High Holy Day Honors and Greeters

Are you interested in having an honor during the High Holy Days? Maybe you want to open the ark, dress the Torah, or read a prayer. Or would you like to be a greeter when friends, members and guests enter the building? If so, please email amy@orhalom.org

The Fast I Desire: Tikkun Olam Actions for the Days of Awe

As part of our collective teshuvah, the Tikkun Olam Committee invites Or Shalom members to make repairing the world a priority in this year’s High Holy Days practice. We are inspired by the prophet Isaiah’s call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the homeless.

We hope that between now and Yom Kippur, we will all participate in or sign up for one or more of these actions. We will take time during Yom Kippur services to reflect about Isaiah’s call and our experiences. Earlier this week we inadvertently sent a list of last year's Fast I Desire actions. This year's Tikkun Olam actions for the Days of Awe are on the Or Shalom website.

Elul ZOOM Series: ‘Heshbon ha Nefesh’/ the Accounting of the Soul

with the Southside Jewish Collaborative

Wednesday, September 7, 7:00 PM with Rabbi Me’irah Iliinsky

via Zoom

future Elul series dates with the Collaborative:

Wednesday, September 14, and 21 at 7:00 PM

Shabbat Walk

Saturday, September 10, 10:00 am – 12:30-ish

The next Or Shalom Shabbat walk will be led by Stephen Gerard, a 32-year resident of

the Castro neighborhood. On this 1 1/2 mile hike, you will explore the hilly terrain and learn about the history of some of the landmarks of the Castro neighborhood and adjacent regions.

We’ll walk down (and not up!) the sidewalk steps of one of the steepest blocks in San Francisco on 22nd Street. We’ll see the concrete Seward slides and adjacent mini-park in the upper Market highlands, created as a neighborhood initiative in the 1960s. We’ll hike to the top of Kite Hill, from where we will catch a fabulous view of the City, weather permitting. We’ll see the Caselli mansion, built in 1892 by a wealthy Irish immigrant, with its classic Queen Anne Victorian architecture. We’ll walk through the heart of the Castro neighborhood and continue around Dolores Park, and learn a little about their history and cultural significance. And we’ll have a gander at that famous adjacent Golden Fire Hydrant that was one of the only working hydrants after the 1906 earthquake, which was used by the firefighters to save much of the Mission neighborhood from destruction following that devastating event.

The hike will have some challenging steep terrain, and we'll adjust our pace as needed accordingly. Be prepared to experience these beautiful landmarks of central San Francisco!

Illuminating the Hebrew Aleph-Bet

via Zoom

Wednesdays,  10:30-Noon

August 31 - September 21 

Register: email RabbiMeirah@OrShalom.org

Would you like a magic key that opens up all of our Jewish tradition? Never went to Hebrew school? Forgot everything you learned? Need a refresher? 

Come join us in this fun class to learn/review the Hebrew aleph-bet. The four session class will include identifying and naming all the letters of the Hebrew aleph-bet, learning the vowel marks, how to sound out some basic Hebrew vocabulary. We’ll sing, illuminate the letters of your name, and discover their mystical meanings. 

For Adults and children ages 9 yrs old and up

Le’il Slichot

Saturday, September 17, 7:00 PM

Brandeis School, 655 Brotherhood Way

During Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashanah that began on on August 28, we read Psalm 27 daily and blow the shofar. Our time of introspection, examining what we wish to strengthen, or discard, or change in our lives has begun. We gather together on Slichot, “the Night of Forgiveness,” to hear the familiar melodies of our sacred season. Rabbi Me’irah will lead us this year in songful prayer. We will continue our Or Shalom tradition of anonymously writing out those behaviors we wish to change, to be torn up at Yom Kippur. We invite you to join us for this poignant and tender evening.

Or Shalom Annual Community Picnic

Around 50 Or Shalom members and friends gathered to celebrate the last days of summer and look ahead to the new year in beautiful Golden Gate Park last Sunday. The sun smiled on us and it was good to be together!

Justice in the Kitchen

Or Shalom's community cookbook is full of members' favorite vegetarian recipes, stories, and photos. Our cookbook boasts cover art by Rabbi Me'irah Iliinsky, a foreword by Rabbi Rami Shapiro, and an introduction by Or Shalom member Danny Brook.

All proceeds from the sale of this cookbook will benefit the many wonderful programs and activities of Or Shalom Jewish Community.

At present, our cookbook is available in digital format (PDF) only.

Order here! Justice in the Kitchen https://justicecookbook.wordpress.com/

Social Action Corner

Chutzpah for Climate Action

This year, we've made history by helping pass federal climate legislation that will invest billions in climate and clean energy. But we can’t stop now. As we face floods, fires, storms, and assaults from the fossil fuel industry, the stakes couldn’t be higher. 

We need elected leaders who have the Chutzpah to take bold climate action. 

That’s why Dayenu, the Jewish Movement for Climate Action, is launching Chutzpah 2022, a non-partisan campaign to turn out the vote in the crucial midterm elections. Join us on Zoom on September 7 for a fun and lively virtual kickoff of this effort.

Chutzpah 2022 Virtual Kickoff

Wednesday, September 7

4pm Pacific TIme

SIGNUP

San Francisco Black-Jewish Unity Coalition Teach-In:

Reparations for African Americans in California and San Francisco

Sunday, September 18, 2 PM

Hybrid event: In person at Congregation Sherith Israel

2266 California Street, San Francisco

and on Zoom

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber is coming to San Francisco for our Teach-In on Reparations for African Americans. We invite you, your family and friends, colleagues, and networks to join us for this free educational program — in person at Congregation Sherith Israel and virtually. 

Everyone is welcome. Attendees must register in advance to reserve a space.

Tzedakah

We gratefully acknowledge these contributions from our community:

• Chana Jacobs, In Memory of Rose Weiss
• Laura Bresler, In Memory of Harvey Bresler
• Judy Olasov, In Memory of Benjamin Olasov and of Sharon Richardson
• Chana Jacobs, In Memory of Sharon Richardson
• Beth Solow Mills, In Memory of Khane Bushel Solow
• Barry & Tirtza Pearl, In Honor of Theresa Guillen & Diane Rosen
• Robin Roth, in Memory of Fernando Barreiro

Yahrzeits

On the anniversary of their deaths, we remember:

Anne Brook, Benjamin Agam, Charles Sharken, Dale Ganz, Dorise Kerman, Dorothy Skala, Gussie Schechter, Harry Miller, Herman (Hesh) Schechter, Leonard Levine, Margo Adair, Mendel Cohen, Michael Jacobs, Russ Opper, Ruth Pleaner, Sara Goldstein, Sue Teller, Viola B. Golding, Yolanda Bain, Zvi Agam

This Week's Parsha

The parsha for this week is Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9)

Commentaries:

from Reconstructing Judaism

from Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

from American Jewish World Service

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