CJC Monthly Update

Monthly Update - May 2026

May is Jewish American Heritage Month

Check out jewishamericanheritage.org and join us in celebrating our experience as American Jews at one of the many events listed below.

Our biggest celebration this month on the Coastside will be on Shavuot.

See the Spirituality Chavurah section below for details on our celebration.

'Coastside Gives' Marks Its 11th Year This Week (May 7)

We applaud and support the Mavericks Community Foundation in raising over $10 million for nonprofits on the Coastside over the past ten years. This year they've set an ambitious goal of raising $2 million. With nonprofit services in high demand, in the midst of funding cuts on many fronts, our Jewish values inspire us to give generously.

CJC is not a recipient due to our status as a religious organization, but our benevolent presence on the Coastside is noticed and appreciated. Let's make sure a significant percentage of donations are from members and friends of the Coastside Jewish Community. May 7th is the last day to give. Why wait? Give here now.

RECENT EVENTS

Last Thursday, Reb Moshe helped bring together 9 Bay Area rabbis and 30+ members of the Jewish community for a nationwide day of action organized by T'ruah and Bend the Arc: Jewish Action in 17 cities around the country.

They learned about the efforts of the interfaith vigil keepers who assist and protect people with scheduled appointments at the ICE office in SF and raised awareness in the broader community about the need for a more humane approach to immigration enforcement. If you are interested in assisting the vigil keepers, let Reb Moshe know and he can connect you with them.

Last Saturday night's CJC Game Night was a successful and enjoyable Community Chavurah event, with 16 in attendance, thanks to Chip & Linda!

CJC MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

This month: Avram, Vicki & Dana Frankel

Avram's first contact with CJC came more than 21 years ago, when he attended High Holiday services with his five-year-old daughter, Dana, as he searched for a synagogue and a place for her to receive a formal Jewish education. Avram later joined the group of musicians supporting High Holiday services and has continued contributing as a singer and instrumentalist for roughly 15 years, and participating on other occasions, including numerous B'nai Mitzvah services within and beyond CJC.

Avram and Vicki have been married for over 30 years and have lived primarily in Pacifica. They now spend more time in Dunsmuir, near Mt. Shasta, enjoying outdoor activities. Vicki recently retired from her career as an RN in memory care, and Avram, an environmental engineer with nearly 40 years of experience, currently serves as COO of Integral Consulting Inc.

Their daughter, Dana, became a Bat Mitzvah at CJC in 2012. She later earned a degree in Agroecology from UC Santa Cruz and now lives in Sonoma County, working as a farmer, massage therapist, and musician. She and her father have performed together in the bluegrass band Mission Blue since 2017, and she also leads her own band, Big Dog, continuing a longstanding family tradition of making music with her parents. We love the Frankel family!

UPCOMING EVENTS

The events below are organized or recommended by our Chavurot: Family, Community, Lifelong Learning, and Spirituality. CJC events are highlighted.

THE FAMILY CHAVURAH supports children & families, providing experiences and opportunities for Jewish learning and identity formation, fostering optimal conditions for social, intellectual, and spiritual development. For more information, reach out to Brianne.

Friday, May 8 - Family Shabbat w/ Pizza & Movie Night in Montara, 6pm

Enjoy a kid-friendly service for families with kids at 6pm in a central and convenient location overlooking the ocean just prior to sunset. Afterwards, pizza will be provided, and families will also bring potluck items that they and their kids enjoy. Kids will then watch a few curated clips from the movie David, which may be shown at a CJC Movie Night for kids this summer. Email Brianne for the address. (Click image to see the trailer.)

THE COMMUNITY CHAVURAH supports both community-building within CJC and with the broader community through social justice activism and civic engagement. For more information, please contact Linda or Chip.

Saturday, May 8 - The Kitchen’s "Song of Songs" International Concert, 8:30pm

Join Reb Moshe and other CJC members for a concert (on May 8) and a conference (on May 9) celebrating Sepharadi and Ashkenazi cultural and musical traditions. To learn more about this event, click here. To find out who's going from the Coastside, click here.

It's Time to Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month

Visit a Jewish museum, listen to Jewish music or a Jewish podcast, watch a Jewish movie or TV show, or do a Jewish activity with your kids. You'll find more on these and other ideas here.

San Francisco Jewish Week has organized a week of special events beginning this coming Saturday that will include a comedy showcase, Jewish Heritage Night with The Golden State Valkyries, a Robot Shabbat, and a Black & White Ball. For the full listing of events, click here.

The Coastside Community School Backpack Drive is participating in Coastside Gives for the first time this year. While Gives Day is on May 7th, early giving is now open. You can donate here.

Last year, this program helped 484 students by providing new, high-quality backpacks and a large shopping tote for each child, filled with school supplies. It costs over $60 per child to do this, so we need to raise at least $30,000 each year to run the program.

We hope you will consider donating to this program, making a difference to support the education of low-income students in the Cabrillo School District. Look for future communications regarding volunteer opportunities to support this year’s program as well as updates on the Coastside Gives Campaign.

