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Weekly Newsletter
January 8, 2026
18 Tevet 5786 | Parshat Vayechi
| | | | | 333 Cortland Ave, SF, CA 94110 | |
Shabbat Morning Service & Torah Chanting Class Graduation
Saturday, January 10, 10 AM - 12:30 PM
331 Cortland Ave
Come gather for a Shabbat morning service led by Rabbi Faryn in our newly-renovated space at 331 Cortland Ave! We will pray, set intentions and celebrate Rabbi Me'irah's Torah Chanting Class as its participants chant Torah for the first time (or the first time in a while)!
Bring a vegetarian dish and reusable dishware for our post-service vegetarian potluck 12:30 – 1:30 pm.
For more information and to register, click here.
⚠️ Food Disclaimer: To ensure inclusivity and accommodate dietary needs, all potluck dishes must be accompanied by a full list of ingredients.
♿ Health & Accessibility Info: Or Shalom is now ADA Accessible. Please review our COVID Policy.
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Sunday Family Program
Sunday, January 11, 10 AM - 12 PM
Spreckels Lake, Spreckels Lake Dr & 36th Ave
Everyone is welcome to join us this Sunday at 10am at Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park! We’ll dive into Golems and ideas of protection, with hands-on learning and time exploring the park together. Come learn, move, and connect in nature!
The Sunday Family Program welcomes the whole family to explore the cycle of the Jewish year in contemporary times. We explore what Judaism looks like in our lives today, within our communities in the here and now. We welcome children of all ages, and our programming is geared towards kids ages 4-10.
Please contact our Sunday Family Program Instructor, Ben Lieberman, at (949) 838-7342 if you have any questions on the day of.
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Alternative Shabbat
Friday, January 16, 6 - 7:30 PM
331 Cortland Ave
RSVP
Join Rabbi Faryn for our first Alternative Shabbat, where we will dive more deeply into Kabbalat Shabbat. Kabbalat Shabbat is the first half of a Friday night service, and consists of a series of 8 psalms, interspersed with familiar mystical incantations such as Yedid Nefesh, Ana Bekoach, and Lecha Dodi, all that weave together to tell a story. Join to learn more about Kabbalat Shabbat and to spend some time with each and every psalm and song of the service.
Alternative Shabbat is a space where Rabbi Faryn introduces new prayer modalities to the community. Our current musical services hybridize different forms of prayer, including song, chant, nigun, meditation, study, silence, and more, accompanied by our full Music Ensemble. Alternative Shabbat will be a space to dive into any one of these modalities or others more deeply and fully. For example, what would it be like for a whole service to be a guided meditation through the parshah? Or the entire Shabbat to be celebrated solely in wordless melody (nigunim)? Or for us to spend time with every single word of the prayer service, whether sung, chanted, or whispered silently to ourselves?
To learn more and to RSVP, click here. Registration is appreciated but not required.
⚠️ Food Note: There will be no happy half hour before or dinner after this service, but we will do kiddush.
♿ Health & Accessibility Info: Or Shalom is now ADA Accessible. Please review our COVID Policy.
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Reconstructing Torah with Rabbi Faryn
Wednesday, January 14, 7 - 8:30 PM
331 Cortland Ave
As our tradition teaches, the Torah is a tree of life. It is considered by many to be the one thing that unifies Jews through time and space, that we all have some relationship to Torah. Torah can be a source of wisdom, ethics, justice — a guidebook to a moral life. Yet, as we all have seen, Torah can also be used as a tool of and as justification for (all kinds of) violence.
So, in this class, we will explore: What exactly is T/torah? How has it evolved throughout time? What have been the tools that have allowed for its evolution? And how can we be a part of the evolutionary process today?
Or, put another way, what is the Torah the world needs now?
A sliding scale donation of $18–$180 per person is suggested. No one turned away for lack of funds.
For more information and to register, click here. This course will last for eight weeks.
⚠️ Late Registration: If you are joining for the second session, please reach out to R’ Faryn to get caught up before the next session, after which registration will close.
♿ Health & Accessibility Info: Or Shalom is now ADA Accessible. Please review our COVID Policy.
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Nosh & Learn with the Southside Jewish Collaborative
Thursday, January 15, 12 - 1:30 PM
Ner Tamid, 1250 Quintara St
Come nosh, learn, and join in hands-on social action! Each month, the Southside Jewish Collaborative — a partnership between Or Shalom, Am Tikvah, and Ner Tamid — gathers for learning, community, and preparing lunch bags for unhoused San Franciscans.
This month’s teaching will be led by R’ Shana of Ner Tamid. The Collaborative has been thriving for more than a decade, bringing our congregations together across denominations to live out shared Jewish values and strengthen our collective impact.
♿ Accessibility Information: Ner Tamid is ADA accessible.
For more information on the history of the Southside Jewish Collaborative, click here.
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MLK2026 Commemorative March
Monday, January 19, beginning at 10:30 AM
San Francisco Caltrain Station, 700 4th St
March with us as we commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and reaffirm our shared commitment to justice, equity, and civil rights. This symbolic 1.5-mile march echoes the historic Selma to Montgomery March and concludes at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Yerba Buena Gardens.
Monday, January 19, 2026
Meet at 10:30 am | March begins at 11:00 am
Starting point:
San Francisco Caltrain Station, 700 4th Street
Or Shalom meeting spot:
Bike rack next to the Caltrain BikeHub
311 Townsend Street (between 4th & 5th)
Or Shalom will march together with our banner. All are welcome. Information about the March and the NorCal MLK Foundation can be found here.
For information about the Or Shalom delegation, please contact Debbie Benrubi.
