During one of my retreat searches, I came across an exceptional event – the Fit&Soul Festival by Shabbateva, a kosher wellness festival with Shabbat enjoyment. The festival is rich in content, including fitness and yoga classes, health lectures, performances, and even a Kabbalat Shabbat and cantorial songs. The facilitators, lecturers, and artists are top-notch (Prof. Rafi Carasso, Dalia Mentver, David D'Or, Avרן Gilad, and more). I'll mention that Shabbateva offers a selection of kosher weekends and holidays (including Passover) in Israel and abroad, providing an opportunity to enjoy culture and spirituality – a different content experience.
I have participated in various retreats in my life, but this was unique. It combines body, soul, and Jewish spirit with a togetherness atmosphere. Mornings with fitness, afternoons with lectures, evenings with performances, and Shabbat evening with Kiddush and Shabbat songs in the dining room, Shabbat joy with rabbis and cantors, and communal singing. Shabbateva was founded by Ze'ev Halevi. He started with organizing trips and camping, and as he grew closer to religion and matured, camping turned into events at hotels, while maintaining the connection to culture, activity, and the environment, with content becoming stronger.
Two Locations Facing the Dead Sea
The festival took place at two hotels: Vert and Enjoy by the Dead Sea, and activities at both hotels were open to everyone. For the main events on the first day, there was transportation between the hotels. The festival opened with a keynote lecture by Prof. Carasso, who gave a fascinating lecture about our marvelous brain in terms of alertness and sleep. Next, there was an exciting and timely performance by David D'Or and Avri Gilad. Avri played with word games, David D'Or shared his wonderful singing with the audience, and both shared personal stories, with Avri's daughters joining them on stage to sing. A performance in such an intimate setting is always an experience.
The mornings started early at 7 AM with three back-to-back morning workouts at each hotel. Between workouts, there were meditation, Qigong, yoga, stability and strengthening, stretching and flexibility, Pilates, and more. As a fitness enthusiast, I always enjoy physical activity on vacation, but the added value of this festival (the reason I always look for such retreats) is the exposure to something new and different. Efrat Broza Itzaki is a lieutenant colonel in reserves and was the head of the physical fitness department at the IDF Command and Staff College. She lectured at the conference and also led a fitness class. The session, which was essentially a Pilates mat workout for the entire body, was performed with a small playground ball. Efrat explained the importance of challenging the brain with asymmetrical movements, throwing and catching the ball, and incorporating different movements with the ball while exercising. It trains the brain, keeping it young and functional, adds an element of difficulty (try placing the ball on the floor and lifting it the next time you do a lunge), and requires concentration on several tasks at the same time.
At the same time, and throughout the day, there were many health, nutrition, and mind-body lectures. Throughout the weekend, all hotel services were available to us. Now, in the cold, the heated saltwater pool was the main attraction for us. We also had time to walk along the well-maintained promenade of the Dead Sea. Every time I visit Ein Bokek, I am amazed at the excellent maintenance of this coastline. The festival included accommodations from Thursday to Saturday with full kosher board, rich with meat and an extraordinary variety of healthy and vegan food. My partner at the event was vegan, and she couldn’t stop raving about the variety, from a buffet with several vegan cheeses and vegan shakshuka for breakfast to countless vegan dishes like shawarma, latkes, patties, etc. At one meal, I counted seven vegan main dishes, in addition to sides and vegetables.
Connection Between Communities
The most touching part of the festival was the connection between all segments of the population – secular, religious, Haredi, Chabad, and more. Everyone together, in fitness, performances, singing, Kabbalat Shabbat, and songs in the dining room. Especially in this time, the spirit of Shabbat and the togetherness of everyone did me good. By the way, the event continued until Saturday night and included a late checkout from the hotel.
The Fit&Soul health festival will take place again in the summer, this time in Tiberias. Those who want to try a different experience can participate in a detox retreat in the Jerusalem mountains in April. In between, Shabbateva will celebrate kosher Passover in Jerusalem and Rhodes and Shavuot in Jerusalem. All events, of course, are rich in content.
All details about the events can be found on the "Shabbateva" website or by calling *9638.