Sukkot: Jewish Harvest Festival

Sukkot is an ancient festival originating in the Torah. Elements of it have a mysterious quality. Why is the lulav made of a palm frond, a branch of mrytle and a branch of willow? The Torah doesn't say. The Rabbis have beautiful explanations yet there remains a sense of something more, something ancient and primal.

Go to www.jholidays.org to read about the practice and meaning of Sukkot.

Want a sukkah? You can order a kit that will go up easily in your back yard. For years we had a wooden one but it got pretty weathered and beaten and we opted for a kit. This year I've enjoyed decorating it.

Fall Holidays and Fairs

Dear Interfaith Families and Friends,

Wishing the Muslim folks on this list a Happy Ramadan!

Ramadan began on September 1. It is important to remember that our Muslim relatives and friends are celebrating an important holiday at the same time we as a nation will observe 9/11. This will be a difficult day for many who lost loved ones AND for those American citizens who are treated with unkindness and suspicion simply for being of Middle Eastern descent. We as Jews must remember that we have often been the strangers. The most repeated commandment in the Torah is to be kind to “the stranger in your midst for you were strangers.”

Let’s all make a point of seeing the best in others this week. Remember that in every faith there is a belief in love, compassion, and respect. Let’s honor this week by being the best citizens and neighbors we can be. And let’s teach our children to do the same.


Are you a New Mama of a Jewish (or maybe Jewish) Baby?
I will be starting another Welcoming Your Jewish Baby group in October. Email me if you are interested. Look at the description at www.BuildingJewishBridges.org – you’ll also see one sweet mama and her little one.

Solano Stroll - Jewish booths
I’ll be at the Solano Stroll this Sunday. They are grouping the Jewish booths together. Come by and say hello. I’m with the Jewish Coalition for Literacy folks. They offered me a chair at their booth and I accepted – I’m in favor of literacy! I tutored for 11 years in the Oakland public schools. Come see if you’d like to tutor. Or come talk to me about your interfaith relationship.


To Life! Street Festival
Then on Sunday, Sept. 21 I’ll be in Palo Alto at L’Chaim, To Life Street Festival with Rabbi Bridget Wynne of Jewish Gateways. We are two peas in a pod! Both of us do outreach, love people and are on a mission from God (just like the Blues Brothers). Our mission is to offer doorways into Jewish life - what ever you want to explore, we want to help you find it.


I’m out of town for four days, back for Shabbat on Friday
I’ll be out of town this week from Tuesday afternoon to Friday. I’ll be thinking of you all everyday as I’ll be at an Outreach to Interfaith conference - what fun! If you call or email, I’ll get back to you on Monday, Sept. 15.

I’ll be talking to you next week about finding High Holiday services if you’re unaffiliated. We’ll talk...




EVENTS
Preparing for the High Holy Days (Lafayette)
Family Shabbat Morning Service (Pleasanton)
Elul Retreat (San Mateo)
High Holy Days - Family Picnic, Walk & Talk at Baker Beach (San Francisco)
Demystifying the High Holydays (Pleasanton)
Gathering of Blessings (San Francisco)
Port Wine & Chocolate in the Sukkah (Pleasanton)
Sukkot Gatherings (Los Altos)
Demystifying Judaism (Pleasanton)
Caspian Rain: Author Talk (Walnut Creek)
Shabbat in Nature (Sunol)


Preparing for the High Holy Days
Rabbi Graetz will be offering three sessions in the month of Elul to help you prepare for the holidays. The Talmud teaches: "Four things change a person's fate, namely tzedakah, crying out, changing one's name, and changing one's conduct... and some say: changing one's place." Through text, contemplation and conversation, Rabbi Graetz will guide you in exploring how the High Holy Days can become a transformative experience.

Date: Thursdays, September 11, 18 and 25
Time: 7:15pm
Place: Temple Isaiah, 3800 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette
Questions: Call Michael at 925-
FREE



Family Shabbat Morning Service
Family services provide an opportunity for young children to actively participate in the warmth and joy of Shabbat with their families. The service has been specially prepared by Cheryl Cohen for families with young children and children in our Religious School. The music, however, is for people of all ages and is led with great ruach and style by Josh Cohen. We strongly encourage grandparents, siblings and friends to come and pray with us. Snack is provided following the service.

Date: Saturday, September 13
Time: 10:30am – 12pm
Place: Beth Emek, 3400 Nevada Ct., Pleasanton
For more info call Cheryl Cohen at 925.931.1055 x21



Elul Retreat
Join meditation teachers Wendy Lash, Bobbi Bornstein and Laurie Williams for a 1/2 day of reflection and spaciousness to help you tap into this special time. We will begin the journey to "open the books of our lives," releasing and transforming ourselves through meditation, art and ritual.

Date: Saturday September 13
Time: 12:15 - 5 pm
Place: Peninsula Temple Beth El,1700 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo
Cost is $36 for PTBE members and $46 for non-PTBE members. Scholarships are available.
To register contact Lolli Freedman at PTBE at 650.341.7701 or lfreedman@ptbe.org.
This program is generously underwritten by Or HaLev Center for Jewish Spirituality at PTBE.



High Holy Days - Family Picnic, Walk & Talk at Baker Beach
With Helena McMahon, LMFT and Rabbi Eve Ben-Ora
Discuss the meaning of the High Holy Days at beautiful Baker Beach in San Francisco. Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch - there will be activities for children 10 and under. All couples and families are welcome to attend this workshop.

Date: Sunday, September 14
Time: Noon - 2:00 pm
Place: Baker Beach in San Francisco, for more information contact the San Francisco JCC at (415) 292-1200.
Cost: $10/couple



Demystifying the High Holydays
As part of our S’lichot observance, Rabbi Winer will present this preparatory practice leading into the High Holyday season. Everyone is invited to continue with further study and worship throughout the evening. Please join us for this opportunity to explore and better understand the Days of Awe before Rosh Hashanah, which begins on Monday evening, September 29.

Date: Sat., Sept. 20
Time: 7 to 8:15pm
Place: Beth Emek, 3400 Nevada Ct., Pleasanton
Info: 925.931.1055



Gathering of Blessings
Honoring the Jewish Community Relations Council
At its annual Gathering of Blessings interfaith celebration, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio will honor the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area as a "Bay Area Interfaith Treasure." The celebration will include stories, prayers, blessings, and music honoring partnerships that provide support to build bridges of peace and service among religions, here at home and around the world.

Date: Sunday, October 5
Time: Reception 4:30 pm; ceremony 5:30 pm.
Place: Interfaith Chapel, Presidio of San Francisco, 130 Fisher Loop.
Free event.



Port Wine & Chocolate in the Sukkah
Are you 21 or older? Then you are invited for a sophisticated evening under the stars showcasing Fine Livermore Valley Port and dessert wines poured for your tasting enjoyment. Wines paired with decadent chocolates & cheeses. Hot beverages and other sweet delights.

Date: Sat., Oct. 18
Time: 7:30 to 10pm
Place: Congregation Beth Emek, 2400 Nevada Ct., Pleasanton
Cost: $20 per person ($10 for no-alcohol admission)
RSVP to Sharon Cohen at 925-931-1055 x11
Mail check to Beth Emek.



Sukkot Gatherings
This year's Sukkot Gatherings will bring together Beth Am members and friends toschmooze, eat, relax and meet new friends in sukkot at members’ homes. To attend, please RSVP on the Beth Am website, and we’ll match you up with a Sukkot gathering in your neighborhood.

Date: Sunday, Oct. 19
Time: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Place: Homes around Los Altos Hills
For information call or e-mail: Lori Shaffer at shaffer.family@comcast.net or 650-494-7008 or Diana Friedman at friedx4@pacbell.net or 650-965-2265
Last year I think it was Lori Shaffer that I called to ask how non-members could participate. She was excited that non-members would be interested and said to have them call her. If you want to go, either call and get a spot or, if you feel shy, call me and I’ll get you a spot. But call me NEXT week as I’m going to be out of town from Tuesday thru Friday this week.



Demystifying Judaism --
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Judaism but Were Afraid to Ask…Beginning in September, Rabbi Richard Winer will present a year-long course on “Demystifying Judaism” – for newly-engaged Jews, lifelong learners and those who haven’t cracked a book since b’nai mitzvah, for Jews-by-choice and Jews-by-birth and everyone in between, for non-Jewish spouses and the Jews who love them, and for anyone who has a question about Jewish ritual, practice, faith or religion.
Rabbi Winer will present this class once a month. Bagels, coffee and orange juice will be provided.

Dates: Sundays beginning Oct. 19
October 19: Demystifying Torah
November 16: Demystifying Worship I
January 11: Demystifying Worship II
February 22: Demystifying the Jewish Holidays -- a Jewish Holiday Primer
March 15: Demystifying Passover
Time: 10:30 – 11:45am
Place: Beth Emek, 3400 Nevada Ct., Pleasanton
FREE
Info: 925.931.1055
You can register for “Demystifying Judaism” on-line at www.bethemek.org or drop in and join us as often as you can during the year. There is no charge for this class.



