High Holy Day Greeters

We're seeking volunteers to greet friends, members, and guests at our HHD Services! If you would like to be a greeter or help us with event setup/breakdown, please fill out this form.

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.

Embodied Spiritual Practice

Shabbat Shuvah: The Shabbat of Renewal

Saturday, October 1, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, in-person at Brandeis

The Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a sacred and potent time to embody and explore the theme of Teshuva, returning to wholeness. Join Reb Ezra and member Gail Gurewitz to explore the themes around Teshuva, Devek and Dvekut; gaining awareness of and moving through the places where we get stuck or blocked, opening towards greater wholeness through yoga, moving meditation, dance, and other embodied practices. Bring yoga gear, meditation or other pillow, a tallit, and a hand towel.

Register here

Housing is Health Forum

Hosted by the SF Black & Jewish Unity Coalition

Sunday, October 2, 1:00 - 2:30 pm, via Zoom

Homelessness is lethal. Join the SF Black & Jewish Unity Coalition's online forum to hear about what is being done and how we can help. Featured speakers: Carolina Reid, Professor UC Berkeley and Faculty Research Advisor for the Terner Center For Housing Innovation; Del Seymour, Founder/Board Member of Code Tenderloin and Tenderloin Walking Toursl Kyriell Noon, Chief Executive Officer of Hamilton Families.

Register here

Jewish Tribal Visions Beyond Zionism

Third Thursdays of the month, beginning September 22, 6:00 - 7:00 pm

Recommended by Or Shalom members, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb is offering a once-a- month virtual class called Jewish Tribal Visions Beyond Zionism. As we prepare for the high holidays, join in the work of teshuvah for the harms of Jewish colonialism, as well as the beauty of our tribal ceremonial traditions which we still carry. What does it mean to carry our tradition forward to a Judaism beyond Zionism? 

Dates: Sept 22, Oct 20, Nov 17, Dec 15, Jan 19, Feb 16, March 16, April 20, May 18, June 15.

To register, go to Rabbi Lynn's Patreon page and sign up for the "Tribal Visions" level.

Palestinian Voices: Expanding the Reconstructionist Conversation on Israel/Palestine

Next speaker: October 18, 5:00 pm

Zoom registration link

This series will host distinguished Palestinian scholars and activists discussing history, culture, and politics with attention to diverse Palestinian geographies. The series will continue October 18 with speaker Nadia Sa’ah, “The Nakba: Palestinian History through

Testimonies and Images.” Find profiles of the speakers at this link.

Shabbat Morning Hike

On Saturday, September 10, about fifteen Or Shalom members and friends -- plus at least two doggie friends -- braved the elements (actually it was a beautiful day in San Francisco!) and joined Stephen Gerard for a journey around the Castro neighborhood. Stephen led the group up and down hills, and stopped along the way to share some history and insights about what they were walking past. He even provided delicious snacks before and after the walk! It was great fun and the walkers are all looking forward to the next one!

Do you have an idea for a Shabbat morning walk you could lead? Email Pat Skala!

Social Action Corner

Are you a young person interested in combating voter suppression? If so, join the Center for Common Ground on Saturdays at noon PDT to make calls to youth voters of color! We'll be calling other young people across the South to combat voter suppression and get out the vote! No worries if you've never phone banked before—we'll have a brief training on the call.

Filling Empty Homes

Faith in Action Bay Area is currently working hard to help pass Prop M, San Francisco's Empty Homes ballot proposition. In Faith in Action, those most impacted by injustice make the decisions and member congregations such as ours follow the agenda they set. This is part of our work of correcting societal imbalances of whose voices are heard and who most influences public policy. If you would like to support Faith in Action’s work on Prop M,

you can sign up for a citywide meeting, phone bank, canvass or join in an Oct. 6th City Hall event by emailing sanctuary@orshalom.org. You can also sign a FIABA commitment card to vote for Prop M here.

Tzedakah

We gratefully acknowledge these contributions from our community:

• Corey Weinstein, In Memory of the Portman family and Phil Weinstein
• Chana Jacobs, In Memory of Michael Jacobs
• April Lapidus, In Memory of Jeremy Lapidus
• 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

Yahrzeits

On the anniversary of their deaths, we remember:

Alvin Siegel, Ann Potter, Bob Dhondt, Ceil Boren, Dr. Bernard i. Lifson, Eric Richard Solow, Froim Portman, Jean Berry, John Paul Ferrara, Joseph Roth, Leon Seligman, Lucy Saltzman, Martin L. Sandberg, Mary Tibbetts, Michele Turner, Phil Weinstein, Rachilia Portman, Robert Joseph Gerard, Rose Baelen, Rose Miller, Saul Zorn, Selma Rosenberg, Sheldon Kovalsky, Sylvia Glass, Valerie Danehower Harvey

This Week's Parsha

The parsha for this week is Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20)

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