This year’s Columbus Conference for Jewish Women, titled “Mindfulness Through a Jewish Lens”, will take place on Sunday, February 23, 2020 at the Columbus Museum of Art.
Join us for a day full of meaning with a variety of learning opportunities to choose from, with topics that will inspire us, strengthen our Jewish links to each other, address day-to-day practicalities of parenting and relationships, and provide personal health and self-care tips.
When: Sunday, February 23, 2020 from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM (EST)
Where: Columbus Museum of Art, 480 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Admission includes*:
- Continental breakfast
- Two Breakout sessions with multiple options
- Kosher luncheon by Catering by Chani
- Keynote address featuring popular Jewish lecturer and therapist, Chani Juravel
- Dessert reception
Gourmet Lunch and Keynote Address (12 noon)
The Mindful Approach to True Happiness We all crave a life that’s happy but somehow it often eludes us. When we shift our perspective and use a new, mindful approach, we will redefine the meaning of true happiness, making it a goal that’s perpetually realistic and relevant. Presenter: Chani Juravel
Breakout Session 1 (10:10-11:00 am) - Choose One Session
A.Tolerating Others, Tolerating Ourselves: A Model for Relationships in Parenting and Beyond A three step approach to viewing the most important people in our life through the lens of tolerance, learning to appreciate them more deeply and relating to them more meaningfully. This approach can be applied to parenting as well as all other relationships in our lives. You will walk out of this presentation loving yourself and others a whole lot more! Presenter: Chani Juravel
B. Most Likely to “Succeed”- Understanding our Definition of Success
An exploration of the presenter’s twenty-year obsession with feeling externally defined after winning a beauty pageant and being voted the "Most Likely to Succeed" in her High School graduating class of 450 students. Combining Torah wisdom and modern psychology, this session will explore how we can create our own narrative of “Inside/out” self-esteem, rooted in the unique Divine image that we each possess. Presenter: Gevura Davis
C. Vulnerability: The Key to Authentic Connection We enter relationships with high expectations, hoping to find the closeness and connection we crave. How can we develop and hone the skills we need to fulfill those expectations? Hear a Jewish perspective on giving, receiving and vulnerability that can help us reclaim the closeness we seek. Presenter: Tzivi Zuckerman
D. Healthy Habits for the Skin You Are In! Are you interested in enhancing the health of your skin, and wonder which skincare products should be on your shelf? This talk will present healthy skin care habits, with recommendations for the most effective over-the-counter products you should use. Dr. Cotell will also explain how to detect and prevent skin cancer. Attendees will leave with practical and life-saving tips, as well as a goody bag of skincare samples! Presenter: Dr. Stephanie Cotell
Breakout Session 2 (11:05 am-11:55 pm) - Choose One Session
A. Anxiety: Appreciating the Enemy Our world is full of stress and stressors. Learn the Torah’s view on anxiety and anxious thinking, understanding what it can do to us and how to combat it. We can breathe easier once we learn how to control this difficult inclination instead of letting it control us. Presenter: Chani Juravel
B. Feeling Beautiful in a World that Defines it for You All our lives we are bombarded by images, definitions, and messages that we ARE what we LOOK like. This class will explore the Jewish definition of beauty, how to obtain it, and how we can fight the voices of negativity that often plague us. We will share the wisdom you wish you could explain to your younger self and arm you with the tools you need to educate your daughters and sons in redefining their personal self-image. Presenter: Gevura Davis
C. Begging to be Noticed: Yosef’s Journey This session will include an in-depth analysis of Bereishis 37-42. We carefully study Yosef’s life and examine how mindfulness changed its trajectory. The session will focus on Yosef’s growth specifically in his relationship with his brothers, his own successes and the impetus that led to this drastic change in dynamic. (This session is for advanced learners who are comfortable working with a Biblical text.) Presenter: Elana Katz
D. Aromatherapy and Essential Oils — What Are They and What Are Their Uses? Aromatherapy is the enhancement of mind, body, spirit & soul with the use of aromatic, botanical essential oils. Essential oils contain both medicinal and aromatic characteristics, which provide tremendous healing and balancing properties when proper guidelines are followed. Learn about the different essential oils, their healing properties and how to combine them into a unique, individualized oil blend. Find out which way is best for you to absorb this olfactory indulgence. Several oils will be on hand for you to discover. Presenter: Ofra Scherer
Complete Schedule below and Biographical Information about Speakers
Conference Schedule
9:30-10- Registration, Light Breakfast & Welcome
10:10 -11:00- Breakout Session 1
11:05-12:55- Breakout Session 2
12:00-1:15- Lunch and Keynote
1:15-1:30 Dessert and Wrap Up
About our Presenters:
Dr. Stephanie Cotell is a board-certified dermatologist with Northeast Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Center in Gahanna, OH. She graduated Cum Laude from Duke University and attended medical school at Northwestern University, graduating in the Alpha Omega Honor Society. She completed her internship and residency in Dermatology at Northwestern University. Interviewed regularly for her skincare expertise, Dr. Cotell has appeared on Good Day Columbus and her most recent interview was in City Scene Magazine in December 2019. She lectures throughout the country on topics such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, rosacea, acne, and other conditions. Dr. Cotell emphasizes a comprehensive approach to skincare, including skin cancer screening, and counsels patients on how to attain and maintain healthy skin.
