Shalom Rav From Our Rabbis

April 1, 2020
By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Beth Singer

In my neighborhood, they’re getting better at masking the micro receivers that have been placed by the various cell phone companies to give us the best possible reception. When they first came out, the large bulky devices were eyesores, but with progress, they have been made
at times to look like trees, or now as simple extensions ofstreet lights.

 While the issue of privacy is of paramount importance in our country today, the notion of receivers being all around us is not something that is surprising from the perspective of traditional Judaism. As we read in the Torah, the giving of the law was a result of an encounter, not of an individual, but of the Jewish people — and not necessarily those of a genetic particularity, but those of whatever background who were willing to travel with us at the time, place themselves at the bottom of the mountain at Sinai, engage the Holy, and receive the Torah. The common notion is that Moses ascended Mt. Sinai, and remained there for 40 days, and in the presence of the Holy received the tablets with the values that are essential to civilization as we know it carved into the stone. However, the Talmud teaches that, while Moses took the tablets in his hands, the people surrounding the mountain received it. The voice of the Holy, a Midrash proclaims, was divided into 70 languages so that the whole world might understand it.

All who were at Sinai — young, old, men, women, children, and infants — heard and understood according to their capacity. And that continued with the radically moving notion that the prophets heard Torah as do we today! What that ancient text imparts is that each of us is a receiver of the Holy. Pieces of Torah exist in every fellow traveler who joins the Jewish people. I love the notion that, if one opens oneself, if one truly listens, then Sinai is always happening, God’s wonder is always flowing, and you can choose to receive it and then share it. In a sense, this is what can happen at your Seder table.

As you share the Haggadah andtell the story of our redemption, opening your home to guests who come from different perspectives and attitudes, you can make room for each person to teach their Torah concerning the meaning of redemption, the willingness to march toward freedom in times of oppression, and how we can support each other along life’s journey. Without the receivers, those willing to liberate themselves at the first Passover and march towards Sinai, a mixed multitude the Torah tells us, there would be no Torah. The same is true today. If we are to flourishas a people, we have to understand that the Torah is ours to receive and transmit. We are still a mixed multitude and Sinai does not happen without our joining together and being welcoming. Judaism doesn’t continue without you, and it is enriched when you talk and engage and learn from the Torah of those around you.

Use the Passover guide included in this Chronicle to get ready for the holiday. Join us for an online class that will help you organize your Seder, pull out your Haggadah and go online to find songs and games, and help Jewish ideas flourish as you share at your table, helping each other to transmit and receive the wonder and blessings of Jewish life.

Chag Pesach Sameach! Happy Passover!

March 1, 2020
By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Beth Singer

Pop quiz time! Where does this passage come from?

“As it is told, Ze’ri would deposit his dinars with his innkeeper. While he was going about his business, she died, and he did not know where she had put the money. So he went after her to her grave in the cemetery and said to her, ‘Where are the dinars?’ She replied, ‘Go and get the dinars from beneath the hinge of the door in such and such a place and tell my mother that she should send me a comb and a tube of eyeshadow with such and such a woman who will die and come here tomorrow.’”

Is it from:

A. The Bible

B. The Talmud

C. Jewish Midrash

D. None of the above. This is a made-up story!

If you guessed B, you are correct. The passage comes from a segment of the Talmud called Berachot, and this vignette is found on page 18b. When you open a page of the Talmud, the folio is so large, filled with commentaries all around the edges, that in a two-page spread, one page is a and the other is b. Reform Judaism has always focused on the Torah as our most sacred text and source of daily Jewish learning.

The Torah is the common denominator of all branches of Judaism. Torah unifies us as a people. But recently, more Reform Jews than ever before have begun to explore the world of Talmud. This is due to a Jewish tradition called Daf Yomi, which invites Jews and everyone to read and study one page of Talmud per day. The Talmud, a compilation of laws, conversations, stories, and debates that happened in the early centuries of the common era (compiled around the year 500), takes seven-and-a-half years to read from beginning to end… if you read one page each day.

Many of the conversations and topics in the Talmud are surprisingly relevant. It starts right out with a long debate over when is the right time to recite the Shema prayer. While the minutia of the right moment to say a prayer may not speak to us, the trajectory of the conversation demonstrates that the questions are more important than the answers and that the minority opinions, not just the correct answers, are important.

But as we move through the pages and through the days, topics turn to how we say our prayers with full concentration and attention, the importance of fixed prayers as well as prayers from the heart, how Judaism introduced new prayers (early Reform Jews!), how we preserve human dignity, when to recite a traveler’s prayer, tefilat haderech, and my personal favorite: do the dead continue to know what is going on in the world of the living? There is a surprising amount of humor in the Talmud and 6th graders would really appreciate the “toilet talk” about what to do if you are in the middle of reciting the Shema and someone near you “passes wind.” There truly is something in the Talmud for everyone.

While you can purchase a hardcover multi-volume Talmud to pass through the generations of your family, there are also many easy ways to access Daf Yomi online. My favorite app is Sefaria, which has every Jewish text, including the Talmud. My favorite companion podcast is called “Take One” (from Tablet Magazine) and my favorite Daf Yomi daily email is a subscription called “Talmud” from the My Jewish Learning website. These are all accessible and focused on finding the meaningful thought from each page. And there are many other online resources as well. If you become enamored with Daf Yomi Talmud study, you can sign up for Queer Talmud Camp, Hadar Yeshiva Intensive, or another Talmud in-person learning opportunity. We are so lucky to live in a time when ancient Jewish texts can be explored and can guide us as we try to live our best lives. Give Daf Yomi a try and let me know what you think.

February 1, 2020
By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Jonathan Singer

As I write this, thousands of people are walking across the Brooklyn Bridge in solidarity against anti-Semitism and hatred in all of its forms. The march is an important public statement that the Jewish community will not be intimidated by those who hate us, and that we do not stand alone against the vile rearing of prejudice that is a stain on the American psyche. We in San Francisco cannot be naive when it comes to recognizing its resurgence and that we must continue to be vigilant in countering it.

Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav is famous for teaching that the whole world is a narrow bridge, but the essence is not to be afraid. To me, this teaching reminds me to respond to such hatred not from a stance of fear, but from one of courage and inner strength. If we stand together as Jewish people with our natural communal partners, we have the capacity to push back at this scourge in a way that few communities in Jewish history have been able to do.

Standing together includes working across the Jewish community as partners with all expressions of Judaism. We must give our absolute support to our Hasidic brothers and sisters as their outward appearance as Jews makes them targets. We support their right as Americans to purchase property, congregate in neighborhoods, and not be treated with nonsensical expressions of hatred that argue their existence as a threat to others. As a Jewish community, we represent less than 2 percent of the entire American population, and Hasidic (as well as other Orthodox) Jews account for only 20 percent, at most, of our Jewish population. Hasidim are a threat to no one, and America must know that we Reform Jews enthusiastically support their right to practice Judaism as they see fit.

