Welcome To Hevria: The Home For Creative Jews

What Is Hevria?

Combine the Hebrew words “hevre” (חברה: “group of friends”) and “bria” (בריה: “creation”), and you know what Hevria is.

Hevria is a home.  It is a community.  It is a space.  All of these things, and more, for the creative Jewish people of the world.

We create this home in our publication. We create it in our online community. And we create it in the real world.

And so, if you’re a creative Jew, just know: you are welcome here. Because this is your home. And we are so excited to welcome you.

Why Do We Exist?

While most people view creativity and community as separate, it is our deeply held philosophy that the two are inseparable.

While there is a pervasive myth of creatives as loners, the truth is that such people wilt without communal support. That is why some of the greatest artists in history were part of larger communities. Bob Dylan was part of the Greenwich Village scene, Keats was one of many famous Romantic poets, and without the community of Impressionists to support him, we may have never heard of Monet.

In other words, there is no such thing as a flourishing, healthy creative person without a creative community.

Sadly, while the Jewish world is bursting at the seams with creative people, it has not yet built the foundation for a truly creative home for them.

And that is why we exist.

What Do We Do? 

Online

Our online work is the soul of our community. Before we did anything else, we created together on a simple blog. And from there, our community has grown. But always, our online work will be where it starts and how it grows.

The place where it all started: our magazine.

Check out our videos, for everything from music videos to our documentary series, Bat Ayin.

Our podcast, HevriaCast, where Elad interviews artists and creatives making waves in the Jewish world.

Check out our sister site devoted to anonymous Jewish writing, Neshamas. Be warned: the writing here is raw and often triggering.

In Person

You can partake in our in-person events and activities if you’re anywhere by a Hevria House. Our main location is in Brooklyn, but we are growing every day, so make sure to check this site for more updates!

Creative Farbrengens

Creative farbrengens are the core of our in person work. A combination of an open mic and an uplifting Hasidic meal, creative farbrengens are about one thing: turning creativity into community.

Variety Shows

Our variety shows are where we showcase all the incredible talent in the Jewish community. Everybody from a Hasidic bagpipe player to a ventriloquist to a vaudevillian magician have performed at these off-kilter, crazy events.

Classes

From a woman’s figure drawing class to a writing class about fear to a class about using synesthesia to awaken our creativity, each one of our classes is an opportunity for participants to tap into their creative spirituality in an authentic, honest way.

Retreats

And our retreats are where all of these elements come together. Intensive and powerful, the goal of these retreats is to expose our community members to their creative souls in ways they’ve never experienced before. Stay tuned for announcements about upcoming retreats.