All of Us at Sinai
We are thrilled to be hosting a community-WIDE celebration on Tuesday, June 11 at 6:00 p.m. in collaboration with Sherith Israel, Temple Emanu El, Congregation Ner Tamid, Sha’ar Zahav, Congregation Am Tikvah, and the JCCSF. Join our community for learning, candle lighting, songs, and nosh. Scroll for learning session descriptions.
Temple Emanu-El and Congregation Sha’ar Zahav are offering Zoom learning sessions. Please see their synagogue websites for details.
6:00 p.m.
Beth Sholom: Family Program with Adam Lowy and Ben Lieberman
Engage your senses, bodies and spirits with the BIG IDEAS of Shavuot! Build Mt. Sinai, solve the All Of Us At Sinai puzzle, Put the Ten Commandments in Order (and beat the clock!), and make ice cream from scratch using your strong, shaking arms. Learn and be learned — it will be sweet and fun!
7:00 p.m.
JCCSF: “Unlocking Timeless Wisdom: Discover Meaning and Relevance of Shavuot in Your Life” with Carey Averbook
Join us, young adults in our 20s and 30s, as we delve into the significance of Shavuot within the Jewish calendar. Beyond its traditional roots in the Hebrews' journey from Egypt and following the counting of the omer, Shavuot marks a moment of renewal and reception, as we embrace the Torah anew. In this immersive workshop, we will explore the wisdom of Shavuot and seek guidance for our own journeys. Through text study, contemplative practice, and chevrutah (partner) discussions, we will connect with the essence of Shavuot and lay groundwork for its ongoing relevance in our lives, addressing questions that you are navigating in life, whether they are about purpose, relationships, life's complexities, existential meaning, or anything else. Join us as we open ourselves to receive and embrace the transformative potential of Shavuot.
Ner Tamid: “Ruth — Woman of Valor” with Rabbi Shana Chandler Leon
Ruth is the only person in the Bible explicitly called an “eshet chayil.” We honor her story, read traditionally on Shavuot, and how it has inspired art, poetry, and discussions of the role of women in biblical times and to this very day.
JCCSF: “Living YOUR Torah in the Real World: A bissele Mishnah on the topic” with Rabbi Batshir Torchio
Within one of the collections of Jewish wisdom we find a fellow called Rabbi Yose ben Kisma who has something to say about the difference between studying Torah and living Torah. We’ll meet up with Kisma and wonder together what lengths we might go in order to be close to Torah – or – under what circumstances we might distance ourselves from it entirely.
“Four Divine Massacres: Christian and Jewish Responses to The Flood, Sodom, the Midianite Slaughter, the Revenge Against Amalek, — and the Dutchman Who Got God Acquitted!” with Rabbi Martin Levin
Rabbi Moshe Levin will take us through ancient and contemporary commentaries that respond to four divine decrees that would be regarded as abhorrent to most modern values.
But not to all.
Rabbi Levin is the Rabbi Emeritus of Cong. Beth El of La Jolla and Cong. Ner Tamid in San Francisco. A JTS graduate, he was an Air Force Chaplain in the Vietnam War and served three major Conservative congregations before settling in San Francisco.
Possible repeat at 10:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
Community Gathering, Candle Lighting, Singing and Nosh
Bring all of the communities together for some beautiful communal singing and to welcome in the holiday with candle lighting. Meet each other over delicious dairy nosh.
9:00 p.m.
Sherith Israel: “Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel on the Enduring Difficulty of Believing” with Rabbi George Altshuler
We’ll look at how three stories Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel tells in the book he wrote shortly before his death, A Passion for Truth, describe the challenges of maintaining faith during dark times.
Beth Sholom: “For the Sake of Argument: Making Space for Each Other” with Rabbi Amanda Russell
Sha’ar Zahav: “Queering Qabbalah” with Rabbi Mychal Copeland
This Shavuot of Pride month, we’ll explore how gender and sexuality play out on the magnificent stage of the Zohar. This fantastical work of Jewish mysticism presents a deity who is a “multi-gendered, transgendering, hermaphroditic drag queen, wearing the masks of different genders at different times, and seeking partners who do the same….” No experience or background necessary!
10:00 p.m.
Emanu-El: “Poetry in Crossing Borders” Rabbi Noah Westreich
Am Tikvah: “The Evolution of Ger Toshav and Multifaith Inclusion” with Rabbi Chayva Lehrman
The Jewish community has a long history of internal religious diversity, dating back to the Exodus from Egypt. This class will study the legal and social status of the Ger Toshav, the "stranger" who dwells among the community, through Tanakh, Talmud, Medieval Commentaries, and creative, inclusive usage of this concept today.