Thank you to everyone who has responded to our membership drive! If you haven't made your pledge yet, we kindly ask that you make your pledge now. Contact the office with any questions. If you're not yet a member and want to find out more, contact Danny.

Contact office@shaarzahav.org to sponsor Oneg or Flowers for Shabbat.

Scroll down to read more about our exciting Oneg Chavurah!  

Friday Night Services for Devarim

August 9 at 7:30pm

Friday Night Shabbat

Hybrid: On Zoom and In-Person

Led by Rabbi Copeland and Sarita Groisser

Drash by Arthur Slepian

Rabbi Copeland will be offering Sarita Groisser a blessing for her retirement!

Register Here for Zoom Service

Meeting ID: 886 7131 3838

Saturday Morning Service

August 10 at 10:00am

Hybrid: On Zoom and In-Person

Join the Zoom Meeting. Meeting ID: 365 434 855 and Passcode: 068575.

To join by phone for either service, dial +1 669 900 9128 or find your local number.

COVID rates are up in the Bay--please stay home and join by Zoom if you have any symptoms of illness. We are a mask-friendly community so please wear them if you wish! Help us all stay well!

Community Get Together!

Beit Sefer: We Recruit!

Do you know families with children in Kindergarten through 7th grade? Tell them about Beit Sefer, our weekly Shabbat morning learning program! If you have any questions, please contact Rabbi Q, our Director of Education.

Learn more here

Shofar Sounding from Elul to Yom Kippur

Fridays, August 30-September 27, 6pm, in-person only at SZ library

Members Only

Embrace the spirit of the High Holy Days by learning to sound the shofar! Drop-in classes begin Aug. 30 at 6 PM. This unique opportunity will be held at 6pm on Friday nights throughout Elul, culminating with a powerful finale shofar relay at the Neilah service on Yom Kippur.

RSVP here

Queer Judaism

Mondays, September 9-30, 6:30-8pm, Hybrid at SZ

Debbie Friedman and Harvey Milk, Barbra Streisand and Rainbow challot, marching in Pride, wearing a tallit and High Holy Days at the Herbst. These are just some of the images that the words "Queer Judaism" conjure up. But what exactly makes these images both "Queer" and "Jewish?" Join us for a four-session discussion group where we will delve into these questions and many more, exploring the rich and complex intersection of Queer and Jewish identities. Taught by Morey Lipsett.

Sign up for in person

Sign up for Zoom

Queer Talmud Bay Area Camp

Sunday, August 18, Berkeley

9:30am-7:45pm

Join SVARA for a day of in-person Queer Talmud Camp! We will gather as queer folks, radicals, and seekers to immerse in rigorous yeshiva-style learning amid warm, loving, and joyful community.

Register here

Blankets, Jackets and Clothing for the Homeless 

A project of the Social Action Committee

There is a bin in the lobby at 290 Dolores to collect blankets, jackets, and new and lightly used clothing and socks to be distributed to the homeless by The Gubbio Project. Drop by and drop off some items. We will be doing an ongoing collection.

Israel Programming

Israel/Palestine: Let’s Talk!

August 11 & September 8, 2:30-5:30pm, Hybrid

Come to One Session or Both

Members Only

The war between Israel and Hamas continues, following the horrific events of October 7, impacting Gazans, Israelis, folks all around the world, and – of course – all of us. As a congregation we hold the broadest spectrum of perspectives on the war. The program - led by member Claudia Bernard, a professional facilitator, mediator and educator - will include learning, dialogue and reflection designed to strengthen our ability to listen and respond to each other with resilience, sensitivity, curiosity, and respect. Click here to read more

Sign up for in person

Sign up for Zoom

Recurring Gatherings and Meetings

 Theater & Movies Chavurah: Constellations

Tonight, Wednesday, August 7, 6:00-7:15pm on Zoom

Join the Movie and Theatre Chavurah for a discussion of “Constellations." An Olivier-award-winning show about a quantum physicist and a beekeeper who meet at a barbecue. They hit it off, or perhaps they don’t. They go home together, or maybe they go their separate ways. In the multiverse, with every possible future ahead of them, a love of honey could make all the difference. There are 4 different casts. We’re suggesting watching one or both of two: Peter Capaldi and Zoe Wanamaker cast (a differently-gendered couple) and the other — two men — Omari Douglas and Russell Tovey. 

Join us: Zoom Link

Weekday Morning Prayer

Weekly on Tuesdays

8:30-9:00am

Our regular morning minyan will observe Tisha B'Av, an annual day of mourning in our tradition, with readings and chanting of Eicha (the Book of Lamentations).

Songs and prayers to set our hearts and minds! This service takes place every Tuesday morning, and is led by community lay leaders and Cantor Bernstein. Contact Cantor Bernstein.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Climate Action Committee

2nd Monday of the month, 5-6:30pm on Zoom

After a hiatus of several months (that included some of the planet's hottest days ever), CAC will reconvene on Aug. 12. 

Come share your ideas on how to maintain climate awareness and take action on climate at SZ, including learning of a climate-related State proposition we can all support. We'll also talk about coordinating with other SZ social justice committees. All ideas welcome!

