‘FREEDOM: My Story’ event
The evening showcased the diverse skills acquired by the speakers through the workshop series, as they expressed their stories through various mediums such as prose, poetry and social commentary.
Pathways Melbourne, a community organisation dedicated to supporting individuals from Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities who are questioning their Jewish lifestyle, recently held a public storytelling event titled ‘FREEDOM: My Story’ in Melbourne.
The event featured eight courageous speakers from the local Jewish community who shared their personal challenges, tales of resilience and stories of courage. These individuals had participated in a six-part writer workshop series facilitated by Dr Deborah Rechter, an educator, writer and researcher.
The evening showcased the diverse skills acquired by the speakers through the workshop series, as they expressed their stories through various mediums such as prose, poetry and social commentary.
Local musicians Simon, Zohar and Adam Starr, together with Josh Moshe, accompanied their speeches in what was an uplifting evening hosted at the Caulfield Bowls Club.
Pathways Melbourne’s writing and storytelling program was initiated by Pathways CEO and founder, Leah Boulton, to empower and support individuals known as ‘pathfinders’. These pathfinders are members of Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities who are exploring and questioning their lifestyle, practices and beliefs. Boulton expressed her pride in the growth and success of the storytelling programs over the past two years, highlighting the importance of creating community through the sharing of personal journeys.
“I’m so proud that our storytelling programs have gone from strength to strength over the last two years. The idea grew after our pathfinder members expressed a need for community building, through the sharing of sometimes difficult life journeys and personal stories,” Boulton said.
She added, “It has also enhanced their writing education and skills, which many hadn’t had the opportunity to develop before. We already have more pathfinders booked in for this year’s writer workshop series, so it is continuing to grow.”
The writer workshop series offered by Pathways Melbourne has shown itself to be a powerful tool for healing through expressive writing and storytelling. Participants were given a private and safe space to explore their emotions, process difficult events, and resolve conflicts within themselves.
One workshop participant, identified as *Dovid, shared the positive impact of writing, stating, “Writing has helped me to unblock the thoughts I’ve been holding onto, and in this way enabled me to better understand myself and others.”
Experienced Jewish community writing mentors Janine Schloss, Dalit Kaplan and Bram Presser, collaborated closely with each speaker, assisting them in refining their written pieces for the event. To ensure privacy and protect the identity of the writers, some of the more sensitive pieces were read aloud by Pathways’ dedicated volunteers.
The writer workshop series and the ‘FREEDOM: My Story’ event have fostered the formation of a small yet distinctive writing community within Pathways Melbourne.
*The name has been changed to protect the individual’s identity.
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