Standing together also means acknowledging that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. We Rabbis are enthusiastic supporters of the State of Israel. At the same time, we can criticize that country, which we love, because we want it to be a “light unto the nations.” It is one thing to critique a country; it is another to deny its right to exist. Zionism is the national expression of the Jewish people and we have the right to that expression. To argue otherwise is to deny Jewish history and identity. It is essential that we speak out against anti-Semitism masked as anti-Zionism and be unafraid to challenge those with whom we might otherwise agree with politically and socially.

As Rabbi Nachman taught, let us not be afraid, but rather let us counter this hatred directly. We can do so by publicly celebrating our Jewish identity, by reaching out to the larger community to stand against all forms of hate, by building coalitions with people who embrace love and see the holy in all people, and by demanding that not just the government and officers of the law stand up against anti-Semitism, but that good people everywhere join with us. Here at Emanu-El, you will see more programming and events in the coming months as we discuss how to stand up against hate and encourage each other to participate in and find meaning in Jewish life. It is a sacred task that we have been given as part of the Jewish journey: to cast the light of hope and love into the world when others would try to embrace darkness!

January 1, 2020
By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Beth Singer

Between January 21 and March 11, I’m asking you to do something that will have a powerful impact in making Israel a place for ALL expressions of Judaism, whether Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform. What I’m asking is that you click on the link in an email we’ll be sending out later this month and VOTE for the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) slate to attend the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem this October. Voting for the ARZA slate will take less than 10 minutes of your time, and an expenditure of only $7.50. And by the way, the slate includes your two Senior Rabbis!

Rabbis throughout the U.S. are working toward a goal of 50,000+ American Jewish community votes for the ARZA slate. Why? First, earning over 50,000 votes will ensure funding for Reform and other pluralistic Israeli organizations. And second, it will give Israeli Reform Jews a voice and a place at the decision-making table alongside our Orthodox brothers and sisters. At Emanu-El, our audacious goal is 500 to 1,000 votes—so please VOTE ARZA, and ask all of your congregant friends to VOTE ARZA, either via the email voting link or at the Temple between January 21 and March 11. Let me tell you why this is so important to me…

All Reform rabbinical students spend their first year of study in Israel. It’s an intense, and intensive, experience—living in a Jerusalem neighborhood apartment; shopping at the local market; finding a synagogue; and studying both biblical and modern Hebrew, dikduk (grammar), biblical archeology,
and a host of other rabbinical subjects. Jonathan and I spent our Israel year of 1983 living in the Moshava Germanit (German Colony) neighborhood and attending a very small variety of beleaguered Reform communities on Shabbat; the Israeli government only provided funding for Orthodox institutions, so it was difficult for Reform Judaism to flourish. The widespread belief in Israel was that you could be Orthodox, secular, or nothing. There are historic and political reasons for this situation, dating back to the founding of the state, but believe me when I tell you that growing Reform Judaism in Israel was like trying to raise sweet corn on a bed of concrete. The environment was that inhospitable! Jonathan and I were so taken with our time in Israel that we briefly considered making aliyah and moving permanently to either Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. However, we came to the realization that, while America allows Jews to be any kind of Jews we choose to be, in the Jewish homeland, it would have been extremely difficult to be a Reform Rabbi.

While I have no regrets about our decision to serve the American Jewish community, I am proud to tell you that, in spite of the ongoing efforts of some to expunge Reform Judaism, the Reform movement in Israel continues to grow. It’s still small as there remains a concerted effort by the Orthodox rabbinate to suppress it. But recent studies show that 15 percent of all Israelis identify more closely with Reform Judaism than with any other religious branch, or even as secular. There are now Reform and Conservative synagogues and Jewish communities all over Israel, and organizations like the Israel
Religious Action Center fight for the rights of ALL Jews to have a place in Israel. The potential for Reform Judaism to flourish as a supported option among many is exciting. The fact that each member
of our congregation can do this one thing to make a perceptible difference is heartening. Please be in touch with Rabbi Jonathan or myself if you would like to work with our Emanu-El team to really get out the ARZA vote. We believe that Congregation Emanu-El can make a difference!

December 1, 2019
By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Jonathan Singer

At the risk of putting our nonprofit status at risk, as one of your Rabbis, I am going to publicly tell you how to vote! In this case, since I am asking you to vote for me, or for Rabbi Beth, or for anyone on the ARZA Reform Movement slate, I don’t think I have much to worry about. However, in the election this January for the World Zionist Organization (WZO), your vote for us WILL make a difference for the good of the State of Israel and the Jewish People. Five years ago, our Emanu-El membership participated in the WZO campaign, selecting candidates to represent North American Jewry at the WZO Congress and in its committees. The WZO was created as a means of connecting the diaspora more essentially with the State of Israel; it gives diaspora Jews, working with Israelis, an opportunity to affect policy in the promised land. Representation in the WZO is determined by the number of votes a group receives.

Representatives then allocate money to different causes in Israel while also advising the Karen
Kayemet (the Israeli Jewish National Fund) in its activities. Our turnout five years ago gave the Reform Movement the largest seat at the table. It enabled Rabbi Mintz to attend the convention where she joined with others to ensure that a female Reform Rabbi would sit at the JNF table along with a male Orthodox Rabbi to influence policy. Our representatives succeeded in directing funding that was essential to helping the nascent Israeli Reform Movement increase exponentially in size. Previously, the Israeli Reform Movement had not received financial support from such an entity. With our victory, however, they were granted $20 million over a period of five years, which was apportioned to Reform synagogues desperate for funding all over the country. Our WZO representation was also able to join in
the debate about how best to support the peace process, encourage rights for LGBTQ Israelis, take a stand against extremism, and ensure that our Reform Jewish values were at the table.

Now, all of that progress is at risk if we do not perform as well, or BETTER, in the upcoming elections (January 21 to March 11). Voting will help those who may feel frustrated about not being able to influence Israeli policy actually make a difference. And voting is even easier this time! When the polls open, all you have to do is go online and register (for a fee of $7.50); declare that you are at least 18 years old, Jewish, and a permanent resident of the US; and affirm the principles of the Jerusalem program, which basically states that you think a democratic and secure State of Israel is important. Rabbi Beth and I ask that you participate and vote for us! Know that, in so doing, you will help us represent a strong, confident Reform Zionism that celebrates the vitality and significance of the State of Israel. You will also be ensuring that the Torah values of loving your neighbor as yourself, embracing a beautifully diverse Jewish people along with an ethnically and religiously diverse Israel, and striving for
peace remain core organizing principles of the country.

We want Israel to be a light unto the nations in a world that we know is desperate for goodness to shine more brightly. We are grateful that Aaron Tartakovsky and Kimberly Sanner have agreed to be the campaign captains, with the energetic support of our indefatigable Israeli Action Chair, Jordan Hymowitz. We will send out the voting links next month, and there will be laptops and iPads available for your use as well. Please let me know if you have any questions.

