Casey Adashek, our Red Tent Steward, is passionate about the ancestral blood rites of the womb. The Red Tent has traditionally been a temple space– specifically for rituals around womb blood, marking life cycles and transitions.

The Red Tent offers a unique holding, one that honors the Shechinah (Feminine indwelling of the Divine) as she has fractilized into infinite faces. Casey creates a space for the diversity of experiences held in wombs and women. 

The Eish Tamid is the ever-present fire at the heart of Chavaya, a living symbol of continuity, presence, and sacred gathering. In Jewish tradition, the Eish Tamid represents an enduring connection to the sacred that is carried through time and community.

Throughout the festival, this fire will serve as a place to gather, reflect, sing, pray, and simply be together in the glow of shared presence. It is a space for both celebration and stillness, where connection naturally forms around the flame.

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As part of its ritual arc, the fire will be intentionally extinguished before Shabbat begins and then relit after Shabbat concludes, serving as a symbolic anchor for the rhythm of rest, return, and renewal that sits at the heart of the weekend.

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As night falls, the Eish Tamid becomes a central point of gathering, reminding us that even as moments pass, something enduring continues to burn between us.

On Friday afternoon, Nala Walla will facilitate a dedicated grief ceremony, held as a closed, long-form container for those wishing to enter more deeply into grief, remembrance, release, and collective healing.

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This gathering is rooted in the understanding that Jewish grief is not meant to stay frozen or contained. It is meant to move.

To be witnessed, spoken, and carried in community so that it can begin to shift and transform.

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Together we will make space for personal and ancestral grief through ritual, presence, and care. Participants are invited to enter this container with intention and commitment as we make room for the fullness of human experience and the ongoing work of healing.

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www.nalawalla.com

www.wellwisdom.org

The Tea Tent is a space to slow down, settle in, and connect. Throughout the weekend, tea will be available alongside comfortable places to sit, rest, and engage in meaningful conversation. Whether you're meeting a new friend, reconnecting with an old one, taking a break between workshops, or simply enjoying a quiet moment, the Tea Tent offers a welcoming place to land. In the midst of the music, movement, and celebration, the Tea Tent serves as a reminder that some of the most meaningful moments happen in the spaces between.

Pictured: Sascha Todda Peters - Japanese Jew - Tea Master

The Community Kitchen is a shared space for preparing meals, washing dishes, and gathering around food throughout the weekend. Basic amenities will be available, including handwashing stations, dishwashing areas, potable water, and communal food preparation surfaces. Whether you're making coffee for friends, preparing Shabbat dinner, or sharing a snack with a neighbor, we hope this space helps nourish both body and community.

Jordan Sun is a passionate advocate for movement as a means of healing. She gives gratitude to her teachers. She humbly offers appreciation for the opportunity to learn and act as an ambassador of the dance and culture of other llineages of origin, including MENAHT peoples. Jordan gives homage to her ancestors of Mediterranean and Ashkenazi Jewish origin. She weaves the cultural dances of her ethnic lineage with fusion bellydance.

In addition to offering healing, teaching movement medicine and performing as a fusion dancer, Jordan is a self-taught watercolor artist and a burgeoning singer/songwriter. Currently, she is a holistic Thai Massage Therapist, Postpartum Doula and is pursuing her Master’s in Dance Movement Therapy with Lesley University.

@jordansundancer

Many Jewish spaces in the United States can become siloed into predominantly white Jewish experiences.

Chavaya Festival is committed to creating space for a broader and more expansive Jewish future by uplifting the voices and experiences of Jews of Color.
 

This year, we will be hosting a panel highlighting Black Jewish voices and the experiences of people who carry both Jewish and African diasporic identities.

Together, we’ll explore the impacts of assimilation into whiteness, the complexity of identity, belonging, culture, and what it means to move through the world today as a Black Jew.

Pictured: Ben Wilson founder of Color and Sound

Moderated by Tisch PDX 

Meet Ahava Northwest at Chavaya

We're excited to welcome Ahava Northwest to Chavaya this year.

