This is a true story. A Jewish man called me because he was worried that his Christian wife couldn’t raise their kids as Jews. He told me that she had promised to do so before they got married but she just doesn’t really know how. He sighed and said, “I guess when I married someone…
Read More »Community Activities
Tisha B’Av: Mourning the Destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem
When we look at this photograph of a relief on the Arch of Titus celebrating his siege and destruction of Jerusalem, that historical event can feel as old and foreign as the stones depicting it. Yet for Jews the idea of ‘never forget’ is not a new one. Jews remember the events of the past,…
Read More »Jewish Heritage Night at the Giants
Jewish Heritage Night at the Giants Tuesday, Aug. 6, game begins at 7:15pm From the Giants’ website: The Giants are proud to welcome you and your family and friends to join the Bay Area Jewish community at the Giants annual Jewish Heritage Night! Your Special Event package includes a seat in one of the Jewish…
Read More »Is summer a good time to look for Jewish community?
The Jewish annual cycle was established thousands of years ago and to this day the holidays are concentrated on one side of the year – NOT summer. Summer is for agricultural tasks – ancient Jews had to go out and tend the crops and the herds. But this quiet summer time can be a lovely…
Read More »Yom HaShoah
This year — 2013/5773 — Holocaust Memorial Day begins at sunset on April 7. Community observances will take place from April 7 to April 10 around the bay. Anyone is welcome to attend any of the memorials and you should expect large crowds. We still have among us the generation who lived through the Holocaust,…
Read More »Crown and Mystical Kabbalah
We’ll begin with a brief discussion of the meaning of mysticism; then the focus will move to the unique characteristics and history of Jewish mysticism. We will look at a variety of texts including the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation), Sefer Bahir and texts from the school of Abulafia before looking more intensively at the…
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