Sabbatical @ the Cabin Kodesh / Cabin of Holiness
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Table of Contents
About this Retreat Offering
About the Area
About your Host
Inaugural Season
Dates Available
Facilities
Food
Transportation
Communication & Interaction with Host
Covid-19 Protocol
Accessibility
Cost
Cancellation Policy
Application
Disclaimer
About this Retreat Offering
I am offering one-week solo retreats for queer and trans Jews at the Cabin Kodesh*, located in the Hudson River Valley region of New York throughout the spring and summer of 5783 / 2023.
What you do with your time here is completely up to you. I will provide you with the accommodations and can guide you to places to go to be in the woods, near/in water, on farms, and more, with the relationships I’ve created over the past 10 years in service of you meeting this region with joy and connection.
*The word ‘kodesh’ in Hebrew is translated to mean holiness, as well as separate, set aside, sacred. In the way Shabbat is set apart from the other six days of the week, the Cabin Kodesh is set apart as a special place to have a different experience from the other days and weeks of the year.
Inaugural Season
Inaugural Season: Nisan – Av 5783 / April – August 2023
The Cabin Kodesh will be open to host folks one week a month, with stays beginning on a Friday (including an optional shabbat dinner) and ending on a Thursday. Arrive Friday between 12-5pm, and depart on Thursday by 1pm. The cabin is located in Germantown, New York.
Dates available*:
– April – 14-20 or April 21-27
– May – 5-11 or May 12-18
– June – 16-22
– July – 7-13 or July 14-20
– August – 4-10 or August 11-17
*If you want to stay for less time within the outlined window of dates, you are welcome to. Please just let me know when you are submitting the application.
About the Area
The Cabin Kodesh is located in Germantown, NY, a semi-rural area about 2 hours north of NYC. People living in this town and the general area constitute a range of class backgrounds, from poor and working class to owning and ruling class, many of whom live side by side. Racially this area is predominantly white with BIPOC centered primarily within various towns. This cabin rests on unceded Mahican lands.
About your Host
The vision for this offering was borne out of living for the last ten years in a rural area as a queer Jew and wrestling with the isolation that holding those identities in this place can bring. At the same time, living rurally has predominantly supported my own journey through chronic illness and in building a deeper relationship to land as a first generation person on this continent since my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents all emigrated to the US in 1980 from the former Soviet Union (Ukraine). I’d like to share the nourishment that this place has brought me with others while inviting in diasporic Jewish community.
Your host is Aravah, a single, 36 year old, chronically ill, queer post-soviet Jew. I have been living in this area for the last decade and in my current home for the past six years. I founded and run a small local non-profit organization called Long Table Harvest. I am an artist and craftsperson, and have been making functional art and objects for over 20 years. I enjoy and produce work in a range of mediums including sewing, embroidery, weaving, woodworking, construction, ceramics and more. I have recently begun (4 years ago) a process of adult Jewish learning having come from an immediate family who was denied religious observance in the Soviet Union. Growing up assimilated, it wasn’t until much later in life that I was in a place to explore my Jewish heritage and begin piecing together my own education. It is a lifelong journey that I will be on, and my creative work as a Judaica artist brings me in deep relationship with Jewish learning and practice. You can learn more about my work via my website and on Instagram.
Facilities
The off-grid cabin where you will stay is a structure I built myself. It is a single room, approximately 10’ x 12’ and has the following specifications and amenities.
Indoors:
– There are three steps to get into the cabin
– Full-sized bed with 2 down pillows and cotton bedding washed in unscented detergent, and wool blankets
– Table approximately 3’ x 2’
– One chair
– Shelving with hangers
– Two gallon jug of drinking water
– Two solar powered lights with three brightness settings
– One usb charger for cell phone (bring your own charger with USB port)
– There is internet access that works for streaming and surfing the web, but the strength of internet for video calls is not reliable
– Wood stove (not in use for spring and summer)
– The cabin is located approximately 100 feet from my house in the backyard.
– There are neighbors’ houses visible on two sides of the property but they are fairly quiet and keep to themselves.
