To My Dear Lab/Shul Family and Friends,

On my very first day as a Lab/Shul employee (nearly 6 years ago!), before I had even been to the office or met the staff yet, I found myself in a tiny dance studio in the middle of midtown setting up chairs alongside Sarah Strnad, nervous, curious, confused, and almost comically enthusiastic. It was our first ever Sabbath Queen. Looking back I love how perfectly that moment set the tone for what it would mean to work at Lab/Shul over the years, diving in with an open heart and open mind into one brand new experiment after the next.

So it is with that same spirit of experimentation that I’ve decided to end my journey with Lab/Shul to pursue a new challenge and a big dream: founding my own business, Ritualist, a boutique consultancy designing more meaningful work-life and connected communities through the art of ritual. Our lives are filled with rituals outside of the religious and spiritual space that Lab/Shul holds so well, things like graduating, onboarding new employees, completing a project, or returning to our offices for the first time since quarantine. I’ve created Ritualist to intentionally design these moments of transition, helping companies build cultures of wellbeing, communities define shared values, and individuals find belonging and purpose.

There is little precedent out there for a ritual design studio. Thankfully I have 6 years of invaluable experience learning and growing at an unprecedented Jewish community with unprecedented leaders. I am immensely grateful to Amichai, Shira, and Naomi for helping shape my understanding of ritual, to Sarah and the Lab/Shul Team and Board of Directors, to the 300+ artists I’ve had the honor to collaborate with, and to this entire sacred community for every hug, every song, and every circle we’ve shared.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ רּוחַ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch atah Adonai, eloheinu Ruach haolam, shehecheyanu v’ki’manu v’higianu laz’man hazeh.

I pause with humility and gratitude for the journey that has brought me to this moment, and for every single person who has been a part of it in ways both big and small, seen and unseen.

I sincerely hope that this is a “see you later” rather than a “goodbye.” If you want to keep in touch or stay updated on Ritualist, please email me at ezra@ritualist.life or follow me on Facebook or Instagram.

May our paths intersect, and may the intersections surprise us. May the days and months ahead meet us with safety, resiliency, hope, and meaning. And may we find in this season of return the courage to turn away from comfort and complacency, towards a world of justice and equality, finally, for all. May this circle be open but unbroken.

With love, always.
Ezra Bookman