2020 OHALAH Conference/Shabbaton - General Information
When:
Where:
Who may attend:
Shabbaton and conference programming:
Costs:
The standard fee for the January 2020 conference is $745 and the pre-conference Shabbaton is $235, including the meals described on the registration form. Fees are discounted for OHALAH and RPA members and students. The discounts are programmed into our conference registration forms.
Conference registration:
Hotel reservations:
Hotel accommodations and reservations — A block of rooms has been reserved at the Omni Interlocken at the rate of $109 per night for a single or double occupancy room, with suites beginning at $162 per night. These rates are guaranteed until the cutoff date of Friday, December 7, 2019, or until the room block fills, whichever comes first. To secure this rate, rooms must be booked through the link on the conference registration page or by phoning the hotel directly at (303) 438-6600 and referencing the OHALAH block. Reservation requests received after the cut-off date or after the room block fills, whichever occurs first, will be based on availability and accepted by the hotel at the prevailing rates.
Transportation options:
Kashrut and special dietary needs:
Our kashrut is milchik (vegetarian, dairy, fish) under the supervision of Rabbi Victor Gross. More details are here.
Shuk/bazaar:
The conference shuk provides an opportunity for conference attendees and members of the public to browse and purchase books, jewelry, music, art, Judaica and other items sold by Shabbaton and conference attendees. The shuk will be open for business on Sunday morning and Sunday late afternoon after the smicha ceremony, and also during the conference. Information on applying to sell your creations at the shuk is available here.
Ethics:
All applicants to, and attendees of, the OHALAH conference or the pre-conference Shabbaton, and all members and student members of OHALAH and the RPA are subject to the Ethics Code which is available to read here.
Programs open to the public:
Friday evening worship, Sunday afternoon ALEPH Ordination, and the shuk are free and open to the public.
- Shabbaton: Friday, January 10, 4:00 pm thru Sunday, January 12, noon.
- Conference: Sunday, January 12, 7:30 pm thru Wednesday, January 15, 11:00 pm.
Where:
- OMNI Interlocken Resort Hotel, Broomfield, Colorado
Who may attend:
- Rabbis and cantors in good standing are welcome to attend the OHALAH conference and pre-conference Shabbaton regardless of whether they are members of OHALAH.
- Rabbinic pastors and AJR and JTS chaplains in good standing are welcome to attend regardless of whether they are members of the RPA.
- Students in good standing who are studying for these professions are also welcome to attend.
- ALEPH trained Mashpi’im/Spiritual Directors and students training in the ALEPH Hashpa’ah program.
- ALEPH Board, Staff and Ethics Committee are also welcome to attend.
- Specially invited clergy of other faiths — Attendees may invite clergy of other faith traditions as guests, not to exceed 20 guests (first come, first served). The details of this program may be found here.
- Specially invited teachers/panelists participating under the Trans-Denomination Leadership Program.
- Spouses and partners — Spouses and partners of all conference attendees are welcome at the conference and the pre-conference Shabbaton. Non-clergy spouses and partners are welcome during davvenen (worship), almost all conference plenaries and most small group workshops.
- Children – OHALAH offers special rates for young children who need to attend the Shabbaton and/or conference with their parent(s). We also offer rates for teens who need to attend with their parent(s). Parents should be aware that the OMNI Hotel has no children’s amenities or activities during the winter. Parents bringing children and teens are asked to bring appropriate amenities and activities. Parents of children are also asked to make their own childcare arrangements. Please note that children must be under adult supervision at all times.
Shabbaton and conference programming:
- Shabbaton — The conference is preceded by a Shabbaton where worship and other sessions are led by clergy students. The Shabbaton provides a wonderful opportunity for ordained clergy to enjoy Shabbat with colleagues and kvell from the next generation as they prepare to enter our ranks. The Shabbaton is open to everyone qualified to attend the conference. The Shabbaton is also open to guests of those who will be ordained in the ALEPH Ordination Program (see Ordination below).
- Conference program — Each annual conference includes davvenen, plenary sessions, small group workshops, delicious kosher meals, and time to get to know one another, schmooze with friends and share praxis and chevraschaft. Presentations include teachings, text study, films, and performances.