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Ahava Northwest was created to fill a meaningful gap in the Jewish dating landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Their mission is to help Jewish singles build authentic relationships rooted in shared culture, values, and community—because finding love shouldn't mean moving across the country or relying on algorithms that don't understand Jewish life.

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At Chavaya, Ahava Northwest will be offering opportunities to connect with Jewish singles in a relaxed, community-centered environment. Whether you're looking for a meaningful relationship, hoping to meet new people, or simply curious about their thoughtful matchmaking approach, stop by to learn more.

They're not a dating app or a national algorithm—they're local matchmakers, neighbors, and listeners dedicated to helping Jewish singles across the Pacific Northwest find connection, companionship, and community.

New to Shabbat? Curious about the traditions, rituals, and rhythms that have sustained Jewish communities for generations? This workshop offers an accessible introduction to the heart of the Jewish week.

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Together, we will explore the meaning behind Shabbat, its core practices, and how Jews across time and place have welcomed sacred rest into their lives. We’ll cover everything you need to feel comfortable and prepared for the Chavaya Shabbat experience, including blessings, customs, and the flow of the evening ahead.

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Whether this is your first Shabbat or your hundredth, all are welcome. Come learn, ask questions, and prepare to enter the sacred time of Shabbat with greater understanding, intention, and joy.

Arie and Bennet have developed an incredible immersive installation.

The Ohel Chachamim (Elder Tent) is an affinity space centering the wisdom, experience, and voice of elders within Chavaya. It is a place where older generations can gather in community, share insights, and offer the depth of perspective that comes from a lifetime of lived Jewish experience.

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This tent holds space for conversation, storytelling, teaching, and informal exchange, allowing intergenerational wisdom to be spoken, heard, and integrated into the life of the festival. It is a space where presence itself is valued, and where experience is recognized as a vital source of guidance and meaning.

The Ohel Chachamim honors elders not as observers of community, but as active carriers of wisdom whose voices help shape and deepen the collective life of Chavaya.

As the day begins to soften and the sun settles toward the horizon, we will gather on the beach for a community kumzitz of song, presence, and connection.

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Rooted in the Jewish tradition of gathering around shared melodies, this is an opportunity to slow down, take in the beauty of the moment, and lend your voice to the collective. Whether you sing every word, hum along quietly, or simply listen to the waves and the music, all are welcome.

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Together, we will greet the evening through niggunim, prayer, storytelling, and song, held by the water and the fading light of the day. Bring a blanket, bring a friend, and join us for one of the most timeless and beloved forms of Jewish gathering.

Late nights at Chavaya are for music, stories, softness, and soul.

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Join us in the Cuddle Tent and Tea Inn for open mic gatherings throughout the festival. Bring your instruments, your poetry, your songs, your prayers, your comedy, or whatever is alive in your spirit and share it with community. Whether you’re performing or simply listening under blankets with a cup of tea, these late-night gatherings are sure to become some of the most memorable moments of the weekend.

The Kids & Family Zone is a dedicated space for families to gather, play, create, and connect throughout the weekend. With activities, crafts, games, and opportunities for exploration, this area is designed to support our youngest participants while fostering community among parents and caregivers. Throughout the festival, there will also be designated children's programming led by trusted staff and volunteers, giving parents and caregivers opportunities to attend workshops, enjoy music, connect with friends, or simply take a moment for themselves. Whether you're stopping by for a structured activity or looking for a welcoming place to spend time together, we hope this space helps families feel at home and fully supported at Chavaya.

The Refuah Tent will serve as a space for rest, care, healing, and support throughout Chavaya. Rooted in the Jewish value that every person is worthy of care and dignity, this space offers a place to slow down, reconnect, and tend to yourself when needed.

The Refuah Tent will provide a calm environment for rest, hydration, emotional support, grounding, and respite from the energy of the weekend. Whether you need some emotional support, a quiet moment to regroup, or simply a gentler place to land, you are welcome here.
 

Festivals are built on celebration, but they are sustained by care. The Refuah Tent exists to help ensure that everyone has the support they need to fully participate in the Chavaya experience.