DLTI Graduate Weekend: Celebration, Exploration and Reconnection

Feb 9, 2020 - Feb 12, 2020

Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, Falls Village, CT

register now

Many of you have expressed interest in a DLTI Alumni Retreat! We’ve heard you!

We have the opportunity to hold a DLTI Alumni Retreat at Isabella Freedman from Sunday evening, February 9, 2020 to Wednesday morning February 12th – the day that the final winter week of the DLTI 10 cohort begins!

Join all your friends who are grads of DLTI at a great immersion in davvenen leadership labs and intensives, advanced training sessions full of singing, celebrating, sharing, deep exploration, and all the blessings that come of our time together.

Tune-up skills you have worked on and reach for new levels of understanding in prayer, spiritual leadership, and group dynamics. Besides the obvious davvenen’ leading opportunities with coaching, we will also have intensive next-level labs for leadership, spontaneity and skills building, text study, with slots for graduates to teach and offer insights from the field. We’ll celebrate each other’s growth over the years. This gathering builds and strengthens the davvenen’ leaders community that many of you have found so important to your own leadership.

Our Sunday opening gathering will feature a sumptuous Tu B’Shvat feast prepared especially for us by the IF chef!

Bring your open heart, davvenen tales from your post-DLTI adventures, a willingness to risk (even more!) and let’s make the great Davvenen Leadership Training Graduate reunion that so many of you have asked for really soar!

Click here to register.

Arrival and Departure
Check-in is from 3 to 5 pm on Sunday, February 9, followed by Maariv at 5:30 pm and a Festive Tu b’Shvat Seder/Dinner at 6:00 pm. Check-in is located in the Main Building — the big red building in the middle of campus. You must be checked out of your room by 10 am on Wednesday, February 12. The retreat will come to an end with lunch on Wednesday.

Parking
There are two parking lots: one by the main entrance and one by the barnyard on the other end of campus. There is also accessible parking located across from the Main Building. Please do not park on the grass anywhere on campus. Driving directions can be found on our website.

Train Transportation
For those coming from the New York City area, we are conveniently located just half an hour from Wassaic Train Station, the last stop on the Harlem Line of the Metro North. We offer a shuttle service from and to the Wassaic station at the following times:

  • 3:55 pm on Sunday February 9 from Wassaic Train Station to IF
  • 1:15 pm on Wednesday, February 12 from IF to Wassaic Train Station

If you have not already reserved shuttle service during registration, please call (860) 824-5991 ext. 0 at least a week before the start date of the retreat to reserve your spot.

Rideshare
Help to reduce the environmental impact of car trips to and from Isabella Freedman by checking out our carpool initiative!  Upon registering you will receive access to a rideshare board to help connect you with fellow retreat participants. Offering a ride in your car will help reduce carbon emissions, cut down gas costs and make new friends! If you are looking for a ride, adding yourself to the wait list on the right-hand side of the page is the best way to be notified when movements occur.

Kashrut Policy
One of our mashgichim (kosher supervisors) must pre-approve all food items that enter the designated dining spaces. If you plan to supplement our delicious, healthy, farm-to-feast meals, your items must be completely sealed in original packaging. Unapproved food and drinks may be enjoyed anywhere on campus besides our dining spaces.

Packing List
You may want to bring:

  • Personal medications, including over-the-counter
  • Toiletries
  • Flashlight
  • Chargers for electronic devices
  • A water bottle and/or travel mug for use outside of dining spaces
  • Ritual wear
  • Comfortable clothes for yoga
  • Hiking boots or sneakers to enjoy our hiking trails
  • Swimsuit
  • Sunglasses and hat
  • Sunblock
  • A jacket for cool mornings and nights
  • A raincoat
  • Camping gear, including your own tent, sleeping bag, pillow, and towel, if you are camping

We provide:

  • Extra kippot and tallitot, in addition to siddurim
  • Yoga mats, blankets, and blocks
  • Heat and A/C in all guest rooms
  • Linens and towels in all guest rooms
  • Alarm clocks in all guest rooms

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.


We strive to make our retreats affordable to everyone.

We believe retreats are important experiences to be shared. Inclusiveness is one of our core values. We strive to ensure that our retreats are as financially accessible as possible. The Tamar fund makes that aspiration possible. The Tamar Fund is in loving memory of Tamar Bittelman z’’l.

Please be sure to read the application guidelines in the form below