I love Sukkot. It is really the closest to a purely joyous holiday – along with Shabbat – in the Jewish calendar. Rabbi Larry Milder of Beth Emek in Pleasanton wrote two terrific pieces about Sukkot and I want to share them with you. Describing Sukkot’s relationship to Yom Kippur, he wrote: Philo of Alexandria asked:…
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Ah, the internet! Jewish folks in San Diego discovered our This Is Bay Area Jewry exhibit information and contacted Building Jewish Bridges to discuss how they could do their own version for San Diego. WOW! Are we ever proud! They are launching their exhibit along with a LOT of fun this Thursday evening. I, Dawn,…
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Dear Dawn: How many times do I have to hear a Jewish parent worry about the future of their child’s romance with a non-Jew? At a recent lunch with several Jewish girlfriends, one worried out loud about her son’s non-Jewish girlfriend. There is always this focus on the non-Jewish girlfriend/boyfriend’s perceived level of interest (or lack…
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For many, many years I have attended High Holidays at my congregation. The most attended service of the year is Kol Nidre, the evening service on Yom Kippur. While Rosh Hashanah is joyous, Yom Kippur feels sorrowful to me even though I love it. Yom Kippur is traditionally viewed as one of the two happiest…
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I love this piece by Sara Kupor, the JCC East Bay Shamash Resident, so much that I asked her permission (and the JCC’s) to republish it here. When I first learned about the work of the UCB Greater Good Science Center back in 2009 I was struck by how much their findings sound like rabbinic…
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Free and Low Cost Services In case you misplaced the link I sent you for where to go in the bay area for free or low cost services here it is again. Streaming Services Can’t get out of the house? You can also stream services from a number of shuls. My Jewish Learning has provided…
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