Mevo Modi'in. Aka 'The hippie Chassid moshav'. They were a commune in Berkeley first, The House of Love & Light. They're all about Shlomo Carlebach. Lots of guitar playing, singing, dancing.
I love that in Chassidic tradition it's a sign of respect to hop right in and question & give one's own opinion to the Rabbi, because we're even allowed to question G-d. In that way it is very much the opposite of fundamentalist Christianity or of guru-based branches of Hinduism or Buddhism. And I think it's part of why there are such disproportionate numbers of Jews in such fields as civil rights, humanitarian actions, other forms of politics, & social work, myself included. Also given we are now in the 10 Days of Awe, I love that Kol Nidre starts with the Rabbi, not just the congregation, taking accountability for the sins of the whole community, because there is no hierarchy of who is or should be allowed to be close to G-d. In that was I see a link with Unitarian Universalist creed. I've talked about topics like this in Religion in Anime & Manga panel over the years, as to how believes on such subjects inform the character development & plot trajectories when protagonists are characters in need of redemption and/or questioning authority.
