Weekly Newsletter

January 30, 2025

1 Shevat 5785 | Parshat Bo


OrShalomSF.org

415-469-5542

333 Cortland Ave, SF, CA 94110

Coming Up Soon...


Sat 2/1,10:00 am

Reparations Shabbat Morning Torah Service, lunch, panel discussion

RSVP.


Fri 2/7, 5:30 pm

Healing Half Hour, Shabbat Service & Potluck at NVM

1021 Sanchez St


Sun 2/9, 10:00 am

Tu B'Shevat Seder

& Family Program

at Precita Park

RSVP


Sun 2/9, 2 pm

Jewish Approaches to End of Life with Rabbi Me'irah

at Sinai Memorial Chapel

RSVP


Wed 2/12, 6:30 pm

Embodied Tu B'Shevat

at 331 Cortland Ave

RSVP

Recurring Events


Kvetch & Kvell crafting

2nd/4th Mondays, 4:00pm

Zoom link + KVETCH


Torah Study Zoominyan

Thursdays, 10:00 am

Zoom Link + THURSDAY

Explore our Calendar

Become a member

Reparations Shabbaton

Saturday, Feb 1, 10:00 am-3:00 pm

331 Cortland Ave



Join Or Shalom Jewish Community and Reconstructionist Communities from across the country for a Reparations Shabbat.


In January of 2023, Reconstructing Judaism, the official organization of the Reconstructionist movement, passed a Resolution on Reparations, committing the movement to the work of grappling with racial harm in this country and engaging in material acts of accountability. Reparations Shabbat weekend is a movement-wide focus on reparations that is aimed at facilitating ongoing congregational study and action.


As a part of this effort, Or Shalom is pleased to invite you to:

  • 10 am-12:30 pm Shabbat morning services. As a part of services, we will study Parshat Bo as a model for Reparations
  • 12:30 pm-1:30 pm Catered lunch by and conversation with The Vegan Hood Chefs
  • 1:30 pm-3 pm Panel discussion with Eric McDonnell, Chair for the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee, and Chris Lodgson, lead organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California


Please join us for the whole day, or the part of the day that calls most to you! For more information and to register, click here.


We are collecting donations for this event, which will be split between The Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) and The Vegan Hood Chefs. Please donate via the registration form.


Accessibility Information: There are no steps to enter this space. Masks highly recommended when not eating and drinking.

Youth and Family Programs

Meet the teachers: Nicolia Mehrling


Nicolia (they/them & she/her), our Sunday Family Program educator, was born and raised in the SF Bay Area but didn't get involved in Jewish life until their adulthood. Hearing about halakha (Jewish law) convinced her that Jewish tradition was full of gems. After a year of learning with Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, Nicolia began to lead workshops on liturgy, Hebrew and Jewish traditions. Read more about Nicolia on our website.

Tu B'Shevat Seder & Program

Sunday, February 9th from 10 am-12 pm

Precita Park (at 333 Cortland* in case of inclement weather)


Join Sunday Family Program Teacher Nicolia and Head of Youth and Family Education Sarah Moss for a Tu B’Shevat Seder and program at Precita Park. This event is geared towards families with kids ages 5-12 and open to all, and is part of the Or Shalom Community School Community and Family Education Program. Please RSVP so we know how much fruit and juice to bring!


Tu B’Shevat, also known as the New Year of the Trees, is an opportunity to get outside and understand Judaism’s relationship with nature and our teachers–the trees–while the seder is a mystical overlay that guides us through a practice of eating and drinking fruits to bring us into deeper connection with ourselves, one another, and the mystery of the universe.

Upcoming Events

Healing Half Hour, Shabbat Service and Vegetarian Potluck

Friday, February 7, 5:30 pm

Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez St.


Join us for lively musical services with R' Faryn and the Music Ensemble! Community member Shaya French will give the d'var Torah, sharing disability wisdom on the parting of the sea, in honor of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month. Before our Shabbat service, join us for a Healing Half- Hour sponsored by the Or Shalom Ceasefire Circle*. After the service, enjoy Shabbat dinner with your fellow Or Shalomers. Bring a vegetarian dish and reusable dishware for our post-service vegetarian potluck.


Can you be a greeter to warmly welcome guests at a Shabbat Service at Noe Valley Ministry? Click here to pick a date to volunteer to be a Shabbat greeter.


5:30 pm: Healing Half Hour

6:00 pm: Shabbat service

7:30 pm: Vegetarian potluck


Accessibility Information: NVM is ADA accessible.

Masks strongly recommended when not eating or drinking


*The Or Shalom Ceasefire Circle is a space for Or Shalom members who are in support of a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine to learn together and organize toward a just peace in the region. Currently, we are working to help an injured young man, Hussam and his mother, Raeda, in Gaza. We have Zoomed, talked and texted with Hussam and Raeda, as well as successfully sent funds, and we are looking to raise more funds to support their emergency needs. 

School of Jewish-Living Arts with Rabbi Me'irah:

Jewish Approaches to End of Life

Sunday, Feb 9, 2-4 pm

Sinai Memorial Chapel, 1501 Divisadero St, SF


In the final session of this series, Why Shmirah & Burial? we'll take a field trip to Sinai Memorial Chapel. Our guest speaker, Holly-Blue Hawkins, will teach us about green burial/Jewish Burial, and cremation. RSVP for more details.

