Link of the Week: Be'chol Lashon celebrates the stories and contributions of Asian Jews as discrimination and violence against Asian Americans have risen during the pandemic.

Greetings!
Transgender Day of Visibility is Today

Please join us tonight from 6:30 - 8:30 pm for the panel and learning sessions "Our History & Our Future," presented by Sha'ar Zahav's Trans Gender Non-Conforming Group in memory of Ray Bernstein z"l.

The panel will discuss inclusion in the synagogue, and breakout sessions about pronouns, shifting identities, dispelling misconceptions, and safe-space for trans-attracted people.

This program is an accompaniment to the Trans Jews are Here conference by CBST, co-sponsored by Sha'ar Zahav.

Open to All. Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
#Highlights
Coping with COVID. An Interactive Discussion with Dr. Betsy Stone

This year has brought us losses and sorrows -- deaths, disappointments and isolation. Many of us have found that our normal coping strategies aren't working.

Join Dr. Betsy Stone for an interactive discussion of the impact of COVID and other traumas on our brains, our bodies and our communities. Open to All!

Sunday, April 18 from 4:00 - 5:15 pm: Zoom link.
Making Space for Black, Brown and Other People of Color at Sha'ar Zahav with Communication Coach Kathy Simon

In conversations with Black, Brown and other People of Color who have been a part of Sha’ar Zahav, the Racial Equity group has heard that some have not felt welcome and comfortable in our community. What can we do to ensure that People of Color, Jews and non-Jews, will feel at home at Sha'ar Zahav?

Drawing on her skills as a communication coach, Kathy will facilitate a conversation about cultivating a more inclusive community, and offer some tips about speaking and listening that can support deeper connections. People of all races and ethnicities are welcome. Questions? Please contact Sue Bojdak.

Sunday, April 25 from 4:00 - 5:15pm: Zoom link.
Shabbat This Week
Friday Night Service: April 2 at 7:30 pm

Led by Cantor Bernstein and Sophie Katz. D'rash by Robin Cohn.

Register Here. Meeting ID: 452 290 988.


Shabbat Morning Service: April 3 at 10 am

Our morning service this week will include yizkor, led by Sha’ar Zahav members Ron Edelman and Alan Gordon.

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.

Social Action: Ways to Get Involved
Donations for Neighbors Who Still Need a Home
Coordinated by the Social Action Committee

During this season of Passover as we remember how the Jewish people yearned to find a place to call home, we are accepting donations for our neighbors who still have no place to call home and are in need of support and assistance.

San Francisco has designated a number of Safe Sleep Sites and the Social Action Committee is collecting items for the St. John's Safe Sleep Site Accompaniment Program.  There is an Amazon wish list. If you order directly from the list, the items will be shipped to St. John's. If you would like to make a donation of items purchased other than on Amazon, please contact Deb Farkas to make arrangements for dropping off items or having them delivered to her home.

Thank You Very Much!
Social Action Committee Meeting
Monday, April 5
6:00 - 7:30 pm

Until we are all free, we are none of us free!” Join together in spirited, righteous work for: Voters’ Rights - Welcoming the Immigrant - Freedom from Gun Violence - Ending Homelessness and Hunger. Everyone welcome! We meet every month but you may contact Geri Kahn or Nancy Wecker anytime.

If you are interested in supporting newly arrived immigrants, join an Accompaniment Team. Contact us to learn more about the training session in May.


Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
Post Cards to Voters of Color with Sha'ar Zahav's John Lewis Voter Engagement Group

The John Lewis Memorial Voter Engagement Group will be working with Andrea Miller's organization, the Center for Common Ground. If you would like to be part of this effort by writing postcards please contact Tirtza Pearl. These postcards will help voters turn out for the June 2021 primary election in Virginia.

If you would like to be part of a small group making phone calls with text message follow-ups to voters for an important state election in Texas (district 6), please contact Ruth Schoenbach.
Learning With Us
Adult B’Mitzvah Program
Begins Soon on Zoom

Many of us did not become B’Mitzvah as children and feel like it might be time to make that connection. Our Adult B’mitzvah Program (ABP) is a monthly group educational program, which runs for approximately 8 – 12 months. In the ABP you will learn about the history of the ritual and explore what it means to become an adult B’mitzvah. You will have practical classes in giving a D’var Torah, reading/chanting from the Torah, leading services, and learning the prayer service.