Caspian Rain: Author Talk
“Chai Tea” is back again, so join us for gourmet teas, great desserts and a lively book discussion with Gina Nahai, author of Caspian Rain. Nahai, who herself left Iran as a teen, offers a rare glimpse into the life of Iranian Jews. This is a compelling novel about class pressures, life under the Shah and what happened to Iranian society after the Khomeini Islamic revolution.

Date: Thursday, October 23
Time: 3:00 pm
Place: Contra Costa JCC, 2071 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek
For more information call Riva Gambert at the East Bay Jewish Federation (510) 839-2900 x253
Co-sponsor: Temple Isaiah Book Group



Shabbat in Nature
Come and Enjoy a Glorious Autumn
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. -- Rachel Carson
Participate in any or all of the following:
Minyan starting at 10:30 a.m. led by Rabbi Dana Magat and Canter Intern Meeka Simerly
Lots of singing (bring your instrument!)
Potluck lunch and discussion
Walk to (paved road) and around “Little Yosemite” – appropriate for all ages – or any of the wonderful trails
It’s your Shabbat!!

Date: Saturday, Oct. 25
Time: 10am
Place: Sunol Regional Park

No RSVP Necessary
For Info call Ginny at (408) 993-1139; email ginandbrad@gmail.com or
Nancy at (650) 694-4604; email nancyweintraub@sbcglobal.net

Directions: Go south on 280 which becomes 680 north. Continue on 680 and exit at Calaveras Road in Sunol (do not take the Calaveras exit in Milpitas). Turn right on Calaveras and proceed to Geary Road (watch carefully). Turn left on Geary; Geary leads directly into the park. Drive until you get to the toll booth. Bring $5 for entrance fee ($2 extra per dog). Continue through and drive straight until the road forks. Go left towards the picnic area. With the creek running on the left, drive to the last parking area you see before the road empties into a large lot. The cars will be on the right side of the road – look for a car with a sign in the back window – TEE – and park. You will see the picnic tables and the group on the left side of the road. The site is very accessible and is a very short easy stroll from the parking area. See map on back. For more about the park, go to http://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol.
This event is sponsored by Temple Emanu-El in San Jose.
The was sent to me by Ginny with the message to invite everyone. Looks like a gorgeous day is planned!

I'll see you at the Movies!

Dear Interfaith Families and Friends,

I am meeting some of you on Saturday night for the film, Strangers, at 8:15pm at the Roda Theater at Berkeley Rep, on Addison Street. If you suddenly decide to come along, email me soon and let me know. I will be busy all day on Friday - my brother is getting married!! Congratulate me! I’m so happy!
Then I’m going to visit my oldest friend in the world for a week and I’ll “see” you back here in the week of Aug. 18.
–Dawn

A summer holy day
This Saturday night is Tisha B’av. It is a memorial day, a day to remember and mourn for multiple destructions that have befallen the Jewish people. The first historically, is the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. You can read a full description of the holiday at:
www.Jholidays.org

You can read a personal reflection on the day and how it compares to Yom Kippur by Rabbi Menachem Creditor of Netivot Shalom at:
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dcp43hhw_156vpds7fc7


It may not be easy to be Jewish in America but I think it is harder to be Muslim. Because of that I am including an event that has nothing to do with being an interfaith couple, but has to do with creating community for Muslims in America. For those of you in Jewish - Muslim relationships perhaps this is something that would be supportive and useful --

American Muslim Voice Open House
The American Muslim Voice Foundation cordially invites you to a dinner party and to be a part of our Miracle Movement of Friendship. AMV Foundation enjoys the success that our simple approach to community building yields, but our greatest assets are the lasting friendships, coalitions and alliances we have made in our efforts to bridge the gap between all communities.

We will provide a traditional Pakistani dinner, multicultural interaction, kids' activity and cultural experiences. Feel free to invite family, friends and neighbors, and just bring an open mind, an appetite, a few chairs and your special dessert or side dish.

Date: Saturday, August 23
Time: 5:30-8:30 pm
Place: Home of Samina Sundas, 120 Park Avenue, Palo Alto. Bring dessert or side dish.
To learn more about who we are and what we do, we invite you to visit www.amuslimvoice.org.



Jews Rock! A Celebration of Rock and Roll's Jewish Heritage
Photo Exhibit
Jews Rock! presents key Jewish rock ‘n roll icons — musicians, songwriters and promoters—through the award - winning photographs of photojournalist Janet Macoska and behind-the scenes anecdotes of the Jewish influences in their rise to stardom. Stars include Paula Abdul, Bob Dylan and many, many more.

Gallery Hours
October 18 - November 28, 2008
Monday - Friday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Contra Costa Jewish Community Center
2071 Tice Valley Blvd.
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
For More Information
Judith Markowitz, 925-938-7800 ext. 256 or judithm@ccjcc.org






Preschool Time!
Is it true?
Is summer almost over?
We've been having so much fun with Camp that the time has just flown. We're willing to bet it has been that way for you too, but we don't want you to miss your chance to sign up for preschool. There are still a few spots open at the Contra Costa JCC Preschool.
For information or to register call Barbara Chotiner at (925)938-7800 x225 or e-mail barbarac@ccjcc.org



EVENTS
A Family Picnic Shabbat Dinner (Palo Alto)
Tisha B'Av - Film, Discussion (Los Altos)
SOMAnu-El Shabbat Service (San Francisco)
Not Your Same Old Bagels Gourmet Brunch (Berkeley)
Jewish Heritage Night at the S.F.Giants (San Francisco)
The Meaning of the Talit (Berkeley)


A Family Picnic Shabbat Dinner
Leave the busy work week behind to welcome Shabbat in the company of family and friends!
Enjoy a summer evening picnic, explore the story of Israel's history as told through beautiful Independence Day posters, and create your own visual family commentary!
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Bring a picnic dinner for your family--we'll supply challah, grape juice & dessert!

Date: Friday, August 8
Time: 5:45 – 7:30pm
Fee: $5.00 per person in advance, $8.00 per person at the door (Not to exceed $20/$32 per family)
Place: Cubberley Community Center, Greendell Campus,4000 Middlefield Road, Building R, Palo Alto
REGISTER AT www.paloaltojcc.org or contact Jane-Rachel Schonbrun at (650) 852-3502 or jschonbrun@paloaltojcc.org



Tisha B'Av - Film, Discussion
Beth Am’s commemoration of Tisha B’Av will take place on Saturday. We will screen the film, Jeremiah , starring Patrick Dempsey and Oliver Reed, that recounts the life of the prophet, Jeremiah, who witnessed the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Following the film, Rabbi Marder will lead a discussion and study session about the meaning of Tisha B’Av.

Date: Aug. 9
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: Beth Am, 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills
For more information call: 650-493-4661
www.betham.org



SOMAnu-El Shabbat Service
Live on Potrero Hill, in Noe Valley, the Castro, Bernal Heights, SOMA, the Mission or south of San Francisco? Many of our members do! That's why we offer a service on the fourth Friday of the month at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House. This upbeat, musical service - perfect for those of all ages. Join us!

Date: Aug. 22
Time: 6pm
Place: Potrero Hills Neighorhood House, 953 DeHaro Street at Southern Heights
Sponsored by Congregation Emanu-el, call them for more information at 415-

Have Dinner After the SOMAnu-El Service
Stay each month after the service for a delicious Mediterranean feast. This is a perfect way to get to know better other SOMAnu-El families in your area. Register at:
http://www.emanuelsf.org/register.
Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for children.
PLEASE RESERVE AHEAD so that we know how much food to order; otherwise we may not be able to accommodate you that night. To be added to the SOMAnu-El Google group, please e-mail Mollie Schneider, mschneider@emanuelsf.org



Not Your Same Old Bagels Gourmet Brunch
You are cordially invited to a fun and casual opportunity to get to know our Beth El Family.
• Gourmet dairy brunch
• Tours of our beautiful new building
• Fun activities for children
• Learn about the many opportunities for inspiring worship, lifelong learning, social action,
community and fun Beth El offers
• This event is FREE to all. Invite your friends and neighbors!

Date: Sunday, August 24
Time: 10:00am
Place: Beth El, 1301 Oxford Street, Berkeley
Please RSVP in order to ensure abundant food, drinks and seating for everyone!
Reservations: Please call Lenora O'Keith in the Beth El office at 510-848-3988 x211.






Jewish Heritage Night at the S.F.Giants
Enjoy a San Francisco Giants game on "Jewish Heritage Night," Aug. 25, 7:15 p.m, AT&T Park, San Francisco. Lots of people are going. I’ll be with Shalom Bayit, an organization that fights domestic violence. Many organizations are taking groups. Here’s one that you can tag along with:
The Albert L. Schultz JCC is selling tickets for the annual Jewish Heritage Night, as the Giants take on the defending National League Champion Colorado Rockies. Bring friends, family; with tickets ($20 each) purchased from ALS JCC you get a special scarf to keep you warm at the game.

