I’m going to invite you to think about “being” Jewish and what that means. Either you or your partner is Jewish. You may be raising your kids Jewish. “Being” Jewish holds questions about identity and action and how they intersect.

Being Jewish is both entirely effortless and requiring of work to make anything of it. It’s like being born with a high IQ. You can walk through life a genius, but if you never learn to read, write or do math, if you never put your brains to any task, then your intelligence is wasted. If you are born a Jew, then that identity belongs to you effortlessly. (If you convert to Judaism, you create your own door into Judaism.) Now what to do with it?

Let’s take a familiar Jewish practice, kashrut (eating kosher food). If all you know is, don’t eat pork, then it seems pointless and stupid. If you learn more you find it is a dietary system. You control what you eat, you think about what you put in your mouth before you put food in there. What? Another form of Weight Watchers? Some foods are not eaten at all – yup, sounds like a diet. Some foods are not eaten together, yes, I’ve seen those diets too. You bless the food and thank some cosmic force for providing it. Hm, I’m not sure I believe in that cosmic force so why say thank you to it?

These are all beginner’s concepts. Let’s go deeper.

The concept of kavanah (intention) is working here. Rather than stuff food in your face, think before you eat. Have intention. I am going to eat what is good for me, I am valuing this, the only body I will occupy in this lifetime, I want to keep it healthy and able to sustain my spirit/consciousness.

I want to be grateful that, unlike the majority of the planet’s occupants, I have sufficient and delicious nutrition. I am grateful that someone else stooped in the fields to pick this. I won’t rush through food that they gave sweaty hours to harvest. Nor will I undervalue the fact that an animal died in order for me to eat this steak.

What if each time you ate you gave 30 seconds to thinking about how you are nourishing yourself and how that plays into the world around you?

Have you ever thought about meditating? It’s scientifically proven to do loads of good things for you. What if kashrut is an ancient way of creating a meditative moment? Sure, many people aren’t thinking of it that way. But who said you had to do things their way?

I didn’t make this stuff up. Talk to modern practitioners of kashrut and you’ll learn even more about connecting body, soul, and actions.
To get the most out of being Jewish takes effort – learning, practice (as in doing it over and over again until you’ve got it right for you) and it doesn’t hurt to have some fellow explorers (just like those gym buddies who suggest you take spinning with them).

If you’re going to BE Jewish, make it work for you.

EVENTS
The Outdoor Sanctuary (San Rafael)
Torah on the Trails (San Rafael)
Book Club (San Rafael)
Chocolate Chip Challah! (El Cerrito)
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story film (Berkeley)
A Film Unfinished film (Berkeley)
Let’s go to the Movies: Saviors in the Night (Berkeley)
Bagels and Blocks (Walnut Creek)
Bagels and Babies (San Francisco)

The Outdoor Sanctuary
Shabbat in Nature
Does being in nature make you feel connected to something bigger? Come and celebrate Shabbat outdoors this summer at China Camp State Park. We will be there at 5:30 pm and services will begin at 6 pm. All you need to do is bring your blanket, some lawn chairs, a picnic dinner, your readiness to participate, and a dessert to share. We’ll bring the challah.

Directions: We will be picnicking and praying at China Camp Village, just down the road from Rodef Sholom (4.6 miles), on the upper grass meadow adjacent to the parking lot and above the water. There will be a small fee for parking.

Date: Friday, July 16, Aug. 20
Time: 6pm
Place: China Camp State Park
Sponsored by Congregation Rodef Sholom, 170 North San Pedro Rd., San Rafael
For more information call the synagogue at 415- 479-3447
www.rodefsholom.org

Torah on the Trails
Join Cantor David Margules for some soul-lifting Torah and a short hike, weather permitting. Please meet punctually in the Rodef Sholom parking lot.

Date: Saturday, July 17
Time: 8:30am
Place: Rodef Sholom, 170 North San Pedro Road San Rafael
For more information call the synagogue at (415) 479-3441

Book Club
The Women of Rodef Sholom’s book club will be discussing The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson at the next gathering.

Date: Wednesday, July 21
Time: 7:15 pm
Place: Osher Marin JCC, Lefferts Community Library (2nd floor), 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael
For more information about joining this dynamic club, contact wrs@rodefsholom.org.

