Minneapolis Shabbaton

Nov 13-15, 2026

Register today for Let My People Sing!'s Minneapolis Shabbaton! This gathering will include programming from Friday to Sunday with workshops, shabbat services, communal meals, community sings, a participatory concert, and more! Sing and learn with our amazing program faculty, Anat Halevy Hochberg, rabbi dr. koach baruch frazier, Batya Levine, Margot Levin, and along with more local featured teachers to be announced!  Learn more about our teachers here!

We're excited to partner with Shir Tikvah Synagogue for this immersive, spirit-tending weekend.

Amidst the chaos and tumult of these times, we know that coming together in song can nourish and bolster us in the long work of moving towards a world where everyone can live and thrive.

This event will also be co-sponsored by Zuta. See FAQ below for more info!

Program Faculty

Featured Teachers Coming Soon…

Registration Payment Guide

The prices below reflect the true cost of this offering. Thank you for stretching to pay what is feasible for you! This tiered pricing model along with financial assistance allows us to cover our expenses while making it financially accessible to a diverse range of participants. If you are unsure about what level makes sense for you, here’s a suggested place to start. And of course, you know your situation better than we do and we recognize that socioeconomic and other life factors can impact what is possible financially for each person.

• Income $30k and below - fill out the financial assistance form

• Income $30k - $50k - subsidized rate

• Income $50k - $100k - true cost

• Income $100k + and/or have access to inherited wealth - please consider paying one of the two solidarity rates.

Shabbaton Pricing:

$250: True cost
$180: Subsidized rate
$360: Solidarity rate (pay for you and 50% of someone else!)
$500: Solidarity rate (pay for you and someone else!)
$54: Kids rate 5-13 years old (kids under 5 free)

Friday 4pm - 10pm, Saturday 10am - 10pm, Sunday 10am-1pm (time is approximate and subject to change give or take an hour)
Shabbat dinner and lunch provided, Sunday snacks provided. Housing not provided.

Draft Schedule

Here is a sample schedule to give you an idea of the flow of the retreat. We will be adjusting this schedule as we continue to plan and refine the program.

FRIDAY

4:00-4:30 pm - Arrival

4:30-5:30 pm - Opening Welcome & Sing

6:00-7:30 pm - Let My People Sing! Kabbalat Shabbat & Ma’ariv

7:30-8:30 pm - Shabbat Dinner

9:00-10:00 pm - Shabbat Community Sing / Tisch

SATURDAY

9:30 am-12:00 pm - Shabbat morning Services with Shir Tikvah Synagogue

12:00-1:00 pm - Shabbat Lunch

1:15-2:15 pm - Session Slot 1

2:30-3:30 pm - Session Slot 2

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to have singing skills to come?

Not at all! At LMPS, we believe that everyone can sing. Part of the power of communal singing is creating a collective voice that is made up of a beautiful multiplicity of voices, and is much bigger than any one voice individually. We need all of our voices to make that larger voice. We need your voice, whatever authentic singing looks and feels and sounds like for you. That is what makes the magic. Whether you are excited to deepen into your voice, your musical lineages, to expand your breadth of singing experience, or are new to Jewish communal singing altogether, you are welcome wanted in this space!

What is a Shabbaton?

A shabbaton is a retreat that is structured around the rhythms and rituals of Shabbat to help foster spiritual connection and community. The Let My People Sing! Bay Area Shabbaton will be centered on Jewish communal singing for healing and liberation. It will include prayer, programming led by our program faculty, participant-led workshops, community sings, and a participatory concert on Saturday night. 

REGISTRATION & PRICING

What is the registration process?

All are welcome and encouraged to come sing! And, in alignment with our values of building multi-racial, multicultural, genderful and intergenerational community, we are working to prioritize the participation of Black and Indigenous Jews, Jews of Color, Sephardim, Mizrahim, trans women and trans femmes, and disabled people.

General registration will be open to everyone, available on a first come first serve basis through our website. While we expect the retreat to fill, we do not expect it will fill immediately. We will hold a number of spots for BIJOCSM, trans women and trans femmes, and disabled folks. To access these spots once registration is full, please sign up for the waitlist.

How much does this retreat cost?

Below is the pricing for registration. Pricing includes programming, Friday night dinner, Saturday lunch, and snacks for both Saturday and Sunday. Please note: lodging is not included in these prices. Participants are expected to find their own lodging. In addition, lunch is not provided on Sunday.

Shabbaton Pricing:

$250: True cost
$180: Subsidized rate
$360: Solidarity rate (pay for you and 50% of someone else!)
$500: Solidarity rate (pay for you and someone else!)
$54: Kids rate 5-13 years old (kids under 5 free)

Thank you for stretching to pay what is feasible for you! This tiered pricing model along with financial assistance allows us to cover our expenses while making it financially accessible to a diverse range of participants.

What is the cancellation and refund policy for these events?

There is no refund for arriving late or departing early from any event. The refund amount is based on how far in advance we receive the cancellation request prior to the start date. For these events, the cancellation policy is:

• 31 days or more – fully refundable less a $25 fee 

• 15-30 days prior – 50% refundable 

• 14 days or less – not refundable 

Let My People Sing! reserves the right to cancel any program at any time. This includes cancellations due to inclement weather if, in our judgment, we are unable to operate safely. In the event of such a cancellation, a full refund will be issued. If the event proceeds as scheduled, no refund will be offered.

