Sacred Facilitators Fellowship

Designed for those who feel called to create, hold, and facilitate sacred space within the Den community.


Building on the Den’s commitment to peer leadership, we’re launching a new leadership cohort where emerging leaders receive rabbinic mentorship, peer support, and access to outside expertise as they learn to lead diverse Jewish learning experiences, guide ritual gatherings, and hold sacred space in community. Fellows develop facilitation and leadership skills in a supportive, spiritually grounded community of peers. This immersive experience combines hands-on leadership opportunities with ongoing guidance and reflection from the Den’s leadership team: rabbis, staff, members of the Den’s Board and Advisory Council, and select area experts who bring professional insight into key areas of training.

What You’ll Receive and What You’ll Do

  • Monthly gatherings (1-2 times per month)
    Sacred Facilitators meet 1-2 times each month for training, reflection, and peer support. Most sessions are in person, with a few virtual gatherings woven in.

  • Rabbinic mentorship and peer leadership support
    Receive personalized guidance from the Den’s rabbi(s), staff, and Board/Advisory Council members, with dedicated time for reflection and leadership development.

  • Hands-on leadership opportunities within the Den community
    Lead or co-lead diverse Jewish learning experiences, ritual gatherings, and sacred space holding, gaining practical experience in real-time community settings.

  • Communities of Practice (CoPs)
    We’ll match you with a small peer group, or Community of Practice (CoP), to support your growth, deepen learning, and offer mutual encouragement. CoPs will meet independently outside of the cohort gatherings to continue discussion, practice, and peer mentorship.

  • Access to curated Jewish texts, leadership frameworks, and spiritual resources
    Including readings, resources, and toolkits that deepen your understanding of leadership and Jewish spiritual guidance.

  • Community of emerging leaders
    Connect with a cohort of peers dedicated to growing as Jewish communal leaders, cultivating a spiritually grounded and relational learning environment.

  • At the successful completion of the Sacred Facilitators Fellowship, you will be awarded a Certificate of Sacred Facilitation and Communal Leadership from the Den Collective in recognition of your commitment to cultivating connection, care, and growth within our community.

Fellowship Requirements

Participation in the Fellowship is a commitment to shared learning, growth, and contribution. Fellows are expected to:

  • Attend all sessions with consistency and active engagement (primarily in person, with a few virtual gatherings)

  • Participate meaningfully in your Community of Practice (CoP) between cohort sessions

  • Lead or co-lead a monthly Den learning experience during the fellowship year

  • Lead at least two Den Shabbat or Holiday gatherings for the community

  • Integrate the teachings, tools, and mentorship from the fellowship into your evolving personal and communal leadership practice

  • Everyone who is officially admitted into the program will be asked to please contribute $360 in order to support the creation of this 8-month cohort experience. If this amount is cost prohibitive for you, please contribute what you are comfortable with. Cost is not a barrier for entry.

Goals and Learning Outcomes

A clear framework for sacred facilitation in contemporary Jewish community, including:

  • Understanding and embodying the role of a leader as both facilitator and spiritual guide

  • Developing skills to design, hold, and facilitate meaningful Jewish learning experiences and rituals

  • Cultivating the capacity to hold sacred space that is inclusive, healing, and empowering

  • Applying Jewish wisdom, texts, and spiritual traditions to leadership practice

  • Growing confidence and resilience through mentorship, peer support, and reflective practice

  • Building a foundation for ongoing leadership within the Den and broader Jewish communal settings

  • Integrating leadership practice with personal spiritual growth and ethical commitment

Transformational Experiences

  • Guided leadership practice with real-time feedback from mentors and peers

  • Deepening relationships within a cohort of emerging communal leaders

  • Participating in Shabbat or holiday leadership practice, incorporating Den values of radical welcoming and authenticity

  • Reflection and refinement of your unique leadership voice and style

  • Embedding Jewish leadership practices, including elements of spiritual listening and ritual facilitation

Community and Support

  • Join a spiritually grounded, peer-led community

  • Ongoing access to Den rabbis, staff, and senior leaders for mentorship and consultation

  • Opportunities to lead and collaborate on Den offerings during and after the fellowship

  • A foundation for lasting relationships that support leadership growth beyond the fellowship

 
 

Key Dates & Timeline

  • August 5 — Applications open via our community email

  • August 20 — Fellowship Applications due

  • August 20–29 — Applications reviewed by Den Staff Team and members of the Innovative Leadership Team (ILT)

  • August 29: All applicants will be notified of their status. If you are selected for an interview, you will meet with Rabbi Aderet and a few members of the ILT for a virtual 45 minute interview. 

  • September 2-19: Interviews will be held for selected applicants

  • September 30: Applicants will be notified of their status, and acceptance emails will be sent out. If you are granted acceptance into the Den’s Sacred Facilitators or Ambassadors Fellowships, you will receive an agreement to sign, affirming your full commitment to the fellowship experience, including attendance at all sessions. We understand that unforeseen circumstances, such as illness or other life events, may occasionally arise, and we ask that you be in touch with us promptly if such situations arise.

Schedule

  • Fellowship sessions begin in October 2025 and continue monthly through May 2026, with a communal celebration in June 2026.

  • Sessions will mostly be held in person in locations throughout the DC Metro Area. We will gather 1-2 times per month, creating a steady rhythm of connection, learning, and growth. We will come together one Tuesday a month, and some months will also include an additional Tuesday evening or a Sunday gathering and/or Shabbat/Holiday experience as a fellowship cohort. 

  • Upon acceptance to the Den’s fellowship, you will receive a full calendar. 

the Den Collective® welcomes the participation of people of all abilities and backgrounds, levels of religiosity, gender identities, and sexual orientations. the Den Collective® fosters inclusive community and strives to accommodate all needs whenever possible.