Chocolate Chip Challah!
Join other families with young children to make and take home your own decorated bread, a yummy Jewish treat. We’ll also enjoy puppets, stories, and songs. You’ll take home your challah, the recipe, plus ideas about how to make Shabbat — the Jewish Sabbath — a special time for your family.
Open to all children age 0-5 years and their grown-ups.
Our gathering will be led by beloved early childhood specialist Mimi Greisman and Rabbi Bridget Wynne.
Feel free to invite friends who might be interested!

Date: Sunday, July 25
Time: 10:30am-12:00pm
Place: Jewish Gateways, 409 Liberty St., El Cerrito
For more information call 510-559-8140
www.jewishgateways.org

Temple Sinai of Oakland is co-presenting two films at the SF Jewish Film Festival.
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, this film celebrates the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. More than a film about sports, it is a story of immigration, assimilation, bigotry and the shattering of stereotypes.

Date: Sunday, August 1 at 2:15pm
Place: Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley

AND
A Film Unfinished
Filmmaker Yael Hersonski discovers that the Warsaw Ghetto footage that we’ve seen in countless documentaries was actually staged by the Nazis using the actual Jewish inhabitants of the Ghetto as “actors.” This film is a rigorous and profound documentary that simultaneously exposes the perversity of Nazi image-making, honors its victims and pays tribute to the resiliency of the filmmaker’s own grandmother and the other survivors of the Ghetto.

Date: Sunday, August 1 at 4:15pm
Place: Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley

For ticket information, please contact the box office at 866-55-tickets or visit the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival online at www.sfjff.org.

Let’s go to the Movies: Saviors in the Night
Let’s go see “Saviors in the Night” at the SF Jewish Film Festival. Saviors is a true story about a German Catholic family who hid a Jewish family during the Holocaust.
Go online and buy your ticket at: www.sfjff.org
How about meeting at 5pm for a quick pizza around the corner from the theater? Email me if you want to join me for dinner before the film.

Date: August 7
Time: 7pm
Place: Roda Theater, Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison, Berkeley
Info: Contact me at 510-845-6420 x11 or email me at dawn@buildingjewishbridges.org

Bagels and Blocks
A Jewish Family Play Group with Sizzling Summer Fun!
Come join us as we explore, make crafts, sing and learn in a family environment.
Please bring towel and change of clothes for water play. The summer program designed for families with children 0-3 years. Siblings welcome! Bring a Friend!
Free and open to the community.
A light breakfast will be served at 10:15.

Date: Thursday, August 19
Time: 9:30-10:15am
Place: B’nai Shalom, Room 1, 74 Eckley Ln., Walnut Creek
For more information contact sarah@speigel.com or rabbijen@bshalom.org

Bagels and Babies
Join us for an opportunity for parents to interact with others while spending time with their little ones. We provide bagels, fruit and juice…there is some schmooze time, a circle time/discussion, and we always have a “guest” like one of our rabbis or it could be Andrea Alban, a children’s author.

Date: Friday, Aug. 20
Time: 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Place: Congregation Emanu-El, Two Lake Street, San Francisco
For more information contact Leslie Ticktin at (415) 751-2541 x167 or LTicktin@emanuelsf.org

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Taught by Rabbi Menachem Creditor

Are You Curious?
A Taste of Judaism has been around for more than ten years and literally tens of thousands of people have taken it. It is aimed at the adult learner who has little knowledge of Judaism, but a curious mind. The class covers the three pillars of Judaism:
Jewish spirituality — Jewish views of the divine
Jewish ethics — the source of the Jewish way of life, the teachings
Jewish community — the community that Jews create in every generation to sustain Jewish life.
The three session class is free but pre-registration is required.

Dates: Thursday evenings, Oct. 7, 14, 21
Place: Netivot Shalom, Berkeley
Call to register at 510-845-6420 x11.

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A couple of interesting films coming right up.

For those who are living in an Asian Jewish family you are aware that these films are about European Jews who fled the Holocaust by going to China. Being a Chinese Jew in California do not mean tracing your ancestry to Shanghai.

