Yedidya Center

If you are a practicing spiritual director or considering training in spiritual direction, here are some links that may provide resources for you.

Spiritual Director’s International

We recommend that all individuals who are practicing spiritual direction join SDI to stay abreast of the larger field of spiritual direction and its standards and emerging practices. SDI membership includes the excellent quarterly journal Presence. SDI holds an annual international conference in North America for spiritual directors.

Networking for Jewish Spiritual Directors

There is not yet a formal organization for Jewish spiritual directors, but there have been some discussions about it for the future. There are, however, several systems in place that allow Jewish spiritual directors opportunities for networking and the exchange of ideas.

1. For the last three years, Yedidya has helped to convene a Jewish Spiritual Directors Kallah immediately following the SDI conference. The next SDI conference will be held April 19 -23, 2006 in Vancouver, BC, Canda. Again this year, there will be a gathering of the Jewish Directors on the Sunday afternoon and Monday following the SDI conference.
2. There are two networking groups specifically for Jewish spiritual directors.
   1. The first is a listserv for online discussion and dissemination of information. The list is run by Rabbi Jacob Staub. Please email him to sign up for the list or if you have any questions or problems with signing up. Directions for signing up for the list are available for download in Microsoft Word .doc Format.
   2. The second is a list of Jewish Spiritual Directors and supporters and their contact information. This list is maintained by Sandy Jardine. In order to get on that list, please email her.
3. Yedidya maintains a referral list of Jewish Spiritual directors. If you would like to be on that list, please email us and we will send you a form to fill out.
4. If you are considering becoming a spiritual director there are many regional centers where you can be trained. If you wish to be in a spiritual direction training and formation program in a Jewish context, there are two Jewish Spiritual Direction programs that are retreat-based with some distance learning components.
   1. Morei Derekh - a program of the Yedidya Center for Jewish Spiritual Direction, is a two-year program, co-directed by Dr. Linda Thal and Wendie Bernstein Lash. Residencies are every 6 months and alternate between the two coasts. The next Morei Derekh class will start in June 2007. Applications are available now. If you are interested please email us or go to the page on our website about Morei Derekh.
   2. Lev Shomea - sponsored by Elat Chayyim Jewish Retreat Center, is a two-year program, taught by Rabbi Avruhm Addison, Barbara Breitman, and Rabbi Zari Weiss. Resiencies are held on the East Coast every 6 months. The next Lev Shomea cohort begins in the January of 2008.