333 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA. 94110

Chanukah Sing Shalom!

Saturday, December 3, 10:00 am

Brandeis School, 655 Brotherhood Way

Come celebrate Chanukah early with your little ones! Or Shalom is hosting a Shabbat morning filled with wiggles, giggles, music, movement and puppetry with Miss Jeni and Rabbi Chaya! Open to all. This program is designed for children aged 0-7 and their caregivers. RSVP Here

Reconstructing Judaism: Statement on the New Israeli Government

Reconstructing Judaism and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association fully endorse and support the recent statement made by the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) on the formation of the new Israeli Government. Read it here

Candle-ology: Chanukah

Wednesday, December 14, 7:00 pm

via Zoom

Yah, well, it really wasn’t about that cruse of oil they found.... We’ll cover the stories connected to how and why we insert and light the candles, and what the shammash is all about. As a BONUS, we’ll learn the mystical meanings of the four Hebrew letters on the dreidel as an introduction to our next class series on the Hebrew Aleph Bet!

RSVP Here for the Zoom link

Embodied Spiritual Practice

Saturday, December 17, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Brandeis School, 655 Brotherhood Way

Please join Rabbi Chaya and member Gail Gurewitz to explore and discover through an embodied experience of Chanukah and the Winter Solstice. Jewish tradition teaches that upward flowing flames of burning candles represent our yearning to surge upward.

The word Chanukah actually means “dedication.” At this time, we can strengthen our dedication to be messengers of radiance through spiritual growth and devoted action. Through music, dance, moving meditation, gentle yoga and other embodied practices, we will move towards a place of “Or Shalom” meaning, “Light of Peace.”

This 2 hour session will be in-person and is intended for all bodies and levels of ability (you are welcome to lay on the floor or sit in a chair). Bring a yoga mat/pad and other props if you have them. You may also wish to bring a meditation pillow, a journal/paper and pen, and a hand towel. As this will be indoors, masks are required.

RSVP Here

The newly formed Facilities Committee held its inaugural meeting. Chaired by Stephen Gerard and constituted by Joel Rubenstein, Barbara Gregoratos, Kathy Balch, and Thomas Kunkel, this committee is focused on the operations and maintenance of our new building. Currently, the committee is working with the Board and the Executive Director to explore ideas about the best ways, in the near term and the long term, for our congregation to be able to use and access the space so that we can make it work for all of our members. Although there are some challenges, as is common with older San Francisco buildings, we are planning for and considering a number of options as we also continue, gratefully, to hold services, school, and other programming at Brandeis. In the future, another committee is planned that will focus on beautification and improvements to the building.

The Conditional Use Authorization (CUA) process, which involves an application to City Planning, is now getting underway in earnest. We will keep you updated as we prepare for in early 2023 a pre-application meeting with the Department of Building Inspection and Fire Department, as well as a later pre-application meeting with the Bernal Heights community.

In the meantime, we are introducing ourselves and meeting with our Bernal Heights neighbors and leaders, building goodwill as we join the neighborhood. Please come out for the Cortland Avenue Holiday Stroll on December 8, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm! Or Shalomers will be handing out Chanukah gift bags in front of our building—it’s a great opportunity to introduce yourselves to the neighborhood!

Contemporary and Historical Legacies of Jews of Color

Sunday, December 11, 4:00 pm

Register Here for Zoom Link

Part of the Kehilla Community Synagogue's Racial Justice Initiative. Find a common understanding of the beauty, challenges, struggles and triumphs of our multicultural history as Jews! Please join this ‘learning journey’ led by Victoria Alcoset & Avi Brooks. This history session—which centers Jewish peoples' histories from ancient times to modern ones—will also be conversational. This event is open to the public. ALL are welcome!

San Francisco Annual Homeless Person's Memorial Vigil

Thursday, December 15

Procession at 5:00 p.m. Vigil at 5:30PM

Civic Center Plaza and City Hall

Organized by SF Interfaith Council, SF Night Ministry, Faithful Fools, SF Coalition on Homelessness, and ABD/Skywatchers.

Rabbi Chaya will be one of many clergy who will offer words of prayer. This memorial vigil is held every year on or near the Winter Solstice to honor the memories of our neighbors and friends who have died on the streets of San Francisco that year. We gather at Civic Center Plaza across from City Hall, have a singing processional, and return for a vigil in the plaza. In silence, in prayer, in song we remember them, honor them, mourn our loss, reach out to each other for comfort and hope, and nourish our solidarity in working for change.

What will you do with your kids this Chanukah?

Sign Up Here to get a series of 8 short emails between Thanksgiving and Chanukah with activities to do, gifts to give, and experiences to make for your family. Free, from J. The Jewish News of Northern California.

Tzedakah

We gratefully acknowledge these contributions from our community:

• Corey Weinstein & Pat Skala, In Honor of Reb Ezra.
• Jurate Raulinaitis & Kirk Schneider, with gratitude for Douglas Mandell’s amazing musical leadership.
• Judy Olasov, In Memory of Ben Olasov.
• Matt and Motomi Rudoff, In Memory of Leonard and Janet Rudoff.
• Miriam Lewis & Douglas Mandell, In Memory of Doris Lewis, and In Honor of Rabbi Chaya.
• Diane Zacher, in Memory of Gregg Brooks.
• Claudia & Alan Silverman, to the Bravo! Silverman Fund.
• Bryna Rifkind, in Memory of Ruth and Sidney Rifkind and Seymour Horowitz.
• Chana Jacobs, with gratitude for everyone in the Or Shalom community. May we continue to learn, pray, & work together in 5783!
• Kirk Schneider and Jurate Raulinaitis, In Memory of Laura and Alvin Siegal.
• Saralie Pennington and Tom Herz, In Memory of Andrea Tuber, and In Honor of Loren Means’ birthday.

Yahrzeits

On the anniversary of their deaths, we remember:

Algis Raulinaitis, Alice Reiner, Barbara Robinson Ritzma, Bob LeWitter, Claire Wood, Daniel Rubin, Dorothy Jane Lauer, Emma Ruchames, Eneida Cordova, Esther Itelson, Faye Rabinowitz Olasov, Gerald Newman, Harlene Marshall, Irwin Greene, Jeremy Lapidus, Joan Strausberg, Joseph Kovalsky, Lawrence McCullough, Lori Leitzke, Louis Rabinowitz, Margy Antanore, Patricia Henderson Shimm, Sarah Resnick,

Solomon Strausberg

This Week's Parsha

The parsha for this week is Vayetze (Genesis 28:10-32:3)

Commentaries:

from Reconstructing Judaism

from Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

from American World Jewish Service

Please note our NEW mailing address!

Or Shalom Jewish Community

333 Cortland Ave

San Francisco, CA 94110

To reach Or Shalom by phone, please call: (415) 469-5542

Read our Covid-19 Policy for in-person events here