A Place to Save Your Life
11:00 am
Juxtaposing interviews with survivors with archival photographs,
this film recounts the days when Jews lived in China under Japanese rule.
(Directed by Karen Shopsowitz. DVD, 1994, 52 minutes, English)

Shanghai Ghetto
2:00 pm
The film tells the story of the Jewish refugees in Shanghai, their relationships with the local Chinese and with the occupying Japanese army, the rich cultural life they constructed under great hardship, and the tragedy of their relatives who stayed behind in Europe.
(Directed by Dana Janklowicz-Mann and Amir Mann. DVD, 2002, 95 minutes, English, German, and Mandarin with English subtitles. Narrated by Academy Award Winner Martin Landau)

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Talking to a couple of people this week made me write about FEAR.

Do not traffic in fear
Despite the fact that the Reform movement began inreach and outreach to interfaith couples in 1978 many people remain unaware that welcoming interfaith couples and families has grown stronger and more wide spread over the last 30+ years. It rapidly sprang up in Reconstructionist, Humanist and Renewal congregations. It has spread into Conservative shuls and has a soft spoken presence in Orthodox congregations. Jewish Community Centers and other agencies strive to offer welcoming, entry point programming. Yet I still hear people telling me that some Jew has told them that, (a) interfaith couples aren’t welcome… out there, (b) it will be hard to find a rabbi who performs interfaith weddings, (c) the other guys (the synagogue up the road, the JCC in the next town) are mean to interfaith couples.

STOP LISTENING TO THAT! Jews who say that are either ignorant, territorial or projecting their own reality. If you reside in the bay area, none of this is true. I have a long list of rabbis who perform interfaith weddings. It is more difficult if you want to get married on the Jewish Sabbath (Friday afternoon to Saturday at sundown). Why? Not because you are an interfaith couple, but because the vast majority of rabbis follow the guidelines of Jewish law which forbid certain acts (work) on the Sabbath. It isn’t about you; it’s about them being a Jew. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Don’t be afraid. Synagogues of all movements want you. JCCs want you. Agencies want you. The Jewish people is a PEOPLE. It is a family, a home. To quote Robert Frost, not a Jew, “Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in.” They may make you use a napkin or wash your hands, but Home Folks always take you in. Don’t forget that! Call me if you start to forget or doubt.

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Welcome to 2010!  Wow, an entire decade behind us and a lot of hope for the coming year.  A long time ago I worked for UC Berkeley’s adult evening education program.  What I was surprised to learn is that more people decide to plunge into a new class in January/February.  I had assumed most people would begin in the fall.  So, with that in mind, I encourage each of you to try something new right now.  Never really felt confident of your knowledge in synagogue or around one or more holidays, or think your kids know more than you do about Judaism?  Start a class this term.  I can’t help you with classes on Christianity, Islam or other religions because that’s not my field.  But I do encourage you to learn about the religious tradition of your spouse.  You can start by just going to the library.

Maybe you’d like to get more comfortable in your own interfaith family this year.  Come to a workshop.

Want to talk about where you are right now?  Call me.  Having a baby?  Looking for a rabbi for your wedding?  Trying to figure out how to give your child an identity that is about both parents?  It’s all manageable and other couples are thinking about the very same things.  Come to an interfaith/intercultural couples discussion group this spring. I can promise that you will be stimulated and supported. 

I am looking forward to seeing all of you this year.

Let’s get off to a great start!

Dawn

EVENTS

Introduction to the Jewish Experience: Torah, Memory, & History (Oakland)

Introduction to Judaism (Redwood City)

So This is Jewish Music?  (Redwood City)

Little Latkes Playgroup (Alameda)

A Jewish Celebration of Trees for Young Children (El Cerrito)

Jewish Practice and How It Works (San Anselmo)

The History of Reform Judaism (Lafayette)

What Makes Someone Jewish?  (El Cerrito)

Shabbat Shira (Sabbath of Song) (Walnut Creek)

Outreach Shabbat (San Francisco)

Introduction to the Jewish Experience: Torah, Memory, & History

Join Rabbi Ruth Adar for Unit 2 of this 3-part Introduction to Jewish Life. As Jews travel through history, we have recorded our experiences in various texts from the Bible to the Prayer Book. This course will begin with an overview of Jewish history, followed by an examination of how those texts illuminate Jewish life in the past, as well as in the present day. The class will culminate in a study of the Haggadah, the “script” of the seder, and a model seder.