L’Shalom,
Rabbi Jonathan Singer

November 1, 2019
By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Beth Singer

True story: There was a famous American Rabbi who often traveled by plane and always ended up in
conversation with the person sitting next to him. Inevitably, that person would ask, “So, what do you do for a living?” Based on his experience, the Rabbi knew if he divulged his profession, his seatmate, if Jewish, would invariablylaunch into a story about a negative interaction he’d had with a Rabbi. The Rabbi never came to visit his mom in the hospital. The Rabbi at his bar mitzvah had bad breath. The complaints went on and on… So, when asked about his line of work, the Rabbi learned to simply smile and respond with “You know the matzas you eat on Passover? I’m responsible for making sure the holes are all in the right places. That’s my job.”

That was a long time ago, and I like to think that, these days, the stories about Rabbis are mostly positive. Reform Rabbis have come a long way in our understanding of what it means to lead and serve Jewish communities in the 21st century.

Ours is a complex dance — to uphold the standards of Jewish practice while meeting the needs of the Jewish people. If Rabbis are unbending in upholding the “rules,” people will simply leave. But if Rabbis say “yes” no matter the impact of the request on the integrity of this severalthousand- year-old evolving religious civilization, we are not true leaders. We make mistakes, but we try to exercise leadership with the goal of transmitting Judaism, not just to the next generation but to the one after that.

In small towns across America, there is one Rabbi. If you are a Jew or part of a Jewish family and you belong to one of these small-town synagogues, you might love the Rabbi, or perhaps you can’t stand the Rabbi, or she’s simply not your cup of tea. But this is the Rabbi who will officiate at your wedding, name your babies, lead your bat or bar mitzvah service, visit you in the hospital, and preside over your funeral. This Rabbi will easily deliver all five sermons throughout the High Holy Days, whether or not you appreciate his message and speaking style.

You know where I am going with this, right? How lucky we are at Congregation Emanu-El to have Rabbi Stephen Pearce as our Emeritus. Let me tell you, you cannot find a finer, more supportive or generous
Emeritus than Rabbi Pearce. Rabbi Larry Kushner is our world class Scholar Rabbi in Residence. Rabbis Mintz and Bauer are our Senior Associate Rabbis, with years of experience and hundreds of beloved relationships. Rabbis Fenves and Rodich are the resident “young” equally treasured and talented Rabbis on our clergy team.

Rabbi Jonathan Singer and I developed a unique model as co-equal Senior Rabbis, guiding the vision of this great historic place. Over the course of the year, you will hear multiple sermonic voices as we all take turns teaching and preaching. You may find a particular Rabbi with whom you develop a closer relationship. I believe that each Emanu-El Rabbi has quite a “following.” But every year when I speak to the preschool and religious school parents, I encourage everyone to “collect the set.” Congregants who have bonded with multiple Rabbis know that it can be an asset to feel a sense of connection to more than one Rabbi. And regardless of how much you love the Rabbis, the real goal is loving the Emanu-El community more than any one individual. The Congregation is not here for the Rabbis; the Rabbis are here for the Congregation.

And what about our remarkable Cantors? That is for another essay!

October 1, 2019
By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Jonathan Singer

It is the “Season of our Joy!” Although you may be reading this just prior to Yom Kippur, with its profoundly moving focus on personal and communal atonement, Jewish tradition teaches that Yom Kippur and the Jewish New Year are inextricably linked to Sukkot, which is one of the most joyous festivals of the Jewish calendar. So joyous, in fact, that one is to place the first nail in the sukkah just as Yom Kippur is ending. Even as you are breaking your fast, you are supposed to be preparing for the eight-day festival the rabbis called THE HOLIDAY. Following this custom, in our Courtyard this month as the Day of Atonement comes to a close, you will see us preparing to put up our Emanu-El sukkah. I know that many of our members will be thinking, “Haven’t we done enough Jewish already? And why should we come back to Temple for the seemingly child-focused holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah?” The answer is, according to Jewish tradition, you have not fully experienced Yom Kippur if you do not then enter the sukkah and embrace its joy. Sukkot reminds us that Judaism is not just about confession and atonement, but also about hope and appreciating moments of joy and celebration.

Beginning just five days after the process of teshuvah during Yom Kippur, which involves denying the physical, Sukkot embraces joyous celebration by sharing food, drink, and stories while dwelling in a festively decorated booth. By placing these holidays so closely together, Jewish tradition makes a very deep point. Psychologically, the Day of Atonement leading into a time of celebration and gratitude affirms that, for Judaism, the concept of hope is core to our growth as individuals. We are grateful for Yom Kippur and the days preceding it to focus on personal transformation, that which comes from admitting mistakes and then not just asking for forgiveness, but also working to change our behavior. As we sit in the sanctuary on Yom Kippur, free of other responsibilities and distractions like cell phones, we are taught to go deep into ourselves and do real kishke work — work that ultimately leads to an optimism that we can grow, change, bring our values to the forefront, and live a more balanced and loving life. And as we joyously break our fast, we need to reconnect to the world around us, immerse ourselves in nature, be under the stars, and deeply breath in the cool air of hope. Connecting to the process of the harvest as we sit in the sukkah represents both freedom and connection to the time of the season.

The sukkah is reminiscent of the booths where our ancestors would sleep as they quickly harvested the fall crops; with no time to go home to slumber, they spent those nights in the field in order to gather up as much bounty as possible. The sukkah also represents the portable huts that our even more ancient ancestors, the Israelites, who followed Moses into the wilderness, dwelt in as they migrated to the Promised Land.Entering a sukkah after Yom Kippur affirms that, as we complete our teshuvah, we then go forward with hope. In a time of global warming, it reminds us to work on sustainability. In a time of isolation, it asks us to invite in guests and connect to community. In a time of over-functioning, it asks us to celebrate the beauty of simplicity.I hope you will join us in celebrating these holidays, as there will be opportunities for members of all ages:

:•Erev Sukkot — Festival Celebration

•First Day of Sukkot — Festival Service

•Friday Night during Sukkot — Adult Israeli dinner in the sukkah (or nearby), with Israeli wines

•Simchat Torah — Dinner and hakafot in Guild Hall

Yom Kippur and Sukkot are fundamentally connected, and it’s time for our community to embrace more deeply this entire “Season of our Joy.”

September 1, 2019

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Beth Singer

“Dear Rabbi Singer: I am writing because my dad was sick recently. I did not hear from you and it really hurt my feelings.”

“Dear Rabbi Singer: I saw you at Trader Joe’s and it felt like you did not recognize me.”

“Dear Rabbi Singer: At the event last week, I saw you talking to others, but you never came up and said Hi to me.”

I don’t receive emails like this often, but when I do, I always feel terrible for letting a congregant down because knowing our members and making them feel honored and respected is so important to me. And although none of us enjoys being told that we have fallen short in some regard, I actually appreciate these messages because I cannot make amends if I’m unaware that I have upset someone.

