Current Projects

Gan Aydin

Gan Aydin is a harm reduction collective offering peer support, education, and on-the-ground care at festivals, gatherings, and community events. The name means "garden of Aydin" -- a space of tending, presence, and return. The work is grounded in the belief that people deserve compassionate, non-judgmental support wherever they are in their journey, and that safety and sovereignty are not in conflict. We show up not to manage or correct, but to accompany.

The collective provides trained peer support at events, harm reduction education for individuals and organizations, and capacity-building for communities that want to care for their people more intentionally. We work closely with event organizers, wellness practitioners, spiritual communities, and grassroots spaces to build cultures of care from the inside out -- before, during, and after the moments that matter most. Our approach integrates somatic awareness, trauma-informed presence, and a deep respect for human autonomy. We believe harm reduction is not just a set of practices -- it is a value system, and a form of love.

Gan Aydin is available for event staffing, organizational training, community education, and consultation. If you're organizing a gathering, building a peer support program, or looking to strengthen the care infrastructure of your community, we want to be part of that conversation.

Please reach out to Aydin@hamakomnyc.com or Sophia@hamakomnyc.com

HaMakom

HaMakom -- Hebrew for "the place," and one of the ancient names of the divine -- is a living ecosystem of Jewish healing, community, and practice. It holds that the sacred is not located in any single building or institution, but in the quality of presence we bring to one another and to ourselves. HaMakom is rooted in Jewish tradition and open to all who are seeking. Its work is organized around six pillars: Community, Celebration, Wellness, Nourishment, Artistry, and Wisdom -- each one a dimension of what it means to live a whole and connected life.

The work of HaMakom unfolds across many forms: individual healing sessions drawing from breathwork, somatic bodywork, and nervous system regulation; communal gatherings that blend prayer, music, and embodied practice; study rooted in Hasidic teaching and Jewish mysticism; and ongoing collaboration with healers, artists, educators, and community builders who share a commitment to depth. HaMakom draws from the lineage of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the wisdom of integrative medicine, and the conviction that ancient tradition and contemporary healing belong together.
This is not a finished project. HaMakom is growing, and it grows through relationship. If you are a practitioner, a community organization, a funder, or simply someone who recognizes something here -- we welcome you. The place is wherever we build it together.

Breathe, Sing, Exhale

Breathe Sing Exhale is a 49-day embodied journey through Sefirat HaOmer, the ancient Jewish practice of counting the days between Passover and Shavuot. Co-created with Hazzan Jacob Sandler (North Suburban Synagogue Beth El) and Ben Romano (Marlene Myerson JCC Musician in Residence), the program weaves together breathwork, sacred chant, and contemplative reflection into a structured daily practice grounded in Kabbalistic tradition. Each of the 49 days maps onto a unique combination of the seven sefirot -- the divine qualities through which creation flows -- and the program offers concrete tools for moving through each quality in body, voice, and mind.

The practice is designed to do what the Omer has always asked of us: to slow down, to count, to pay attention. Breathe Sing Exhale gives that counting a form. Daily sessions guide participants through breath practices that open the nervous system, chant that activates communal resonance, and reflective prompts drawn from Jewish text and lived experience. The workbook -- a 49-day printed journal -- serves as both a companion and a record, something participants carry through the season and return to long after it ends.

The program is available as a self-guided workbook and as a facilitated group experience for synagogues, chavurot, retreat centers, day schools, and independent seekers. It is designed to be accessible to people at every level of Jewish knowledge and embodiment practice. If you want to bring Breathe Sing Exhale to your community this Omer season, or if you're an individual ready to commit to the 49 days, we'd love to hear from you.