Outdoors:
– Outdoor kitchen attached to cabin – there is one step to access the kitchen
– Two burner propane stove
– Basic cooking supplies (teapot, skillet and pot)
– Plates, cups, utensils
– A small variety of pantry staples
– Two gallon jug for water with access to a hose for refilling
– Shelving
– Counter space and cutting board
– Mini fridge(includes small freezer)
– Two chairs
– Outdoor shower with hot water
– Outhouse (pit toilet) with toilet paper and hand sanitizer – there are five steps to access the outhouse
– Insects are present given that the cabin is sited in the rural area. Ticks, ants, mosquitoes, and stinging insects may be present. Checking for ticks everyday is highly encouraged. I do my best to keep the pathways mown and if you stick to them, you will have less of a chance of encountering ticks but they are unavoidable. I can recommend various ways to protect against them.
Banya
There is a wood-fired banya (sauna) on-site that I built that can be used with prior arrangement for a small fee for wood.
Shabbat Dinner
I am excited to offer a Shabbat dinner on Friday evening that I will prepare as a way to orient you to this area, connect with each other, and learn a bit more about your vision for your time here. This is completely optional and if you choose to participate, I would ask you to register for a OneTable event that I will create, and tell me at least one week in advance your food restrictions.
Groceries and Restaurants
There is a small market about a 5 minute drive away for basic groceries (prices are on the high end but can be okay for small shopping trips). Other grocery stores include Rolling Grocer 19, Kaaterskill Market and Price Chopper in Hudson, Hannaford Supermarket in Livingston and another Kaaterskill Market and Price Chopper in Catskill. Coffee and sandwiches can be purchased at Ottos in Germantown, and numerous locations in Hudson and Catskill. Restaurants in the immediate area include Valley Harvest and Gaskins. There are many more in the surrounding towns.
*You are responsible for providing your own food for the duration of your stay. I will offer very basic pantry staples including: salt, pepper, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.
** All food should be stored in plastic storage bins provided to not attract animals. This is essential.**
Transportation
People attending are *strongly encouraged* to have a vehicle as there are no amenities within walking distance. If not you do not have a vehicle but would still like to apply to attend a retreat, please reach out before applying to discuss what may be possible – aravah.berman.mirkin(at)gmail(dot)com.
Communication & Interaction with Host
Upon your arrival I will meet with you to orient you to the property and go over the details of the cabin as well as answer any questions you have. After our initial meeting and optional Shabbat dinner, I can be available via text throughout your stay to answer any questions but will respect your privacy and I would ask that that is reciprocated. I am not a retreat center or any kind of establishment, just a person offering up a place to stay for my extended network.
Covid-19 Protocol
It is possible to have zero indoor contact with your host. Shabbat dinner can be hosted outside on my screened porch or inside based on your needs. Your host is fully vaccinated with one bivalent booster.
Accessibility
The location of the Cabin Kodesh is set back about 100 feet from the driveway and my house, and requires walking over grass to get to. Entering the cabin requires three steps. Outdoor kitchen access requires one step. The outhouse is set back another 30 feet from the cabin and has five steps to get into.
This is a semi-secluded area, meaning there are neighbors on two sides of the property, and I also live and work here as well. That means that while you will have access to your own private space, you will inevitably see other people, including myself.
Cost
For Friday-Thursday stay (six nights), cost is $360-$1,800 sliding scale based on your own assessment. You can reference this guide if you have questions on what you should pay. Paying more, if you are able, allows for lower cost stays to be made possible. 7% from each retreat will be donated to the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel within one month’s notice, you will receive a full refund. If you cancel with less than a month’s notice, you will receive a 50% refund.
Application
Applications open up Feb 1st and close June 1st or until all dates are booked. Applicants are selected on a rolling basis and will be given their first date preference available. Within two weeks of submitting your application, I will follow up to schedule a call to go over questions and any outstanding details. You will then hear back from me within one week of our call as to whether you can stay for the 5783 / 2023 season. Once confirmed, you will be asked to make the payment in full via Venmo, Paypal or check to reserve your stay. *It is essential that applicants are excited to stay in a semi-rural area, in an off-grid cabin, with limited access to amenities.*
Disclaimer
This is a new project I am embarking on and have done my best to think through all pertinent details and information. I have over 15 years of experience running non-profit organizations, event planning and execution, as well as administration, which means I am very good at details. I also recognize that I will have inevitably missed things which will reveal themselves only through the process of trial and error. I live with chronic illness and will do my best to support you within my capacity and I am hopeful for understanding on your end if anything unexpected is to come up.