National Jewish Retreat 2026

National Jewish Retreat 2026

Schedule is tentative and subject to change.

7:00pm EDT

Registration TBA Grab and Go Dinner Tea Room

7:30am EDT

Shacharit Ivanka

8:00am EDT

Breakfast Grand Ballroom

9:15am EDT

Together Again: The Relationships That Make or Break Our Lives White & Gold 1Rabbi Dovid M. Cohen Way More Than Waymo: The Ethics of Programming—Who Lives and Who Dies IvankaRabbi Yechiel Krisch When the Rebbe Challenged Me: Personal Encounters That Changed the Way I Live CrystalRabbi Dovid Eliezrie

10:20am EDT

Building a World through Kindness: Rebuilding a Fractured World—One Act at a Time CrystalRabbi Moshe Bryski Halachah in the Hot Seat White & Gold 2Rabbi Yosef Marlow I Lived in a Drug Rehab for Five Years: How I Built Successful Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Facilities, and What I Learned about Recovery White & Gold 1Rabbi David Nesenoff A Journey Back: VR Experience Roundtable Room Trust and Your Gut: How Faith, Stress, and Health Are More Connected Than You Think IvankaRabbi Manis Friedman

11:25am EDT

Order Confirmed. Gratitude Pending. Why Demanding More Is Short-Circuiting Your Miracles White & Gold 1Mrs. Charlene Aminoff The Forgiveness Experiment: What Would Your Life Look Like If You Let It All Go? CrystalRabbi Yisroel Bernath Unwrapping Your Legacy: What Halachah Really Says about Your Will White & Gold 2Rabbi Moshe Lieberman Where Is G-d When It Hurts? The Hardest Question in Judaism IvankaRabbi Yitzchak Schochet Beis Medrash: Decoding Tanya: The Inner Battle (Likutei Amarim) MajesticRabbi Naftali Silberberg

12:30pm EDT

Lunch Grand Ballroom

2:00pm EDT

A WILD Jewish Love Story: A Chinese Movie Star and a Puerto Rican Wall Street Woman CrystalMrs. Yael Trusch • Mr. Matt Trusch Fanatics and False Messiahs: The Scandal That Fractured the Jewish World White & Gold 2Rabbi Mendel Krasnjanski The Greatest Story of All Time White & Gold 1Rabbi Shmuel Reichman Future-Proofing the Jew: Halachah in the Age of AI, Space Travel, and Lab-Grown Meat IvankaRabbi Dovid M. Cohen • Rabbi Yechiel Krisch • Rabbi Moshe Lieberman • Rabbi Yosef Marlow • Rabbi Naftali Silberberg The Great Cook-Off and Kosher Meat Expo: Watch a Master Kosher Chef in Action MajesticChef. Yos Shwartz

3:10pm EDT

Blackout: Developing Your Spiritual Night Vision White & Gold 1Mrs. Charlene Aminoff Has Religion Been Good for the World? The Case For—and Against—Faith CrystalRabbi Manis Friedman How You Say It Matters: The Secrets to Being an Outstanding Speaker White & Gold 2Rabbi David Nesenoff My Grandfather: A Nazi? How I Discovered My Grandfather Was a War Criminal. IvankaMrs. Silvia Foti Beis Medrash: Should I Sin for Someone Else's Sake? Roundtable RoomRabbi Mendel Krasnjanski

4:20pm EDT

Becoming a Mother Without a Womb: How Raw Faith Rewrote My Story CrystalMrs. Ariella Kamen Broken Strings, Beautiful Music: Finding Strength, Purpose, and Song, Even When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned White & Gold 1Rabbi Moshe Bryski Holy Intimacy: The Transformative Power of Mikvah White & Gold 2Mrs. Rivkah Slonim Somatics, Souls, and Psychedelics: Can Therapy Replace Chasidus? IvankaRabbi Yechiel Krisch Speaker Meet-Up: Your Chance to Go Beyond the Talk Roundtable RoomRabbi Yisroel Bernath • Rabbi Manis Friedman

5:15pm EDT

5:30pm EDT

Dinner Grand BallroomMrs. Rivkah Slonim

8:00pm EDT

Point Taken: Where Every Parable has a Point, Every Source Scores, and Every Second Counts IvankaMrs. Yael Trusch • Rabbi Yechiel Krisch • Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet • Rabbi Naftali Silberberg

