Awakening the Divine

Rav James leads and directs the vision of Or HaLev. Ordained by Rav Daniel Landes, with a doctorate in Jewish Studies from the University of Chicago, he has been studying and teaching meditation and Jewish spirituality for over twenty five years. He was the founding Rosh Yeshiva of Romemu Yeshiva and has taught and innovated programs in Jewish thought, mysticism, spiritual practices and meditation at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Haifa University, Yeshivat Hadar and in a variety of settings around the world. He strives to integrate his study with his practice, and to help teach and live Judaism as a spiritual discipline.

Mira is a Paris-born scholar and teacher of Torah and Meditation. She earned a Ph.D. in Sociology of Religion at Ecole de Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris (EHESS) and received Orthodox Smicha ordination from Rabbi Daniel Sperber for Beit Midrash Har’El in Jerusalem. Mira is a certified Jewish Educator (Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies), a certified Jewish Mindfulness Teacher with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS), a certified Vinyasa Yoga teacher (Sira Yoga RYT 200), and a certified Mindfulness Meditation Instructor (Mindfulness Training Institute). She is passionate about sharing the treasures of the Jewish wisdom tradition as a path of life.

Rabbi Jordan is a Senior Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS) and is part of the clergy team at Beth David Synagogue in Toronto. Jordan is a teacher of Jewish mindfulness and text and has spent years leading retreats and immersive experiences for adults in various settings through the IJS, National Ramah Commission and Orot. A former Director of Camp Ramah in Canada, Jordan directed IJS’s Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training and taught meditation to rabbis and cantors. Jordan is a recipient of the 2014 Covenant Foundation Pomegranate Prize. He and his wife Yael live in Toronto and are the proud and grateful parents of three.

Shira is a teacher, facilitator, and learning strategist. She is the founder of Summit Impact and co-founder of Up & Up Creative, where she designs programs that increase our capacity for complexity and compassion, honesty and action. Shira studied social neuroscience and adult learning in the Harvard Mind, Brain, and Education masters program and completed the Institute for Jewish Spirituality's mindfulness and meditation teacher training program. She currently teaches meditation on retreats, at conferences and gatherings, and through online courses. 

Kohenet Shamirah is a Brooklyn-based Jewish educator, artist, activist, healer, and poet. She teaches, writes, and consults on issues related to Kabbalistic dreamwork, earth-based spiritual practices, mindfulness, and farming. Sarah has a Certificate in Jewish Mindfulness from the institute for Jewish spirituality, is an advanced student of Kabbalistic dream work and imagery with Dr. Cathering Shainberg at The School of Images and studying advanced Hasidut with Dr. Eitan Fishbane. As the CEO of Shamir Collective, she coaches high-profile and emergent artists, musicians and authors to weave portals for the next stage of creativity.