Pardes Hannah

Pardes Hannah is the Jewish Renewal Community of Ann Arbor in Affiliation with ALEPH: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal

In the tradition of Jewish Renewal communities, Pardes Hannah is committed to strengthening the three pillars of Jewish life-prayer, study, and action. The goals of Jewish Renewal are to empower individuals to respond to the call of Torah and to provide the resources that assist individuals and communities in the search for a meaningful, Jewish spiritual practice. Jewish Renewal draws on Jewish tradition, sacred text, mysticism, culture, history, modern life experience and our own inner truths.

ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal, serves as the international umbrella organization and supports a network of over 50 Renewal communities throughout the world. It conducts retreats, offers rabbinic programs for rabbis, cantors, and chaplains, supports social justice initiatives, and provides leadership programs for young adults. The “grandfather” of Jewish Renewal is Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi who was ordained in the Lubavitch yeshiva and received his PhD from the Reform Hebrew Union College in Cinicinnati. Reb Zalman held the Chair in World Religions at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.  Please see our blog for an article honoring Reb Zalman.