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Thank you to our JCC SoCo Board and everyone who came out for a fun, and memorable Annual Meeting last night. Thank you to Marla Bakery for sharing their lovely space with us and providing such delicious nosh. We had a packed agenda, with lots to share and some important business to complete, and we managed to cover it all.
Congratulations Sandy Andresen on her upcoming retirement on June 30th.
Your heart, joy and songs will be missed.
Thank you Josh Katz for nearly 30 years of service on our Board of Directors.
Non-profits don't survive three decades without leadership like yours.
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JCC SOCO IS HIRING!
Come join us. We have new opportunity available for someone who cares deeply about community impact and wants hands-on experience in program administration, community engagement, and event coordination — all within a mission-driven nonprofit environment.
| | We are seeking a motivated and organized Program Coordinator to support the day-to-day operations of our programs and events. JCC SoCo is a community-based organization "without walls" — meaning we don't operate out of a traditional center. Employees work remotely when not on-site, and our events take place primarily in Santa Rosa, with occasional travel to other locations in Sonoma County. | | | | |
COMING UP: SONOMA COUNTY & BEYOND
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TORAH ON TAP
TODAY
THURS, JUNE 18 • 6:30 PM
Congregation Beth Ami, Santa Rosa
Study with Rabbi Ron Koas this week: Tonight, Thursday at 6:30 pm bring your snacks to Torah on Tap, we have the beverages.
On Saturday morning, Torah study is at 8:45 to 9:45 am
| | | There is no charge for Rabbi Koas' classes on Torah, Prophets, The Siddur, and
Introduction to Judaism See our calendar for dates. | | |
ISRAELI DANCING IS BACK!
MON, JUNE 22 • 7PM
Congregation Beth Ami, Santa Rosa
Please join Robin Lowitz, Leanne Schy and others in the wonderful art of Israeli dancing.
Cost is free for Beth Ami members; for non-members a suggested donation of $8 covers Beth Ami cost. Sliding scale available.
Dance socks over sneakers or jazz sneakers work well on the social hall floor.
| | For more information contact Robin directly at robinlowitz@yahoo.com. | | |
KABBALAT SHABBAT
FRI, JUNE 19 • 5 - 8 PM
St. Stephens Outdoor Sanctuary
We find ourselves in the gentle waning of Sivan, just beyond the fullness of the moon and the revelation of Shavuot. Sivan is the month of receiving Torah, of standing together at Sinai and listening for what is being asked of us now. The full moon has passed, yet revelation is rarely a single moment. Wisdom ripens as we carry it into our lives, integrating what we have heard and allowing it to take root in our relationships, choices, and daily practices.
We will soon gather for Kabbalat Shabbat as we approach the Summer Solstice and enter the Hebrew month of Tammuz. The days will be near their longest, the light abundant and overflowing. Tammuz invites us to consider what we do with that fullness. How do we carry the gifts we have received? How do we tend the fires of our lives with care, humility, and purpose?
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Join us for an evening of song, prayer, community, and Shabbat rest as we mark this seasonal threshold together.
We look forward to welcoming you.
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TISHA B'AV
SAT, JULY 18 • 6:30 - 10:30 PM
St. Stephens Outdoor Sanctuary
Tisha B'Av is the deepest well of grief in the Jewish calendar.
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This year, we will gather around sacred fire for an evening of communal grief tending. Sacred fire has accompanied the Jewish people throughout our history: fire on the altar, fire of revelation, fire of destruction, and fire that burns within each human heart.
On this night, we will enter the ritual first with teachings of Tisha B'Av, sacred fire, and the wisdom of grief as a pathway of healing. Then we will enter a space for song, silence, prayer, movement and tears.
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JUNETEENTH RESOURCES
FRIDAY, JUNE 19
(Juneteenth)
Juneteenth National Independence Day is a federally recognized holiday on the U.S. calendar, is a celebration of freedom and the end of enslavement in America. A mashup of the words “June” and “nineteenth,” it marks the day in 1865 when General Gordon Granger and his men marched into Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln two years earlier.
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Juneteenth Offers Us A Day For Celebration, Reflection, And Healing
by Rabbi Sandra Lawson
Rabbi Sandra Lawson explains the significance of Juneteenth and why it is important for Jewish individuals and communities to join in its celebration.
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MITZVOT & THE PATH OF THE BODHISATTVA - A Jewish & Buddhist Conversation
TUES, JUNE 23 • 12 - 1:30 PM
Beit Midrash Zoom Classroom
A Conversation With
Reb Judith Goleman And Basha Hirschfeld
In Judaism we are “commanded" to do certain things, to keep aligned with God's wishes for the world. These commandments are called mitzvot. They include everything from daily prayers to visiting the sick.
In Buddhism we are told, “If you want to be happy, think of others.”
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Both belief systems help us to open our hearts to others, but they approach it in very different ways.
Join Reb Judith Goleman and Basha Hirschfeld as they explore the similarities and differences in the Jewish and Buddhist approaches to doing good deeds.
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NINA BONOS
SOLO EXHIBITION -
Coming Soon in San Francisco
JUNE 28 - SEPT 30, 2026
Rhoda Goldman Plaza Art Gallery
2180 Post Street, San Francisco
SUN, JUNE 28 • 2 - 4 PM Artist Reception
SUN, AUG 30 • 3:30 PM Artist Talk
Rhoda Goldman Plaza presents first San Francisco solo exhibit by Judaic Artist Nina Bonos. Sacred Species and Trees of Life celebrates ancient Jewish symbols and traditions, creating a bridge between the natural worlds of Northern California and Israel.
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SUMMER MEET & GREET - Tuesday Night Farmers Market on the Plaza
TUES, JULY 28 • 5 PM
(+ 8.25)
Northeast Corner by Bear Flag Monument,
Sonoma Plaza
The beautiful season of Sonoma Plaza Farmers Markets is arriving and we hope you'll stop by and say "hello", or even better, plan to join Shir Shalom:
Bring family and friends, blankets, and chairs, and enjoy the long warm evening, good food and music.
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