Jewish Spirituality & Meditation Leadership and Resources

In the Psalms it says, “For You, silence is Praise.” Many of us find that some of our deepest connections with God or a Presence larger than ourselves can happen in silence. Our Jewish tradition is rich with meditative and contemplative practices and teachings.

Rabbi K'vod Wieder, Jewish Spirituality and Meditation

A native of Orange County, K’vod received his BA in psychology from UC Santa Cruz in 1993 and his MA in Transpersonal Psychology (counseling) from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in 1996. He received an MA in Jewish Studies from the American Jewish University and was ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2012. He is a member of both the Central Conference for American Rabbis (Reform) and the Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative) For the last 26 years, K’vod has been teaching classes, leading retreats, and counseling students in meditation, prayer, and creative forms of Jewish spirituality in the United States. He has served as the assistant director of Chochmat HaLev – a Jewish meditation center in Berkeley, program director for Sonoma County Jewish Federation, director of the B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program for the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, program director for Elat Chayyim Center of Jewish Spirituality, and trained and interned with Jewish Funds For Justice and One L.A in the area of congregation-based community organizing.  In 2001, K’vod created and implemented the first county-wide post-bnai mitzvah program in Sonoma County, and won the Etz Chayyim award for Informal Jewish education at the National Conference for Informal Jewish Education in 2005. K’vod joined Temple Beth El of South Orange County in 2011 to serve the synagogue’s vision of Progressive Judaism. In collaboration with staff and congregants, he has initiated some of TBESOC’s strongest initiatives, including the 8th Grade Tzedakah Board, Small Groups, Pathfinders, Can We Talk?! Building Relationships Through Disagreement,  and the Center for Meditation and Jewish Spirituality. He is husband to Ilana Rogel-Wieder and the father of Levi, Aiden, and Aviv.

Kathy Brook-Wong

Her healing journey began in childhood and blossomed into a lifelong calling. In 2019, Kathy became a certified Master in Usui Reiki Ryoho, Usui Tibetan Reiki, and Kundalini Reiki—blending these powerful traditions into a rich, integrative practice. As a certified Sound Healer with years of experience, Kathy skillfully weaves healing vibrations from crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, alchemy bowl, Native American flute, tuning forks, chimes, and other sacred instruments into her sessions and events, creating immersive journeys of relaxation and renewal.
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Kathy leads Reiki certification trainings, hosts Healing in Community events, and offers sound baths, interfaith prayer circles, women's circles, and specialty energy work sessions—all infused with her intuitive guidance and deep heart-centered wisdom. Her clients and students often describe her work as profoundly peaceful, deeply supportive, and transformational.
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Grounded in a rich cultural and spiritual background, Kathy attended high school in Israel and studied Cultural Anthropology at California State University, Long Beach, including a study program in Japan. Her extensive travels across Asia, North America, and Europe have shaped her inclusive, interfaith approach to healing and spirituality.
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For over three decades, Kathy has been a dedicated educator, teaching English as a Second Language at community colleges in Southern California and language schools in Tokyo. Her teaching experience brings clarity, patience, and genuine care to all her healing interactions.
For the past five years, Kathy has joyfully served as a Hospice Angel, offering Reiki and compassionate companionship to hospice patients and their families. She feels divinely called to support those navigating grief, loss, and profound life transitions—bringing comfort, peace, and healing presence during these tender moments.
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Through all her work, Kathy invites each person she meets to embrace their innate goodness, find healing, and step into their fullest expression of joy, peace, and freedom.

Alison Laichter

Alison Laichter is a meditation teacher, facilitator, and consultant who brings deep breaths, humor, and meaningful wisdom to everything she does. A former Brooklynite now based in southern California, Alison has been teaching Jewish meditation for over two decades in synagogues, museums, retreat centers, festivals, and online. She’s the founder of the Jewish Meditation Center in NYC, the first ever grassroots, community-led space of its kind. With a background in urban planning, nonprofit strategy, and social entrepreneurship, Alison helps individuals and communities design immersive, inclusive, and radically meaningful experiences. She holds a Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Engineering from The Cooper Union. Her approach to meditation and mysticism is warm, real, and refreshingly grounded. Read more about her at www.alisonlaichter.com

Lou James