There will also be sessions on the who, what, and why of prayer, different perspectives of G-d, everyday spirituality and much more. The process culminates in either an individual or group B’mitzvah on a Saturday morning at Sha’ar Zahav.

Contact the coordinator Mark Pressler to let us know you are interested or would like to hear more!
Weekly Mussar Group
Tomorrow, Thursday, April 1
7:00 - 8:00 pm

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! For more information, contact Mark Pressler.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
Finding God in a Pandemic
Weekly from April 5 - May 10
7:00 - 8:30 pm

Jews love to say we are “God-strugglers,” so let’s explore the rich Jewish landscape of God-talk, from the classics like Buber, Kaplan, Heschel to feminist and queer Jewish theologies. We will explore how theology, pantheism, and atheism attempt to answer the most profound questions of our time.

Sign up for the whole class or drop in when you’re able. We'll be counting the omer. Open to all.

Free to Members and $15 for Non-members. Register Here.

Weekly Torah Study Group
Wednesday, April 7
8:30 - 9:30 am

Study the weekly Torah portion with Rabbi Copeland and lay leaders. For the first half hour, we’ll talk, learn and share thoughts about the portion. In the second half, we will practice our Hebrew reading skills in a compassionate environment! Join for either or both parts of the study.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

Upcoming Community Events
Weekly Art Group: Drop-in
Tomorrow, Thursday, April 1
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Drop in for a joyful hour of free art-making and connection. Everyone is welcome! The group meets every Thursday. For more information, contact Paisha Rochlin, Barbara Cymrot or AJ Turpen Fried.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
Kaddish Memory Circle
Thursday, April 1 and April 15
8:30 - 9:00 am

During this time of immense loss and grief, we are holding regular Kaddish Memory Circles to support each other. Rabbi Mychal Copeland, Ora Prochovnick and Martin Tannenbaum will alternate leading these circles twice a month.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
Yoga Practice
Saturday, April 3
8:45 am - 9:45 am

You are invited to a twice-a-month Shabbat morning exploration of yoga and Judaism that integrates mind, body, and spirit. Stuart Dick and Rabbi Mychal Copeland will alternate leading the first and third Saturday of every month.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
Meditation Chavurah
Saturday, April 3
10:30 am - 12:00 pm

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 Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
Kaf-lamed Pesach Gathering: In-person and Socially-distanced Event

Saturday, April 3 at Dolores Park, SF
5:00 pm

The Kaf-lameds are Sha’ar Zahav’s young adults (20-30s) community. At this special gathering, we'll talk and learn about different cultures in the diaspora and how they celebrate Passover and honor our ancestors.

This will be a great time to connect with others you have only met online. Everyone must stay 6-feet apart and wear a mask at all times.

Weekday Morning Prayer
Tuesday, April 6
8:30 - 9:00 am

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. For more information, contact Cantor Bernstein.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
Remember When...
Second Meeting! Wednesday, April 7
6:30 - 8:00 pm

Hitch a ride on the wayback wagon for a trip down memory lane. Let’s reminisce about the 40’s thru the 70’s together! Different topics each month. We will gather on the first Wednesday of every month. Everyone is welcome! Questions? Please email Marv Lehrman.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
We Are Reading "The Book of V." by Anna Solomon and Discussing it on April 22
6:00 - 7:00 pm

We are reading "The Book of V." by Anna Solomon as part of the One Bay One Book project of the Jewish Community Library. Let's read and discuss this new novel, rooted in the Book of Esther, where three characters’ stories in different time periods overlap and ultimately collide. Perfect to start reading during Purim!

A limited number of books are available on loan. If you'd like to borrow a copy, please email Liliana Peliks.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link
Theater & Movies Chavurah
Second Meeting, Monday, April 26
6:00 pm

We have re-launched the theatre/movie chavurah and our second play is "Dara" available on National Theater at Home. Watch on your own, and let's gather to discuss it on Zoom.

