Bay Area Jews in Solidarity with Black Lives Statement from the Jewish Community Relations Council: Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund (the Federation) strongly condemn the murder of George Floyd, the most recent in a string…
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Rabbi Ryan Bauer of Congregation Emanu-el in San Francisco sent out this loving message to his congregation. He included a link to a meditation that many of us could use. Take a moment to read his message and if you have 15 minutes, do the meditation with him. Dear Friends, My main childhood memory…
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(Image: A hamentashen bake with friends) We just observed Tu B’shvat and are now coming up on Purim. Both of these are minor holidays in the Jewish calendar. It can be tempting to say, we don’t need to do anything for them; they aren’t really that important. But pause and consider, why might they be…
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Today I want to talk with you about a few things that bring HAPPINESS. First, look honestly at things that are causing you issues. The big old holidays I want to acknowledge that the holiday season wasn’t the greatest for everyone. But I want it to be good for you next year. If you had a…
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This week’s Torah portion is Sh’mot or Shemot (Names). Rabbi Annette Koch sent her congregation, Temple Israel of Alameda, a beautiful drash (teaching) about it that is particularly well timed as we approach the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. This week’s Torah portion Shemot, which means “Names” begins the story of our exile and…
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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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