the J

A New Approach to Jewish Community
and Leadership

Nishmah strives to strengthen and empower the spirit of girls and women, believing that women have wisdom and counsel to offer to the Jewish community. Authority, leadership, spirituality, creativity, boldness and consciousness are all within realm of a woman's being, and we want to foster the complexity of this potential within the girls and women of this community. Nishmah has an annual signature event whether it is the Journey; a Women’s pre Passover event or a women’s Shabbat retreat each year our community looks forward to an innovative, exciting, collaborative annual women’s event.   Nishmah is also committed to community partnerships within the JCC, other Jewish communal organizations and synagogues. It is through such partnerships that Nishmah believes the Jewish community can best meet the evolving needs of girls, women and the larger community. 

Programs are offered throughout the year for women of all ages (and now boys!) and include:

• Salon Series - living room based discussions for adults
• Banot Buddies - pairing younger girls with teenage girls to look at girls' topics through a Jewish lens (for girls in 2nd-4th grade)
• Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing - building self-esteem and enriching Jewish identities (for girls in 5th-7th grade)
• It's a Girl Thing: The Leadership Years - earn, practice, and reflect upon specific leadership skills (for girls in 8th-9th grade)
• It's a Guy Thing - our new program just for guys. Hang out and talk about what it means to be Jewish (for boys in 8th-9th grade)
• Sharsheret Supports - offering support to survivors of, and women diagnosed with, breast cancer
• Young Women's Group - for women in their 20s and 30s
• Signature annual event
  • The Journey - a biennial pre-passover experience
  • Women's Shabbat Retreat - a biennial February retreat to relax and enjoy Shabbat (see pictures from 2012)

For any question on Nishmah, please contact

Director Sara Winkelman, 314-442-3268
Banot Program Coordinator Simone Picker, 314-442-3166