Dates:   Wednesday, Jan. 6 through Feb. 24

Time:    7:30-9:30 pm

Place:   Temple Sinai’s Merritt Village on the Merritt College Campus, 12500 Campus View Dr., Oakland

Cost:    $95; $80/members per unit. Register through Lehrhaus Judaica at www.lehrhaus.org or call (510) 845-6420.

Introduction to Judaism

Seven-week course for Jews, non-Jews, and interfaith couples who are interested in gaining knowledge of Jewish history, life, traditions, and culture. Study together for seven weeks, be a welcome guest for Shabbat dinner in a congregation member’s home, and top it off with a Rockin’ Shabbat.  (Friday, February 26 – Shabbat Dinner; Friday, March 5 – Rockin’ Shabbat and Dinner) Taught by Rabbi Ezray, Bill Futornick, and Cantor Barbara Powell.

Date:    Wednesdays, January 6 to February 17

Time:    7:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Place:   In Rabbi’s Office at Cong. Beth Jacob, 1550 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City

Free and open to all.  Questions?  Call Eric at 650-366-8481, ext. 333, he is the very nice Exec. Director of Congregation Beth Jacob.

Details: http://www.bethjacobrwc.org/seriescourses.html#Introduction%20to%20Judaism

So This is Jewish Music?

This class will embark on a journey of musical exploration, from traditional liturgy to Broadway, from folk music to hip hop, in search of the answer to this question. Recordings, articles, and live music will be our tools of inquiry. No musical experience required, just an open mind. Taught by Cantor Barbara Powell.

Dates:   Wednesdays, January 6, 13, 20, 27

Time:    7 to 8pm

Place:   Congregation Beth Jacob, 1550 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City

Call them for more info at 650-366-8481.  I email with Eric Stone, the Executive Director; he is extremely nice. 

Little Latkes Playgroup
A drop-in afternoon playgroup for infants and children age zero through 3 years with their parents or caregivers.  Free play for 45 minutes with a structured portion of singing, bubbles, mini-Shabbat service and getting to know each other better.  Open to all regardless of religious identity. Great way to meet parents with children of the same age group as your own.

Date:    Thursdays

Time:    3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Place:   Temple Israel of Alameda’s Social Hall, 3183 Mecartney Road, Alameda

Price: free to Temple Israel members, $5 for non-members.  Let’s play together every Thursday afternoon.

For more info email Stacy at StacyReid@mindspring.com

A Jewish Celebration of Trees for Young Children

 Join other families with young children to enjoy puppets, songs, and stories about trees, and to share bagels and fruit.  We’ll experience Jewish tradition’s annual “birthday of the trees” and celebration of the environment, Tu B’Shevat.  Open to all children age 0-5 years and those who love them . . . whether you’re Jewish or just curious. Feel free to invite friends who might be interested!  Our gathering will be led by Rabbi Bridget Wynne and beloved early childhood specialist Mimi Greisman. Space is limited. Early RSVP recommended.

Date:    Sunday, January 10

Time:    10:30am-12:00pm

Place:   Jewish Gateways, 409 Liberty St., El Cerrito

Cost: Free for first-time participants, RSVP required.

http://www.jewishgateways.org/node/158/signup

Info:     510-559-8140 or email Rabbi Bridget at rabbibridget@jewishgateways.org

http://www.jewishgateways.org/

Jewish Practice and How It Works

with Rabbi Noa Kushner
It is not what you would expect but Jewish meaning doesn’t so much start with a set of things to believe, it begins with things to do. In this class, each week, over lunch, we will learn about a single aspect of Jewish practice: what it is, how to access it, how it might be meaningful. Also included in the discussion will be how to fit pieces of an evolving practice together, and how to begin to integrate those pieces in a modern, thoughtful life. Homework will involve a willingness to try Jewish stuff out between classes.

Dates:   11 Tuesdays, January 12 through March 23, (no class on February 16)

Time:    12 noon

Place:   Teapod Tea Bar, 701 San Anselmo Ave. San Anselmo

RSVP to Pete at pete@rodefsholom.org.