Date: Aug. 25
Time: 7:15pm
Place: AT&T Park in San Francisco
Call the JCC at (650) 493.9400 if you want to go along.



The Meaning of the Talit: "And you shall see it"
Lecture with Rabbi Yosef Leibowitz
Followed by Havdalah
Rabbi Leibowitz is a true Torah scholar and a dynamic, thoughtful speaker. He is the founder and Director of the Yad Yaakov Fund for Jewish Education, and presently teaches in the Haifa University Overseas Program. Rabbi Leibowitz lives is Kfar Saba, Israel where he is a community Rabbi. He received his ordination from Yeshiva University and his Ph.D. from the University of California in Berkeley. Please join us, all are welcome!

Date: Saturday, August 30
Time: 5:30pm
Place: Beth El, 1301 Oxford St., Berkeley
For more info call 510-848-3988.
www.bethelberkeley.org

Jewish Community For Kids + Shavuot

Kids at the JCC East Bay



Dear Interfaith Families and Friends,

Last week I talked about Jewish community as a bit if an oddity sandwiched in side American culture. If you put on your anthropology hat and look at the many cultures that you encounter everyday it all begins to make sense. But for a child it’s not so clear. Kids’ brains are still growing. They don’t understand all the nuances that you do. They learn by experience that which you may learn through words. If you want to give them an experience of Jewish community - why not try camp?


Jewish Community for Kids
Summer brings a terrific opportunity for children -- SUMMER CAMP!
Camp offers something that is rarely experienced in America - Jewish emersion. Doing Jewish all day! I have had adults from interfaith families tell me that camp is one of their happiest memories. It’s where it all comes together and you just get to BE.

Do kids from Jewish - Jewish parents say it’s terrific too? Sure. I just want to assure you that kids from multicultural, interfaith families feel right at home.

Occasionally a parent will tell me that they want to be sure their child experiences the diversity of American culture and doesn’t grow up thinking that there are only Jewish people. Unless you live in Crown Heights – no worries. Is your child allowed to walk around your neighborhood? Watch TV? Listen to the radio? This is Christian America - even if much of it is not religious, it is a Christian culture.

So don’t be afraid to give your child a taste of Jewish life. At camp they will observe a rousing Shabbat with songs, dancing, food. They’ll have a Jewish flavor to all their activities AND it will still be camp – kids hiking, swimming, making things from wood and clay.


What Camps are Out There?
All around the bay there are summer camps getting underway this month.

The JCC of the East Bay has:

Camp Tzofim
Our Oakland-based summer camp starts up June 23. In our summer program kids-ranging from those entering kindergarten to tenth graders-explore nature, make friendships and engage in arts, sports, and social activities. Our camp also emphasizes Jewish culture, designating a Jewish topic each week, around which camp activities and projects are based.
Contact camp director Josh Kramer at joshk@jcceastbay.org or 510.530.9222 for more information about Camp Tzofim.

Other JCCs around the bay are:
Albert L. Schultz Jewish Community Center, Palo Alto
Osher Marin JCC, Marin
Peninsula JCC, Foster City
San Francisco JCC
JCC of Silicon Valley, San Jose

An example of a regional sleep away camp is:
Camp Tawonga
Office: 131 Steuart Street, San Francisco,CA 94015
(415) 543-2267
www.tawonga.org
Contact: Ann Gonski
At Tawonga, the focus is on group-building. Next to Yosemite National Park. Grades 2-12. Backpacking, Judaic programming, ropes course, arts and crafts. Teen Travel quests go all over the West, Canada and Israel. CIT program. Family camp weekends.


Camp Kee Tov is the summer camp of Beth El Congregation in Berkeley.
http://www.campkeetov.org/

Camp Kedima in Pleasanton is associated with Beth Emek. See them at:
http://www.campkadima.bethemek.org/

Each of the Jewish synagogue movements have summer camps as well.

Some camps have a Family Camp Week. That’s a great time to give the kid in you a class on drumming or painting, to refresh your s’mores making skills and to tell stories by a campfire.

Not sure what is available near you? Call the maven of Jewish information, Gail, at Jewish Community Information and Referral, 415-777-4545.


The next holiday is Shavuot
Shavuot begins Sunday at sundown. It is one of the three pilgrimage festivals. It is commanded in the Torah and was observed as a pilgrimage - all Jews were to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice. It is described in the Torah as a natural and agricultural occurrence.

MyJewishLearning..com says this:
Deut. 26:1-11 specifies that every Israelite must offer the first fruits of his crop to the priests of the Temple. Traditionally on the second day of Passover(Nisan 16) a sheaf of barley was given. Shavuot was also known as the festival of the first fruits (HAG HA-BIKKURIM); this pilgrim festival was a time for making the offering. Although this practice ended with the destruction of the Temple, first-fruit celebrations still take place in the State of Israel.


Later tradition linked the holiday to the giving of the Torah at Mt Sinai. This rabbinic teaching developed the tradition of an all night study in an expression of the longing for Torah.
I got all the quotes below from Arthur Waskow's book, Seasons of our Joy. It's a terrific resource for all the holidays.

In Exodus 23:16 the Torahs states: Israelites shall hold a festival for the Feast of the Harvest, of the first fruits of your work, of what you sow in the field..
You shall bring from your settlements two loaves of bread as a wave-offering...baked after leavening, as first fruits to Adonai...On that same day you shall hold a celebration; it shall be a sacred occasion for you; you shall not work at your occupations. Lev 23:17-23
You shall observe the Feast of Weeks for Adonai, offering your freewill contribution according as the Holy One has blessed you. You shal rejoice before God with your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite in your communities, and the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in your midst, at the place where Adonai, your God will choose to establish God's name. Deut. 16:10-11






EVENTS
Family Shabbat Services and Shavuot Harvest Dinner (San Leandro)
Tikkun Leyl Shavuot: An All Night Study Session (Berkeley)
Tikkun Leil Shavuot (Palo Alto)
Tikkun Leil Shavuot (Oakland)
Never again, Again? Stopping the Genocide in Darfur (Richmond)
Who Wrote the Torah? (El Cerrito)
L'Chaim-The Spirituality of Wine and The Kiddush (Berkeley)
Come with Me to the Movies! (Berkeley)
Fifth Annual PicnicFest (Oakland)








Family Shabbat Services and Shavuot Harvest Dinner
Family oriented services begin early, are shorter, and have a book or story instead of sermon.
A kosher dinner prepared by temple members follows services at 7:15pm.

Date: Friday, June 6
Time: 7:15pm
Place: Beth Sholom, 642 Dolores, San Leandro
Charge is $10 per adult and $5 per child over the age of 5.
Please RSVP to the temple office at 510-357-8505.



Tikkun Leyl Shavuot: An All Night Study Session
A unique community-wide celebration and night of Torah study a spiritual journey bringing together Jews with varied perspectives and affiliations. Stay for an hour or stay until dawn. We will be led in study by teachers from our diverse Jewish community. Celebrate Shavuot!

Date: Sunday, June 8
Time: 6:45pm until dawn
Place: JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St, Berkeley.
Co-Sponsored by many great community partners! For more information, contact Robin Braverman or Erica Zilbermann at 510.839.2900 ext. 235 or email tikkun@jfed.org



Tikkun Leil Shavuot
A COMMUNAL NIGHT OF STUDY! On Sunday, June 8, our Peninsula Jewish community comes together at Congregation Kol Emeth for an invigorating and meaningful night of study. Starting at 8 p.m. with a brief evening service, we will celebrate z’man matan Torateinu, the time of the giving of our Torah. Drop in anytime for nosh & coffee through the night & dairy breakfast at 1:30 a.m. Study sessions begin at 9 p.m. Teachers from the community include Rabbis Janet Marder, Josh Zweiback, Adam Allenberg, David Booth, Sarah Graff and Ari Cartun. Sessions go all night long so feel free to drop-in anytime (and go home to go to sleep anytime!).

Date: Sunday, June 8
Time: Begins at 8pm
Place: Kol Emeth, 4175 Manuela Ave., Palo Alto
Co-sponsored by Congregations Kol Emeth, Beth Am, Etz Chayim and Keddem.
For information call 650-493-4661



Tikkun Leil Shavuot
Temple Beth Abraham and Temple Sinai will be observing Shavuot together again this year. Join us as we celebrate the Giving of the Torah by staying up all night (until about midnight) or as long as you can last.

Date: Sunday, June 8
Time: 8:00pm
Place: Beth Abraham, 327 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland
for more information call either Beth Abraham at 510-832-0936 or Temple Sinai at 510-451-3263.



