National Havurah Committee

The National Havurah Committee (NHC) is a volunteer-run, nondenominational Jewish organization and network based in the United States and serving participants across North America. It describes itself as "a network of diverse individuals and communities dedicated to Jewish living and learning, community building, and tikkun olam (repairing the world)." Rather than functioning as a denomination or a central congregational body, the NHC provides resources, programming, and connections to grassroots Jewish communities known as havurot, which may be independent or affiliated with various movements or synagogues. The organization's flagship offering is the Summer Institute, a week-long gathering that brings together more than 300 people from a wide range of backgrounds for serious study, prayer, conversation, music, singing, dancing, swimming, meditation, and hiking. The NHC frames its ethos around a participatory model in which "every teacher is also a student and every student is also a teacher," and it emphasizes being nondenominational, multigenerational, egalitarian, and volunteer-run. According to its own materials, the NHC has helped Jews across North America envision a joyful grassroots Judaism for almost 40 years and provides tools to help people create empowered Jewish lives and communities. Its programming includes the Summer Institute, classes taught by community members, artist- and liturgist-in-residence roles, a Kids' Camp, and fellowship programs such as the Zeitler Fellows and Ruth's Jo. The organization also engages in periodic strategic planning; as of the evidence, it was undertaking a 2026–2027 strategic planning process involving a listening phase, an online survey, one-on-one conversations, and online sessions, with the Board expected to finalize a way forward. Governance is provided by a volunteer Board and a series of past Chairs, whose documented terms run from 1980–1981 onward. The NHC is not a commercial enterprise but a nonprofit religious and community organization; it is not publicly listed and has no parent company or owner in the corporate sense.

The National Havurah Committee (NHC) is a North American Jewish organization rooted in the havurah movement, a grassroots approach to Jewish community in which small groups of Jews gather for participatory prayer, study, and mutual support outside or alongside established congregations. The NHC describes itself as a network of diverse individuals and communities dedicated to Jewish living and learning, community building, and tikkun olam (repairing the world), and states that for almost 40 years it has helped Jews across North America envision a joyful grassroots Judaism and provided tools to help people create empowered Jewish lives and communities. The organization's documented leadership history begins with its Chairs. Michael Strassfeld served as Chair in 1980–1981 and again in 1982–1983; Elaine Shizgal Cohen served in 1981–1982; Joe Rosenstein in 1983–1985; Bob Goldenberg in 1985–1987; Mitch Chefitz in 1987–1989; Ruth Goldston in 1989–1991; Herb Levine in 1991–1993; Steve Lewis in 1993–1995; Janet Hollander in 1995–1997; Leonard Gordon in 1997–1999; Solomon Mowshowitz in 1999–2001; Neil Litt in 2001–2003; Mark Frydenberg in 2003–2006; Sherry Israel in 2006–2009; Mark Frydenberg and Neil Litt jointly in 2009–2010; Benjamin Maron and Josh Rosenberg in 2010–2011; David Podell in 2011–2012; Hillel Gray in 2012–2014; Matthew Goldfield in 2014–2016; Joline Price in 2016–2017; Tara Bognar in 2017–2020; Darius Sivin in 2020–2021; and Sue Gulack from 2021 to the present. This continuous record of volunteer chairs reflects the NHC's volunteer-run character. The NHC's flagship program is the Summer Institute, a week-long gathering that brings together more than 300 people from a wide range of backgrounds for serious study, moving prayer, spirited conversation, late-night jam sessions, singing, dancing, swimming, meditation, and hiking. The Institute embodies the participatory ethos that "every teacher is also a student and every student is also a teacher." Over the years the Institute has hosted classes taught by community members, artist- and liturgist-in-residence roles, a Kids' Camp, and fellowship programs including the Zeitler Fellows and Ruth's Jo. Themes have drawn on earlier movement projects; the 2026 theme, Chaverim Kol Yisrael ("may all Israel be friends"), echoes the Chaverim Kol Yisrael siddur created by the Progressive Chavurah of Boston and first shared at Institute more than two decades earlier. The NHC is explicitly nondenominational, multigenerational, egalitarian, and volunteer-run. It is not a denomination: there is no central institution with which havurot affiliate, and the NHC has no formal category of congregational affiliation. Some havurot are affiliated with denominational movements or synagogues, and many are independent. Because the set of havurot is extremely diverse, there is no unifying consensus on the specifics of Jewish belief and practice; havurot are unified instead by a participatory ethos in which everyone has something to teach, something to learn, and a role in creating the community. In the mid-2020s the NHC undertook a strategic planning process for 2026–2027, citing opportunities to refresh its programming and organizational model and to align activities with community priorities and available volunteer capacity and resources. The process began with a listening phase that included a workshop at Institute, an online survey, one-on-one conversations, and forthcoming online sessions, guided by a committee of community leaders and Board members, with the Board expected to finalize a way forward and share the plan with the community, likely in late spring. Dates and location for the 2027 Summer Institute remained to be announced.