The History of Reform Judaism

Topics for the four evenings will be:

The emergence of “Religious School” in the early 20th century with Rabbi Nicki Greninger

Historical background to the emergence of Reform Judaism with Rabbi Roberto D. Graetz

The liturgies of the early reformers with Rabbi Judy Shanks

The Music of the early reformers with Cantor Leigh Korn

Dates:   4 Weds., Jan. 13 – Feb. 10 (no class 1/20)

Time:    7:00 – 8:30 pm

Place:   Temple Isaiah, 3800 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette

Cost:    $10/members of Temple Isaiah; $25/non-members

Register online here, http://www.temple-isaiah.org/education/jewish-studies-hebrew-classes/#reg

What Makes Someone Jewish?

Who your parents are? What you believe? What you do?  Join us to explore these questions and to enjoy a delicious, no-experience-necessary Shabbat dinner.

Time:    6:15pm

Place:   Jewish Gateways’ cozy home near El Cerrito Plaza and BART station

Childcare: free by reservation

Cost:    First time participants bring a dish to share or contribute $7 towards the meal.

Info & sign up at: http://www.jewishgateways.org/events/2010/jan/15/what-makes-someone-jew 

Shabbat Shira (Sabbath of Song)

This special musical Erev Shabbat (Evening of Sabbath) service will feature a choral ensemble of Religious School students singing new melodies, with additional musical accompaniment by the Herman Family and Joel Siegel. A special oneg follows. If you want to kick off 2010 with lots of joy, this service is the perfect place to start!

Date:    Friday, Jan. 29

Time:    7:00pm

Place:   B’nai Shalom, 74 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek

www.bshalom.org

Outreach Shabbat

A special Shabbat service honors our interfaith families and Jews by choice, and recognizes all those who support them in making Jewish choices. We also extend a special invitation to the unaffiliated – Jewish, interfaith or seekers – interested in learning more about Sherith Israel.

Date:    Friday, January 29

Time:    6 pm

Place:   Sherith Israel, 2266 California St., San Francisco

www.sherithisrael.org

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Are you not Jewish, but keeping a Jewish home and raising Jewish kids?

Do you have questions about “doing Jewish,” or Jewish home rituals?

Do you have concerns about your child’s coming bar/bat mitzvah?

Has something bothered you or puzzled you in the Jewish community?

Are some (or all) of the holidays confusing?  Or fun, but you still have questions?

Do you practice another religion and wonder how other families balance the demands of multiple religious needs in one home?

Join Dawn Kepler, to discuss the questions and concerns that arise as you navigate your way through an interfaith/intercultural life.

Dates:   Sundays, March 7 and March 21 (2 meetings)

Time:    7:00-8:30pm

Place:   Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto

Cost:    $20/member, $25/non-member of the Palo Alto JCC

To sign up contact:

Cody Schaffner

Family Connections Coordinator

Phone: (650) 223-8788

cschaffner@paloaltojcc.org

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Wish you knew more?  Wish you could explain Judaism better to your partner?  Take a class together.  Not only will you both learn a lot, you’ll spend quality couples time talking about what you learned.

Introduction to the Jewish Experience

A three-part course designed to equip students to engage with Jewish life and Jewish institutions.  The course will follow the course of the Jewish year, preparing students for the holidays shortly before they occur. The course is designed to engage students not only intellectually but experientially:  we will visit Jewish institutions, study with panels of local rabbis, and have many opportunities to experience Jewish life in the East Bay first hand.   You can sign up for Part I, or Part II or III separately, or all three at once.

Part I:  God & Jewish Lifecycle

Jews express our faith more by “doing” than by “believing.”  Jewish lifecycle celebrations and rituals express the relationship of the Jew to the world, and Jewish understandings of the Holy.  This course will explore Jewish concepts of God and the world as they are expressed through the experiences of Jewish lifecycle events. 
Begins Oct. 14, 7:30pm at Beth El in Berkeley 

Part II:  Torah, Memory, and History

As the Jews travel through history, we have recorded our experiences in various texts: Bible, Midrash, Mishnah, Talmud, Codes, and Responsa literature, and the Prayer Book, which Jacob Petuchowski, a scholar of Jewish liturgy, has described as “the diary of the Jewish people.”  This course will begin with an overview of Jewish history, followed by an examination of how those texts illuminate Jewish life in the past, as well as in the present day.  The class will culminate in a study of the Haggadah, the “script” of the seder, and a model seder. 
Begins Jan. 6, 2010, 7:30pm at Temple Sinai , Merritt Campus 

Part III:  The People Israel Who is a Jew? 