To join the chavurah and get the Zoom link for the discussion, please email Yvette Adida or Liliana Peliks. We will watch something new every month, and will decide together on dates, genres, etc.
Co-presented by Sha'ar Zahav
In God's Image: LGBTQ Dignity and the Jewish Community. Co-presented by Hamaqom and Sha’ar Zahav.

Wednesdays, April 14 thru April 28 (3 sessions)
5:30 - 6:30 pm

This three-part session with Keshet explores LGBTQ+ language, identity, and inclusion, not only in our secular world but also in our Jewish community. Led by Keshet educators: Randi Reed
and Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael.

Learn More and Register Here. Use code "friendsofSZ" for $18 off at checkout.
B’Tzelem Elokim: A Mother Discusses Her Fight for Transgender Rights. Co-presented by the Jewish Community Library and Sha’ar Zahav.

Sunday, May 2
2:00 - 3:00 pm

Mimi Lemay, author of "What We Will Become" will speak about her journey away from the ultra-orthodox community, and her own family's journey in affirming the chosen gender of their son, Jacob.

We Also Invite You To
San Francisco Observance of Yom HaShoah: A Virtual Commemoration

April 7, 2021
Reading of Names | 5:00 pm (PDT)
Program & Ceremony | 7:00 pm (PDT)

Program features a special conversation between guest scholar Dr. Deborah Lipstadt and Dr. Anita Friedman, Executive Director of JFCS. Rabbi Mychal Copeland will be reading names this year as well.

April 8 – 9, 2021
Days of Commemoration

Interactive workshops featuring Holocaust survivor testimony and expert-led
conversations focused on the lessons and legacies of the Holocaust. Attend one or all sessions.


Remembrance Circle for Jews of Color by the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center

April 15 and 29
4:00 - 5:00 PM

Please join us for two opportunities to mark grief in community with Jews of Color in this year of so many individual and community losses, during this time of heightened white supremacy and isolation.

April Birthdays
birthday_dog_party.jpg
Merle Malakoff, 4/1
Charlie Spiegel, 4/1
Eliana Frank, 4/2
Quinn Klaiman, 4/3
Ben Gaste, 4/5
Rachel Nancollas, 4/5
Britta Pomrantz, 4/6
Larry Best, 4/7
Hannah Megumi Korthof, 4/7
Daniel Gill, 4/8
Anna Katz, 4/8
Nicolas Rosenstone, 4/9
Marvin Lehrman, 4/10
Glen Hauer. 4/10
John Arnold, 4/10
Kara Romanko, 4/11
Liam Klaiman, 4/11
Sydney Klaiman, 4/11
Johanna Klaiman, 4/11
Sophia De Anda, 4/11
Bob Gordon, 4/12
Susan Leff, 4/12
Avidan Rene Novogrodsky-Godt, 4/13
Jay Cohen, 4/13
Bonnie Kates, 4/13
Marjorie Hilsenrad, 4/14
Kaye Hoxter, 4/14
Diana Buchbinder, 4/17
Maelis Perlman, 4/18
Donald Fischer, 4/18
Meg Keene, 4/18
Carina Elisa Rose, 4/19
Lillian Levy, 4/19
Shaun Poblete, 4/20
Jonathon Thunderword, 4/20
Scott Bergman, 4/20
Lisa Finkelstein, 4/21
Sara Haber, 4/23
Joshua Muller, 4/23
Karen Schiller, 4/24
Samuel Lowinger, 4/24
Brian Ellis, 4/25
Karlyn Isaac Lotney, 4/26
Janaye Murphy, 4/29
Ruth Schoenbach, 4/30
Rachel Ralston, 4/30
Neil J Young, 4/30
Pray

Friday Evening Service
April 2, 7:30 pm 

21 Nissan
Pesach
Led by Cantor Bernstein and Sophie Katz

Saturday, Lay-led Morning Service
April 3, 10:00 am
Meeting ID: 365 434 855
Passcode: 068575




Contact sharonh@shaarzahav.org to sponsor a Shabbat
Thank You to Our Grantors
Programs at Sha’ar Zahav are supported by the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, the Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus Initiative for Immigrant and Refugee Justice of the Religious Action Center, San Francisco Humanities, and the National Center to Encourage Judaism.
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