Never again, Again? Stopping the Genocide in Darfur
The Jewish Mandate to Pursue Justice for All Human Beings"
Rabbi Lee T. Bycel (who taught at Beth Hillel many years ago) and is now the Executive Director, Western Region of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), will speak.

Date: Sunday, June 8
Time: 10:30-12:00noon
Place: Temple Beth Hillel, 801 Park Central St., Richmond
Directions: Hiiltop exit off 80, East then first Left, Left again into parking lot
Bagel brunch ($5.00 suggested donation)
For more information, please contact June Mayberry at junemayberry@iglide.net









Who Wrote the Torah?
Was it God? People? Does it make a difference?
If people were involved, who were they?
Join us to explore these questions and share a no-experience-necessary Shabbat dinner, eat, laugh, and learn. All are welcome.

Date: Friday, June 13
Time: 6:15pm
6:30 - Candle lighting and dinner
7:30 - Rabbi Bridget Wynne will lead a lively interactive teaching
8:30 - Dessert and schmoozing (time to hang out and chat)
Place: Jewish Gateways' cozy home near El Cerrito Plaza and BART station
Childcare: available by reservation
Space is limited, so RSVP is required.
Please contact Rabbi Bridget Wynne at Jewish Gateways, (510) 559-8140, or rabbibridget@jewishgateways.org, for more information, and to make a reservation and get directions and your food assignment. If your schedule doesn't allow you to bring a dish to share, we offer you the option of contributing $7 toward the dinner.
www.jewishgateways.org



L'Chaim-The Spirituality of Wine and The Kiddush
In this delightful afternoon program, learn how to use the Kiddush, the Jewish blessing over the wine, as a delivery system for Kadosh, "to make the moment holy." Join with Chochmat Halev for a special wine tasting in the garden and conversation with Rabbi David White who will share a taste of WineSpirit Vintage Judaism and his teachings on wine's connection with spirituality and opening up to spiritual access points throughout the day. Wine and cheese included!

Date: Sunday July 13
Time: 4-6pm
Place: Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince Street, Berkeley, CA
Price: $15 for one adult, $25 for a couple or family:
Please RSVP to 510-704-9687 by Wednesday, July 9 so we know how much
wine to bring.











Come with Me to the Movies!
Join me, Dawn, at the Jewish Film Festival. We’ll go out for dinner first and then head over to the Rep in Berkeley to see:
Strangers
Israel, 2003, 85 min., color, Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles
When handsome Eyal (Liron Levo) and knockout Rana (Lubna Azabel) are seated across from each other on the subway in Berlin, their backpacks are mixed up, leading to a chance meeting. He’s Israeli and she’s Palestinian, but they both came to Berlin for the World Cup and are immediately swept up in the dual frenzies of soccer mania and desire. After the tealights have burned out in their rented Berlin love nest, they realize that the fact that she is from Ramallah and he is from the north of Israel means they have different views of the world. Strangers is a crisply written, top-notch love story that crosses international borders and explores the boundaries of nationality, culture and the heart.

Date: Saturday, Aug. 9
Time: 8:15pm
Place: Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theater, 2025 Addison, Berkeley
RSVP - call or email me so I’ll know how many reservations to make for dinner.
You’ll pay for your own dinner and tickets.
Co-presented by Building Jewish Bridges: Outreach to Interfaith Couples; Interfaith Connection of the JCCSF; and Project Welcome
Box office opens June 24th. For tickets and more information call 925-275-9490 or go to:
www.sfjff.org



Fifth Annual PicnicFest
Join 1000 Jews for free beer, free ice cream, Israeli entertainment and child activities.

Date: Sunday, Sept. 7
Place: Joaquin Miller Park
Save the date. Look for more information on the Federation website - www.jfed.org

Passover Food

Let's begin with the non-traditional dishes.

I took a cooking class with a friend on Moroccan Cooking, here in Oakland from a gal named Dara who has The Sage Table. (You can find her online at www.thesagetable.com. I think she might be Jewish.) When I looked at the recipes she had taught us every single one is kosher for Passover with one small easily modified exception. Lucky me. So this is the better part of my menu for second night seder.


Here's the exception - barley is not kosher for Passover. Just substitute 2 cups of quinoa for the barley/quinoa mix.
Barley and Quinoa Pilaf with Mint
1/2 c. pearl barley
1 1/2 c. quinoa
2-3 Tbs olive oil
1/4 c. chopped fresh mint
1 bunch scallions sliced thinly
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbs. honey
1/3 c. toasted almonds

Rinse the quinoa and toast it in a heavy skillet. When it smells nice and toasty and is popping add 4 c. vegetable or chicken broth and simmer until done and liquid is absorbed.

Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and pour them over the grains. Mix well.



Chicken with Lemons & Olives, Moroccan-style
1 T. olive oil
6 chicken thighs (I've also used breasts since some people prefer white meat)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 T flour (I used matzo meal for the Passover dish)
1 1/2 to 3 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. dry white wine
2/3 c. green olives, pitted, then chopped or sliced
(Here the recipe as Dara made it uses preserved Meyer lemons, but Dara said you can substitute lemon zest. I have a Meyer's lemon tree and I prefer zest)
8 pieces preserved Meyers Lemon or 4 tsp lemon zest

Choos a heavy pot that will easily fit all the chicken in one layer.

Pat the chicken dry, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T of olive oil in the pot over moderately high heat until hot, then saute chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm, covered. (Alternately you can place the chicken thight on a baking sheet and roast for 40 to 60 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees.)

Add remaining oil to skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook onions, stirring frequently, until softened but not brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add in garlic, cook a minute more, then add spices & flour, and cook, stirring, until very fragrant - about a minute. Stir in the wine, scrape the bottom of the pan. Add in the broth, olives and lemon. Stir well. Return chicken to the pot. Simmer on a low heat, covered, until the chicken is very tender- 12 to 25 minutes.



Aromatic Vegetable Tagine with Olives and Figs
Apparently you can add chick peas to this per Dara, but chick peas are only kosher if you are Sephardic. Dara also says fish can be laid on top and steamed over the cooking vegies with the pot lid on.

olive oil
4 - 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 28-oz can of chopped tomatoes
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
4 to 6 dried Mission figs (I used six), chopped in quarters
2 large carrots
2 medium zucchini
1 purple Globe eggplant

cilantro, optional

Cut the tops and end off the carrots and zucchini. Quarter lengthwise and cut in 2 inch chunks. Cut the eggplant in 2 inch chunks too. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute a minute. Add the spices and salt, stir for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, figs & olives, bring to a simmer. Add eggplant and carrots. Simmer until eggplant starts to break down, stir occasionally. When carrots are almost tender add the zucchini. If you don't care if the zucchini gets squashy just add it with everything else, I did. I like the way it gets stewy.


Breakfast without Toast or Cereal

This is the challenging meal. My kids are used to eating cereal... or pancakes or waffles. But for Passover those dishes are out. But there is Matzah Brei!

Matzah Brei
4 or 5 sheets of Matzah or 2 cups of matzah farfel
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. milk
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1.2 t. vanilla

Mix everything together. Now I'm just making these amounts up to the best of my ability to estimate what is usually just eyeballed. If you like it drier, use less fluid. If you like it really eggy, use more eggs. My kids like it quite softened so I let it sit for a minute or two so the egg and milk soak into the crackers.

Then you fry it in a pan and serve it with syrup and jam.


Passover is a great time to fill up on fresh fruits. Bananas sliced on cottage cheese or yogurt. Crisp apples, firm pears, new strawberries. Go to the farmer's market and load up.


Pizza for Passover?
Last night my seventeen year old son said, "I really want pizza! I'm sure Tali has a recips. Can't you get it?" (Tali is the Israeli woman who leads the Teen trips that my son went on last summer. For more on the teen trip and an absolutely glorious way to send your darling teen away for a month so you can taste the sweetness of freedom, call Tali at 510-839-2900 x255. Any teen who is a sophmore in high school in the bay area can go.) Yes, indeed! She has a Passover Pizza recipe and I'll share it here with you.

Passover Pizza Israeli-style

small can tomato paste
catsup
salt & pepper
oregano
mozzarella cheese
toppings – mushrooms, olives, onions

Wet a sheet of matzah and lay it on a clean towel. It will gradually become soft.
In a bowl combine the tomato paste and catsup. Mix until you have the consistency you like. Place the pliant sheet of matzah on a cookie sheet that you’ve sprayed with oil. Spread the sauce on the matzah, sprinkle it with the cheese and put on the toppings you like.
Put it in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Voila!

Yes, that's as good as it gets for another four days.

Passover Community Seders & Resources

Dear Interfaith Families and Friends,


Passover just a few days away: Saturday, April 19 at sundown
Passover will be here very soon and some of you are looking for information for your own home seder, others want to find a community seder. I’m listing a lot of community seders below. You can check www.planitjewish.com for seders or you can call me or the volunteer at Jewish Community Information and Referral at 415-777-4545. Check the website first as Gail at JCI&R urges every congregation and agency to put their events on the community calender there.


