Beyond Laughter Through Tears

Tisha B'Av and the Power of Jewish Humor

August 7-10, 2008

This course will explore the history of Jewish humor as well as its sources in — and uses to change — tradition. What is the redemptive power of humor in the midst of suffering?

Going beyond stereotypes, participants will delve into the psychological and spiritual dimensions of Jewish humor, as well as its linguistic and textual foundations. The 25th anniversary edition of The Big Book of Jewish Humor will serve as our text.

Teacher

Reb Moshe Waldoks is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Zion, an independent Jewish congregation in Brookline, MA. He is the co-editor of The Big Book of Jewish Humor, now in its 25th anniversary edition. Reb Moshe completed his doctorate in Jewish Intellectual History at Brandeis University and was granted s’micha by Rabbis Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Arthur Green and Everett Gendler.

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Registration Information

The program fee for this retreat is $300. Fees are per person, and do not include the cost of Room and Board (below). We strive to make our programs affordable to everyone. For information about Financial Aid, please see below.

You will receive a confirmation email once you have registered and made a payment online or by phone. If you do not receive this email within 24 hours of registering, please call us at (800) 398-2630 ext. 4.

Room and Board

Our goal is to help you feel at home while on retreat. We provide you with comfortable accommodations in a beautiful, natural setting and three homemade meals prepared each day with your health and well-being in mind.

Room and board rates are per person and include housing, meals and full use of our facility. To calculate the cost of your stay, add the program fee above and your room and board rate below.

We offer a variety of housing accommodations that enable individuals with a wide range of financial capabilities to participate in our programs. All rooms are air-conditioned in the summer, heated in the winter, and simply decorated in a country style without modern multimedia distractions.

Rooms are available as single or double occupancy, with private, shared, or hall bathrooms. If you are coming alone and request a shared room, you will be paired with a roommate of the same gender. Please note, however, that some cabins and shared bathrooms may be co-ed.

For children's rates as well as commuting and tenting options, please see below.

Standard Plus Rooms: Weinberg, May

Standard plus rooms have private bathrooms and are available with either two queen-sized beds or three twin-sized beds.

Standard Plus Rooms	Three Nights
Single Occupancy	825
Double Occupancy	510

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Standard Rooms: Scheuer, Pine, Cedar, Maple, Blue Heron

Standard rooms have either a private bathroom or a bathroom shared with one other room. Most standard rooms have twin-sized beds; queen-sized beds may be available on a limited basis.

Standard Rooms	Three Nights
Single Occupancy with Private Bath	720
Single Occupancy with Shared Bath	585
Double Occupancy with Private Bath	420
Double Occupancy with Shared Bath	345

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Economy Rooms: Elm, Kaufman

Economy rooms have twin-sized beds and a shared bathroom in the hall.

Economy Rooms	Three Nights
Single Occupancy	450
Double Occupancy	270

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Camping

Campers supply their own tents and equipment and have access to bathrooms and showers. Camping fee includes all meals and snacks, use of the facility and its amenities, and participation in any open programming provided, such as meditation, yoga or non-holiday prayer.

Camping Rates	Three Nights
Each Camper	195

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Commuter

The commuter fee includes all meals and snacks, use of the facility and its amenities, and participation in any open programming provided, such as such as meditation, yoga or non-holiday prayer.

Commuter Rates	Three Nights
Each Commuter	165

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Children's Rates

There is no charge for infants and children ages 3 and under. Children ages 4–17 must share a room with at least one parent or guardian. Young adults ages 18 and above must pay the regular rates.

Children's Rates	Three Nights
Each Child	210

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Financial Assistance

One of our core values is that our programs should be accessible to everyone. We provide limited financial aid for Room and Board fees. This financial support is only available for dormitory rooms with hall baths and economy rooms for couples and families. If you would like to request financial support, please complete the Application for Financial Aid. In your request, please consider that we have a limited pool of resources.

All requests must be received at least three weeks prior to the retreat.

Please note that we are not able to make any refunds in order to grant an aid request. If you choose to register prior to being awarded aid, and your remaining balance is less than the aid award, you will forfeit any award in excess of your outstanding balance.

Please support our ability to continue to provide financial aid by making a donation online or by calling 800.398.2630.

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Cancellation Policy

Payments made will be refunded in full (less a $50 processing fee) if you cancel more than 14 days prior to your arrival. If you cancel between 13 days and 72 hours prior to a retreat for which you have registered, a non-refundable, non-transferable credit (less a $50 processing fee) will be held for one year from the date of issue. No credit or refund is available if you cancel within 72 hours of a retreat or on the retreat arrival day, if you do not show up, or if you leave a retreat early for any reason.

Isabella Freedman reserves the right to cancel any program at any time. In the event of such a cancellation, you will receive a complete refund.

Inclement Weather: Isabella Freedman reserves the right to cancel a retreat due to inclement weather if, in its judgment, it will be unable to operate safely. In the event of such a cancellation, a full refund will be made to all registrants. In the event that the retreat proceeds as scheduled, no refund or credit will be available.

Shuttle and Transportation Fees: A full transportation refund is available if you cancel a transportation reservation at least 3 days (72 hours) in advance. No refund is available if less than 3 days notice is given.

Training Institutes: If you are participating in a two-year training institute and you miss or cancel one of the weeklong retreat sessions, your room and board fee will be refunded according to the policy above, but the program fee for a missed or cancelled retreat session is still due. Withdrawal is permitted only after the first retreat session. If you withdraw from a training institute after the first retreat session, or if you are asked by faculty to leave the institute, you will receive a full refund on your program fee for any remaining pre-paid retreats.

Travel Insurance: We recommend you contact your travel agent to purchase travel insurance in the event that you need to cancel or change your travel plans.

Exceptions: Exceptions to these policies may be available in the event of severe weather emergencies or the death of a close family member. To request a non-transferable credit for one of these reasons, please submit a written request to registrar@isabellafreedman.org no more than three days after the start of the event.