Congregation Ruach haMaqom
'Spirit of the Place'
Ruach haMaqom provides opportunity for diverse faith traditions to come together in loving community and become a beacon for the healing of our world.
Ruach haMaqom is the first Jewish Renewal congregation in Vermont. Jewish Renewal is a post-denominational form of Judaism that emerged in America in the 1960’s. Renewal combines the joy of traditional Hasidism, the open-mindedness and creativity of the Havurah movement, the socially progressive values of egalitarianism, and the inter-faith dialogue that is the model for contemporary spirituality.
While channeling an ancient past, Congregation Ruach haMaqom forges the future of an engaged Judaism. In this time of transition, we are counting on an engaged community to help make the future of Ruach a reality! Read on to see how that’s happening. If you feel drawn to pitch in, please be in touch.
Ruach HaMaqom Transition Teams
The Shammes Team tends to all the physical aspects of making services happen, including getting in and out of the UU Church, setting up and cleaning up the ritual space and potluck, and general physical site coordination.
The Torah/Tefillah Team assists with the 'meaning' aspect of RhM's weekly emails and collaborative services—at times composing words of Torah to share for both, and also enabling other community members to share their Torah. Additionally, they coordinate prayer leadership for our collaborative services.
The Olam Team will provide leadership for the ongoing visioning process for the community. As primary contact-points with Rabbis David and Lee, this group will help plan the community's events in the short-term and guide its evolution in the longer-term.
Interested in getting more involved? Send us a note!
Rebecca Mack, Operations Support Assistant
Ruach haMaqom welcomes our new Operations Support Assistant, Rebecca! Rebecca Mack (she/they) will be helping our communications to run smoothly. Rebecca is a composer, teacher and vocalist. You may recognize them from musically supporting Rabbi Jan in High Holidays Services since 2017. Rebecca attended Burlington area schools 1st-12th grade and studied further at Fordham University (Bronx) and UVM. They worked as a farmhand in the Intervale, a licensed hospice and palliative care LNA at Vermont Respite House, and a teaching artist at many area schools including early education sites, afterschool programs and Burlington High School. She has been a performing musician in choral groups and brass bands in Burlington. They currently compose music, direct the acapella group Amerykanka, tune pianos, teach private vocal lessons and sometimes make stop-motion animations. She has been teaching arts classes for folks of various ages and disabilites with Inclusive Arts VT for the past nine years, including trainings in disability awareness and inclusion. Inclusive communication is one of their passions! You can find more about her artistic work at her website https://rebeccamackmusic.com/
R. Jan Salzman, Founder and Rabbi Emerita
Rabbi Jan Salzman was ordained in 2010 by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. In 2016, she created Ruach haMaqom, the first Jewish Renewal congregation in Vermont. Previously, she served as the Assistant Rabbi and Cantor for 6 years at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington, Vermont. She was blessed to have been a student of Reb Zalman. Rabbi Jan is past-President of OHALAH, an international professional Association of Renewal Rabbis, Cantors and Rabbinic Pastors. She has served on the board of Living Tree Alliance located in Moretown Vt. She has lived in Vermont for over 35 years, is married to her "rebbitzmon", Loredo Sola, and has two grown children and 2 grandchildren.
You can follow Rabbi Jan’s writings on her substack account.