9:15pm EDT

9:30pm EDT

Viennese Table Ivanka Foyer

9:45pm EDT

Film Screening: The True Story of the Jew Who Dared to Challenge Henry Ford IvankaMs. Gaylen Ross Undaunted: From Czars, Communists, and Nazis to a Modern Jewish Renaissance White & Gold 2Rabbi Yechiel Krisch • Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie

7:00am EDT

Soul Talk: A Guided Chasidic Meditation Session White & Gold 1Rabbi Yisroel Bernath Soulstir: Experience the Sefirot through Dance StudioMrs. Chavie Epstein

7:30am EDT

Shacharit Ivanka Shacharit: Beginners' Prayer Workshop for Women White & Gold 2Mrs. Aliza Scheinfeld Shacharit: Beginners' Service for Men White & Gold 1Rabbi Avrohom Brashevitzky

8:00am EDT

Breakfast Grand Ballroom

9:15am EDT

Breaking the Overthinking Habit: How to Let Go of Fear and Live with Trust White & Gold 1Mrs. Sarah Pachter Do All Dogs Go to Heaven? Do Animals Have Souls? And What Makes Humans Unique? IvankaRabbi Yechiel Krisch I Didn't Ask to Be Born CrystalRabbi Manis Friedman Stalin Couldn’t Break Him, Hitler Couldn’t Crush Him: The Rebbe’s Blueprint for Defeating Antisemitism White & Gold 2Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie Beis Medrash: Decoding Tanya: Seeing One Reality (Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah) MajesticRabbi Naftali Silberberg

10:20am EDT

G-d: The Original They/Them: Because the Creator of the Universe Doesn't Fit in Your Box CrystalMrs. Rivkah Slonim The Legacy Letter: What Future Generations Will Thank You For White & Gold 2Rabbi Moshe Bryski Uniting Nations: Building Bridges and the Dream of Middle East Peace IvankaMrs. Pamela Dubin • Mr. Lyon Roth • Rabbi Yosef Vogel • Mr. Roi Abecassis • Mr. Yitz Applbaum • Mr. Joseph Sabag A Journey Back: VR Experience Roundtable Room Chocolate Making: Pour, Shape, and Mold Your Own Chocolate Delight MajesticMiami Beach Chocolates The Rabbis Who Predicted Uterus Transplants: How a Forgotten Rabbinic Debate Became Medical Reality White & Gold 1Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman

11:25am EDT

From Conservative Rabbi to Chabad: From Guitars on the Bimah to Black Hats on Shabbos White & Gold 2Rabbi David Nesenoff JoyWorks: Jewish Wisdom for a Happy Life IvankaRabbi Yitzchak Schochet The Secret Language of the Talmud: Why the Talmud Interrupts Jewish Law with Strange Tales White & Gold 1Rabbi Naftali Silberberg Three Minutes Underwater: The Miracle That Changed Our Family Forever CrystalMrs. Yael Trusch • Mrs. Charlene Aminoff Unexpected Gifts of an Unexpected Journey: When Life's Detours Become Its Greatest Gifts MajesticRabbi Dovid M. Cohen

12:30pm EDT

Lunch Grand Ballroom

2:00pm EDT

OnStage: Ideas Worth Sharing IvankaMr. Matt Trusch • Rabbi Yechiel Krisch • Mrs. Charlene Aminoff • Rabbi Dr. Nachi Felt • Mr. Josh Goldhirsch • Mrs. Terri Klein • Mrs. Sarah Pachter • Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet • Mrs. Yael Trusch

3:10pm EDT

Pulsating MatriarX - The Rachel and Leah Energies That Shape the Jewish Soul White & Gold 2Mrs. Rivkah Slonim What do Jews Really Think About Non-Jews: The Rebbe's Vision For All Humankind CrystalRabbi Yosef Vogel • Rabbi Manis Friedman Your Attention IS You: How to Control Your Mind Before it Controls You White & Gold 1Rabbi Dr. Nachi Felt Israel on Trial When the Slogans are Louder Than the Facts, Evidence Becomes a Moral Imperative IvankaRabbi Dovid M. Cohen • Hon. Roy K. Altman Beis Medrash: Can a Soldier Who Killed a Terrorist Give the Priestly Blessing? Roundtable RoomRabbi Mendel Krasnjanski Don't Just Wine! The Very Best of Kosher Wine, with Wine Columnist and Collector Yitz Applbaum. MajesticMr. Yitz Applbaum