I myself have occasionally run into a person whom I believed should have recognized exactly who I am, only to see them clearly confused about that. (For example, an elderly congregant once stopped me on the street near Laurel Village and asked, “Excuse me. Are you my doctor or my Rabbi?!”) So I understand how hurtful it can be. And on that note, I apologize to those of you who have experienced this from me. I hope you know it is never intentional. I WANT to know your name, your face, your story. If you make an appointment through my assistant Saundrah (sanjali@emanuelsf.org), as many of you have, and come to my office, I will take your photo and I will study it until I know you!

I believe I have a mild case of “prosopagnosia,” the medical term for the inability to distinguish faces. I have facial blindness. But each one of us has some type of “blindness” or another. September 1 coincides with the first day of Elul, a traditional time on the Jewish calendar of deep personal introspection as we prepare to ask forgiveness of others and of ourselves. Although Judaism teaches us to forgive those who have offended us on a nightly basis just before we fall asleep, the current calendar period offers us a special opportunity to focus on asking for and granting forgiveness.

I encourage you to give others the opportunity to say they are sorry, and I urge you to forgive those who offended you in this past year. Bitterness, anger, hurt, and offense are heavy burdens to lug from one year into the next. But our beloved tradition provides us with spiritual tools now (and year-round) to lighten those loads. May the month of Elul be, for you and for me, a deeply meaningful season of opening our eyes and forgiving.  

August 1, 2019

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Jonathan Singer

Selah! This word, which appears 74 times in the book of Psalms spelled with the Hebrew letter Heh, can be translated as “praise” or “forever.” But when spelled with the Hebrew letter Ayin, Selah means “rock” — like the rock that Moses incorrectly struck when seeking water in
the wilderness after Miriam (whose name may have meant “water finder”) had died.

I assume that the parents of Selah Schneiter, who is now, at the age of ten, the youngest person to have ever climbed El Capitan, named her after the geological formation. This daughter of two mountain climbers has certainly lived up to that designation, but as a 10-year-old record holder doing something that I, with my fear of heights, could never imagine doing, she is also worthy of praise (as the alternative Hebrew meaning of her name implies). While some might question the wisdom of encouraging one’s young child to participate in such a sport, Selah’s achievement does serve as a reminder that our kids can do amazing things when given the opportunity. This holds true when it comes to sports, secular school, and social justice opportunities, and must also apply to Jewish education, which includes our Emanu-El Youth and Family Education class offerings.

While many parents tell us they are glad that Emanu-El’s school endeavors create such a fun and engaging learning environment, one that builds community, as your synagogue leadership we have been spending much time thinking about how we can do even better. What can we do to meet the needs of children who want to climb higher, to help our youth who want to explore Torah in more creative ways, or build an even stronger sense of youth engagement and community? How can we integrate the latest in Jewish educational advancement, utilize technology, and better engage parents to collaborate in our desire to improve?

As a clergy team, along with our new head of school Lom Friedman, we have been pondering these questions and have already instituted new opportunities in the form of increased Hebrew offerings, expanded family retreats, and at-home self-guided elective enrichment projects. Out of these conversations has come a desire to implement a new curriculum that will provide more opportunities to our children through track electives, more support to our teachers, and better tools for our parents
to share with their children, creating opportunities for reinforcement at home. We are doing so in consultation with leading experts in Jewish education from the Hebrew Union College and the larger Reform movement. After having spent a first year getting to know our program, Lom is now working on some exciting projects and an educational vision that will unfold over the next few years.

We plan on introducing a new curriculum that supports more Hebrew and Torah learning while offering an experimental Hebrew-focused engagement track that will first be tested in this year’s 5th grade. We hope to provide more time for teacher meetings and training, to create a parent/ teacher association, and to form a professional educator support team that can help our teachers in the classroom. This fiscal year, we have added new support in our school, investing the precious dollars that you share with us as members and donors, to help build a better Emanu-El and a better Jewish future.

We believe that all children who participate in our school should emerge with a joyful connection to Judaism and the Jewish people and with a love of Torah that can help guide and support them in a challenging world. It is so important for our kids who are overtaxed with schoolwork and extracurricular activities to find value and meaning and joy in the time they spend at synagogue. With that in mind, we will continue to explore ways to grow our program, improve our physical teaching space, and make more resources available to our families.

There are always new heights to climb, and atop the highest rock, we are always trying to receive Torah. Educating our youth to fulfill their Jewish future is the job of the entire synagogue and it is our gift to our people. As your clergy, we welcome your support, engagement, and partnership in this holy work. Most importantly, we want you to encourage your children to come and study with us and to place Jewish education as a higher priority in their lives.

Amen Selah!

May 1, 2019

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Beth Singer

AH… MAY! MY FAVORITE OF ALL MONTHS, WITH ITS BEAUTIFUL LIGHT-FILLED, LENGTHY DAYS AND PLETHORA OF BLOSSOMS. The great flurry of culmination celebrations before the calm of summer: the end of the school year, graduations, Mother’s Day (a personal favorite), Memorial Day weekend, and major league baseball. We pack a lot into this month! My youngest offspring graduates college this May, and my daughter will be ordained as a Rabbi next May. On Friday, May 17 at 6:00 pm, our Emanu-El 12th-graders will lead us in a beautiful graduation Shabbat ceremony. If you have not attended in the past, mark your calendar and join us! The fruits of our Jewish educational labors blossom in May, and this service gives us hope for the future of our people. Then on to summer when the goal is to slow everything down. Take time off, travel, go to the beach. While we never “close,” during the summer, Emanu-El does take a break from the relentless pace of our diverse and vibrant programming opportunities.

We continue to hold services throughout the summer — every Friday night at 6:00 pm and Shabbat mornings at 10:30 am — as well as offer Torah study every Shabbat morning at 9:15 am. When you’re in town, please join us. Our services are relatively short; filled with music, tradition, and innovation; and (usually!) include an inspiring message from the Torah. Our services are a perfect way to frame your weekend. Additionally, because we all tend to spend less time expressing our Jewish identity at Temple during the summer, it’s a great time to inventory what makes our homes Jewish homes.

Your home can be a mini-temple and a center for building Jewish expressiveness, and we are here to help with that. Please let us know if you need assistance in affixing a mezuzah or a recommendation for a few good books to build your Jewish library (for example, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker makes for a fun summer fiction read). There are endless variations on ways to experience Shabbat in your own home. Many of you already have your own Shabbat practice, but if not, start by simply having two Shabbat candles at the ready for Friday nights (pick them up at the local grocery store or online). Select your wine or non-alcoholic fruit of the vine. Make or buy a challah. Invite a friend, or several friends, to your home. Organize a Shabbat potluck at home, or in a park. Change your Friday night or Saturday routine. Why? Shabbat is a GIFT provided by our Jewish tradition, and there are a million ways to practice it that result in a deeper sense of wellbeing, connection, and spirituality. Not religious? No problem. You can still celebrate a day of rest by including an intentional nap and some outdoor time on Saturdays. It’s always great to see you at Temple, but there is so much you can do at home.

