Our Vision
Lech Lecha envisions a vibrant community of outdoor adventurers embarking on a Jewish future animated by our heritage and inspired by the ecological synergy of Hashem’s creation. We see an empowered generation courageously building lives and communities committed to growth and wholeness.
Breaking out to break in to personal and social change
The first step is back, out of our daily norms and routines, in order to access our inner vitality. Natural settings, forests and streams, allow us to release and realign. Beyond the city streets, we break out of the four walls in which our tradition is often encountered in order to discover the personal relationship and wisdom we hold within.
Ultimately, inner transformation effects our homes, our communities, and our societies. Lech~Lecha's adventures seek to inspire social change by renewing personal energy, creativity, and alignment.
Ultimately, inner transformation effects our homes, our communities, and our societies. Lech~Lecha's adventures seek to inspire social change by renewing personal energy, creativity, and alignment.
Mutual Empowerment & pluralism
With 20-30 years under our belts, we each have skills and experiences to share. We gather as a team of seekers, each of us contributing to our communal growth and discovery, facilitating based on our skills and experiences.
In each of us bringing our personal practice, we inspire one another to shine greater vibrance into our individual journeys and relationships with our ancestral heritage. All adventures are kosher and shomer Shabbat, honoring individual practice and fully supporting observance of mitzvot.
In each of us bringing our personal practice, we inspire one another to shine greater vibrance into our individual journeys and relationships with our ancestral heritage. All adventures are kosher and shomer Shabbat, honoring individual practice and fully supporting observance of mitzvot.
Connection
Our journey builds genuine and lasting connections. We journey with a small group of peers, 10-15 per adventure, and come out bonded on the other end. Our community is a supportive network of peers seeking to challenge one another to grow and embrace one another for who we are.
Mission
Lech Lecha facilitates empowering journeys into the outdoors that catalyze personal and spiritual growth, connection with the wonder of Hashem’s creation, meaningful interpersonal relationships, and joyful community deeply rooted in Torah and a holistic approach to Jewish practice.
Peer-Led & Small GrouP
We'll have facilitators at each retreat who will take a leadership role in organizing and designing our adventure. You can find a few listed here. These retreats, though, are ours. We'll learn from and share with one another. Our facilitators will create a framework that supports our process as a group, weaving each of our contributions into a wholesome journey.
Each retreat will have between 8-15 participants.
Each retreat will have between 8-15 participants.
Meet Our Team
Ariel Hendelman has been singing ever since she learned how to talk. She finds refuge in guitar & piano, & has a deep love of everything from country folk to 90’s jock jams. Ariel lived in Israel for the last eight years, where she discovered meditation as a spiritual practice. Ariel regularly leads chant & meditation circles, & is currently working on an album of niggun-infused spirit songs. She is also a Cantorial & Rabbinic student at Aleph - Alliance for Jewish Renewal.
Alex Voynow brings his experience as an outdoor educator, Jewish community leader, and men’s work facilitator to this special retreat. He has been involved with men’s work for the past five years, and has spent the last year creating and facilitating transformative men’s spaces. Alex believes that through cultivating vulnerable, courageous, and supportive relationships among men, we can learn and practice what it means to show up in wholeness to our friendships, our partnerships, our communities, and to the Earth. Alex is a wilderness first responder, free diver, and dancer, and enjoys backpacking in old-growth forests, cooking, making ice cream, and cuddling with his cat, Garbanzo.
BGOLD ben ruach, Yisroel yacov, Bryan Goldfeder is a Jewish artists and educator based in Boulder Colorado. He has many years of experience leading biking and backpacking trips in the Rockies, and has hosted 2 mussar in the mountains retreats during his time as a moishe house resident . He currently creates functional art and Judaica out of his recycled glass studio, BGOLDglass.
Sophia Katz recently graduated with my BA in psychology, and currently work at OHEL health homes, providing psychiatric support for adults with mental illnesses.
