{"id":868,"date":"2023-08-13T19:10:18","date_gmt":"2023-08-13T19:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gurdjieffisrael.org\/gurdjieff-groups-in-israel\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T09:10:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T09:10:40","slug":"gurdjieff-groups-in-israel","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gurdjieffisrael.org\/en\/","title":{"rendered":"Gurdjieff groups in Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About the way<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

“There gradually arose in me that <\/strong>‘something’ which has brought the whole of me to the unshakeable conviction that, apart from the vanities of life, there exists a \u201csomething else\u201d which must be the aim and ideal of every man, and it is only this something else that may make a man really happy and can give him real values, instead of the illusory goods with which he is always full.<\/strong>”
G. I. Gurdjieff, \u201cSkridlov\u201d in Meetings With Remarkable Men<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every human being has an essential, but hidden, need to be present in his or her life and to be inwardly free. In response to this need, G. I. Gurdjieff brought a teaching that is neither religious nor philosophical, to be practiced in the conditions of daily life. Self-observation and self-awareness are central to this path. It is an ongoing search to find a harmonious connection between body, thought, and emotion. This practice engages the entire being and allows one to open oneself to another quality of attention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“What is meditation? My body consciously gives itself to another energy. At first, it does not agree. But little by little the body wants it. It feels happiness, and even \u2013 joy\u2026 This energy is not the body. It comes from somewhere else, perhaps from the planets, perhaps even further away. It needs the body to express itself and organize itself. It is this that will create what we sometimes call the soul.”<\/strong>
Michel de Salzmann<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Gurdjieff groups, there is personal practice alongside activities which are undertaken together in a group; these may include meditation, small group meetings, \u2018Movements\u2019 classes, music, physical work, various crafts, and studying the ideas of Gurdjieff\u2019s teachings. All of these are components of the practical spiritual path brought by G. I. Gurdjieff, and all have the aim of understanding and being in touch with the true nature of the world and of oneself. They foster attention and openness which enable an awakening to life, to self-remembering, and to being present in the moment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“Beyond the thin shell of imagined reality there is another reality. Something, for some reason, stands between us and it.”<\/strong>
P. D. Ouspensky<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the late 1950\u2019s, a group of young people gathered around Dr. Joseph Schechter, a teacher and philosopher, who awakened in them an interest in existential questions concerning the meaning of life and inner development. In 1960, this group founded Yodfat as an agricultural community seeking to live a spiritual life. The members explored various spiritual paths, including Gurdjieff\u2019s teachings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1968, they approached the Gurdjieff Center in Paris and, with its blessing, formed the Gurdjieff Groups, which were later called \u201cDrahim \u2013 Gurdjieff Groups of Israel\u201d. The main house of the groups is still in Yodfat, and another center of \u201cDrahim\u201d is located in central Israel. \u201cDrahim\u201d – which mean \u201cPaths\u201d – maintains continuous contact and exchange visits with the center in Paris, as well as with other Gurdjieff centers around the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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G. I. Gurdjieff (1866 -1949)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n

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George Ivanovich Gurdjieff was born in the Caucasus, to a Greek father and an Armenian mother. In his book \u201cMeetings with Remarkable Men<\/em>\u201d, he describes his unique upbringing which evoked in him many questions concerning the meaning of life.<\/p>\n

Finding no satisfactory answers in religion or science, his search became the focus of his life and led to his search for hidden ancient knowledge. He was able to make contact with various communities throughout Central Asia and the Middle East, where parts of this ancient knowledge were still alive. Gurdjieff travelled for many years, seeking and integrating the practical wisdom and knowledge which constitutes his teaching.<\/p>\n

In 1912, Gurdjieff arrived in Moscow and St. Petersburg, where a small group of students interested in his teaching gathered around him. Due to the conditions during World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution, Gurdjieff left Russia together with his closest students, intending to bring his teaching to seekers in the West.<\/p>\n

In 1922, he founded the \u201cInstitute for the Harmonious Development of Man\u201d at Fontainebleau near Paris. In the years between the two world wars, Gurdjieff taught many students and wrote his main work, \u201cBeelzebub\u2019s Tales to his Grandson\u201d. He also visited the United States and other countries, lectured to the general public and organized public performances of the sacred dances and exercises called \u2018the Movements\u2019.<\/p>\n

During the Second World War, Gurdjieff lived in a small apartment in Paris and worked tirelessly to create a nucleus of students who would be able to continue this multi-faceted quest, later known simply as \u201cThe Work\u201d. After Gurdjieff\u2019s death in 1949, students from all over the world continued under the guidance of Mme. Jeanne de Salzmann, who was authorized by Gurdjieff to continue his work. Centers were first founded in Paris, London, New York and Caracas in order to establish a direct transmission of his teachings. Over the years, many new groups have been added, including the group in Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n

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