Jewish Learning

Pagan & Mystical Roots of the Jewish Calendar

  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…

Read More »

Israel in a Time of Crisis

I have been thinking about how to talk to you about Israel when there is no simple statement to be made.  Then I received a beautiful letter that Rabbi Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland wrote to his congregation.  I got his permission to share it with you here.  I was particularly touched by…

Read More »

Three New Year Resolutions

Resolutions Most of us will give some thought to New Year’s Resolutions.  Let me suggest three:   1. Spend sometime thinking about what you value in your heritage.  Try writing it down. 2. Tell your partner what you wrote and listen to what he/she wrote.  Try to really understand what is the same and what…

Read More »

Things to do in August

  August time August is here and that always signals the end of summer.  That means you have just about a month to do some shopping around if you want to join a synagogue this fall.  If you want a buddy to go with you, just email me.  I’ll set it up – I have…

Read More »

Everyone is going to the SF Jewish Film Fest!

The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival runs July 24 to August 7 We’ll all going to the movies! Come along. All around the bay synagogues and agencies are co-presenting various films in the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.   I am co-presenting Strangers, a romantic & troubling film in French, English, Hebrew and Arabic about…

Read More »

Let’s go to the Movies!

Summertime, new movie releases and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival!   The outreach programs in the bay area are all co-sponsoring Strangers a film about an Israeli – Palestinian love affair. Now I know that seems like an odd choice as an “interfaith” film – it wasn’t our choice. The Film Festival people suggested…

Read More »