Hope to see you there. Contact Deborah Levy.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Hineni

Can you do a mitzvah for someone in our community?

Hineni, our caring community at SZ, is in great need of more volunteers (and in more Bay area regions!) to meet the caring needs of our community. If you can help by making a call, helping with an errand, making a home visit, or offering a ride; please fill out this form so we can better match you to members and their needs.

SZ Book Group

Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendship, by Nina Totenberg

Tuesday, September 3, 7:00-8:00 pm on Zoom

NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg come alive in Totenberg’s memoir of these two extraordinary women, who transformed American society and women’s role in it. It is also an intimate account of how their decades-long friendship helped them through challenges, tragedies, and  triumphs. 

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Social Action Committee

Monday, September 9, 6:00pm on Zoom

On fair elections, welcoming the stranger, secure housing and food, ending gun violence, and more! Want to join us? Come to our next meeting or contact Nancy Wecker or Neil Young.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Food Creates Community!

Please join our new Oneg Chavurah with other Sha’ar Zahav members who volunteer to cook, bake or shop to assure we have a plentiful and delicious oneg each week. We’re also building a library of recipes and menus and would welcome your contributions. From now through September, you can sign up to organize, cook, bake or shop — once or many times. 

To learn more, please email oneg@shaarzahav.org.

Bereavement Spiritual Support Group in Formation

Led by Rabbi Elliot Kukla

Wednesdays, October 30-December 18, 12-1:30pm, on Zoom Only

The group is for anyone who is grieving the death of a human being. All types of loss are welcome. Many of our readings will center LGBTQ grief experiences to reflect our community, but all genders and family relationships are welcome. No Jewish knowledge or identification is required. Group size is limited to eight participants and an intake conversation is required pre-registration. To register for an intake conversation email Rabbi Copeland.

Caregiver's Group

1st Wednesday of the month, 7-8:30pm on Zoom

Are you a caregiver for someone in your life? A parent, relative, spouse? Christina Irving of the Family Caregiver Alliance leads our monthly Caring for the Caregivers group. If you are interested, please reach out to Rabbi Copeland. Find out more about the Alliance here.

Disability and Accessibility Committee

If you identify as disabled, are exploring that identity or have a loved one with a disability and are interested in joining the Disability and Accessibility Committee, please reach out to the committee for more information. If you are interested in learning more about disability and how you can become a better ally, stay tuned for educational events to come!

12-Step Meetings by and for SZ Members

Weekly on Thursdays

5:00-6:00pm on Zoom

Join SZ's 12-step group at our new time for some pre-High Holiday reflection in the spirit of recovery! Meetings are open to everyone in our wider SZ community (and the Bay Area Jewish recovery community), and we welcome folks who are members of any 12-step fellowship (AA, NA, Alanon, CMA, etc.). Join us this Thursday at 5pm and use this zoom link. Questions? Email Erika Katske.

L'Havin: Understanding Israel and Its Neighbors

Last Monday night of each month, 6pm

Members Only

L'Havin: Understanding Israel and Its Neighbors is a Sha'ar Zahav working group that provides our members with support, knowledge, and dialogue skills that deepen our relationship with the land and peoples of Israel and Palestine, and to advance understanding and healing within our Jewish community. You do not need to come with any previous knowledge of the topics we may discuss or with any set viewpoints. In fact, we encourage all to come with open ears and a learner’s mindset. Led by Rachel Nilson-Ralston. Contact the office to add yourself to the listserv.

Weekly Torah Study Group

Weekly on Wednesday

8:30-9:30am

Lay leaders lead discussions about the weekly Torah reading. Drop-ins welcome, no experience with Torah necessary!

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Mussar Discussion Group

Bi-weekly on Thursdays

7:00-8:00pm

Mussar is a very practical and flexible spiritual discipline to help you balance soul-traits (Middah/Middot) such as Humility, Loving-Kindness, Generosity, and Silence. Drop-ins are always welcome! Contact Mark Pressler.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Meditation Chavurah

1st Saturday of the month

10:30am-Noon

Everyone is welcome. And you will not regret it! A typical session includes a short and longer silent sit, with chanting, movement, and a short teaching. The group meets on the first and third Saturday of every month.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Hiking Chavurah

2nd Saturday of the month, 9:50am

Join other Sha’ar Zahavniks on monthly urban hikes – mostly in SF but we sometimes venture farther afield. This is a great way to get to know other SZ members while exploring the city and beyond. The hikes usually last about two hours. Email Karen Schiller and Deanne Edwards.

Gail Ludwig 8/7

Alan Michels 8/7

Jackie Cohen 8/7

Dorothea Cyan Atura Bushnell 8/8

Edward Korthof 8/8

Allan Gold 8/9

Richard Ralston 8/9

Bina Herron Geller 8/10

Lionel Harkman 8/10

Claudia Rosenbaum 8/11

Frank Yellin 8/12

Beck Epstein 8/13

Lonnie Weiss 8/13

Michael Kalb 8/13

While we strive for all our events to be mixed-access, this is not always possible. Some events are only in-person, and some are Zoom only. If you have any questions about a particular event, please contact the office, or the contact listed for the event.