4:20pm EDT

Beat Swords into Plowshares: From Vision to Victory White & Gold 2Rabbi Simon Jacobson G-d, Where Were You? A Journey through Tragedy, Protest, and Unshakable Faith CrystalRabbi Moshe Bryski If a Machine Could Carry Your Pregnancy . . . Should It? Ectogenesis and the Artificial Womb in Jewish Law White & Gold 1Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman The Great Talmudic Debate: Who Has the Authority to Interpret G-d's Word? MajesticRabbi Chaim Block Between America and Its Jews: Much More Than 250 Years of History IvankaMrs. Yael Trusch • Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman • Dr. Henry Abramson

5:15pm EDT

5:30pm EDT

Dinner Grand Ballroom

8:00pm EDT

The Story Behind The Song: Chaim Zippel and The Rafi Grady Band Ivanka

9:30pm EDT

Maariv Grand Ballroom

9:45pm EDT

Viennese Table Ivanka Foyer Film Screening: Among Neighbors White & Gold 2

7:00am EDT

Start the Day with Tanya White & Gold 1 Soulstir: Experience the Sefirot through Dance StudioMrs. Chavie Epstein

7:30am EDT

Shacharit Ivanka Shacharit: Beginners’ Prayer Workshop for Women White & Gold 2Mrs. Aliza Scheinfeld Shacharit: Beginners’ Service for Men White & Gold 1Rabbi Avrohom Brashevitzky

8:00am EDT

Breakfast Grand Ballroom

9:15am EDT

Antiques Roadshow, Jewish Medicine Edition: Stories, Secrets, and Surprising Artifacts from Our Medical Past CrystalRabbi Dr. Edward Reichman How Chasidus Changed My Life White & Gold 1Mr. Josh Goldhirsch Spirituality Deficiency Syndrome: The Quiet Crisis in the Jewish Soul—And How to Fix It White & Gold 2Rabbi Moshe Bryski The Khazars and the Jews: The True Story behind the Modern Myths IvankaDr. Henry Abramson Beis Medrash: Decoding Tanya: The Journey Back (Iggeres HaTeshuvah) MajesticRabbi Naftali Silberberg Challah Bake Grand BallroomMrs. Charlene Aminoff

10:20am EDT

Why Pray? Uncovering the Mystery and Meaning of Jewish Prayer Roundtable RoomRabbi Shmuel Kaplan A Lovable, Vulnerable G-d: The Surprising Jewish Understanding of the Divine White & Gold 2Rabbi Manis Friedman Does Religion Produce Monsters? Faith, Fanaticism, and the Fine Line In-Between IvankaRabbi Simon Jacobson Hacking the Human Mind: Brain Chips, AI, and the Future of Free Will CrystalRabbi Yechiel Krisch Holding On Without Holding Tight: Bitachon, Anxiety, and the Art of Letting Go White & Gold 1Mrs. Stephanie Abrahami Meditative Painting: A Process to Access Your True Self MajesticMrs Sara Schwartz

11:25am EDT

Anchored: Finding the Foundation That Holds You—In the Storm and in the Stillness White & Gold 1Mrs. Terri Klein Do Jews Belong on the Temple Mount? Understanding the Halachah and History Behind the Question White & Gold 2Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman Gratitude Is an Attitude: The Life-Changing Power of Appreciation CrystalRabbi Yitzchak Schochet Pulsating MatriarX: Part 2 Living the Rachel and Leah Paradigm MajesticMrs. Rivkah Slonim Why I Won't Let Darkness Win: How to Keep Living When Your Heart Keeps Breaking IvankaMrs. Orit Mark Ettinger

12:30pm EDT

Lunch Grand Ballroom

2:00pm EDT

Libel: When One Life Is Demanded to Save Many Ivanka

3:05pm EDT

How I Went from PLO Sympathizer to Pro-Israel Advocate White & Gold 2Mrs. Molly Resnick Jews, Meet History: We've Been Here Before CrystalDr. Henry Abramson Will the Real Leader Please Stand Up? Who Really Shapes the World—and Why? White & Gold 1Rabbi Moshe Krasnanski AI vs. the Rabbis: The Classic Crossfire. Rewired. IvankaRabbi David Nesenoff • Rabbi Manis Friedman • Rabbi Simon Jacobson • Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet Jewish Medical Roundtable for Health Care Professionals Roundtable RoomRabbi Dr. Edward Reichman Becoming a Leader: 90-Minute Talmud Session MajesticDr. Stephen Serbin

4:15pm EDT

Pre-Shabbat Reception Tea Room A Journey Back - VR Experience Roundtable Room

6:30pm EDT

Minchah Ivanka Candle Lighting FoyerMrs. Shaindy Jacobson

6:45pm EDT

Shabbat: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth IvankaRabbi Simon Jacobson