• 2021

  Sue Gulack begins serving as Chair (2021–present).

• 2020

  Darius Sivin serves as Chair (2020–2021).

• 2017

  Tara Bognar serves as Chair (2017–2020).

• 2016

  Joline Price serves as Chair (2016–2017).

• 2014

  Matthew Goldfield serves as Chair (2014–2016).

• 2012

  Hillel Gray serves as Chair (2012–2014).

• 2011

  David Podell serves as Chair (2011–2012).

• 2010

  Benjamin Maron and Josh Rosenberg serve as Chairs (2010–2011).

• 2009

  Mark Frydenberg and Neil Litt serve jointly as Chairs (2009–2010).

• 2006

  Sherry Israel serves as Chair (2006–2009).

• 2003

  Mark Frydenberg serves as Chair (2003–2006).

• 2001

  Neil Litt serves as Chair (2001–2003).

• 1999

  Solomon Mowshowitz serves as Chair (1999–2001).

• 1997

  Leonard Gordon serves as Chair (1997–1999).

• 1995

  Janet Hollander serves as Chair (1995–1997).

• 1993

  Steve Lewis serves as Chair (1993–1995).

• 1991

  Herb Levine serves as Chair (1991–1993).

• 1989

  Ruth Goldston serves as Chair (1989–1991).

• 1987

  Mitch Chefitz serves as Chair (1987–1989).

• 1985

  Bob Goldenberg serves as Chair (1985–1987).

• 1983

  Joe Rosenstein serves as Chair (1983–1985).

• 1982

  Michael Strassfeld serves a second term as Chair (1982–1983).

• 1981

  Elaine Shizgal Cohen serves as Chair (1981–1982).

• 1980

  Michael Strassfeld begins term as Chair (1980–1981), the earliest documented in NHC's chair list.

Nondenominational, multigenerational, egalitarian, volunteer-run grassroots Jewish network and resource provider.

• Summer Institute

  Week-long flagship gathering of more than 300 participants for study, prayer, conversation, music, singing, dancing, swimming, meditation, and hiking.

• Community-taught classes

  Classes taught by community members, reflecting the ethos that every teacher is also a student.

• Kids' Camp

  A program at Summer Institute for children; applications to work at Kids' Camp are part of Institute participation.

• Artist-in-Residence and Liturgist-in-Residence

  Residency roles at Summer Institute; applications to serve in these roles are part of Institute participation.

• Zeitler Fellows

  A fellowship program at Summer Institute.

• Ruth's Jo

  A fellowship program at Summer Institute.

1. 1HOME | National Havurah Comhavurah.org
2. 2HISTORY | National Havurah Committeehavurah.org
3. 3ABOUT | National Havurah Comhavurah.org
4. 4About the 2026 Theme | National Havurah Comhavurah.org
5. 5National Havurah Committeewikidata.org