At every free opportunity, I love to travel and spend time in nature, and traverse the beauty of backcountry majesty! I have a deep passion for Hashems natural world, and feel that its power to shift our perspectives and inspire growth is so unique and impactful. And downright awesome :)
I’m so looking forward to journeying with Lech Lecha and connecting with likeminded seekers this summer, getting pumped!
Gavi Strauss
Gavi works at the Neuroleadership Institute supporting large-scale organizations as they leverage insights from cognitive science to drive measurable change in leadership development and learning. He holds dual Bachelor degrees from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary in Neuroscience and Rabbinic Literature respectively. Gavi loves exploring community through the lens of relationships and using science as a touchpoint for subjective experience.
Gavi works at the Neuroleadership Institute supporting large-scale organizations as they leverage insights from cognitive science to drive measurable change in leadership development and learning. He holds dual Bachelor degrees from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary in Neuroscience and Rabbinic Literature respectively. Gavi loves exploring community through the lens of relationships and using science as a touchpoint for subjective experience.
Noam Levenson grew up in Alaska and quickly grew accustom to cold toes, freezing ocean spray, and high altitudes. His journey is ongoing and has taken him to the Israeli army, through Europe and Asia, and up and down many a mountain. He currently lives in Israel, writing, exploring, practicing yoga, playing guitar, and studying Torah. This bio makes him seem cooler than he actually is.
Alana Himber
Alana teaches English for the New York City Department of Education at East Brooklyn Community High School. She graduated from the City University of New York with a Master of Arts in Education, as a fellow in the New York City Teaching Fellowship. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Yeshiva University in Art History and Philosophy, where she also starred in two musicals (not relevant to her degree, but equally important!) Prior to her four years as a public school teacher, Alana worked in the nonprofit sector at Avodah and at VAYLA New Orleans. Alana resides in her native Brooklyn, with a dog named Picklez and a cat named Schnitzel. She is a lifelong learner who enjoys adventuring, scheming, connecting, and eating.
Alana teaches English for the New York City Department of Education at East Brooklyn Community High School. She graduated from the City University of New York with a Master of Arts in Education, as a fellow in the New York City Teaching Fellowship. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Yeshiva University in Art History and Philosophy, where she also starred in two musicals (not relevant to her degree, but equally important!) Prior to her four years as a public school teacher, Alana worked in the nonprofit sector at Avodah and at VAYLA New Orleans. Alana resides in her native Brooklyn, with a dog named Picklez and a cat named Schnitzel. She is a lifelong learner who enjoys adventuring, scheming, connecting, and eating.
An avid lover of all things wild, Miri Kaiser has been working in outdoor education for the past 10 years leading workshops and hiking trips for children, teens, and adults. She received her certificate in adventure therapy from Wingate College and is a Wilderness First Responder. Miri loves to forage wild edibles and other people's leftovers. She is currently living in vermont, where her time is split between working in wilderness therapy and ceramic art.
Staff
Nadav Slovin
Founder and Executive Director
Nadav is a passionate seeker and educator. On his journey toward purposeful living, Nadav adventured through thick forests, abundant farms, diverse modes of spiritual practice, and into the richness of Jewish text and tradition. While studying for his BA in Philosophy at McGill University and subsequently receiving his degree in education from Herzog College in Israel, Nadav lead countless outdoor adventures and farming immersives with Camp Ramah in the Rockies, Justifi, and Teva to name a few. The powerful intersection between wilderness and Jewish practice inspired Nadav to found Lech Lecha in 2017 and he has found great joy in facilitating genuine encounters with self and others, creation and Hashem ever since.
Yehuda Arenstein
Director of Scaleup Operations
Yehuda is an educator, innovator, and builder. Prior to joining Lech Lecha, he spent many years in academia exploring the intersections of ecological systems, intellectual history, and religious thought through research, teaching, and program development, and he has published several articles proposing new directions and possibilities in Jewish education. Yehuda also brings extensive experience in operations and management to his role as Director of Scaleup Operations, and he feels blessed for the opportunity to synthesize all of his experience and commitments in service of moving the Lech Lecha journey forward.