7:00pm EDT

Kabbalat Shabbat IvankaRabbi Zalman Katz

8:00pm EDT

Seudat Shabbat Grand BallroomRabbi Moshe Bryski

8:00am EDT

Breakfast Grand Ballroom

8:30am EDT

A Chasidic Anxiety Antidote White & Gold 1Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman

9:45am EDT

Shacharit IvankaRabbi Zalman Katz Shacharit: Beginners’ Prayer Workshop for Women White & Gold 2Mrs. Aliza Scheinfeld

11:00am EDT

Re’eh: When Every Choice Becomes Destiny White & Gold 2Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie Shacharit: Beginners’ Service White & Gold 1Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel

12:30pm EDT

Shabbat Lunch Grand BallroomRabbi Yitzchak Schochet

3:00pm EDT

Before I Was Me: Reincarnation, Past Lives, and the Secret of the Soul Before Birth IvankaRabbi Yechiel Krisch Judaism's First Female To Appear In Print: Rivka Tiktiner's Seven-Branched Vision for the Jewish Future CrystalDr. Henry Abramson Resurrecting Mammoths and Reading Minds: The 2026 Jewish Medical Ethics Update White & Gold 1Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman What Does Antisemitism Have to Do with the Jews? MajesticRabbi Moshe Krasnanski

4:00pm EDT

4:30pm EDT

Farbrengen! A Traditional Chasidic Repast for Mind, Heart, and Soul (for Men) White & Gold 2Rabbi Manis Friedman • Rabbi Simon Jacobson Farbrengen! A Traditional Chasidic Repast for Mind, Heart, and Soul (for Women) White & Gold 1Mrs. Shaindy Jacobson • Mrs. Yael Trusch • Mrs. Rivkah Slonim • Ms. Priva Schlanger

6:15pm EDT

Seudah Shelishit Grand Ballroom

7:45pm EDT

Beyond Jewish Survival: A Jewish Revival From Defense to Destiny CrystalRabbi Moshe Bryski Building Bridges, Not Broiges: The Jewish Art of Letting Go of Grudges IvankaRabbi Yitzchak Schochet Holy Desire: The Psychology of Love, Attraction, and Sacred Intimacy (Couples Only) MajesticRabbi Dr. Nachi Felt The Surprising Questions Asked by America's First Jews: Inside America's Earliest Halachic Correspondence White & Gold 1Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman Speaker Meet-Up: Your chance to go beyond the talk. Roundtable RoomRabbi Simon Jacobson • Rabbi Yisroel Bernath

8:38pm EDT

Maariv Prayer Ivanka

9:00pm EDT

Havdalah Ivanka

10:00pm EDT

Comedy Gold IvankaElon Gold

10:30pm EDT

Melaveh Malkah Meal Grand Ballroom

7:30am EDT

Soul Talk: A Guided Chasidic Meditation Session White & Gold 1Rabbi Yisroel Bernath

8:00am EDT

Shacharit Ivanka Shacharit: Beginners’ Prayer Workshop for Women White & Gold 2Mrs. Aliza Scheinfeld Shacharit: Beginners’ Service for Men White & Gold 1Rabbi Avrohom Brashevitzky Breakfast Grand Ballroom

9:30am EDT

History's Greatest Jewish Dilemmas: The Best of JLI's Award-Winning Course—in One Special Session White & Gold 1Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman Proof the Devil Is Real?! The Origin and What the Bible Really Says about Satan's Fall IvankaRabbi Simon Jacobson Raising Humans: Building Happy, Healthy Families in a Chaotic World White & Gold 2Mrs. Rivkah Slonim The End of Death? Longevity, Gene Editing, and Signs of a Messianic Future. CrystalRabbi Yechiel Krisch

10:45am EDT

1940s Budapest: Nicht für Kinder The Holocaust, the Iron Curtain, and the Twins Who Remained IvankaMrs. Yael Trusch • Mr. Laszlo Selly Ask the Rabbi Doctor: The Jewish Medical Ethics Crossfire CrystalRabbi Dr. Edward Reichman Marriage Is Made in Heaven. How on Earth Does It Work? White & Gold 2Rabbi Manis Friedman Ruth: Not the Story You Think You Know Love, Controversy, and the Birth of a Dynasty White & Gold 1Rabbi Chaim Block

12:00pm EDT

20 Years of JRetreat: A Recap and Launch of a Bold New Future Ivanka

1:00pm EDT

Closing Lunch Grand Ballroom