National Jewish Retreat

The National Jewish Retreat (NJR) is the largest Jewish retreat in the United States. The Retreat draws upwards of 1000 participants to an unusual five-day Jewish immersion experience. The program, led by renowned thinkers, scholars and personalities, advertises itself as offering meaningful Jewish enrichment.^[1]

Started in 2006 as a project of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute,^[2] the National Jewish Retreat has been held in California, Colorado, Utah, Connecticut, Virginia, Florida, Washington, DC, & Illinois.^[3][4][5]

The 2010 retreat became the subject of media interest when it was reported that former senator George Allen would publicly discuss his mother's Jewish heritage for the first time since the rumors were substantiated.^[6]

Other participants include Rabbis Yisroel Meir Lau, Yoel Kahn, Manis Friedman, Simon Jacobson, Yossi Jacobson and many others.^[7][8][9]

Scholars in Residence

Previous scholars in residence include:

• Hon. George Allen, Mount Vernon, Virginia^[10]
• Rabbi Benjamin Blech, New York, New York^[11]
• Richard Blumenthal, Hartford, Connecticut^[12]
• Dr. Erica Brown, Silver Spring, Maryland^[13]