July 6th Retreat Photos Recap and Survey

Ellie Bass
Jul 1
4 min read

Updated: Jul 9

Check back here for an upcoming gallery of photos and videos from our day together! Please click here to fill out the exit survey.

What Happens When Jewish Women Gather

On July 6, 2026, twenty-five Jewish women came together for a Jewish Women’s Wellness Day Retreat at the most beautiful luxury cottage on Balfour Beach, overlooking Lake Simcoe.

And it was magic.

We were gifted with the most glorious summer weather. It was almost 30 degrees, the lake was sparkling, the sky was wide and blue, and the entire property felt like it had been created for us to breathe more deeply, soften our shoulders and step outside of our regular lives for a day.

From the moment everyone arrived, there was a feeling of excitement and possibility. Some women came with friends. Some came alone. Some already knew one another, while others were walking into a room full of strangers. But very quickly, the strangers stopped feeling like strangers.

That is one of the most powerful things about gathering Jewish women together with intention. We find one another.

We began by creating a space where we could arrive exactly as we were. We talked about coming into the day with openness, with kind eyes and with a willingness to notice what was happening inside our bodies. We invited ourselves to be curious about the people who might be different from us, the feelings that might surprise us and the conversations that might stretch us.

Throughout the day, we moved between learning, movement, breath, laughter, silence, food, water and connection.

Robyn Segall led us through a beautiful yoga practice, helping us return to our bodies, create space and move with greater awareness. Esther Willinger guided us through a powerful Soma breathwork experience, using breath, rhythm and sound to shift our energy and help us access something deeper within ourselves.

I led workshops exploring the power of sisterhood, what it takes to create real relationships between women and what can sometimes get in the way. We talked honestly about our shadows: comparison, jealousy, fear, insecurity, judgment and the places where we might protect ourselves by pulling away.

Sisterhood is beautiful, but it is not always effortless. It asks something of us. It asks us to stay open, to speak honestly, to listen generously, to make room for difference and to keep choosing connection even when our more tender or frightened parts want to hide.

We also explored the story of Miriam and what she teaches us about being a sister, a leader and a woman who is willing to use her voice.

Miriam watched. Miriam listened. Miriam sang. Miriam spoke. She noticed what others could not yet see, and she acted before anyone told her that she was allowed to.

She reminds us that our voices matter. Our vision matters. Our presence matters. She reminds us that Jewish women have always carried courage, music, memory, faith and possibility. We have always helped our people find their way forward.

And sometimes changing the world begins with something very small: noticing, speaking, singing, reaching for another woman’s hand or refusing to look away.

There was also plenty of time simply to enjoy being alive together.

We swam in the pool. We looked out over the lake. We ate so much incredible, beautiful food. We played games and took on challenges. We laughed until our faces hurt. We hummed together and felt the vibrations moving through the room and through our bodies.

There were tears. There were hugs. There were moments of silence and moments of joyful noise. There were new friendships beginning, old friendships deepening and women recognizing parts of themselves in one another.

There were moments when someone bravely said something true, and the room softened around her.

There were moments when we could feel the power of being witnessed without being fixed.

There were moments when we remembered that we do not have to carry everything alone.

This is why these retreats matter.

Jewish women are holding so much. We are caring for families and communities. We are working, teaching, leading, giving, worrying, organizing and trying to keep everything moving. We are carrying personal stories, family stories and the enormous collective story of the Jewish people.

We need places where we can put some of it down.

We need places where we can be nourished rather than always being the ones doing the nourishing.

We need places where we can be loud, quiet, joyful, complicated, strong, vulnerable and completely ourselves.

For one beautiful summer day on Lake Simcoe, that is exactly what we created.

We created a space to breathe.

We created a space to move.

We created a space to listen.

We created a space to remember who we are.

Most of all, we created a space to experience the extraordinary power of Jewish women gathering together with intention, courage, warmth and open hearts.

I left the retreat tired, grateful, emotional and completely full.

Not just full of incredible food, although there was certainly plenty of that.

Full of hope.

Full of love.

Full of the sound of women laughing, humming, sharing and singing.

Full of the reminder that sisterhood is not simply something we talk about.

It is something we practise.

It is something we build.

It is something we choose, again and again.

And when Jewish women choose one another, we create incredibly powerful vibrations.

We strengthen one another.

We remember one another.