Gevura Davis is the Director of Engagement for Aish Chaim, an outreach and engagement initiative serving the greater Philadelphia Jewish community and an affiliate of Aish HaTorah international. A popular international public speaker and teacher, Davis grew up Jewishly unaffiliated; in college, she decided to give Judaism another chance. She discovered there was a lot more than dreidels and bagels and dedicates her life to helping share the beauty, depth, and wisdom of Judaism with anyone she meets. Her humor, down to earth style, and ability to capture life's beauty makes her beloved to a wide range of diverse audiences.
Chani Juravel is a popular lecturer and therapist living in Rockland County, NY. After attending Beth Jacob Teacher’s Seminary in Jerusalem, she earned her undergraduate degree in Brooklyn College. She completed her graduate work in Columbia University Teacher’s College and Fordham University, where she received her LCSW. Chani has had many roles in the world of education since 1983, from teacher to principal to consultant. Currently she treats individuals and couples in her private practice, lectures and trains/consults in communities and schools worldwide and is a columnist for Binah magazine. Her style of combining Torah wisdom with psychological insight makes her lectures and trainings relevant and real.
Elana Katz teaches Tanach at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. She holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Stern College for Women and a Master’s in Jewish Education from Azrieli Graduate School. She is trained in the Ivryion Hebrew Immersion Program from NY and has taught at Columbus Torah Academy, Ramaz School and Yeshivat Noam. She created and developed the Naaseh chumash curriculum. She has been a professional development speaker for Chumash teachers at Fuchs Mizrachi in Cleveland and the Association of Talmud Torah Schools of Chicago. Previously she was the Director of Chabad Hebrew School, New Albany, OH.
Tzivi Zuckerman teaches classes to Jewish women on relationships and Jewish thought. She holds a BA in World History and an MA in Jewish History. Over the past 15 years, she has taught World/Jewish History and Jewish studies in high schools and on the undergraduate level in New York, Jerusalem, Baltimore and Columbus, as well as a range of community classes for women. Tzivi completed an intensive course through Connections: The Jewish Marriage Institute, in which she trained to teach and guide women in the areas of Jewish family life and relationship skills. She enjoys offering fresh perspectives on relatable topics, and helping women feel more connected and more empowered in their relationships.
Ofra Scherer BSc, CNHP, CAHT, RAC, DiHom, RM, Shc is a Certified Natural Health Practitioner, focusing on a Wholistic approach to life. While completing her diploma in Wholistic Health, she also became a Certified Aromatherapy Health Therapist, certified Reflexologist and Reiki Master. She continued her studies to become certified in Nutritional Symptomatology, Shiatsu Health Care, became a Homeopath, plus various other modalities. For over 20 years she has been practicing these modalities both in her home with her family, and in her practice. She believes in Wholistic Health, with its roots in helping the ‘whole’ person; body, mind, spirit and soul.
Hostess Committee: Katie Carroll, Natanielle Cooper, Amy Greenberg, Shari Herszage, Shelly Igdaloff, Jan Kanas, Emily Kandel, Rivky Kapenstein, Ariella Nutis, Aaryn Rubin, Deb Rycus, Leah Savage, Jessica Senser, Shaindy Silverstein, Tzivi Zuckerman