If you are in the East Bay you can go to www.jfed.org and scroll down to Passover Happenings. Click on that you will get a long list of Passover programs taking place in the East Bay. Thank you to the ever resourceful Tanya at the Federation for compiling this!!



Passover resources for children
I received this message from Rabbi Menachem Creditor of Netivot Shalom. Take a look at this online Haggadah. It looks good for children. You can download it at make as many copies as you have kids. Some of you specifically told me you are looking to keep little ones engaged at the table.

A dear friend of mine who is also a gifted educator, Alex Weinberg, has shared the latest version of his Haggadah that he wrote last year for my children, but have since shared with his community and friends. The Haggadah is designed for families of all ages and has space on each page for children (or adults) to illustrate the page.

To use this Haggadah at your Seder, print out a master copy and then share pages with your participants (before Pesah). Have them illustrate different pages of the Haggadah. Collect the pages before the Sederim and give them to a local copy shop where they can make double sided, spiral bound booklets to use at your Seder. At the Seder be sure to have the participants who illustrated each page explain their drawings—it is a great way for them to be included in the discussions and to become leaders at your Seder!
Instructions from Alex are below, and I recommend it very highly
Chag Sameach, Menachem Creditor
You can download the Haggadah here: http://www.alexweinberg.org/haggadahnew2008.pdf


Fast Seder
Someone on this list bought a book called, 30 minute Seder. She told that there is also online downloadable music. It looks like you can buy it online too. www.the30minuteseder.com


Here’s a terrific booklet from Project Welcome ~
Personalizing Passover
http://urj.org/_kd/Items/actions.cfm?action=Show&item_id=12753&destination=ShowItem



New Jewish Magazine
A few months ago I told you about a new magazine - Jewish Living. They seem to be in the bumpy start phase in terms of their website. But take a look. I went ahead and subscribed because there’s nothing else like them.
www.jewishlivingmag.com







Jewish Summer Camp Scholarship Money
I want to remind you to think about summer camp now. If you want to get an $1800 scholarship for your child you must apply soon.
http://www.sfjcf.org/endowment/scholarships/camp3.htm

Camp Tawonga - here in our own area was named one of the top ten Jewish summer camps in Jewish Living Magazine -
Camp Tawonga: http://www.tawonga.org/
Article: http://www.jewishlivingmag.com/top10/top10_summercamps.php




EVENTS
Prospective Member Gathering (Oakland)
Meditation Minyan (Berkeley)
Passover Seder Prep (San Francisco)
Beginning Jewish Living, Part 2: Living a Life of Holiness (San Rafael)
Spiritual Preparation for the Exodus (Berkeley)
Freedom Seder (Oakland)
A Festive Learning Seder for Families (Pleasanton)
Young Family Shabbat (Redwood City)
JCCSF First Night Community Seder (San Francisco)
Congregational Community Seder (Walnut Creek)
Congregational Seder (Berkeley)
Passover Seder (Albany)
Intergenerational Community Seder (San Francisco)
Second Night Passover Seder (Milbrae)
Community Passover Seder 2008 (Tiburon)
More than Four Questions (El Cerrito)
Community Passover Seder at Chabad (Piedmont)
12th Annual Passover Freedom Seder (San Francisco)
Community Passover Seder (Castro Valley)
Vocolot (Emeryville)
Yom HaZikharon (Oakland)




Prospective Member Gathering
Are you looking for Jewish Community? Spirituality? Study Groups? New Friendships? Then please attend our prospective member gathering. It is a great way to meet our clergy and staff, tour the synagogue and ask questions.

Date: Friday, April 11
Time: 6pm
Place: Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit St., Oakland
For more information or to RSVP, please contact Gabby at (510) 451-3263 x211 or gabby@oaklandsinai.org
Tot Shabbat will also be tonight - at 6:30pm.



Meditation Minyan
led by Rabbi Carol Caine
This service is an alternative to the main service taking place in the sanctuary. The service includes chanting sacred phrases from the liturgy and periods of silence, with intentions woven in from the week's parsha or from where we are in the Jewish year cycle. The meditation service ends at 10:30, with participants then invited to join the main service in the sanctuary. We encourage people to try and arrive by 9:30, so that we can set our intentions together, but please don't stay away if you arrive later, just please enter the room quietly.

Date: Saturday, April 12
Time: 9:30 to 10:30am
Place: Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley - meets in Room 5 upstairs.
The meditation minyan meets every month, on the second Shabbat of the month, so please feel free to come in the future if you can't make this one.
www.netivotshalom.org



Passover Seder Prep
Passover is one of the most celebrated of Jewish holidays and it is not ALL about the food. Whether you are hosting a Seder in your home or want to attend a Seder with more understanding, this workshop will be all you need. Temple Haggadah, Cantor Barak's CD, and menu suggestions/recipes for Seder meals included. No charge, but space is limited.

Date: April 13
Time: 3:30pm
Place: Guild Hall, Emanu-El, 2 Lake Street, San Francisco
Free
Contact: Frana Price at (415) 751-2541 ext. 151 or fprice@emanuelsf.org



Beginning Jewish Living, Part 2: Living a Life of Holiness
with Rabbi Noa Kushner
The word 'spirituality' seems to be everywhere these days, but what does it truly mean to pursue a modern life of holiness? Required book: A Book of Life, by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld.

Date: Tuesday, April 15
Time: 7:30 - 8:50 pm
Place: Rodef Sholom, 170 No. San Pedro Road, San Rafael
for more info call Jerrine at (415) 479-3441
www.rodefsholom.org



Spiritual Preparation for the Exodus
Why is this night different from all other nights? In the course of the Passover Seder, matzah is transformed from the "bread of affliction" to the token of liberation. The matzah of liberation must be whole; yet we begin the Seder ritual by breaking a matzah in half – later internalizing it as the afikomen. How do we understand our own journeys from oppression to liberation? What brokenness in ourselves must be internalized before we can move to liberation? How we can open ourselves more fully to embrace the other – within and without – as we remember "the heart of the stranger for we were strangers in the Land of Mitzrayim… Join Rabbi Yoel Kahn for an evening of spiritual preparation for Passover, exploring these and other questions as we prepare for Passover.

Date: Wednesday, April 16
Time: 7:30pm
Place: Beth El, 1301 Oxford St., Berkeley
Info: 510-848-3988



Freedom Seder
Join us as we welcome the greater community to celebrate with us the universal theme of freedom from oppression as we strengthen our bonds with each other. We will share the music and ritual of traditional Seder, special readings, and delicious Passover desserts. We encourage you to invite your non-Jewish friends.

Date: Thursday April 17
Time: 7pm
Place: Temple Sinai, 2823 Webster St., Oakland
For info call Gabby at 510.451.3263
www.oaklandsinai.org



A Festive Learning Seder for Families
Why is this night different from all other nights? Find out!
Learn more about the Passover holiday Tips for infusing your Seder with holiday fun. No experience required

Date: Thursday, April 17
Time: 6:30pm
Place: Faz Restaurant 5121 Hopyard Rd. Pleasanton
Cost: $40 per adult $18 children ages 4-12 Free for children 3 and under
Sponsored by The Jewish Community Federation of The Greater East Bay Regional Office, Faz Restaurant, Center for Jewish Living and Learning, and The Shalom Chapter of Hadassah
Info: Tanya Shore: (925) 943-5238 or tanya@jfed.org



Young Family Shabbat
Services are at 6:15pm and dinner follows at 7pm in the Social Hall. Please come meet us.

Date: Friday, April 18
Time: Services at 6:15; Dinner at 7pm
Place: Temple Beth Jacob, 1550 Alameda De Las Pulgas, Redwood City
Cost: Adults $14; Kids (ages 4 to 12) $9; Little kids (2-3) $3
RSVP by 5pm on Wed., April 16
Info: 650-366-8481 or tbj@templebethjacob.org



JCCSF First Night Community Seder
With Rabbi Eve Ben-Ora, JCCSF Jewish Educator
Join our community on the first night of Passover to retell the story of the Jewish people's journey from slavery to freedom. Participate in the telling of the story, sing old and new favorites, ask questions and find the afikomen. A traditional kosher seder meal will be served.








Date: April 19 Saturday
Time: 6:30pm
Place: JCC of San Francisco, 3200 California St., San Francisco
Cost: $55.00 - Adults; $35.00 - Seniors and Students; $25.00 - Children; Children under 5 free
Limited seating, call to reserve your space at 415.292.1233.



Congregational Community Seder
Join Rabbi Raffi Asher and Cantor Jennie Chabon for a fully catered seder. This event fills up quickly and you should sign up soon! Menu choices from the caterer are Beef Brisket or Stuffed Zucchini. Of course there will be all the Passover fixings.