Who are the Jews?  We will explore these questions by looking at Jewish life from many different angles:  kashrut, Israel , the Movements of Judaism (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionism, Renewal), Jewish institutions, and the relationship of Judaism and its sister religions, Christianity and Islam. 
Begins March 17, 2010, 7:30pm at Temple Sinai , Merritt Campus

Cost:   all three units:  $240non-members; $195/members             
Each individual unit: $95non-members; $80/members 
Enrollment is NOW open on the Lehrhaus Judaica website, www.lehrhaus.org
Rabbi Adar has devoted to this new Intro class, a site that includes the syllabus, the book list, links to resources, and a more complete description of the class.  And a mechanism for asking questions and communicating directly with her.  www.jexperience.wordpress.com

Discover Judaism!
Discover Judaism: Join this series of classes, designed to help you access the deep meanings of Judaism through a friendly, beginner-level journey.  Participants can join one series at a time, and are welcome to begin at any point.  Jews, non-Jews, and those on the journey are welcome!

Series 1: Torah Discovery
With Rabbi Menachem Creditor
The Torah demonstrates the earliest dynamic conversations that became Modern Judaism.  One book of the Torah, each with its unique style and content, will be discussed each session.  We will also engage questions of Biblical authorship, interpretation, and theology. No Hebrew is required for this class.

Dates:   Tuesdays, Oct. 13, 20, 27; Nov. 3, 10
Time:    7:30 to 9pm
Place:   Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley
Class fee: $50-$75 — (sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds)
For more information or to enroll call Netivot Shalom at 510-549-9447.
 
Series 2: Jewish Holidays
With Rabbi Shalom Bochner
The rhythm of a Jewish year is based on the cycle of Holidays.  And while Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur are the days where more people might attend a synagogue, there are many calendar-based moments for Jewish connection that evoke joy, memory, celebration, sadness, commemoration, and pride.  Each session in this series will focus on a different “type” of Jewish Holiday, including those based in the Torah, and those that have emerged since. No Hebrew is required for this class.

Dates:   Tuesdays, Nov. 17, 24; Dec. 1, 8, 15
Time:    7:30 to 9pm
Place:   Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley
Class fee: $50-$75 — (sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds)
For more information or to enroll call Netivot Shalom at 510-549-9447

Series 3: Spiritual Practice and Jewish Law
With Rabbi Menachem Creditor
What is the system of Jewish Law, and is it the same as spirituality?  Over the course of Jewish history, communities and individuals have developed many forms of Jewish spiritual practice.  Is there a sense of “command” in Judaism today?  Can a search for spirituality influence the way Jewish law functions?  We will explore these questions, and also engage questions of Denominations and modern community. No Hebrew is required for this class.

Dates:   Tuesdays, Jan. 19, 26; Feb. 2, 9, 16
Time:    7:30 to 9pm
Place:   Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley,
Class fee: $50-$75 — (sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds)
For more information or to enroll call Netivot Shalom at 510-549-9447

2009-2010 Introduction to Judaism

This series of classes will offer an opportunity to learn about the foundations of the Jewish tradition, including calendar, life cycle, history, philosophy, liturgy, theology, and Israel. Most of all, it will be an opportunity to address your needs and hopes for a deeper involvement with Judaism and the Jewish people. Through readings, meetings with the rabbi, attending services, and sharing meals together, we hope to form a community within the community during our time together. Space is limited.

Thursdays twice a month beginning October 8 and ending May 20 with a Shabbat dinner together.
Temple Beth Sholom, San Francisco
For more information, or to register, email please Jill Pettegrew in the synagogue office at JPettegrew@bethsholomsf.org.

An Introduction to Jewish Texts, Prayers, Holidays, and Lifecycles
Hit the basics with Rabbi Dennis Eisner and Rabbi Karen Citrin!  This is a great opportunity to ask questions and to become knowledgeable about basic Jewish concepts and practices.