Our eight Rabbis, two Cantors, and three Jewish educators are all on call to support you in building a Jewish home. August will be here before we know it. On Friday, August 23, we want all of you to show up to help welcome the Interfaith community at our 6:00 pm service with very special guest, Yemenite refugee Mohammed Al-Samawi, who was rescued by a handful of Jewish and Christian
individuals. But for now, it’s still May. So take a slow, deep breath. Smell the flowers. Celebrate your Mother. And plan to attend our Emanu-El graduation. It is all ahead of us…

April 22, 2019

Congregation Emanu-El deplores the violence committed this past Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka at various churches and hotels. In the wake of this terrible attack, we stand in solidarity against the perpetrators of hatred and violence. As the country recovers from this terrible incident, below are a couple of ways you can contribute to help the victims of these bombings.

Congregation Emanu-El Clergy

Sri Lanka Red Cross Society
Emergency Fundraiser for Sri Lanka Bombing Victims

April 1, 2019

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Jonathan Singer

The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas has jumped on the Passover bandwagon! This year, rather than cleaning your house, you can opt for a Seder at a resort that has been kashered for Passover! Enjoy Passover meals as Matasiyahu entertains you, and experience freedom for the entire week of the holiday!

That is one way to celebrate Yitziat Mitzrayim — the going out from Egypt — which our tradition teaches us to do for the week of Passover. The tradition of this festival encompasses the celebration of freedom, the enjoyment of a sumptuous spring feast, the chance to relax (recline), and the remembrance both of our liberation from slavery in Egypt and of our people surviving on Lechem Oni (matzah, the bread of affliction) as we wandered the desert for 40 years. While the observance of all of the above may seem contradictory, I believe the ancient rabbis wanted us to both recall and rejoice, zocher v’oneg! So at Seders, we drink fine wine while eating wonderful foods (some of which have “magically” conjured up with Passover Matzah meal), but also remember Avadim Hayunu by eating matzah — plain at first, then combined with bitter herbs, recalling both our liberation and our suffering, reconnecting to our people’s experience of oppression but ultimate redemption.

I am grateful that, in the diaspora, we have the opportunity to celebrate more than one Seder. While I love our congregational Seders, the chance to retell the story as a community, there is a formal reason for that gathering on the second night. The mitzvah of Passover commands you to “take a lamb and roast it, and eat it, with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and staff in your hand…it is a Passover Sacrifice to Adonai.” But note that it is our individual responsibility as Jews, in our own or our neighbor’s house, to observe and celebrate the Seder. The obligation is not upon the rabbis, but on each one of us, regardless of our level of knowledge or observance, to make a Seder — because each of us was redeemed from enslavement. Avadim Hayenu – V‘ata B’nai Horin!

The rabbinate here at Emanu-El encourage you, on that first or second night, to empower yourself by making a Seder, even if you have never done so before. We’re glad to share with you activities or discussion questions to make your Seder meaningful, and you can even download Haggadot from the internet! Your Seder can be adjusted to meet the needs of you and your guests, the children being engaged, and the topics of discussion and debate of the adults in attendance. Invite friends, Jewish or not, and set a beautiful table. It is your story to tell, your identity to affirm and celebrate.

The Atlantis Resort has it right: whether you’re in the Bahamas or the Himalayas or at home for Passover, make a Seder, bring matzah, and recall from whence we came… and with inspiration from the Holy, how we can keep going forward to bring redemption for all.

Chag Pesach Sameach!

March 15, 2019

Grace Cathedral and Congregation Emanu-El Joint Statement on Christchurch shooting

Grace Cathedral and Congregation Emanu-El stand with the Christchurch Muslim community, our New Zealand friends and the Muslim community of San Francisco in their time of grief and mourning. This type of violence and the hate that motivates it is unacceptable in any country and people of all faiths worldwide have a responsibility to stand up and say no. No one should fear for their safety when attending their house of worship.

This tragedy occurred on Friday afternoon when the mosque was filled with people who gathered for Friday prayers, just as the Pittsburgh killer attacked Jews at their synagogue, and the Charleston killer attacked an African American Church. This type of violence is driven by racial, religious, and ethnic hatred. Every person of faith has a responsibility to denounce this in the strongest possible terms.

In the wake of this terrible attack, we call on our Jewish and Christian brothers and sisters to commit themselves to oppose Islamophobia and to demonstrate acts of solidarity with their Muslim neighbors, co-workers, and others just as we stand against anti-Semitism and hatred against Christians or any person of faith.

We affirm our human solidarity with our Muslim sisters and brothers, inheritors with us of the Abrahamic faith and our belief that every individual on this planet, no matter their color, faith or sexual orientation, is a reflection of the Holy and deserves to live in safety and in freedom.

Clergy & Leadership of Grace Cathedral and Congregation Emanu-El 

March 1, 2019

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Jonathan Singer

The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas has jumped on the Passover bandwagon! This year, rather than cleaning your house, you can opt for a Seder at a resort that has been kashered for Passover! Enjoy Passover meals as Matasiyahu entertains you, and experience freedom for the entire week of the holiday!

That is one way to celebrate Yitziat Mitzrayim — the going out from Egypt — which our tradition teaches us to do for the week of Passover. The tradition of this festival encompasses the celebration of freedom, the enjoyment of a sumptuous spring feast, the chance to relax (recline), and the remembrance both of our liberation from slavery in Egypt and of our people surviving on Lechem Oni (matzah, the bread of affliction) as we wandered the desert for 40 years. While the observance of all of the above may seem contradictory, I believe the ancient rabbis wanted us to both recall and rejoice, zocher v’oneg! So at Seders, we drink fine wine while eating wonderful foods (some of which have “magically” conjured up with Passover Matzah meal), but also remember Avadim Hayunu by eating matzah — plain at first, then combined with bitter herbs, recalling both our liberation and our suffering, reconnecting to our people’s experience of oppression but ultimate redemption.

I am grateful that, in the diaspora, we have the opportunity to celebrate more than one Seder. While I love our congregational Seders, the chance to retell the story as a community, there is a formal reason for that gathering on the second night. The mitzvah of Passover commands you to “take a lamb and roast it, and eat it, with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and staff in your hand… it is a Passover Sacrifice to Adonai.” But note that it is our individual responsibility as Jews, in our own or our neighbor’s house, to observe and celebrate the Seder. The obligation is not upon the rabbis, but on each one of us, regardless of our level of knowledge or observance, to make a Seder — because each of us was redeemed from enslavement. Avadim Hayenu – V’ata B’nai Horin!

The rabbinate here at Emanu-El encourage you, on that first or second night, to empower yourself by making a Seder, even if you have never done so before. We’re glad to share with you activities or discussion questions to make your Seder meaningful, and you can even download Haggadot from the internet!