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 5:45pm
Place: B’nai Tikvah, 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek
Cost: $55/adults and $30/child age 4 to 12
Call for more details to 925-933-5397
Or just send your check payable to Congregation B’nai Tikvah to the address above.



Congregational Seder
led by Rabbi Cohen




Rabbi Yonatan Cohen, very friendly man.




This Pesach, join your CBI family for a community celebration of the Second Seder. WE will learn, share, eat, and celebrate our exodus from Mitzraim! Catered fleischig meal with ample vegetarian options.

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 8:15 pm
Place: Congregation Beth Israel, 1630 Bancroft Way, Berkeley
Cost: Adults $50, Children 6-12 $18
Info: 510.843.5246 www.cbiberkeley.org




Passover Seder
You, your family and friends are invited to join Kol Hadash for a unique humanist Passover seder service and Sephardic catered meal. Join us as we rededicate ourselves to the ideals of freedom for all people. Service led by Rabbi Jay Heyman, with music by Bon Singer.

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 6:00 pm
Place: Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Avenue, Albany
Sponsored by: Kol Hadash
Cost: Adult (13 and over) $65.00; child 4-12 $25.00
Pay: By Mail-send with your check to Kol Hadash Passover Seder, P. O. Box 2777, Berkeley, CA 94710.
Info: Alana Shindler Phone: (510) 551-6137 or passover@kolhadash.org
http://www.kolhadash.org for more information.



Intergenerational Community Seder
Our lively 2nd night intergenerational seder with your participation begins at 6:30 PM. Adults with have the choice of the following entrees: chicken, salmon, mushroom caps.
Children under nine: chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes.
Optional childcare is available for ages 3-9 with reservation.

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 6:00 pm
Place: Beth Israel-Judea, 625 Brotherhood Way, San Francisco
Cost: Adults $22.00, Child $11.00, Childcare $8.00
For information, please call Marcia Brooks at 415.586.8833, x25 for reservations.
office@bij.org



Second Night Passover Seder
Second Night Passover Seder for the Whole Family. Join us for this child and family friendly celebration.
Sponsored by: Peninsula Temple Sholom

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: Airport Westin Hotel, 1 Old Bayshore Highway, Millbrae
Cost: Adults $45.00; Child (6-13) $35.00; Child (under 6) $23.00
Pay: By Mail
Info contact: Georgina Baca Phone: (650) 697-2266 or gbaca@sholom.org



Community Passover Seder 2008
Join with the Kol Shofar community for a joyous and inspiring participatory Second Night Passover Seder led by Rabbi Chai Levy. The evening will be filled with music, stories, teachings, discussion and food! A delicious Kosher-for-Pesach dinner from Mangia Nosh will be served. Open to members and non-members alike, and appropriate for adults and older children. Dinner will be served at approximately 9:15pm. We'll have plenty of food to nosh on beforehand!

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 7:30pm
Place:
Congregation Kol Shofar, 215 Blackfield Drive, Tiburon
If you have any questions please contact Adam Eisendrath at 415-388-1818 x 18.
Space is limited. Reservations are taken on a first come, first serve basis. Payment in full must accompany this form (http://www.kolshofar.org/getDoc.do?sid=258) and be received by April 15, 2008 Mail to: 215 Blackfield Drive, Tiburon, CA 94920 or Fax to: 415-388-5423
Visit http://www.kolshofar.org for more information.



More than Four Questions:
A Seder for those seeking connection to Jewish life
Are you seeking connections to Jewish life and community? Do you want to explore Jewish identity in an open environment? Then this Passover Seder is for YOU! Join us to explore your questions about Jewish identity, and how to connect with Jewish life and community as we: tell the Passover story, carry out the rituals, and enjoy the Seder meal. No experience necessary!



Rabbi Bridget at Jewish Gateways, she's just as nice as she looks.

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 5:45pm
Place: JGate: Your Gateway to Jewish Life, 409 Liberty St., El Cerrito
Info: 510.559.8140 www.jgate.org
Cost: Potluck or a $10 donation



Community Passover Seder at Chabad
Enjoy the holiday of freedom in the warm company of friends and family! Join us for an inspirational Seder, complete with authentic hand-baked Shmurah Matzah, four royal cups of kosher wine, and a gourmet Passover dinner, all in a royal and traditional setting.

Date: April 20
Time: 6:45 - 8:45 pm
Place: Piedmont Community Hall 711 Highland Ave, Piedmont
Space is very limited. All Jews, regardless of background or affiliation, are welcome to join.



12th Annual Passover Freedom Seder
With Rabbi Elisheva Salamo
Experience an innovative Seder and delicious holiday meal. special guest speakers address various aspects of social and economic justice through moving personal stories

We are very excited that Be'chol Lashon representative, Dr. Denise Davis, will be helping to lead the service with Rabbi Elisheva Salama this year. This will be a multicultural Passover seder filled with education, dialogue and celebration. The crossing of the Red Sea from slavery to freedom during the Exodus was experienced by the ancient Israelites, but its message has been central to many liberation movements throughout history. Our historical and continuing struggles for freedom and justice are honored at this special, kosher seder meal.

Date: Friday, April 25
Time: 6:30pm
Place: San Francisco JCC, 3200 California St., San Francisco
Cost: $30
Info: 415-292-1200
www.jccsf.org



Community Passover Seder
The Community, including unaffiliated and interfaith families, is invited to join the Congregation in a great festive retelling of the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery. The Seder will feature Passover songs and music. A Kosher-style holiday meal will be served. The service will be led by Rabbinic Intern Carla Fenves.

Date: Saturday, April 26
Time: 5:30 pm
Place: Castro Valley Community Center, 18988 Lake Chabot Rd. Castro Valley
Cost: Adult $30.00; Child (12 & under) $10.00
Pay: At Event, By Mail
Send registration information and payment by check made out to:
Congregation Shir Ami to: Congregation Shir Ami attn: Barbara Heimowitz 4529 Malabar Avenue Castro Valley, CA 94546



Vocolot
the World's Best Jewish Music Ensemble
Vocolot is going to Amsterdam! Please help them prepare for the competition
to be held in May. Join them at their Bon Voyage House Concert.
Opening for Vocolot: Ira & Julia Levin
Refreshment reception following the show

Date: Saturday, April 26
Time: 7:30pm
Place: Doyle Street Cohousing Complex, 5514 Doyle Street, Emeryville
Doors open at 6:45pm
Minimum Donation: $10
Reservations Recommended: Vocolot@mindspring.com
We will ask for your feedback after the show
Fundraising donations for our trip can be made to:
http://www.tbssanleandro.org/donate.html#VocolotConcert
http://www.vocolot.com



Yom HaZikharon
Join us as we remember those who have fallen in defense of the State of Israel. An evening of Israeli culture presented by members of our East Bay Israeli community will follow the commemoration.

Date: Tuesday, May 6
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Temple Beth Abraham, 327 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland
Admission is free.
For more information: marilyn@jfed.org or call 510.839.2900 ext.256.




DAWN '08
The Contemporary Jewish Museum and Reboot, are pleased to announce DAWN '08, an all-night, arts and culture festival and celebration of Shavuot at the grand opening of the Contemporary Jewish Museum, offering guests the opportunity to groove, learn, explore and mingle at the Museum's new building and exhibition space before the doors open to the public the following morning.

Date: Saturday, June 7
Time: 8pm - Sunrise
The new building is located on Mission Street between 3rd & 4th streets in San Francisco
Co-presented with Reboot

Passover - Getting ready

Dear Interfaith Families and Friends,

You’ll see below that I have loads of seders! My gratitude goes to my dear friend and colleague, Rabbi Bridget Wynne and her associate, Bon, who gathered most of the seders! Rabbi Bridget is the director of Jewish Gateways in El Cerrito. Take a look at her website to see the innovative and engaging events she offers. If you live in San Francisco and wish you could go but just can’t make the drive on a Friday night, please put yourself on her list. She hopes to start serving the City in the coming year!
www.jewishgateways.org

There are more Community Seders than I could list here. Be sure to check planitjewish.com or just call me (number at the bottom of the email) or call Gail at Jewish Community Information and Referral at 415-777-4545 if you can’t find anything or are confused.


Passover
I enjoyed seeing a number of you at the workshop on Sunday. For the remaining 700 of you who didn’t make it, here’s what we covered.

Rabbi Mates-Muchin described the elements of the Passover table and each of the elements on the seder plate, why some plates have five and some six designated items. You can go here for an online visual of the plate and it’s parts.
http://urj.org/holidays/pesach/plate/

She talked about the pillow, the salt, the different foods for different Jewish cultures and the different haggadot (the book read for the seder) and why there are so many.










Rabbi Mates Muchin in action







Workshop participants browsing through haggadot.




The First step preparing for Passover - cleaning
In most cultures there is a “spring cleaning” that takes place. For Judaism, it is specifically attached to the commandment to get rid of all leavening and associated products.