Dates:   Sundays, October 11, 25, November 8, 15, 22, December 6 and 13
Time:    9:30 – 11 am
Place:   Peninsula Temple Beth El, 1700 Alameda De Las Pulgas, San Mateo
Cost:    $54, includes the text Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition and Practice.
For more information or to enroll contact Cindy by October 1 — cserbin@ptbe.org or call (650) 341-7701

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I will keep a running list of all the basic Judaism classes being offered around the bay this fall.  Check back every week or so as I add more.

Judaism: a Sampler

This 3-session overview of the basics of Judaism is for learners, seekers, interfaith couples and anyone who is curious about what it means to be Jewish.  The course meets August 25 (Jewish Beliefs), September 1 (Jewish Texts), and September 15 (Jewish Identity). Taught by Rabbi Larry Raphael, Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller, and Lisa Erdberg.

Dates: Tuesdays, Aug. 25, Sept. 1 and 15

Time: 6:30 – 8:00pm

Place: Congregation Sherith Israel, 2266 California Street, San Francisco.

The course is free and open to the public.

To register, contact Gabi Moskowitz, 415-346-1720 ext. 24 orgmoskowitz@sherithisrael.org.

* * *

Introduction to Judaism

What do Jews believe? How do Jews pray? How do Jews acknowledge life- cycle events? And what does it mean to be Jewish? This class is for seekers, interfaith couples, Jews who feel like they don’t know enough, and anyone who just wants to learn about Judaism.

Dates: Mondays, beginning Oct. 5, eleven sessions.

Time: 6:30 to 8pm

Place: Sherith Israel, 2266 California St., San Francisco

Enrollment is free and open to everyone. You will have to buy your own books.

For more information or to register, contact Gabi Moskowitz by phone, 415-346-1720 ext. 24, or by email, gmoskowitz@sherithisrael.org.

* * *

Discover Judaism

Join this series of classes, designed to help you access the deep meanings of Judaism through a friendly, beginner-level journey. Participants can join one series at a time, and are welcome to begin at any point. Jews and non-Jews are welcome!

Cosponsored by Congregation Netivot Shalom and Lehrhaus Judaica; call Netivot Shalom at 510-549-9447 to enroll.

Torah Discovery

With Rabbi Menachem Creditor

The Torah demonstrates the earliest dynamic conversations that became Modern Judaism. One book of the Torah, each with its unique style and content, will be discussed each session. We will also engage questions of Biblical authorship, interpretation, and theology. No Hebrew is required for this class.

Dates: Tuesdays, Oct. 13, 20, 27; Nov. 3, 10

Time: 7:30 to 9pm

Place: Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley

Class fee: $50-$75 — (sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds)

For more information or to enroll call Netivot Shalom at 510-549-9447

Jewish Holidays

With Rabbi Shalom Bochner

The rhythm of a Jewish year is based on the cycle of Holidays. And while Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur are the days where more people might attend a synagogue, there are many calendar-based moments for Jewish connection that evoke joy, memory, celebration, sadness, commemoration, and pride. Each session in this series will focus on a different “type” of Jewish Holiday, including those based in the Torah, and those that have emerged since. No Hebrew is required for this class.

Dates: Nov. 17, 24; Dec. 1, 8, 15

Time, place and cost are the same as above.

Spiritual Practice and Jewish Law

With Rabbi Menachem Creditor

What is the system of Jewish Law, and is it the same as spirituality? Over the course of Jewish history, communities and individuals have developed many forms of Jewish spiritual practice. Is there a sense of “command” in Judaism today? Can a search for spirituality influence the way Jewish law functions? We will explore these questions, and also engage questions of Denominations and modern community. No Hebrew is required for this class.

Dates: Tuesdays, Jan. 19, 26; Feb. 2, 9, 16
Time, place and cost are the same as above.

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Introduction to the Jewish Experience

This three-part course will equip students to engage with Jewish life and Jewish institutions. We will follow the Jewish calendar, preparing for the holidays shortly before they occur. Students will explore intellectually and experientially: we will visit Jewish institutions, study with panels of local rabbis, and have many opportunities to experience Jewish life in the East Bay first hand. Taught by Rabbi Ruth Adar.