Rami Budow
Programming Director and Outdoor Adventure Coordinator
Rami Budow is an experienced outdoor professional and educator based out of Jerusalem. He's spent the last 8 years traveling the world, learning Torah, and working to share its wisdom with communities around the world. Rami previously directed the Jewish Outdoor Leadership Institute at Ramah Outdoor Adventures where he recently served as the Educational Director. Since 2020 he has also been working regularly as an outdoor specialist and counselor with "at-risk youth" in Jerusalem. Outside of his professional life, Rami is a husband, is perusing smicha, Rabbinical ordination, at Yeshivat Chaverim, and is studying to become a Moreh Derech, tour guide, at Herzog College.
Yael Toren
Community Outreach Coordinator, Art and Design Specialist
Like the ibex (the yaelim) who share her name, Yael is most at home when roaming rocky hilltops and quiet trails. Born in Jerusalem and raised in Boston, Yael returned to Israel five years ago. Her background is in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology and she received her MSc. in Neuroscience from Tel Aviv University. As a writer, visual artist, group facilitator, and educator, Yael is passionate about the power of creative expression. In her path with chronic illness and healing, she has gone deep into mindfulness, embodiment, and Jewish text-study and spiritual practice. She is excited to be joining the Lech Lecha team, and she looks forward to growing with this community.
Yirmeyahu Gilbert
Yirmi is a Jewish leader working to foster spiritual health and connection through Torah, art, and design. Raised in Boston, he spent several years learning in Israel and is currently pursuing a masters of architecture in New York City. Yirmi enjoys exploring the intersections between chasidus, creativity, and community.
Yirmi is a Jewish leader working to foster spiritual health and connection through Torah, art, and design. Raised in Boston, he spent several years learning in Israel and is currently pursuing a masters of architecture in New York City. Yirmi enjoys exploring the intersections between chasidus, creativity, and community.
Zach Subar
Zach works in transit by day and transit by night - NJ transit planning is only practice for real work: connecting Jewish people of all sorts, beyond state and demographic lines. Zach loves spending time in the outdoors, traveling, and exploring in conversation. He comes alive in encounter with the many faces of the Jewish people.
Zach works in transit by day and transit by night - NJ transit planning is only practice for real work: connecting Jewish people of all sorts, beyond state and demographic lines. Zach loves spending time in the outdoors, traveling, and exploring in conversation. He comes alive in encounter with the many faces of the Jewish people.
Board of Advisors
Arnie Draiman has been involved in teen, family and adult education and programming for over 35 years, both in the United States and, since making aliya in 1984, in Israel. He is a Jewish educator and in particular, loves bringing the educational message of Tzedakah to communities and schools throughout the United States, Canada and Israel via lectures, programs and his famous Tzedakah Adventure tours.
Arnie is the Israel representative of several Tzedakah funds and guides them in their distribution of money in Israel. For more information: www.draimanconsulting.com or ajdraiman@gmail.com
Max Finder is a leading entrepreneur accelerating the commercialization and adoption of planet-critical technology solutions in water and waste treatment. Living in Tel Aviv and a proud long-time camper at Ramah in New England, Max is impassioned to share his business skills with creative ventures invested in offering immersive experiences to the Jewish community.
Rabbi Dov Ber Cohen, rediscovered his Jewish roots after six remarkable years living in Asia immersed in Eastern philosophy and tradition; drawn to the profound wisdom and insight found in the teachings of the great Jewish Sages throughout the generations. Since then he has continued to travel the world, running programs to help people tap into their personal potential and create their own life journey in an empowered, conscious and joyous way. For more information contact dovber@justifi.org or check out www.dovber.org.
Supporters
Hadar Community Building Grant
Mechon Hadar is an educational institution that empowers Jews to create and sustain vibrant, practicing, egalitarian communities of Torah learning, prayer, and service.
Mechon Hadar is an educational institution that empowers Jews to create and sustain vibrant, practicing, egalitarian communities of Torah learning, prayer, and service.
You! Thank you to our community of donors who continues to support our work and enable us to offer meaningful backcountry experiences to Jewish teens and adults year after year!