The commandment is to get rid of chamatz. Chamatz is defined as:
Fermented or leavened wheat, rye, oats, spelt and barley. When these grains come in contact with water, they leaven within 18 minutes. In the case of hot or salted water, leavening takes place instantly.
Chametz may not be consumed either by eating or drinking, and may not be held in one's possession, nor may any benefit be derived from Chametz. Grain flour is commonly produced from grains that have been washed and tempered. Tempering is the process by which grains are softened by soaking in water, and this flour and all products made with it are, therefore, chametz.
(From the OUKosher.org website)

For lots of Passover information from a traditional perspective check out:
http://www.ou.org/chagim/pesach/


No matter how far you intend to go with your observance of the Passover rules it is good to know what they are. Then you can make an informed decision about what you will do.

If you go to a Jewish website, yahoo group or other communal spot you’ll see people refer to “the C word” – cleaning the house for Passover. You don’t have to make it a burden. My kids loved the search for chamatz. True, I did the real cleaning but they went through all the pantry and shelves pulling out cereal, pasta and beans. Everything went into a box that we “sold” to our next door neighbor. She gamely gave me a dollar that went up on the frig under a magnet.

Find the fun in each step of Pesach (Passover)! There is so much fun to be had.


General Passover Information
If you would like a liberal overview of Passover take a look at www.urj.org (the Reform movement’s website) where you’ll find lots of information. Go to their home page and click around on the Passover links:

www.urj.org

Locally the SF Federation has a great page with info -
www.jholidays.org

This will take you straight to the Passover page:
http://www.sfjcf.org/resources/jholidays/links/default.asp?holidayurl=passover&holidayname=Pesach

But don’t click on the “Mishmash” link - it isn’t a Passover page and it won’t let you click “back” to the previous page. I’ve ask Judy and Gail to fix it.


Cooking
Start exploring the recipes that are either specifically for Passover or can work for Passover because they don’t contain any of the forbidden foods.

Haroset/Charoses - by any name, it’s darn good!
Check out some charoses recipes that I posted online at:
www.jewishinterfaith.blogspot.com
Clink on Passover and you’ll be sure to find it.

Most of them are from the Charoset tasting at Sunday’s Passover workshop. One is a California charoset made with avocado. Another is one I got from the Multiracial Jewish Network and is Haitian with tropical fruits. I also list the standard Ashekenazi apples and walnuts recipe. Try something new this year. Have at least two charoses recipes and have your guests do a taste test for themselves.

Some recipes using matzah:
http://urj.org/holidays/pesach/recipes/

Kosher for Passover recipes
http://oukosher.org/index.php/passover/recipes
http://www.koshercooking.com/recipes/passover/asso.html



EVENTS
Freedom: The Legacy of Passover (Oakland)
Kabbalat Shabbat (San Francisco)
The Role and Place of scripture in the Sikh and Jewish Faiths (San Jose)
Yeashore Chanty Sing & Bonfire (San Francisco)
Women’s Seder (Walnut Creek)
Spring Holidays - Cooking & Rituals Workshop (San Francisco)
Fractures Within The Abrahamic Faiths (San Francisco)
Do-Ahead Passover Seder (San Francisco)
Beginning Jewish Living, Part 2: Living a Life of Holiness (San Rafael)
Passover Congregational Seder (Richmond)
Community Second Night Seder (Livermore)
Congregational Family Seder - Second Night of Passover (San Francisco)
Seder for Adults on the Second Night of Passover (San Francisco)
12th Annual Passover Freedom Seder (San Francisco)
Women’s Seder (Redwood City)
Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths (Palo Alto)





Freedom: The Legacy of Passover
Please join us this Saturday, April 5 for a Synaplex Shabbat! Start your day with yoga at 9AM, or if you’d prefer, join former Lehrhaus Judaica president Ken Cohen for a discussion of whether the Biblical story of the exodus really happened. For the children, we have the parent-led Shabbat Mishpacha and Junior Congregation led by Susan Simon. During the main service, SFSU Professor Marc Dollinger will speak about the impact of the civil rights movement on American Jewish politics.
After the Kiddush lunch, our program continues with a Passover-themed speed shmooze, followed by two programs: Ben Goldstone and Danielle Saunders will explore inner journeys toward freedom and Sandy Margolin will examine haggadot and the seder (order) of the seder.
Childcare is provided during the program sessions.
Come for one program or spend the day. We look forward to seeing you there!

Date: Saturday, April 5
Time: starts at 9am
Place: Temple Beth Abraham, 327 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland
phone: 510-832-0936
For program details, please check out the Shabbat programming link at the www.tbaoakland.org



Kabbalat Shabbat
Join us for Shabbat Services with our Koleynu Choir followed by a delicious Oneg of Middle Eastern food catered by Sunrise Deli.

Date: Friday, April 4
Time: 6pm
Place: Sherith Israel, 2266 California Street, San Francisco
FREE of course
For more information contact Aviva Hicks at ahicks@sherithisrael.org or 415-346-1720 ext 24.



The Role and Place of scripture in the Sikh and Jewish Faiths
The Living Word series will offer 12 monthly lectures, each exploring some aspect of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, and a talk on a similar theme about the scripture of another faith, to be followed by a discussion session. Speakers: Dr. I. J. Singh - The Role and Place of scripture in the Sikh Faith; Dr. David Mesher - The Role and Place of scripture in the Jewish Faith.

Date: Saturday, April 5
Time: 2:00-4:00 pm
Place: Room BBC 004, Business Classroom Bldg, San Jose State University, San Jose
Free event.
Sponsored by the Chardi Kalaa Foundation in conjunction with the Guru Nanak Heritage Institute of Punjabi Studies at SJSU.



Yeashore Chanty Sing & Bonfire
The Yeashore Community invites all ye ashore to a Chanty Sing with the National Park Service, after Havdalah!
Look for a windsock that looks like a fish. (Rain or Shine! - Bring an umbrella.)
At 8 p.m., after Havdalah, we will join the National Park Service for a free public sing-along. We will have a fun evening singing songs sailors sang sailing the seas, aboard ship, inside, at the Hyde St. Historic Pier, in San Francisco. If you are late, just tell the person at the gate you are with the Yeashore Community.
No facility in music or singing needed - only a desire for song and spirit!! We will share our voices into the night. Don't want to sing? Then come down and listen. Please bring many friends and musical instruments, a mug for hot cider or hot chocolate, plus a blanket if it's cool, and join the fun!

Date: Saturday, April 5
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: We meet at Hyde and Jefferson Streets in S.F. by the Hyde St. Pier.
(For maps please visit: yeashore.org)
Info: Yeashore@aol.com



Women’s Seder
This is a seder just for women - daughters are welcome to join their moms. Led by Cantor Jennie Chabon, this is a wonderful way to get ready for Passover. There is no cost for the event, just bring a Sephardic dish to share.

Wondering what a "Sephardic" dish is? The Sephardic Jews are the Jews that originated in the area that was ancient Spain. They developed slightly different food customs for Passover. They allow the eating of corn and beans. Call Diane Leventhal for food ideas and to RSVP at 925-837-1026.

Date: Sunday, April 6 Sunday
Time: 1pm
Place: B’nai Tikvah, 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek
Synagogue office number is 925-933-5397



Spring Holidays - Cooking & Rituals Workshop
Creating Your Own Rituals - Passover highlights the theme of liberation from slavery and is commemorated with a traditional seder meal, where the order of rituals reminds us of past and current injustice. Easter, the most holy of Christian sacred days, highlights the themes of rebirth and renewal and is a time of celebration and feasting. Explore these themes and rituals, discuss your own past experiences and learn how to prepare foods that are traditionally eaten at the seder and at this season.

Date: Sunday, April 6
Time: 1:00pm
Place: JCCSF, 3200 California St., San Francisco
Cost: Couple/Family $10.00
Contact Helena McMahon at (415) 292-1252 or hmcmahon@jccsf.org
info: http://www.jccsf.org/content_main.aspx?catid=212#2212



Fractures Within The Abrahamic Faiths:
Can We Get Along In Our Own Families?
Speakers: James Donahue, president of GTU, Mahmoud Ayoub, distinguished Islamic Studies and Comparative Religions professor at Temple University, and Marvin Goodman, director of the Board of Rabbis of Northern California.

Date: Sunday, April 6
Time: 4:30-7:00 pm
Place: Islamic Society of San Francisco, 20 Jones Street, San Francisco
Cost: $20 includes dinner.
Info: Paul Chaffee - (415) 775-4635



Do-Ahead Passover Seder
Learn how to prepare the Passover Seder entirely in advance. The delicious menu combines traditional favorites with contemporary innovations, drawing from American, Sephardic and Ashkenazi cuisines. We will also discuss cleaning and koshering your house for Passover, the Haggadah, the Seder plate, Kosher for Passover foods and resources to guide you easily through the spring holiday. Some of the dishes you will prepare include Matzo Ball Soup, California Gefilte Fish, Mixed Vegetable Tsimmis, Pavlova and Viennese Chocolate Truffle Torte. Students will receive written recipes and get to taste lots of samples!