- Ordination of ALEPH rabbis, cantors, and rabbinic pastors — On Sunday afternoon, January 13, 2019, we will celebrate the smicha (ordination) of rabbis, cantors and rabbinic pastors in the ALEPH Ordination Programs. The ALEPH Smicha Ceremony is free and open to the public (however, everyone not having a conference name tag must stop at the conference welcome desk and sign in to receive an admitting name tag for security purposes). Family and friends of those being ordained are welcome to register for the pre-conference Shabbaton. However, the conference itself is open to clergy, clergy students, spouses and partners only.
Costs:
The standard fee for the January 2020 conference is $745 and the pre-conference Shabbaton is $235, including the meals described on the registration form. Fees are discounted for OHALAH and RPA members and students. The discounts are programmed into our conference registration forms.
- Members of OHALAH and the RPA receive an automatic $60 discount when registering for the conference, a $25 discount when registering for the Shabbaton, and an additional $20 discount when registering for both.
- Students receive a $60 discount when registering for the conference, a $45 discount when registering for the Shabbaton, and an additional $10 discount when registering for both.
- Student members of OHALAH/RPA who are enrolled in the Aleph Ordination Program (AOP) receive an additional $100 discount (in addition to the student discount) when registering for the conference.
- Non-members receive a discount of $55 when registering for both the conference and Shabbaton.
- Early bird fees — Prior to September 1, 2019, fees are discounted $25 for the conference and $10 for the Shabbaton. This is in addition to member and student discounts described above.
- Late fees — Beginning November 8, 2019, fees will increase by $25 for the conference and $10 for the Shabbaton. Member discounts described above still apply.
- Cancellation policy — If you cancel prior to November 1st, OHALAH will refund the entire amount you have paid toward your attendance, less a $50 cancellation fee. If you cancel between November 1 and December 15th, we will retain your $100 deposit and refund the additional amount you have paid toward your attendance. If you cancel after December 15th, no refunds will be available. Exceptions to this refund policy are on a case-by-case basis.
Conference registration:
- Registration process — Our online registration forms allow you to make your payment by credit card from anywhere in the world.
- Paying for the conference — Your conference registration is not complete until you are paid in full. If you need to pay your conference fee in monthly payments, please choose “clergy & clergy students & ALEPH leaders wishing to make monthly payments” when you register and we will set up monthly payments for you.
- Financial aid is available ONLY to members of OHALAH and RPA who are attending the conference. Financial aid is NOT available for the Shabbaton. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide financial aid for spouses or ALEPH leaders. Financial aid awards may cover part or all of the Conference registration fee. We do not provide aid for travel or lodging. The deadline for financial aid is November 1, 2019. We will not accept late applications for financial aid.
Hotel reservations:
Hotel accommodations and reservations — A block of rooms has been reserved at the Omni Interlocken at the rate of $109 per night for a single or double occupancy room, with suites beginning at $162 per night. These rates are guaranteed until the cutoff date of Friday, December 7, 2019, or until the room block fills, whichever comes first. To secure this rate, rooms must be booked through the link on the conference registration page or by phoning the hotel directly at (303) 438-6600 and referencing the OHALAH block. Reservation requests received after the cut-off date or after the room block fills, whichever occurs first, will be based on availability and accepted by the hotel at the prevailing rates.
Transportation options:
- Airport transportation — Broomfield is 30 to 60 minutes from Denver International Airport, depending on traffic.
- Shuttle transportation — Special pricing on Green Ride Boulder shuttle service available here.
- Transportation in the vicinity of the OMNI — The OMNI Hotel offers free shuttle service for hotel guests between the hotel and destinations in the neighborhood. However, the OMNI does not offer shuttle service to and from the airport.
Kashrut and special dietary needs:
Our kashrut is milchik (vegetarian, dairy, fish) under the supervision of Rabbi Victor Gross. More details are here.
Shuk/bazaar:
The conference shuk provides an opportunity for conference attendees and members of the public to browse and purchase books, jewelry, music, art, Judaica and other items sold by Shabbaton and conference attendees. The shuk will be open for business on Sunday morning and Sunday late afternoon after the smicha ceremony, and also during the conference. Information on applying to sell your creations at the shuk is available here.
Ethics:
All applicants to, and attendees of, the OHALAH conference or the pre-conference Shabbaton, and all members and student members of OHALAH and the RPA are subject to the Ethics Code which is available to read here.
Programs open to the public:
Friday evening worship, Sunday afternoon ALEPH Ordination, and the shuk are free and open to the public.