Part I: God & Jewish Lifecycle

Jews express our faith more by “doing” than by “believing.” Jewish lifecycle celebrations and rituals express the relationship of the Jew to the world, and Jewish understandings of the Holy. This course will explore Jewish concepts of God and the world as they are expressed through the experiences of Jewish lifecycle events.

Dates: Wednesdays, Oct. 14 to Dec. 9 at 7:30pm

Meets at Beth El, 1301 Oxford St., Berkeley

Part II: Torah, Memory, and History

As the Jews travel through history, we have recorded our experiences in various texts: Bible, Midrash, Mishnah, Talmud, Codes, and Responsa literature, and the Prayer Book, which Jacob Petuchowski, a scholar of Jewish liturgy, has described as “the diary of the Jewish people.” This course will begin with an overview of Jewish history, followed by an examination of how those texts illuminate Jewish life in the past, as well as in the present day. The class will culminate in a study of the Haggadah, the “script” of the seder, and a model seder.

Dates: Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 6, 2010 at 7:30

Meets at Temple Sinai in Oakland

Part III: The People Israel

Who is a Jew? Who are the Jews? We will explore these questions by looking at Jewish life from many different angles: kashrut, Israel, the Movements of Judaism (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionism, Renewal), Jewish institutions, and the relationship of Judaism and its sister religions, Christianity and Islam.

Dates: Wednesdays, beginning March 17, 2010 at 7:30

Meets at Temple Sinai in Oakland

Tuition

(all three 8 week sessions)

$240; $195/members

(each individual 8 wk session)

$95; $80/members

Enroll by calling Vernita at Lehrhaus Judaica.  The number is (510) 845-6420.

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As Seen on TV: Jewish Concepts and Popular Media

God and greed, money and miracles, revenge and punishment! We see it all on TV, but what does Judaism teach about these ever present issues? Join Rabbi Judah Dardik to view clips from television and movies and discuss how they do or don’t relate to Jewish teachings.

Dates: Eight Tuesdays, beginning October 27

Time: 7:15pm to 8:15pm

Place: Beth Jacob, 3778 Park Blvd., Oakland

FREE

For more information call Dawn at 510-845-6420 x11 or email dawn@buildingjewishbridges.org.

You can also contact Rabbi Dardik at Beth Jacob Congregation at 510-482-1147.

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Join me for a humorous look at identity, conversion and finding yourself – in this case – as an ultra Orthodox Jew.  We’ll view an East Bay Premiere of:

Circumcise Me!

USA, 2007, 47 minutes, English

“Is it hot in here, or am I the only one dressed for Poland in the 17th Century?” While Yisrael Campbell certainly looks like an Ultra-Orthodox rabbi with his long black coat, big black hat and side curls, he is also a comedian who converted to Judaism not once but three times. In this hilarious and soul-searching stand-up routine/documentary, he talks about his spiritual journey—from a drugged up teen in Philadelphia to a comic in Jerusalem.

Date:    Tuesday, March 3

Time:    1:00 pm

Place:   Contra Costa JCC, 2071 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek

Cost:    $5, to purchase tickets go to www.jfed.org and clink on the Film Festival

For more information call Dawn at 510-845-64230 x11

Co-sponsored with the CC Jewish Film Festival

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Ira Steingroot will be teaching this class and I’m very excited about it.  It’s going to be a LOT of fun.  Ira is… how can I explain this – he’s a fountain of facts, insightful, thoughtful, stimulating and exciting.

Come on, you’ll love it!

Pagan & Mystical Roots of the Jewish Calendar

Christianity has been described as Jewish wine in a pagan vessel. Likewise, the classical monotheistic grapes of Jewish history and law were grafted on to hardy mythic and magical rootstock, the agricultural year as a mirror of heaven. The medieval Kabbalists were able to link their mystical understanding of Jewish belief to these ancient pagan roots in ways that deepened the meaning of our traditional holidays and observances. Mystical texts like the Zohar did this not just for the mystics themselves, but for the average devout Jew who found cold comfort in Jewish philosophy. This workshop will explore the magical, numerological, astrological and mystical depths hidden within our own normative Jewish practice with the intention of reconnecting us to the life of the earth.

Date:   Wednesday, March 4

Time:   7:30 – 9:00pm

Place:   Cong. Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley

Cost:    $15; $10/members of Alameda co-sponsors

Directions/parking:  (510…

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