Date: Tuesday, April 8 Tuesday
Time; 6:30pm
Place: JCCSF, 3200 California St., San Francisco
Cost: Members $45.00; Public; $50.00
Contact: JCCSF Registration Hotline
Phone: (415) 292-1278 or info@jccsf.org
info: http://www.jccsf.org/content_main.aspx?catid=331#63



Beginning Jewish Living, Part 2: Living a Life of Holiness
with Rabbi Noa Kushner
The word 'spirituality' seems to be everywhere these days, but what does it truly mean to pursue a modern life of holiness? Required book: A Book of Life, by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld.

Date: Tuesday, April 15
Time: 7:30 - 8:50 pm
Place: Rodef Sholom, 170 No. San Pedro Road, San Rafael
for more info call Jerrine at (415) 479-3441
www.rodefsholom.org



Passover Congregational Seder
Please join the Temple Beth Hillel community at a Congregational Seder on the Second Night of Passover.

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Place: Temple Beth Hillel, 801 Park Central, Richmond
Cost: Adults $30/each, children (7-12) $18, children (3-6)$8/each
Reservations are required.
Reservations must be returned to the Temple Office with payment in full no later than April 15. Send your check made out to Temple Beth Hillel to PO Box 20910, El Sobrante CA 94820-0910
Please bring Kosher-for-Passover Desserts to share.
Sacramental wine will be provided. Please feel free to bring your own wine (Kosher for Passover) to accompany dinner.



Community Second Night Seder
The Tri-Valley Cultural Jews' Passover seder celebrates the heroism and courage of the human participants in the original freedom struggle of the Jewish people and in all struggles for freedom throughout the world. All of the traditional symbols are there, but their meaning is interpreted in a non-religious manner. The children ask the four questions, the four cups of wine are drunk, and a festive meal is held - all without mention of any supernatural forces affecting human lives or human history.

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 5 pm
Place: Bothwell Center, 2466 Eighth St. in Livermore
The seder is a potluck and reservations are required. A donation of $10/adult (over 13) is requested. For reservations and food assignment, call (925) 485-1049.



Congregational Family Seder - Second Night of Passover
A family style Seder with communal singing and participation for congregants and their families, and special activities for children. Led by Rabbis Peretz Wolf-Prusan and Jonathan Jaffe, with musical accompaniment by Jonathan Bayer.

Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 6pm
Place: Congregation Emanu-el, 2 Lake, St. San Francisco
Cost: Adult members $55; Adult Non-members $70; Children under 10 - $25; Children 10 – 15 - $35.
Reservation deadline April 11. After April 11, if space is available, reservations will be accepted at the non-member price. Pre-registration is required: Online – http://www.emanuelsf.org/register or email Vera at veraz@emanuelsf.org .



Seder for Adults on the Second Night of Passover
at the Concordia-Argonaut
Rabbis Stephen Pearce and Lawrence Kushner and Cantor Roslyn Barak augment the Passover Seder with song, commentaries, humorous stories, and legends. This enriched Seder will be interspersed between the first courses, and before the main meal is served.

Date: Apr. 20
Time: 6:00 pm
Place: Concordia-Argonaut Club, 1142 Van Ness Avenue (at Post Street), San Francisco
Parking across Van Ness Ave. at the Cathedral Hill Hotel.
Cost: Adults only - $105.
Reservation deadline April 11. After April 11, if space is available, reservations will be accepted at the non-member price. Pre-registration is required:
Online – http://www.emanuelsf.org/register or email Vera at veraz@emanuelsf.org .



12th Annual Passover Freedom Seder
With Rabbi Elisheva Salamo
Experience an innovative Seder and delicious holiday meal. special guest speakers address various aspects of social and economic justice through moving peresonal stories

Date: Friday, April 25
Time: 6:30pm
Place: San Francisco JCC, 3200 California St., San Francisco
Cost: $30
Info: 415-292-1200
www.jccsf.org



Women’s Seder
Dessert, fruit, wine and chocolate! Mmm! Bring your mothers, sisters and friends to Temple Beth Jacob’s first Women’s Seder.

Date: Sat., April 26
Time: 7pm
Place: Temple Beth Jacob Social Hall, 1550 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City
650-366-8481
Cost: $10 per person
Kindly RSVP by April 18 to Wendy at wendy@templebethjacob.org, or simply send your check to the above address made out to "Temple Beth Jacob Sisterhood."



Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths
The city of Jerusalem stands as a religious crossroad unlike any place in history. Karen Armstrong, a former Roman Catholic nun who teaches Judaism and is an honorary member of the Association of Muslim Social Services, has written Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths, a walk through the city's fascinating 3,000-year history. Kevin Dincher's class draws on Armstrong's book to explore the city's religious turning points from historic battles to earthquakes to events, such as invasions by the Romans and the Crusaders, that nearly wiped out the city to current strife.
KEVIN DINCHER, M.A. counseling, M.A. philosophy, M.A. divinity

Dates: Tuesdays May 6, 13, 20 & 27
Time: 7:00-9:00pm
Place: Cubberley Campus, Studio D, ALSJCC, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Fee: $60 members, $80 non-members
To register call Osher Life Long Learning at 800-660-8639, ALSJCC members receive Osher member prices. For more information contact Michelle Rosengaus, 650-852-3515,

Hamentashen Recipes for Purim

The Cooks are Happy!

Hamentashen Baking Day has become an annual event with my friend, Laurie. She makes up several batches of dough and filling in advance of the Sunday before Purim. Then she invites friends and family to join her in her kitchen for the assembly line production of hundreds of Hamentashen - the traditional cookie of Purim.

She uses three different cookie dough recipes - just about any sugar cookie or refrigerator cookie dough will do. According to my Joan Nathan cookbook, Jewish Holiday Kitchen (you really need this book), there is an ongoing debate about whether a yeast dough is better than a non-yeast dough. So far I haven’t tried a yeast cookie dough; my kids are fond of the one I use. I’ll give you Laurie’s three recipes here.

Fillings! The most common fillings are poppy seed, prune, and apricot. It all makes sense for a late winter cookie – poppy seeds, prunes and dried apricots would be among the treats available in a community that didn’t have supermarkets. I’ll give you those three recipes also. But let me say, add your own family favorites and let your loved ones experiment. My son loves homemade strawberry jam so we have strawberry jam Hamentashen. At Laurie’s party some of the younger chefs decided to try chocolate versions. Everyone was satisfied.










Laurie's Hamentash-a-thon Recipes


Flo Braker’s Hamantashen
36 filled cakes


3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 pound margarine
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla


Cream the sugar with margarine. Beat eggs with OJ and vanilla, add to butter/sugar. Add dry ingredients and mix. Shape dough into disks and chill. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness, cut into circles, fill with choice of filling and shape into triangles. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 15 -18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Options: Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
Roll dough in mixture of granulated sugar and flour for a sparkle effect











Brown Sugar and Oat Hamantashen Dough


1 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats


Beat butter, sugar, orange peel, and cinnamon until blended in a large bowl. Beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients in another bowl. Add to butter mixture and beat until thoroughly blended, at least 5 minutes on medium speed with mixer. Chill 1 hour in the refrigerator. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness, cut into circles, fill with choice of filling and shape into triangles. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Optional icing:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon each orange-flavored liqueur and water
1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Blend together until smooth. Spread on cooled hamentashen. Let set at room temperature until firm.



Apricot Filling

6 ounces dried California apricots
3 T. granulated sugar
2 t. grated orange rind

Cover the apricots with boiling water in a small pan. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Cool. Drain apricots, reserving the cooking liquid. Chop drained apricots in food processor. Add sugar, 2-3 T. cooking liquid and the grated orange rind. Process until pureed. Cool before using. Refrigerate for up to a week.




Prune Filling

6 ounces dried pitted prunes
2 T. granulated sugar
2 t. grated lemon rind
(1/4 cup chopped walnuts, raisins)

Cover the prunes with boiling water in a small pan. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Cool. Drain prunes, reserving the cooking liquid. Chop drained prunes in food processor. Add sugar, 2-3 T. cooking liquid and the grated lemon rind. Process until pureed. Stir in walnuts and/or raisins if desired. Cool before using. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.
















Poppy Seed (Mohn) Filling

1 cup whole poppy seeds
½ cup milk or water
¼ cup honey
1/8 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 egg
(3 T. almond paste)

Use coffee grinder to grind poppy seed in batches. Add to a small pan with milk or water, honey, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Beat in the egg and almond paste, if desired. Return to heat briefly if too thin. Cool before using. Store covered in refrigerator for up to a week.
Recipes from Laurie Leiber 3.5.06







Laurie and her daughter, Sarah, satisfied with their efforts!