Your Seder can be adjusted to meet the needs of you and your guests, the children being engaged, and the topics of discussion and debate of the adults in attendance. Invite friends, Jewish or not, and set a beautiful table. It is your story to tell, your identity to affirm and celebrate. The Atlantis Resort has it right: whether you’re in the Bahamas or the Himalayas or at home for Passover, make a Seder, bring matzah, and recall from whence we came…and with inspiration from the Holy, how we can keep going forward to bring redemption for all.

Chag Pesach Sameach!

February 1, 2019

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Jonathan Singer

This summer I will be leading a multi-generational, multi-faceted trip to Israel that will take us to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the north. We’ll drink kosher wine, raft on the Jordan, and stop in Safed for three of our youth to celebrate their bar/bat mitzvahs. The trip will also provide the opportunity to dialogue with settlers and Palestinians on the West Bank, discuss the tech revolution taking place there, and engage with Reform Jewish leaders working for an equal place at the Israeli table. Beginning the last week in June and running through the first week of July,this trip will mark my second foray to Israel this year (having just been there as part of a Reform/Conservative Bay Area Rabbi trip organized by the Consul General’s office.)

While such trips to Israel are filled with meaning, spiritual connection, and joy — because Israel is so beautiful and there is so much to do there — they are also important in terms of how we envision and work together for a stronger Jewish future. We live in a “bipolar” Jewish world, where two of the significant Jewish population clusters are equally dynamic and creative, not unlike Babylonia and Jerusalem of the ancient period, each of which produced a Talmud that has guided Jewish life for the past 2,000 years. Our new reality also represents significant change that can be worrisome to some as influence shifts and we become equal forces in the Jewish journey, with Israel no longer the junior partner, either politically or economically. When shifts occur, people wonder whether we will continue to support each community going forward or whether we will turn inward and not consider the needs of the other. Certainly, there are those in both communities who assert that each should go its own way. From that Israeli perspective, the American diaspora is diminishing and Reform Judaism represents assimilation, while there are those in our community who so dislike certain Israeli political decisions that they want to pull away from a place that doesn’t seem to respect their expression of Judaism, or that could be abandoning the peace process.

What the trips do, whether it is a synagogue journey, a Birthright experience, a semester abroad, or a rabbinic mission, is build bridges of understanding and debunk myths about one another. When we as Reform Jews dialogue with Israelis in that beautiful land, they come to see that we are a vibrant engaged community, with hundreds of children learning in our school and families of all types embracing Jewish values. Our version of Judaism is growing rather than disappearing. And while we are there in person, we see that, although the politics and conflicts are complex, there are Israelis working on the ground for peace, human rights, and intergroup understanding, and who are making progress. The trip becomes a myth buster for both sides and helps remind us that we are at an amazing point in Jewish history, where we have to figure out how a vibrant Diaspora and a vibrant State of Israel can move forward — not just in celebration of Jewish life, but as a light to the nations building a better future for all.

Reinhold Niebuhr, a great friend of Rabbi Heschel taught that meeting on the personal level provides the pathway to understanding and leads to solutions of blessing. Consider a trip to Israel, and contact me if you would like to know more about the one I am leading this summer. Know that when you go to Israel, you are not just touring, you are community building. And join with us in our work on the Israel Action Committee to keep the spirit of dialogue and engagement happening between two amazing Jewish communities that we are so blessed to be able to experience at this moment in history.

January 1, 2019

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Beth Singer

Saturday, October 27, 2018 is a date we will always remember. The day of the gun massacre during Shabbat morning services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Killing eleven and wounding several others, this hate crime was the deadliest attack
against American Jews in the history of the United States. All weekend long following the shooting in Pittsburgh, Emanu-El congregants streamed into our building. Most
wore expressions of sadness and grim determination on their faces. Hugs lasted longer than usual. Then phone calls and text messages started coming in. The first voice
message I heard on that Saturday was from Reverend Amos Brown, our beloved partner from Third Baptist Church. Reverend Brown expressed the deepest level of kinship in the wake of such a brutal anti-Semitic attack, and he asked how he could be here for us. Michael Pappas, head of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, also checked in immediately, offering all forms of support. Among the many calls and texts I received throughout that weekend, the vast majority were from leaders of other faiths, and particularly from African-American members of our Black- Jewish Unity Group. Each one asked the same question: “How can I be there for you and for your community?”

In the weeks that followed, we received letters from other local religious leaders, as well as from neighbors who simply wanted us to know that they share our sorrow. One
woman wrote, “To my beloved friends and neighbors of the beautiful Congregation Emanu-El, I love you all very much. This San Francisco lady will always love you.” In the
wake of the tragedy, these communications of support were such a comfort. But also a reminder of how important it is to not simply think about victims of racial injustice, but
to actually reach out to them. Reaching out is a big part of what we do at Congregation Emanu-El. Community relationship and partnership building are a sacred part of our work.

To that end, in 1988, Congregation Emanu-El joined with Third Baptist Church in founding an interfaith tutorial program called “Back on Track” for underserved students
in our community. The clergy who founded this program— Reverend Amos Brown and Rabbi Robert Kirschner — also started an annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pulpit
exchange, which we proudly continue to this day.

Please be with us on Friday, January 18 for the MLK Commemoration Service, one
of our most inspiring Shabbat gatherings of the year. Details on this service are providedin this issue of the Chronicle. Please contact me if you’d like to be a welcoming ambassador
that evening. Join us also on January 20 for Sunday morning services at Third Baptist Church.
Each year, a great number of Emanu-El congregants participate in this joyous event, and
it means so much to the congregants at Third Baptist to see us there. See details inside this issue of the Chronicle. Some of our dearest partnerships are with the Jewish Community Relations Council, the San Francisco Interfaith Council, the American Jewish Committee, and our own Black-Jewish Unity Group. Members of San Francisco’s dwindling African-American community who show up to our meeting on the second Thursday of each month, at the African-American Arts and Culture Center on Fulton Street, feel a particular kinship with Jews. The meetings are so warm. We get to know each other better and we commit to acts of racial justice.

When something as evil and tragic as a mass shooting occurs in a house of worship — whether at the Emanuel African-American Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015; the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas in 2017; or the Tree
of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh just a couple months ago — partnerships between our faiths are imperative. With partnership, we realize what we have in common, learn about our differences, and most importantly, show up for each other when one group is targeted. Until we collectively figure out a way to reduce gun violence in communities around the country, in public places and houses of worship, it is almost a sure bet that our group (or another group) will be targeted again and again. Building strong partnerships that underscore our shared humanity is some of the holiest work we do here at Emanu-El.

November 1, 2018

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Beth Singer

It’s a Movement!