Embodied Tu B’Shevat with R’ Faryn and Gail Gurewitz

Wednesday, February 12, 6:30-8:00 pm

331 Cortland Ave


Join us for a transformative Tu B'Shevat gathering that invites you to connect deeply with the natural world and your inner self. Through prayer and conversation, we will honor the New Year for the Trees and explore the spiritual wisdom that nature offers. This sacred time will open our hearts to growth, reflection, renewal, and awakening of life force (hiyyut), guided by Jewish tradition and the vibrant energy of this meaningful holiday.


Led by member Gail Gurewitz and R’ Faryn, this Embodied Spiritual Practice will incorporate gentle yoga and moving meditation designed to awaken your senses and ground your spirit. Whether you're new to this practice or a seasoned participant, come ready to grow, stretch, and flourish together in harmonious community. Register here.


*This session is intended for all bodies and levels of ability (you are welcome to sit in a chair). Please bring a yoga mat and other props if you have them, meditation or other pillow, a journal or paper and pen.


Accessibility Information: There are no steps to enter this space.

Welcoming the Immigrant:

Jewish Ethics in the Face of Rising Nationalism

Annual Rosenzweig-Apelbaum Ethics Lecture

with Rabbi Armin Langer, Ph.D.

Sunday, February 23, 2025, 10:00 am

SF Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St

Join Or Shalom Jewish Community at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center's Fisher Hall for a lecture by Rabbi Armin Langer, Ph.D., in which he will explore the Jewish concept of the "resident alien" (ger) and how this legal category could inform and be in conversation with contemporary migration discourse.


Kosher buffet brunch provided starting at 10:00 am, prior to the lecture starting at 10:30 am. 


For more information and to register, click here.

Introducing OS Connect, Or Shalom's VIrtual Bulletin Board

Designed to strengthen our connections, this member-only space will function like a virtual bulletin board, serving as a hub for sharing and discovering opportunities, supporting one another, and building community.


What you can do in this group

  • Promote Non-Or Shalom Events: Share details about and invite others to cultural gatherings, workshops, or other activities in the broader community that may interest members (especially if you are helping to lead these programs!)
  • Make Requests or Offers: Need a ride to services? Looking for a new dentist? Have a piano to give away? This group is a place to seek help or offer support within our community.


How to join and use OS Connect

  • Click the button below to accept the Community Guidelines and provide your contact information. The office will alert you when you have been added to the group.

Once you have been added, you can post to it like any other Google Group by sending an email to OSConnect@orshalomsf.org. Everyone in this group will receive your post. 

You can also access this group via your Google Groups page.

  • Choose how you’d like to stay updated: receive individual emails, a daily digest, or browse posts directly via the Google Group site.
Join OS Connect

Tikkun Olam Corner

Volunteers Needed

Interfaith Winter Shelter Project

Wednesday, March 19, 3:00 – 9:00 pm

 

Two shifts of volunteers are needed: 3-5pm cooking at an OS members' home; and 6-9pm serving dinner at the Quaker Meeting House, 65 9th St. To volunteer or donate drinks, dessert or fruit, please contact Bryna Rifkind at brynabr@gmail.com ASAP.

OS Chesed Circle Volunteer Site Click here to join


Assist Or Shalom members with visits, rides and meals.

Questions? Email Madeleine at madelevin@gmail.com.

Community

Help our community find a great tenant!

If you or anyone you know are looking for a home, check out our listing for the one-bedroom cottage behind Or Shalom on Cortland Ave, steps away from shops, restaurants & cafes, grocers, parks, public transportation, and the public library.

Or Shalom Bulletin

Schedule a one-on-one with R' Faryn by clicking here

Tzedakah

We gratefully acknowledge these contributions from our community:

When making a donation online, please be sure to specify where to allocate.

Carol Small & Ernest Jensen, in support of the School of Jewish Living Arts

Robin Roth, in memory of Garrett D'loia and David Gershan

Zehava Dahan, in memory of Rosa Shoshana Shmuel

Bonnie Willdorf, in memory of Abe and Lillian Offner

Stephen Gerard, in memory of Paulette Mansfield

Judy Olasov, in memory of Ann Zorn

Wendy Thurm & David Greene, in memory of Irwin Greene and Judah Roseman

Beth Mills, in memory of Benjamin Solow

Yahrzeits

On the anniversary of their deaths, we remember:

Abe Offner, Al Sion, Albert Glassman, Elaine Carter, Hattie Green Shulman, Herman Boren, Howard Wolen, Jaclin Burtzlaff, Lillian Offner, Mark Itelson, Max Ruchames, Michael Mitchel, Natalie Gavrin Nixon, Sophye Patla Olasov, Stacy Marger, Stacy Marger, Suzanne Rosenblatt

Or Shalom Jewish Community

(415) 469 - 5542

Lisa Garbus, Board President

Rabbi Faryn Borella, Rabbi

Lillian Markind Executive Director

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To submit an Or Shalom group-sponsored event for the newsletter, email newsletter@orshalomsf.org

by the Monday before you want it to be included.

* Events marked with an asterisk are held at 333 Cortland Ave, a building which requires climbing 21 steps to access. If this poses a barrier to entry for you, please email rabbifaryn@orshalomsf.org with at least 5 days notice. Read our full accessibility notice here.