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From Me to We: Collective Responsibility and the Torah of Improv

  • Lehrhaus 425 Washington Street Somerville, MA 02143 USA (map)

Improvisation is more than a performance skill; it’s a practice of observing, connecting, and responding to the world around us. In fact, we all improvise every day as we navigate life’s unexpected twists and turns. In this safe, welcoming, and experiential workshop, we’ll delve into the Jewish value of Kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba’zeh (all Jews are responsible for one another), using the playful and powerful tools of Applied Improv.  

Through engaging exercises and meaningful reflection, we’ll uncover how small, everyday actions ripple outward to shape the collective whole. Together, we’ll practice not only the art of improv but also the Torah of creating a supportive, responsible, and thriving community. This session invites you to embrace creativity, deepen connections, and experience the joy of shared responsibility in action.  

No experience is necessary—just bring your presence, curiosity, and an openness to connect with others in a spirit of collaboration and mutual care.

Carrie Bornstein has dedicated her career to creating a Jewish community that is inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to all. As Principal of Carrie Bornstein Consulting, Carrie helps Jewish organizations align their mission, their values, and their people for success. Through strategic planning, thought partnership and implementation, facilitation, trainings, and workshops, Carrie helps organizations expand their impact, engage their communities, raise more money, and enable their board and staff to lead with with vision and effectiveness.

In her twelve years as CEO of Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh and Education Center, Carrie spearheaded its transition to become a national organization, nearly doubling its budget and staff and engaging communities worldwide.

Carrie has written extensively on inclusiveness, mental health in the Jewish community, and surrogacy. Her essay, “Steel Womb,” was featured in Shelly Oria’s I Know What’s Best for You, published by McSweeney’s in 2022. And if you want to know all about her innards, you can read about her experience serving as a gestational carrier on her blog, “There’s no I in Uterus.” (Get it?!)

A Schusterman Senior Fellow and member of Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ inaugural Chai in the Hub group of the 18 most influential young leaders in Boston, Carrie holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Social Work from Boston University and Skidmore College respectively. She is a graduate of the DeLeT program for Day School Leadership at Brandeis University, and spent a year learning at Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Carrie has trained at ComedySportz Boston, Kismet Improv in Providence, and Second City in Chicago.

Carrie lives in Sharon, MA with her husband, three children, and their assertive Whoodle, Muchacha. She is an aficionado of knitting, Applied Improv, homemade Purim costumes, and all things food (except for doing the dishes).

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January 26

Yiddish Trash: Popular Fiction of the 19th and 20th Century

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January 27

Two Jews, Two Rooms: Relearning the Art of Difficult Conversations