If you are sick and are unable to attend, you may receive a refund (less $25).

Financial Assistance

Will there be financial assistance available?

Yes! Anyone is welcome to apply for financial assistance, and we will do our best to offer what we can. Due to limited funding, we are prioritizing financial assistance for people who are BIJOCSM, trans women, trans femmes, raised poor and working class, without a financial safety net, and disabled.

Do you offer work trade?

We have limited work trade available. Please email info@letmypeoplesing.org if you are interested.

LOCATION, TRAVEL & ACCOMODATIONS

Where will this Shabbaton be held?

Friday and Saturday programming:
First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408

Sunday programming:
Shir Tikvah Synagogue
1360 West Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55419

How do I get to First Universalist Church of MPLS?

First Universalist Church is located at 3400 Dupont Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408

First Universalist Church is located in the South Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis on Dupont Avenue South, which is a one-way street going north, between 34th and 35th Streets.

Parking: There is a parking lot next to the building for visitors, people with limited mobility, and people with small children.

Biking: A number of bike racks are available outside of the building.

Bus: We are easily accessible by bus. Metro Transit‘s Route 4 runs along Bryant Avenue, two blocks to the east, and Route 6 runs along Hennepin Avenue, four blocks to the west.

How do I get to Shir Tikvah Synagogue?

Shir Tikvah is located at 1360 West Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Shir Tikvah the intersection of 50th Street and West Minnehaha Parkway in south Minneapolis, west of I-35W and two blocks south of Lake Harriet.

Parking: Parkingis available at Burroughs School. The lot is accessible from 50th Street and is located a half block west of Shir Tikvah.

Will housing be provided?

No, participants are responsible for finding their own housing accommodations. We will provide a public spreadsheet where participants can self-coordinate homestays (locals and travelers can list their needs/offerings). If you would like help looking for a homestay, Shir Tikvah staff have generously offered to help support coordination between local folks and participants who need a place to stay. Housing matches are not guaranteed. Please indicate on your registration if you would like to request this.

ACCESSIBILITY & COVID-19

What are your COVID-19 policies and practices?

Please read our 2026 COVID-19 Protocols Document carefully as the COVID-19 protocols. Following the protocols will be required for all participants.

What can I expect in terms of accessibility?

We will have an Accessibility Lead supporting access at this event.

The First Universalist Church is an ADA compliant facility with ADA bathrooms throughout the building. One of the bathrooms has an automated door system. There is an elevator to reach all floors and rooms that we will be using.

TEFILLAH / PRAYER

What will the tefillah/prayer be like?

The Let My People Sing! Bay Area Shabbaton will have one service, with a mixture of service styles over the course of Shabbat. Friday night will be a songful, fuller liturgy, Traditional Egalitarian style service, and the only instruments we’ll be using are our voices. Shabbat morning services will be according to the minhag hamakom (custom of the community) of Shir Tikvah Synagogue. Maybe either of these types of services are new for you or outside of your comfort zone. Even so, we encourage you to join us in prayer, in whatever way feels authentic to you.

HALACHIC OBSERVANCE & PRACTICE

Will I be able to participate in programming on shabbat if I am shomer shabbat?

Yes! Electronics will mostly not be used on shabbat in public spaces, with a few exceptions for access reasons and to honor minhag hamakom (the custom of Shir Tikvah Synagogue). It will be noted on the schedule as such. Friday night services will use a microphone for announcements and speaking, but the services themselves will not utilize amplification. Shabbat morning services may use amplification and instruments. Other than Shabbat morning services, we will not use instruments on shabbat in programming unless noted, and there will always be other session options at the same time.

CULTURE & COMMUNITY

What is the culture of Let My People Sing!’s gatherings?

Check out our Building the Culture of Let My People Sing! page to find out how we create culture together at our gatherings.

What kinds of songs are sung?

Let My People Sing! brings together music traditions across Jewish time and space, from ancient to contemporary music, and everything in between. Our project includes restoring lost or broken lineages of cultural transmission, and simultaneously elevating, celebrating, learning and teaching the incredible new music coming out of our communities. We sing the songs of queer and trans Jews, Mizrahi and Sefardi Jews, Jews of color, Jews with disabilities, women and femmes, people singing in Ladino, Yiddish, and Judeo-Arabic, and other people who have been historically and ongoingly marginalized, and in some cases erased, from normative Jewish culture and practice. We sing spiritual, secular, and religious songs. We sing the songs of our ancestors, the songs of our hearts, and the songs of our multiple communities.

How will we approach gathering in a time of heightened polarization within the Jewish community?

You can check out our Community Guidelines for this gathering. Please read over this document, before attending this retreat.

Song Sessions

Sessions are led by a wide array of song leaders using a variety of formats.  Some include histories and stories, others just be about singing the songs themselves.  No instruments are used on Shabbat unless otherwise noted.

Community Sing

Let My People Sing!’s format for sharing and learning songs in community. A space for leading, teaching, singing and sharing.

Participatory Concert

The Saturday night concert features Let My People Sing! featured teachers and staff sharing songs we’ve sung throughout the weekend!

Shabbaton

A retreat that is structured around the rhythms and rituals of Shabbat as a container to help foster spiritual connection and community.