The Rabbinic Kallah at Wildacres
July 30-August 5, 2026

The Rabbinic Kallah at Wildacres is celebrating 75 years! The Kallah features an outstanding Jewish scholar for a six-day rabbinic seminar attended by Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Reform, and Traditional rabbis and their families. We join together for study, prayer, discussion, debate, relaxation, and camaraderie. Rabbis and family members come from all over the country to enjoy the learning, kosher cuisine, egalitarian minyanim, and joyously observe Shabbat together. Participants are able to lead the davening, give Divrei-Torah, and offer workshops. The program includes evening entertainment, arts and crafts for family members, and children’s activities. Included in the schedule is free time for touring, relaxing, and schmoozing with family and friends.

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We will welcome Professor Arnold Eisen, former Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary as our scholar for  Seeking the Hiding God: A Personal Theology Exploration We will explore how rabbis and rabbinic narrators conceptualized their own history through a close reading of classical rabbinic texts. We will focus on pivotal figures who transformed Judaism from the Temple period to the post-Temple rabbinic era. By examining these texts, we will understand how the rabbis interpreted and reimagined their theological and cultural inheritance. We will analyze how these figures were initially portrayed and how subsequent generations reimagined them to address contemporary concerns. We will also welcome Adriane Leveen in her session on Job’s challenge to the traditional  view of God’s role in  (Jewish) history The Greater Carolinas Association of Rabbis (GCAR) has been meeting annually at Wildacres Retreat since 1951. We are rabbis, spouses, and families that hail from across the continent and every branch of Judaism. A week at Wildacres is a week like no other. Mark your calendar to join us on the mountaintop in western North Carolina for high level cholarship, chevreh, spirituality, peer-led learning, and great Jewish conversation. Programs for spouses and children will also be available. Reasonable prices include lodging and kosher meals.  Registration

The Greater Carolinas Association of Rabbis waits for you

For more information about Wildacres

The Wildacres Interfaith Institute
July 26-July 30, 2026

Yes, four nights!

The Wildacres Interfaith Institute has been meeting at Wildacres for over 25 years. The Institute brings together clergy and lay people of all faiths to gain understanding towards the Wildacres goal of “betterment of human relations.” Our annual Interfaith Institute at Wildacres Retreat Center off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Little Switzerland, North Carolina, is open to clergy and interested lay people from all religious traditions.  Come and join us for fellowship, discussion, and fun on the mountaintop. Wildacres provides a magnificent vista of the Blue Ridge Mountains, including stately Mt. Mitchell across the way. Our study sessions are supplemented by plenty of good food (strictly kosher and halal), a daily happy hour, evening entertainment, morning prayer services, and opportunities to explore the area.

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For information, please contact Marilyn Katz at marilynk377@gmail.com.

Interfaith Retreat 2026 theme:

Discovering the God Within

Join us for a four-day retreat that brings together people from many faiths—and those with no formal tradition—for meaningful conversation, reflection, and connection.

Clergy and laypeople alike are welcome in this open and inclusive gathering. Together we will explore ideas, build friendships, and share moments of learning, relaxation, and contemplation.

Registration

We are so happy to welcome Nancy Sehested back. Her thoughtful guidance enriches our conversations and helps us better understand ourselves, one another, and the world around us. We look forward to learning together again with her insight, warmth, and wisdom leading the way.

Nancy Hastings Sehested is a retired pastor and state prison chaplain. Ordained in 1981, she pastored churches in Atlanta, Memphis and Asheville. She served as a state prison chaplain in North Carolina in high security prisons for men for over a decade. She wrote a book about her experiences: Marked for Life: A Prison Chaplain’s Story published by Orbis Books. She is a graduate of City College of New York and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She is married to Ken. They have two daughters, four grandchildren and one friendly mutt.

This year we again offer a writing workshop led by Rabbi Tamara Miller, who returns to help our retreat writers share their creations on Wednesday evening. No previous experience required.

The Sassafras Band returns to entertain us on Tuesday night.Set atop a mountaintop overlooking the magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains, the retreat offers a peaceful setting for open hearts, curious minds, and genuine camaraderie.

We will hear some local entertainment one evening as well as the creations of our writers presented another evening. We will be staying in Wildacres lodges and enjoying meals in their dining hall under Kosher supervision.  There will be opportunities to gather informally on the patio and in the canteen as well as time to explore the hiking paths and many local attractions.

See you on the mountain,

Rev. Dr. Amy Laura Hall, program coordinator,

Rabbi Edward Friedman, chair,

Marilyn Katz, registrar