Whenever I need a quick reminder of how modest my contributions to the rabbinate have been over the past 29 years, all I have to do is think of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise. You may not recognize the name, but I assure you, the accomplishments and legacy of Rabbi Wise have significantly impacted your life. Like many German Jews, Rabbi Wise arrived in America in the mid-1800s. As he surveyed the American Jewish landscape at that time, with its hodge podge of disparate communities, he saw a need for two initiatives: (1) to reform and update Judaism, making it palatable to American Jews; and (2) to bring all American Jewry together under a single unified body. Clearly, he had never heard the joke about the shipwrecked Jew rescued from a desert island who, while marooned, had built two synagogues (one he wouldn’t set foot in!).

Be that as it may, Rabbi Wise did end up having a monumental role in shaping our lives by creating four very significant building blocks of new American Judaism:

• The Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now known as the Union for Reform Judaism [URJ]), in 1873
• The Hebrew Union College, in 1875
• The Central Conference of American Rabbis, in 1889
• The Union Prayerbook, in 1894

Take note of the names he chose for each of these elements; because he sought to unite ALL American Jews, none of them includes the word “Reform” in the title!

While Rabbi Wise’s goal of creating ONE Judaism proved impossible — we now have many flourishing denominations (including Reform, Reconstructionist, Orthodox, Conservative, Renewal, Humanist, anti-denominational “Indie” movements, and numerous distinctive Hasidic branches) — such a diversity ensures a healthy, robust Judaism. Although every Jew is united to the whole by Torah, we need choices in how Torah teachings and values are incorporated into our daily lives, and multiple interpretations of our civilizational religion are vital to its sustainability.

The movement that Rabbi Wise created has flourished, and with its hallmark of embracing both tradition and innovation, Reform Judaism is now the largest denomination in North America! For example, one Reform leader — Rabbi Alexander Schindler — was an early adopter of the value of welcoming interfaith families into our congregations. Rabbi Schindler was a visionary who recognized that many families with parents from two different backgrounds want to raise a Jewish family and pass Torah along to the next generation. Additionally, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the current leader of the URJ (and my boss for four years in my early years in the rabbinate) is an unapologetic Zionist who believes that Reform Judaism deserves full recognition in Israel.

Rabbi Jacobs will be speaking at our One Shabbat Service on Friday, November 9. He will also be in attendance to witness our Young Adult Late Shabbat that same evening, as recognizing Jewish millennials as the future of Judaism is another one of his passions. Please plan to be with us on November 9 for both services!

Mark your calendar also for December 11–14, 2019 (yes, a whole year from now) to join a delegation of Emanu-El members in attending the URJ Biennial in Chicago. This conference will provide a great opportunity to communicate with other Reform Jews about current issues, and to experience the thrill of a communal Shabbat along with 5,000 other Reform Jews all singing and experiencing Torah together!

As Judaism evolves, I believe that Reform Judaism will continue to serve the needs of a large segment of American Jews more effectively than any other denomination. Again, I invite you to join us at the November 9 One Shabbat Service so you can hear directly from the current leader of the Reform Jewish movement!

October 1, 2018

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Jonathan Singer

Just a few days ago on Simchat Torah, we unfurled the entire Torah scroll as we chanted the last verses

of Deuteronomy and began the cycle of study again by chanting the first verses of Genesis. I love that moment of seeing the community gathered in a circle around the open scroll. It symbolizes the never-ending process, not just of a community engaging Torah, but also of one giving and receiving the Torah. The mystical scholar Daniel Matt famously translated a section of Kabbalah that teaches a different perspective on the words Olam ha Bah — that we should not be thinking of the world to come, but

rather see that the world is always coming at us! 

 

To me, this translation epitomizes the process of giving and receiving Torah, for our belief is that the holiness of wisdom is always coming to us. The question is, will we be receptors and then

transmitters ourselves? In a Reform community like ours, many people — who either are in a Jewish community for the first time, have returned to Judaism after a time away, or did not grow up with deep

Jewish learning — might feel intimidated or unqualified to be such a receiver and transmitter. Often they tell me, “I don’t know the Hebrew, Rabbi” or “I didn’t grow up learning the prayers; that kind of engagement is for the next generation.” But the Torah teaches that this wisdom was first transmitted to our people at Sinai, to those recently freed slaves who also did not grow up with deep Jewish

knowledge. Perhaps the Torah is trying to teach us that, at any point in our lives, we can be receivers and transmitters of holiness and wonder. The Talmud holds up Rabbi Akiva as one of the greatest examples of a person learning Torah as an adult, as he transforms from an ignorant shepherd into the

leading scholar of his day.

 

Of course, you may not aspire to be the next Rabbi Akiva. But we invite you to see how you can be a transmitter and receiver, and how your life experience can be enriched by participating in any aspect of our adult learning program. At Emanu-El we hold the deep belief that learning Torah is not meant solely for our children, but for all B’nei Yisrael.The people Israel should keep learning! You can learn to decode the alef bet with Cantor Attie or decide to join our Anshei (adult) B’nei Mitzvah program. Either way, you will learn with our cantors and rabbis in a deep, joyful way that will lead to you teaching and sharing

Torah in a beautiful ceremony. On Tuesdays, our weekly Torah adult education series is also beginning, offering to show you how Torah applies to not only the intellectual, but also the cultural (with Broadway lyricism) and the spiritual (with yoga). On Saturdays, we offer two wonderful Torah study groups, and you are welcome to drop in and try out this participatory learning program (no prior knowledge required). We also have our Sunday morning Beit Midrash, with the first quarter taught by Rabbi Pearce. On the first Wednesday of the month, look for our brown bag drop-in study here at the temple or at “Limonata and Learning” in Marin. And don’t forget our Emanu-El Reads group, which will begin with Philip Roth’s

American Pastoral on October 23 (see Adult Education section for more information). We are practicing a living Judaism, with Torah that is always being given and received. You have a role in making it even

more vibrant and joyful!

 

SAVE THE DATE

Sunday, November 11, 2:00 – 4:00 pm,

Martin Meyer Sanctuary

Annual Kristallnacht (Pogromnacht)

Commemoration – Special Afternoon with renowned educator, Rachel Korazim Rachel Korazim is a freelance Jewish education consultant in curriculum development for Israel and Holocaust education. She engages audiences worldwide through innovative presentations built around the stories, poems, and songs of Israel’s best writers. Rachel’s thought-provoking talks open a window onto Israeli society, inviting listeners to engage with the country and its history in new ways. This program is designed to engage intergenerational conversation around the Holocaust. Children 11+ are welcome (younger kids may participate at parental discretion).

 

This program is in partnership with the Shalom Hartman Institute and the Koret Foundation.

 

September 1, 2018

By Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi Jonathan Singer

According to Rabbi Eleazar, one of the great teachers of the Talmud, our world was created during

the month of Tishrei. Eleazar connected the beginning of existence with the sixth day (or unit, as I prefer) of the creation narrative because the human story began at that moment. The mystics, however, teach that the world is always being recreated; existence is always upon us! The Jewish New Year is a moment of demarcation that reminds us of our potential to move beyond the static and unite with the holy in the process of renewing our creation.

