Weekly Newsletter
January 20, 2022
415-469-5542
400 Missouri St, SF CA 94107
Get Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests, delivered directly to your door by the U.S. Postal Service. The tests are completely free; to place an order, all you need is your name and residential address. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. Order your tests now so you have them when you need them. You can order your free at-home COVID-19 tests, and read more information and an FAQ at https://www.covidtests.gov/.

If you need a COVID-⁠19 test now, please see other testing resources for free testing locations in your area. Additionally, as of January 16, private health insurance providers are required to reimburse the cost of up to eight at-home COVID tests per person covered per month.
Rabbi Katie's Blog Post About the Omicron Surge

When I spoke to you this past Yom Kippur about the feeling of being like the Talmudic Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai sent “back to the cave” with Delta, I had no idea what was in store for us just a few months later. 

The past few weeks, for the first time in the pandemic, I have been hearing about many of our own community members and their families who are testing positive for COVID. Thank God to this point I am not hearing of anyone falling seriously ill.  But to those of you who are grappling with COVID in your households, please let me or our Chesed Committee know if you find yourselves in need – whether it’s a trip to the grocery store or moral support: Rabbi@orshalom.org.

This current surge makes me thankful for so much, including the wisdom that has led Or Shalom to greet the pandemic cautiously. At this time, we have moved almost all of our programs back to an online format with the exception of lifecycle events such as our B'nai Mitzvah services. 

We hope that soon we can emerge again to gather in person for services and more, but meanwhile, I encourage you to stay connected by showing up for some of our regular online gatherings like kvetch, kvell, and kandicraft, our Thursday morning study sessions, a Friday evening service, or our upcoming Tu B’Shvat online seder with the Southside Collaborative.

B'nai Mitzvah in January and February

We will welcome three more new adult members of our community in the next few weeks! Services will be conducted in person at the Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin Street. Come celebrate with these teens and their families (if you are vaccinated and healthy). Advance registration is required. Or watch them streaming on the Or Shalom YouTube channel (no registration necessary to view online).

January 22: Bar Mitzvah of Asher Barolette
January 29: Bat Mitzvah of Belle Donald
February 12: Bar Mitzvah of Chasin Deninger
Women's Circle 
January 23, 2022 2:00-4:00pm
on Zoom

The Women’s Circle is excited to welcome you to our first gathering of the year on Sunday, January 23, 2022 from 2-4 pm (on Zoom, until further notice). The theme this month is, “Introduce your Mother”. We hope you can share a story and a picture or photo. RSVP HERE for the Zoom info. We look forward to seeing you!

Please note: The Women’s Circle will have a monthly gathering on the 4th Sunday of each month from 2-4pm! Mark your calendars! Also, in lieu of the Women’s Passover Seder on April 9th (due to Covid), we are contemplating a few ideas for a Freedom gathering. More soon.
Teen Hub #4 
January 26, 2022 6:30-7:30pm
on Zoom

Join Ben and Or Shalom’s group of inquisitive teens for their monthly learning program about Jewish ethics and philosophy. Please email Ben if interested, and you will receive the link.
Zikaron BaSalon 
with Zehava Dahan and Suzanne M. Reyto
January 27, 2022 5-6pm
on Zoom

Next week on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Zehava will be facilitating online a short ceremony and a personal story by Holocaust survivor Suzanne M. Reyto.
The event is free and open to all community members from 7th grade and up. Parents and children are encouraged to attend together. Register here.
Tenderloin Tent Drive
Please contribute and share!

Our partner, Faith in Action Bay Area, along with the Coalition on Homelessness and St. James Infirmary, is raising funds to provide tents for unhoused people in the Tenderloin while remaining committed to permanent housing for all those unhoused. A donation of just $40 provides one tent for an unhoused resident to shelter in place, and a little bit of security and privacy from the streets. Find out more about the drive and contribute here!
Tikkun Olam with JFCS-East Bay and the SF/Marin Food Bank
Save the Date!
February 27, 2022 4:00-5:00pm

Am Tikvah invites Or Shalom and Ner Tamid members to join them for a zoom presentation on Feb 27 at 4:00 PM about tikkun olam volunteer opportunities with two important groups: Jewish Family and Community Services of the East Bay and SF/Marin Food Bank. Ami Dodson will discuss JFCS’s Afghan Refugee program and how you can help. Rachel Breuer, Senior Events Manager for the Food Bank will speak about their volunteer and donation opportunities.
Lecture Series on Israel/Palestine and Reconstructing Judaism
January-May, 2022
On Zoom

Or Shalom members and friends may be interested in attending a series of learning opportunities on Zionism, Israel and Palestine, led by Reconstructionist rabbis. Each one and a half hour session is free and includes lecture and discussion.

The lecture series is sponsored by six of our sister Reconstructionist congregations. The stated goals include “to promote discussion of the histories and current conditions of Israel/Palestine that challenge the boundaries of current Reconstructionist approaches to Israel/Palestine.”

For more information and registration, see:
Or Shalom is Hiring!

We are looking for an Executive Director who will help Or Shalom grow and evolve. We are very excited about this new position and expect the Executive Director to play a critical role in contributing to and implementing Or Shalom's new Strategic Plan, now in development. If you know someone who may be interested in this opportunity, click HERE or let us know at jobs@orshalom.org.
Come gather from March 23–27, 2022 for B’Yachad: Reconstructing Judaism Together. During Convention, we will be together both in person and virtually to learn from and with experts, scholars, and lay leaders. We will engage in conversations, ask questions, and listen. We will pray together, sing together, dance together, and celebrate all that we do every day in our communities to reconstruct Judaism. Register here.
Tzedakah
We gratefully acknowledge contributions from our community:

  • Corey Weinstein and Pat Skala, In Memory Of Dawn Allen-McIntyre.
  • Judith and Michael McCullough, in honor of Rabbi Katie
  • Stephen Gerard and Trudy Lionel, in memory of Paulette Mansfield
  • David Greene and Wendy Thurm, in memory of Irwin Greene and Judah Roseman
  • Paula Levine, in honor of the Chesed Committee
  • The Johnson-Potter family, in memory of Natalie Potter
  • Benjamin Gerard, in honor of Stephen Gerard
  • Corey Weinstein, in memory of Florence Weinstein
  • Claudia & Alan Silverman, in honor of the Bravo! Silverman Fund
Condolences
The community extends it sympathy to Bryna Rifkind on the death of her cousin, Carol Rifkind Gelber, and to Robin Roth on the death of her friend David Gershan.
Yahrzeits
On the anniversary of their deaths, we remember:
Rene Klein Pleaner, Abe Offner, Michael Mitchel, Max Ruchames, Dawn Allen-McIntyre, Herman Boren, Rosa Shoshana Shmuel, Albert Glassman, Natalie Gavrin Nixon, Lillian Offner, Mark Itelson, Jaclin Burtzlaff, Elaine Carter. Eugene Bernstein, Hattie Green Shulman, Sophye Patla Olasov
This Week's Parsha
The parsha for this week is Yitro (Exodus 18:1−20:26)
Commentaries:
Please note our mailing address!
Please send all mail to:
Or Shalom Jewish Community
400 Missouri St
San Francisco, CA 94107
To reach Or Shalom by phone, please call: (415)469-5542
Or Shalom Clergy and Staff
Matt Rudoff, Board President
Emily Rosenberg, Interim Administrative Coordinator
Ben Rozio, Youth/Family Program Coordinator