In partnership with Manny’s and JCCSF

Discover the fascinating history and unique customs of this ancient Jewish community in Central Asia—its history and customs, its fate during the years of war in Afghanistan, and the story of Manny’s Afghani Jewish family.

In partnership with BASE Bay in Rockridge

Join us on Fridays at noon for a look at the Torah Portion of the week through the portal of the Zohar. The gate pictured here is the entrance to the garden of Moses de Leon, the compiler of the Zohar. He published it as a weekly Torah companion, and that is how we will encounter it.

“When two sit and study together, the Shechina dwells among them.” (Pirke Avot) Judaism’s unique mode of study is called “chavruta”—from the Hebrew root, “chaver” meaning friend. Friendship is inherently about learning—from another, about oneself, about the world beyond oneself. We will explore what Jewish sources teach about friendship. This course is best experienced when shared with a friend, so bring a friend to be your study partner!

As we welcome the New Year, how are we as a community welcoming the strangers among us? Where does “Welcoming the Stranger” come from as a Jewish value--and how have we as a people interpreted it over time? How are we currently welcoming Afghans, Ukrainians and others into our community? And how is this landscape changing as the rules for asylum seekers are being challenged?

In partnership with Urban Adamah

In partnership with Urban Adamah

In partnership with and at BASE-Bay, Rockridge

In partnership with Sinai Memorial Chapel, the Ben Zakkai Institute, and Bay Area synagogues

Jewish ways in death and dying: traditional and contemporary concepts and practices, the approach of death, dying and burial, grief and comforting the bereaved.

In partnership with the Center for Jewish Studies at the Graduate Theological Union