Twin Cities Mussar

Over the past nine years, the Twin Cities has been evolving one of the strongest, most impactful Jewish Community Mussar initiatives in the nation. Mussar, a Jewish spiritual pathway of ethical development, originated as a practice in 19th century Eastern Europe as a way for Jews to apply Jewish wisdom and intentional practices of conscious living to their everyday lives. Many of the teachers and schools of Mussar thought perished in the Holocaust. There is a dramatic resurgence and reclaiming of this practice in our modern day. Due to local high demand, the number of Mussar groups in the Twin Cities has grown since 2014 from the initial group of four within one synagogue to over 17. (325% growth) involving seven different Jewish organizations on both sides of the river. To meet this growing demand, twelve community leaders (clergy and lay leaders) received professional development to become Mussar facilitators in 2021, through a pilot program created by local Mussar teacher, Julie Dean, called Cultivating a Wise Heart, an Advanced Mussar Training and Mentorship Program. 

In 2024, a second cohort of local leaders will be trained as facilitators in order to meet the ongoing demand for Mussar programming. In addition to our seven active partners, four additional local organizations have demonstrated interest in developing Mussar groups in 2024 for the populations they serve. The breadth and depth of Mussar continues to take root in our community and grow, providing meaningful learning, connections and growth for adults, 20s/30s folks and youth.   

Propel Nonprofits 501c3 is the fiscal sponsor partner for Twin Cities Mussar.