We are reeling from the events in Charlottesville. Across the Jewish community clergy and laypeople are moved to words and actions. Here are some from the Bay Area. Cantor Chabon, B’nai Tikvah, Walnut Creek The older I get, the more I understand that living a fulfilling life depends on how we respond to the joys…
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Summertime! Where are all the Jews?
It’s JUNE! Summer brings big changes to Jewish institutions and synagogues. You’d think it were the year 100 and we were all farmers again. There are very few holidays in the summer, Hebrew school is closed, rabbis go on vacation, apparently Jews are tending their gardens and flocks. However, many synagogues take advantage of…
Read More »Shavuot around the SF Bay Area
Beginning tonight at sundown is Shavuot. This holiday is a bit quirky. It is one of the three Biblical pilgrimage holidays, so very important, and yet doesn’t have the foods, actions and traditions of the other two big festivals, Sukkot and Passover. My Jewish Learning has a lot of good information and you can delve…
Read More »The wonderful Muslim response to our Palo Alto JCC’s bomb threats
Several bay area JCC’s have received bomb threats and had to evacuate their facilities. When the Palo Alto/Oshman Family JCC was the victim of a threat they got a wonderful response from the Muslim-Jewish Women’s Group. Here’s what the JCC posted on their Facebook page. Today we had a personal visit from a remarkable group…
Read More »Hard Times
Dear friends, it has been an extremely difficult couple of months for those of us with multiracial, multi-ethnic families. Many of us are related to immigrants and some of us ARE immigrants. Please know that the Jewish community is acutely aware of what it feels like to be harassed and fearful. (There have been more…
Read More »Finding & giving comfort in troubled times
Many people of all faiths are suffering right now. There is fear and a sense of helplessness. But we are not helpless. There are large, communal actions we can take. But there are also small intimate actions that build a sense of trust, community, safely — in our very own neighborhoods. Cantor Jennie Chabon of…
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