The IOWA Project is now Kirva

Kirva is the Hebrew word for “closeness.” According to Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, the great Mussar teacher of the late 20th century, the essential state of the world is one of closeness—between humans and the planet, with plant and animal life, and between all people. The violence and oppression embedded in society are due to forgetting these connections. The Hebrew word for cruelty, Achzariyut, can be understood as coming from the letters K-Zar, like a stranger. Cruelty and oppression grow when we estrange from others, from the planet, from ourselves, and from the Divine. The goal of Mussar, and spiritual practice in general, is to overcome this estrangement, remember our essential closeness, and create a world free from cruelty and oppression. Inspired by this teaching and vision, our work at Kirva makes accessible these spiritual practices for people working for social change to make the journey toward this vision a lived reality.