Within this Gregorian calendar month, our congregation will fully celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. Also this month, our religious and Hebrew schools and adult learning programs will be opening for the season, and our social justice offerings will be seeking to engage you. It may feel as if the Jewish world is in a sense coming at you, but each holiday and each offering at the temple beckons you to connect and find a gateway to your personal renewal. We, of course, hope that you will take advantage of what these holidays have to offer. At a time when we conduct so much of our lives virtually — where the pressure of personal achievement diminishes our sense of meaning, where the noise of hate speech and the flashing lights of celebrity culture exhaust your senses — these days of holiness offer an alternative path to renewal. They express optimism that we can grow and change, and that each in his or her own way make a difference.

In our Jewish tradition, each holiday builds upon the other, and that is especially true this month. It’s time to take off from your routine. Bring your children and friends along as we celebrate the convergence of four holidays:

Rosh Hashanah, which welcomes the new year with sweetness and a call to personal growth. Join us in prayer and then gather at the beach to cast off the weight of pain or numbness that has been holding you back.

Yom Kippur, which invites you to embrace a day of deep personal introspection supported by a community renewing itself in prayer, meditation, learning, and the nurturing of hope! Stay the day and participate in this form of Jewish communal therapy as you seek forgiveness and look to a better future.

Sukkot, which beckons you to reconnect with the life-giving presence of the earth by celebrating the harvest and dwelling under a canopy of hope. Sukkot is the real conclusion of Yom Kippur as we transition from turning inward to focusing outward on the joy of life’s harvest. This year, you might even build your own sukkah! But also spend some time in our beautiful communal sukkah, greeting others, drinking in the stars above, and allowing your senses to fill with wonder.

Simchat Torah, which asks you to participate in the dance of learning as we unfurl the sacred scroll and turn the year over again, concluding with the beginning as the Jewish dance continues. There will be live music and the blessing of new students, and you will raise the scroll of hope.

This is a month of wonder, and the world is indeed coming at you. Allow yourself to receive the blessing by joining in community here at Emanu-El!

June 14, 2018

We, as your clergy, endorse the following statement drafted by the Reform Movement and joined by 26  national Jewish organizations expressing strong opposition to the cruel practice of separating children from their migrants parents when they cross the border.

Read the full letter here.

Emanu-El Clergy Address Recent Anti-Semitic Acts

– Statement by Emanu-El Clergy (February 23, 2017)

Congregation Emanu-El is proud of our Jewish identity and the fact that we American Jews are an important strand in the fabric that makes up this great nation. We stand together with all people who embrace the peaceful, democratic and just values of this nation and speak out in opposition to hateful acts, whether anti-Semitic like the bomb threats at JCC’s or the attack on the cemetery in St. Louis or any act that is racist, sexist, Islamophobic or homophobic. Those values reflect the Torah’s call to do justice, love mercy and act humbly in our lives while also always acting from the foundational teaching of the book of Genesis, that every person is made in the image of the Divine. They are the values that make up the foundation of this great nation – with all people being created equal and in possession of the unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

We will not tire in our defense of these rights for ourselves and for all those who dwell in our country. Let those who are filled with hate hear our call to turn from such ways and know that we remain committed to an America that lives up to vision of the prophet Micah, that all people “shall sit under vine and under fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid.”

We invite you to join us in one or both of these two important community conversations that address the current political climate in our country:

If Not Now, When: A Tzedek Council Town Hall Conversation: We know that not all but many people in our congregation share a sense of concern about our current political and social climate. If this speaks to you, we hope you will join our Tzedek Council and clergy for a Town Hall forum on Sunday, March 5 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. Together we will imagine how Emanu-El will continue our proud tradition of Tikkun Olam to bring healing and justice to our broken world. Click here to register.

Jewish Community Relations Council Jewish Community Forum: The JCRC is convening community leaders, policy experts, political pollsters, academics and journalists for a full-day of education and training. This Jewish Community Forum is intended to provide community members with an opportunity to learn effective strategies for advocacy and the powers of government in our participatory democracy. Click here to register.

Turning Jewish values into action

– Statement by Emanu-El Clergy (February 9, 2017)

Dear Friends, 

As clergy of this sacred and diverse congregation, we listen to you. We hear those that are deeply troubled and even frightened by our political climate and the decisions of the new administration. We hear those who are hopeful that positive change is on the horizon. We hear those who struggle with how to explain all of this to your children. We are privileged to hear these many voices as we strive to create a place of respectful, loving and open conversation, rooted in our Jewish values. 

Our role as the spiritual leaders of this community is to both listen and to bring the moral voice of Torah to our lives today. Over the past several weeks we have witnessed an outright attack on many of the values that our Reform Jewish movement holds dear and we feel an imperative to speak out. We are obligated to carry the values that shape our Jewish lives out into the public square now and in the future. As individuals, we will not always agree on the solutions to the problems we share, and we trust that despite this we will remain in sacred relationship with one another, even as we speak publicly about issues that we feel differently about. 

We stand behind the words we shared with you on the day that the executive order regarding refugee and immigration policy was issued: 

The rabbis and cantors of Congregation Emanu-El condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the executive order banning refugees from entering our country. The Torah teaches us that saving a life is the most sacred mitzvah one can perform. It is part of the core of our beliefs as Jews to welcome the stranger, to repair the world, and defend life. It is incumbent upon us as Jews, as Americans, to speak out against anything that could lead to the death of innocents. In making this statement we echo the positions of our partners including the JCRC of San Francisco, HIAS, and the Religious Action Center.  

As we have always done throughout our 160-year history, we will continue to “pray with our feet” as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel did when he marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Join us in turning our Jewish values into action at these upcoming events: 

1. 1. Join Rabbi Fenves and Cantor Attie for the HIAS rally marking National Day of Jewish Action for Refugees this Sunday, February 12 at 3 pm. 

1. 1. Attend the JCRC Community Forum on the current political environment on Sunday, March 19

1. 1. Attend the Religious Action Center’s Consultation on Conscience in DC from April 30 – May 1

1. Participate in our ongoing local social justice projects, such as Emanu-El’s collaboration with Hamilton Families to end homelessness in San Francisco by 2020. Thus far Emanuel has sponsored 120 of the identified 800 homeless families.  Look for an upcoming email from our Tzedek Council with more ways to live out our Jewish values in the public square. 

It is so important to participate in tikun olam, (repairing our world) and it is equally vital that we take good spiritual care of ourselves. Join us for prayer and study to ground your soul in our tradition and remember that you are part of something bigger; that you are not alone. 

Be strong and resolute; do not be terrified or dismayed, Adonai is with you wherever you go. -Joshua 1:9

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Beth Singer
Rabbi Jonathan Singer
Rabbi Sydney Mintz
Rabbi Ryan Bauer
Rabbi Carla Fenves 
Rabbi Jason Rodich 
Cantor Marsha Attie
Cantor Arik Luck