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Bringing the Olive Harvest Home
Sunday, January 25, 3 - 4:30 PM
331 Cortland Ave
RSVP
The Ceasefire Circle invites you to a special opportunity to hear from several Bay Area Jewish activists who recently traveled with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence (CJNV) to the West Bank to support Palestinian farmers and families during the olive harvest. These activists joined CJNV in their work to build deep relationships of solidarity between Jews and Palestinians through direct acts of nonviolent co-resistance in Israel/Palestine. Taking actions like supporting the olive harvest are vital to lay the groundwork for a future of freedom, justice, and equality in the land.
During this free event, you'll hear about:
- How some Palestinians are using a cooperative model to achieve food sovereignty and economic independence even under occupation
- How settler violence and state oppression impacts Palestinians' lives
- The role of Israelis and Jews from the diaspora in on-the-ground co-resistance work, as well as support from afar
- Taste some Palestinian olive oil and hear about its journey from harvest to here
- And have a chance to ask questions
Learn more about the project here: https://cjnv.org/olive-harvest/
This program is organized by Or Shalom’s Ceasefire Circle and moderated by Chase Carter, Development & Communications Director of CJNV and fellow Or Shalom member.
For more information and to register, click here.
♿ Health & Accessibility Info: Or Shalom is now ADA Accessible. Please review our COVID Policy.
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Jewish-Muslim Coexistence in Morocco
Thursday, January 15, 7 - 8 PM
331 Cortland Ave
Jewish-Muslim Coexistence for Millenia? Yes, in Morocco!
Join us Thursday, January 15th from 7-8 pm in 331 Cortland.
Bonnie Willdorf and Robin Roth will share what they learned on a 2-week tour of Morocco (plus research). Photos and commentary on the fascinating but little-known Jewish history of Morocco, where Jews and Muslims, Arabs and Amazigh (Berbers) were close and friendly neighbors.
Please register here for this free, in person event.
For more information, please contact the event organizers, Bonnie and Robin.
♿ Health & Accessibility Info: Or Shalom is now ADA Accessible. Please review our COVID Policy.
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Reconstructing Judaism's B'Yachad Convention
Thursday, March 12 through Sunday, March 15, 2026
Philadelphia, PA
In turbulent times, we need one another. The Reconstructing Judaism B’Yachad Convention March 12-15, 2026, in Philadelphia is our opportunity to rekindle our light, nurture our joy, and shape together a vibrant, evolving Jewish future rooted in belonging and possibility.
What to expect:
- A warm, welcoming gathering where you’ll renew bonds with old friends and make new connections.
- Thoughtful, engaging program tracks and plenaries aligned with our values of inclusion, innovation, and community.
- Meaningful opportunities to reflect on who we are—and who we want to become—together.
- A joyful, spirited Shabbat service to celebrate what it means to belong and to build together.
Register Now!
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Help Shape Our Shabbat Rhythm
Our Shabbat rhythm is powered by you, our amazing members. There are several meaningful ways to host, each offering a different doorway into Shabbat. Dates for 2026 are open!
Host a Happy Half-Hour for Musical Shabbat
A joyful way to honor loved ones, mark a milestone, or simply support our Musical Shabbat gatherings by hosting a pre-service happy hour.
sign up here
Host Traveling Shabbat
Open your home and help create an intimate, shared Shabbat dinner experience. Traveling Shabbat happens every fourth Friday and is one of our most beloved community traditions.
Sign up here
Host a Havurah Shabbat
Our newest Shabbat offering. Havurah Shabbat is an open Shabbat on the second Friday of each month for Havurot to host their own Shabbatot or for folks to experiment with Shabbat in their own way. Gather in your own spaces or in our space on Cortland or use our Zoom Pro account to gather virtually.
Sign up here
Interested in forming your own Havurah? Reach out to our Membership Coordinator to get the ball rolling.
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Staff & Office Updates
To support your record-keeping and tax preparation, we will email donation acknowledgment letters for the 2025 calendar year by January 15. These letters will detail your generous contributions and serve as official documentation for tax purposes.
Want to connect with us? Use the links below to schedule a time:
📅 Have an idea for an event? Submit a request.
🕯️ Sign up to lead a Zoom/on-site Havurah Shabbat here.
🧳 Sign up to host a Traveling Shabbat here
🤲 Add a loved one to our Healing List here.
💍 Getting married? Request our Community Chuppah!
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Tzedakah
We gratefully acknowledge these contributions from our community:
When making a donation online, please be sure to specify where to allocate.
Leslie Roffman, in honor of Julie Brook
Stephen Gerard, in memory of Paulette Mansfield
Judy Olasov, in memory of Ann Zorn
Robin Roth, in memory of Eli Shul
Ruth Maginnis, in memory of Bill Maginnis
Corey Weinstein, in memory of Florence Weinstein
Gloria & Hans Kolbe-Saltzman, in memory of Joachim Seppi Neumann
Beth Mills, in memory of Benjamin Solow
Steve & Roz Itelson, in memory of Esther Itelson
David Greene & Wendy, Moze, Chloe, in memory of Irwin Greene
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Yahrzeits
The community extends its comfort to Gail Gurewitz, on the death of her sister, Jill Rosenheim Hurwitz
On the anniversary of their deaths, we remember:
Rosita Alarcon, Pierre Jeremy Barolette, Mark Brickman, Garrett DiAloia, Ben Fine, David Gershan, Edith Gideon, Percy Goldstein, Ida C. Hirschberg, Paulette Mansfield, Dave Pleaner, Al Sion, Julian Wager, Ann Zorn
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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.
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