arbor, MI
I’m blessed, really, to have practiced and taught meditation throughout the past three decades — and often still feel like a beginner! For me, the practice allows the ‘balcony view’ of situations to come into focus more readily, and makes it easier to see those whose paths I cross as having been created b’tzelem elohim.

Carole is an advocate of both spirituality and environmentalism.  She now enjoys teaching others how to get down and dirty in the creation of healthier and more sustainable lives and is currently co-leading a local Jewish Alliance for Food, Land and Justice. 

Rivka Levy Goldberg, WIF Alum (Class 8) – Jerusalem
My meditation practice is my way to prepare myself – day by day – to be present and peacefully ready to accept any challenge.

Riki is retired from the Ministry of Justice, and practices yoga.

David Gottlieb, WHP Alum (Chicago 06) – Chicago, IL
My meditation practice deepens my experience of life: it informs my prayer practice, it has helped me deepen relationships, and it has led me to understand that life is basically a service profession: an opportunity to diminish human suffering and aid in the increase of human flourishing.

David is a PhD candidate in the History of Judaism at U. Chicago Divinity School and a teacher of Jewish mindfulness practice.

Julie Potiker, WHP Alum (San Diego 2) – La Jolla, CA
I am currently leading meditation for the staff at the JCC, where I founded the Balanced Mind Meditation Center in memory of my mom, Ruth Jacobowitz. Articles and photos of the beautiful space can be found on my website mindfulmethodsforlife.com. I also donate my time teaching workshops on Mindfulness and Self Compassion practice at community service organizations.  Having healed myself, I am teaching others how to heal…helping to repair the world one soul at a time.

Julie is owner of Mindful Methods for Life, LLC, author of Life Falls Apart But You Don’t Have To, Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos, and Teacher of Mindfulness Meditation and Self-Compassion practice in group classes, one on one, and corporate settings. 

Edith Raphael Brotman, WHP Alum (Baltimore 10) – Baltimore, MD
I began my regular, almost daily practice, during the Shemita year in 2014-15. Since then I’ve added an annual week with Rabbi Jeff Roth and his Awakened Heart Project’s Jewish silent meditation retreat in Maryland. I love how mindfulness and meditation help me be less reactive, more focused, and more compassionate to myself and others. Both are vitally important to being a leader in terms of how I interact with others and how I accomplish my goals. Rabbi Roth’s retreats infuse the experience of deep introspection of standard mindfulness meditation with the sweet and profound joy of being Jewish and alive.

Edith is the author of Mussar Yoga (Jewish Lights, 2014) and is driven by her passion for making the experience of being Jewish accessible, meaningful and inspiring to progressive Jews.   

Michael Mantell, WHP Alum (San Diego 1) – El Cajon, CA

I move into the flow of mindful meditation to help insure I always calmly respond from my altruistic, optimistic mindset, rather than react from a negative, self-sabotaging mindset. My meditative practice assures that I see beyond the surface, fully preventing stress and anxiety, focusing always on remembering that everything happens for me, not to me, thus promoting continuous gratitude,
הכרת הטוב.

Michael is a cognitive transformation coach, retired psychologist, an international keynote speaker in leadership and fitness, and author of the original Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… and his just released fourth book The Link is What You Think.

David Strulowitz, WHP Alum (Chicago 06) – Evanston, IL
My meditation and mindfulness practice helps me to take a step back and be more reflective about the various voices in my head and what those voices are really trying to tell me.  Fears, anxieties, the need for recognition, or immediate gratification etc. are not soulful, nor are they the basis for the types of decisions I want to make or the life I want to live.  I gain the perspective I need to lead a more meaningful and joyful life with those I love and doing the community work I’m passionate about.

David has lectured extensively on Jewish spirituality topics at synagogues of various denominations throughout Chicagoland.  In addition to his financial advisory practice, David leads two weekly study groups and several weekly one-on-one Chavrutas where he explores the purpose and meaning behind Torah, ritual, and life, as expounded upon in the writings of classic Kabbalists and the Zohar.

Andrew Zack, WHP Alum (Detroit)  – I’m in Israel, running around like a headless chicken
I know it’s retrograde behavior, but I don’t meditate. I pace around instead.

Andrew raised a family in Detroit, practices law, and strives to keep growing as a Jew, kaleidoscopically speaking.