Hello, Adar.
We've got a new home in Substack from which to celebrate the achievements of trippy Jews.
Shalom! Tudo bom?
We are now in the month of Adar with Purim in sight as arguably the most psychedelic-friendly holiday. This all after the transcendent highs of parshah Yitro, Mishpatim’s reminder that laws are the integration of the mystical into society’s fabric, and then the call for care in creating a spiritual container in Teruma. I am looking forward to attending my first-ever Megillah reading this year (clutch your pearls!) because growing up secular-Zionist-and-in-a-cult in São Paulo means my Jewish education has been a bit unorthodox. There are other things to celebrate this month along with the salvation of the Jewish people from Haman in Persia: this newsletter’s move to Substack, the many Am Israel achievements listed here, and my new job as General Counsel of Fluence, a company dedicated to increasing awareness, availability, and safety of psychedelic therapies. As I begin a new legal job in the psychedelic space, I will keep Rabbi Jonathan Sach’s zt”l words related to Mishpatim in my heart: “It is precisely through law that we enact spiritual truths in physical circumstances, creating fragments of heaven in our interactions on earth.”
Beijos,
Adriana
Mazel tov Modechai Walder on your engagement!
Open Therapy Institute’s articles are a must. Many therapists mishandle politically-charged issues and OTI is documenting the blindspots, biases, and gaps in training that damage treatment—and offering solutions. I have 5 free subscriptions to gift so message me if you want one.
Earlier this month I flew to Austin to attend a Jews & Psychedelics dinner organized by Gabriela Poler-Buzali and hosted by Danielle Sunberg and Ted Moskovitz. I also spent time with Aaron Buzali (Americans for Ibogaine), Rabbi Dan (Moontower Minyan), Rabbi Neil Blumofe (Congregation Agudas Achim), my cousin Fernanda Bressan (leadership coach), and JP Newman (loved this episode of his podcast). I also attended Joe Tarfur’s book launch at Jim Brand’s beautiful historic home.
Rabbi Dan and a very special Jews & Psychedelics dinner Sasha Perelman published The Longest Road: Healing Across Generations, an autobiography of a Soviet Jewish immigrant’s granddaughter who uses plant medicine ceremonies to confront her family’s inherited trauma and discover that while survival’s scars pass through bloodlines, healing them is a conscious choice. Join me at the book launch in NYC this Sunday.
Doors of Perception: Psychedelics and World Religions Conference is taking place at Bar-Ilan University (March 11) co-chaired by Michal Ben-Horin, Gideon Elazar, Rachel Verliebter, Michal Zelcer-Lavid, and Ithamar Theodor and supported by the academic committee consisting of Shlomy Mualem, Hanoch Ben Pazi, Ido Hartogsohn, and Yishai Spivak.
Jews in Weed continues to grow as a hub for cannabis industry collaboration. I connected to them to CannaLean Biotechs Ltd., an Israeli biotech startup exploring U.S. expansion, as part of my efforts to get the Israeli Economic Mission in New York to increase their support of cannabis and psychedelics. Attend JIW’s Purim Party in NYC (March 2) and their first Hall of Flowers gathering in California (March 18). Unfortunately, the most recent JIW shabbat zoom call was interrupted by antisemitic individuals.
Beyond fight or flight: Building spiritual stamina in the face of antisemitism, an article about mindful Jewish leadership in the face of antisemitism.
ICAR Collective looks to coordinate and foster Israel’s mental health field, straining since Oct. 7, at its 2nd conference in TLV. Read Pinni Baumol’s post about Shaare Nefesh’s presence. MAPS Israel also had a booth.
Tali Avron launched the Psychedelic Women Network mentorship program this week and will be speaking at PsyEdu Mini-Conference (March 14).
Psychedelic attorney Marc Goldgrub recently spoke on a panel exploring the evolving landscape of psychedelic therapy in Canada at PsyHibit 2026 in Toronto.
Joshua White of Fireside Project launched TripCheck and published Colorado has a chance to get ibogaine policy right, an opinion piece in which he argues that Colorado should look to the law that regulates vaccines and workers’ compensation claims for a useful model on how to handle liability/risk.
Madison Margolin will be presenting at Georgetown University on April 15.
Steve Levine, Chief Patient Officer at Compass Pathways, will be attending the 6th Annual Psychedelic Therapeutics & Drug Development Conference in New Orleans in New Orleans. Compass Pathways is hiring for a number of different roles.
