​Our Mission:

Gashmius Magazine seeks to foster a progressive, pluralistic Jewish spirituality that is rooted in, but not confined to, Hasidic sources, and to make the wealth of Jewish mystical teachings accessible. 

 

At this unprecedented time in Jewish history, our work is more important than ever. Many progressive Jews from a range of generations are seeking access to Jewish heritage and spirituality, but feel alienated from religious institutions they see as misaligned with their values. They long for access to the spiritual practices and teachings that have fostered Jewish resilience for generations, but feel abandoned by legacy Jewish institutions.

 

Gashmius Magazine is here to meet that need. We believe that the spiritual resources contained in Hasidic sources and related Jewish mystical traditions can offer these seekers the religious nourishment and connection they seek. Because of this, all our proposed projects below share two intertwined goals: to provide progressive Jewish communities with access to primary sources from Jewish mysticism, and to publish innovative writing, art, and poetry that puts these sources in conversation with today’s most pressing questions. 

 

Our Current Work: 

Since launching our online magazine in November 2022, we have released 3 volumes (Nov ‘22, Aug ‘23, and Feb ‘24) and a Haggadah Companion (Pesach ‘24). These releases contain primary sources with English translations and commentary, essays by prominent and lesser-known Jewish writers, comics on Jewish mystical themes, and poems and visual art by respected Jewish artists. We have published on a wide range of topics, ranging from singing as a spiritual practice, to neo-Hasidic understandings of gender diversity, to mystical theologies of Diasporic Judaism.

 

We also compile beginner-friendly reading lists and podcast libraries on Jewish mysticism, have published a series called “Table Talk” in which Jewish spiritual leaders speak casually about their religious practices, and taught a popular class on our approach to Jewish practice through Judaism Unbound’s UnYeshiva. 

 

With a small staff of four part-time employees — all of whom began  as volunteers — Gashmius has reached over 13,000 readers from over 40 countries. Our team has also included a college intern, and we currently employ a Holiday Fellow who receives a stipend to learn primary Hasidic texts and create accessible content for each major Jewish holiday. Our work has been supported by a major grant from the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, and by over 35 small donors. 

 

Looking Ahead: 

Gashmius has thus far only been published virtually, but in the coming year we will launch our first print projects: 

 

We plan to publish a book: Serve with a Full Heart: Neo-Hasidic Voices on Practical Spirituality. This short book features an egalitarian translation of 18 bullet points on spiritual living written by 18th century Hasidic Rabbi Menachen Nachum of Chernobyl, together with original illustrations and a commentary by diverse Jewish thinkers, including Rabbi Jill Hammer, Laynie Soloman, and Dr. Sam S.B. Shonkoff.

 

Our Art Director is organizing a cohort-based Printmaking Fellowship, in which artists will come together to learn primary Hasidic texts and create artistic interpretations of their learning, which will be compiled as a portfolio and published both in print and on our website. 

 

In addition, Gashmius plans to shift our publishing schedule over to the model initiated by our Holiday Fellow position: paying people to study primary texts and produce art and writing in response to their learning. We hope to raise enough money to hire a cohort of staff writers, artists, and poets who can ensure that we have consistent top-tier content to publish each month. Investing in this cohort model comes out of a desire to help foster a new generation of neo-Hasidic writers who will act as a spiritual vanguard, at once democratizing Jewish spirituality and animating the progressive Jewish community with deeply rooted mystical ideas.

 

Over the next year, we hope to raise $170,000 to sustain these projects and more. With support from institutional and individual funders, Gashmius can expand more fully as a sustainable publication and community.