welcome to the Light Lab!

transformative t’fillah, together.

hi, i’m eliana!

I'm an educator with 10+ years of experience making t'fillah accessible and meaningful for all ages. Since graduating from JTS with a masters in experiential education, I've song-led in synagogues, started minyanim, taught at conferences and graduate schools, written curricula, toured as an artist-in-residence, and put out three albums of original Jewish music. Through exploring what t'fillah is and why we do it, I believe we can change ourselves, our communities, and our world.

On the Podcast
Episode 62: SPARK - Pesach Edition
gratitude, blessings, heart softening, enoughness, dayenu, pesach, passover
Episode 62: SPARK - Pesach Edition
gratitude, blessings, heart softening, enoughness, dayenu, pesach, passover

Welcome to our spring SPARK! A more free-wheeling, connective conversation between our hosts that we hope sparks something new in you. In this SPARK, Eliana and Ellen explore our journey on the way to enoughness, binding our wounds, & the furry shapes prophets sometimes inhabit. Plus, we listen to some of our favorite songs for the season!

How are you “Shema-ing” this year to actively soften your heart?

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gratitude, blessings, heart softening, enoughness, dayenu, pesach, passover
Episode 61: Turning Sorrows into Songs (with Rabbi Ilan Glazer)
Guest, interview, spiritual journey, prayer, jewish wisdom, addiction, recovery, our jewish recovery, turning sorrow into song, Gam Ki Elech
Episode 61: Turning Sorrows into Songs (with Rabbi Ilan Glazer)
Guest, interview, spiritual journey, prayer, jewish wisdom, addiction, recovery, our jewish recovery, turning sorrow into song, Gam Ki Elech

This week, we are honored to bring your our interview with Eliana and Rabbi Ilan Glazer. Rabbi Ilan is the founder of Our Jewish Recovery, author of the award-winning And God Created Recovery: Jewish Wisdom to Help You Break Free From Your Addiction, Heal Your Wounds, and Unleash Your Inner Freedom, and a Shatterproof Ambassador and Family Program Instructor. We explore the medicine of incorporating new and ancient melodies into t’fillah, how Jewish wisdom addresses addiction and recovery, and grounding grief in song. Plus, we listen to a few tracks on Rabbi Ilan’s new album, Gam Ki Elech: Turning Our Sorrows Into Songs.

How has Jewish wisdom shown up for you in moments of pain and darkness?

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Guest, interview, spiritual journey, prayer, jewish wisdom, addiction, recovery, our jewish recovery, turning sorrow into song, Gam Ki Elech
Episode 60: Open-Source Judaism (with Aharon Varady)
Guest, interview, spiritual journey, prayer, aharon varady, open siddur project, open-source judiasm
Episode 60: Open-Source Judaism (with Aharon Varady)
Guest, interview, spiritual journey, prayer, aharon varady, open siddur project, open-source judiasm

This week, we are delighted to bring you our interview with Eliana and Aharon Varady. Aharon is the founding director and primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project. We explore the alchemy of a minyan, taking responsibility for your prayer, and how to make a container to cross-pollinate our own liturgical wisdom with other people.

What prompts from our ancestors resonate with you in reading a siddur?

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Guest, interview, spiritual journey, prayer, aharon varady, open siddur project, open-source judiasm

  • What We Do

    Our mission is to make Jewish liturgy and prayer practice accessible and meaningful to all seekers.

  • How We Do It

    Through heart-centered, embodied, inviting methodology, we unlock the transformative power of t’fillah to strengthen our spiritual cores and revitalize our communities.

  • Our Vision

    A future where t’fillah inspires, comforts, and empowers us towards Oneness and a healed world.

“Eliana's presentation touched me on a personal level and on an educator level. She instructs with beautiful music, delightful humor, and a wisdom beyond her years. Absolutely outstanding.” -ISJL Conference Participant

What would this look like for you or your community? Let’s connect!

  • Professional Development

    Elevate your t’fillah leadership & education through insightful, playful, impactful PD.

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  • Consulting

    Consulting

    Let’s work together to discover the “why” of your organization’s prayer life, helping you offer more meaningful experiences to more people.

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  • Programs and Classes

    This is the “lab” in Light Lab- our place to play with prayer, lean into liturgy, and learn with our full selves.

    Learn More

Newsletter

Be the first to know about classes, gatherings, resources, and more!

View fullsize The Light Lab is excited to announce the 15 fellows in our first ever T’fillah Teachers Fellowship!  These educators come from diverse Jewish communities all around the country, with their own teaching styles, expertise, and experience. Wh
View fullsize 💡New episode! This week, @_elianalight_ & @ellendreskin are joined by very special guest Rabbi @noahdiamondstein to explore Sim Shalom! We talk about “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” Paul Simon, the Force, and what “Shalo
View fullsize Have you listened to our latest episode yet? We got bingo! What else should we put on the Light Lab Podcast bingo board? Squares so far from top to bottom: Eliana gets a kick out of being on a podcast; Ellen recalls her Texas childhood; Josh does gem
View fullsize 💡New episode! This week, Ellen, Eliana, and Josh explore “v’al kulam” and the threefold blessing, bridging the gratitude and peace sections of the weekday Amidah. Topics include Glinda the good witch, gematria, Siddur differences (
View fullsize 💡New episode! This week, we are honored to bring you our interview with organizer, coach, and leader April N. Baskin. April is the founder and CEO of @joyous.justice , a “multiracial community-powered social justice and spiritual transformatio