The Psychological Inversion Playbook: How Jew Hatred Hijacks Ethics and Healing, a closer look at what Jewish mental health professionals face routinely from their colleagues.
Erica Zelfand is offering a free e-course on the History of Psychedelics & the War on Drugs in the USA.
Julie Holland and Nadav Liam Modlin are speaking at The Social Life of Psychedelics: What Does it Mean to Get Better? at Harvard (February 25).
Can LLMs Get High? A Dual-Metric Framework for Evaluating Psychedelic Simulation and Safety in Large Language Models, co-authored by Guy Simon, Ziv Ben-Zion and Teddy L.
2026 Psychedelic Medicine Review at NYU Langone Health will include lots of members of the tribe but will take place on shabbat.
The Frum Psychedelic Community is hosting an online chat with Rick Strassman on February 24. Here is a video of my chat with Strassman back in 2021 (the first time he spoke publicly about his Jewish identity).
An evening featuring the artwork of Tziri Moshel in NYC (March 5) will display paintings born from her healing journey.
Aaron Genuth is hosting a Purim party in Brooklyn.
Attend Ido Cohen’s course Purim & The Hidden Self: Archetypes, Shadow, and Integration hosted by Shefa Jewish Psychedelic Support.
International psychedelic efforts are leveling up to help IDF veterans. Email me if you are interested in supporting.
John Mintz recapped his experience at the Big Jewish Gathering, a 2-day spiritual convening in Brooklyn last month “weaving immersive ritual, embodied learning, and creative renewal” — it explored all expanded states, including psychedelics and cannabis.
A group of observant Jews travelled to Minas Gerais, Brazil (my home country!) to drink ayahuasca at ally Glauber Loures de Assis’ retreat center. I have been in awe of Glauber’s interest and respect for Jewish culture.
I greatly enjoyed attending a frum cacao ceremony this Tuesday co-hosted by Erica Buchman and Bin Goldman that included a number of psychedelic Hassidim.
If you plan on attending Michael Pollan’s event in NYC for his new book A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness on Feb. 24/25 tell Marissa Feinberg.
Unfortunately World Ayahuasca Forum takes place during Rosh Hashana so I don’t expect many discussions of Hassidic ayahuasca circles, frum harm reduction efforts, and syncretic international collaborations. But you still have time to submit an abstract if you don’t observe!
Honeysuckle Magazine, founded by Ronit Pinto, marked a major milestone this week with the launch of its first-ever Israel edition, expanding the award–winning platform’s global presence at the intersection of culture, cannabis, and creativity. “Bridging Tel Aviv, Europe, and the U.S., the Israel edition reflects Honeysuckle’s commitment to cross-border storytelling where music, plant culture, and contemporary Israeli culture collide.” And guess who was there to celebrate? Ilana Paz, Tali Avron, Yana Lechtman, Psy.D., and Dana Bar-Zvi!
Let’s help Pinni Baumol with his thesis by distributing this research questionnaire among friends far from the psychedelic friendly world. It’s important for him to reach a representative population of healing professionals from all fields (doctors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, clinical criminologists, and expression and creative therapists). The study examines mental health professionals’ attitudes toward drug policy and harm reduction approaches.
Leor Roseman of Ripples Collective recently hosted fundraisers in New York and California for a new film projecta.
Thank you Wondering Jews podcast for the shout out!
A Prayer to Prepare for Prayer by Rich Orloff
You are cordially invited
To stop whatever you’re doing
Let go of whatever you’re thinking
Place a bookmark on whatever you’re busy accomplishing
And savor this moment of existence
There is no dress code
Come as you are
There is also no belief code
Come as you are
And if you wish to bring a gift
Let the gift be you
Unadorned by the thread-worn fabric of beliefs
Or the armor of your facade
Let angels usher you into a pool of reflection
Trust them as they dip you into waters
Immerse your soul in the healing bath of prayer
Prepare yourself for the sacred art of receiving
Let us take three breaths together:
Inhale the miracle of air
Exhale the miracle of breath
Inhale as if the air is nursing you
Exhale rejoicing that this is not your last breath
Inhale as an act of receiving
Exhale as a prayer of gratitude
Let this moment be holy
Let this moment be holy
Let this moment be holy