The CJC Community Chavurah congratulates Reb Moshe's brother, John Heyn, on the 40th anniversary of his cult music documentary ‘Heavy Metal Parking Lot.’ You can read more about it here in a NYT article published last week.

SAVE THE DATE: CJC will host its Annual Membership Meeting, along with a bagel brunch on Sunday, May 31 at 11:30am. Stay tuned for more details.

THE LIFELONG LEARNING CHAVURAH supports adult learning through our ongoing Mussar groups, a Holy Books Study Group, and other learning opportunities. For more information, reach out to Vaughn or Laura.

Thursday, May 7 - Living with Intention: Jewish Wisdom for Everyday Life, 11am

Join other CJC members as they explore how Jewish wisdom speaks to modern struggles for balance in this six-week course on living with greater intention across health, work, relationships, and community. This Melton class will be held at the PJCC and will be taught by Rabbi Laurie Matzkin. Use code PJCC99 to receive the subsidized $99 fee when you register here.

Wednesday, May 13 - Hybrid Class on Israel: How did it come to this?

CJC's Lifelong Learning Chavurah offers this in-depth learning opportunity to examine and discuss the events, dynamics, and drivers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. CJC members and friends are welcome to join in any or all of these discussions, virtually or in-person. Sessions are held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month. For more info, click here.

Here are two example of the issues and articles we discuss:

Calling Out What's Wrong Isn't Anti-Israel. It's Pro-Israel. Silence won't secure Israel's future. Honesty might. (04/26/26)

Shame and Pain: What Israel’s Retired Security Chiefs Are Trying to Tell Us

Israel’s most senior security leaders are sounding the alarm. Why don't we hear them ? (05/03/26)

Thursday, May 28 - Book Club Discusses Its New Selection, 7pm

CJC's Book Club meets every other month at members’ homes. We read all kinds of books that are in some way related to Judaism, and generally ensure our books are available through a library. We usually get together in person, and make online access available if anyone tells us they need it. Best of all, CJC members get together to enjoy each other’s company. Next month, we'll be discussing My Name Is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok. For more info about CJC's Book Club, email Vaughn.

THE SPIRITUALITY CHAVURAH supports the personal and communal interests of our members when it involves spirituality. Whether it's Shabbat and holiday rituals, field trips to other synagogues, or weekday meditation, we're here for and with you. For more information, contact Aryae & Wendy.

TONIGHT - Monday, May 4 - Lag BaOmer Celebration in HMB, 7pm

Lag BaOmer is a relatively obscure Jewish holiday that most people have never heard of. It has intriguing historical and mystical origins, and is traditionally celebrated around a bonfire. Join members of our Spirituality Chavurah for a fireside gathering where we'll share stories, songs, and teachings related to the holiday. To RSVP and get the address, email Brianne.

Thursday, May 21 - Tikun Leyl Shavuot virtual gathering, 7pm

Along with Jews all over the world on the eve of Shavuot, Aryae and Wendy will facilitate a sharing of words of Torah and spiritual reflection. This is said to take place on the anniversary of the night when Moses and the Israelites encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai before receiving the Torah the next morning. You can find a diverse collection of teachings about Shavuot on their Torah Circle Blog. To participate in this virtual gathering, email Wendy.

Friday, May 22 - Shavuot Service, Teaching & Dessert 'Oneg', 6:30pm

Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. It's a tradition for synagogues and bimahs to be decorated with flowers and greenery to remind us of the midrash that when the Torah was given, the desert bloomed! This year, our service will take place in a gorgeous, verdant greenhouse in Pacifica, with views of Montara Mountain and nearby beaches.

After a brief family-friendly service with music by the Coastside Kehillah Band, there will be brief concurrent learning sessions, one for adults and one for children, followed by a dessert potluck featuring cheesecake, a traditional food for Shavuot. (We suggest having dinner before coming.) We'll be done in time to watch the sunset at 8:18pm. RSVP here to find out the location.

In the photo below, members of CJC's Spirituality Chavurah met last night with a monk visiting from Uganda. We have a a regular "Sunday Sangha" that meets every Sunday at the Buddhist Center in Half Moon Bay at 6:45pm to meditate at 7pm. Last night, we had the good fortune to meet the monk who will be teaching in Berkeley and at Spirit Rock in the next few weeks. If you'd like to learn more about our Sunday Sangha, contact Reb Moshe.

Culinary Corner

Shavuot is the celebration of the receiving of the Torah and the wheat harvest. Both Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews uphold this celebration with dairy. My favorite dairy product - CHEESE!

Two-thirds of the world's population is lactose intolerant. If you are lucky enough to enjoy cheese, a current culinary buzz is the cheese tartlet. Puff pastry is cut into 4x4-inch squares and topped with either savory or sweet ingredients. Try this savory option or this sweet option. For those with dairy sensitivities, I didn't forget about you! Try this non-dairy tartlet option. For a quick, interesting read regarding Jews and their relationship with cheese, check out this article.

~ Theresa Strecker