LIFE CYCLE EVENTS

  • Welcoming a Son

    Eight days after the birth of a son, parents enter their baby boy into the covenant between the Jewish people and G-d through the ritual of brit milah (literally, the “covenant of circumcision”). According to our tradition, this practice began with Abraham. The brit milah (also known by its Yiddish shorthand, bris) is a positive commandment of the Torah, and is carried out even if the eighth day falls on Shabbat, a Festival, or Yom Kippur — it’s just that important!

    The ritual is performed by a mohel (a religious specialist in circumcision) in either the home or synagogue. The ceremony consists of a blessing recited by the mohel upon performing the milah, blessings recited by a parent or parents, and a blessing in which the boy is given his Hebrew name. Following the ceremony, many families share a festive seudat mitzvah (a sacred meal shared after a communal mitzvah or other joyous event).

    It is customary for the family to be invited to the synagogue sometime after the brit milah is performed so that they can be given an aliyah (be called to the Torah) and the baby can be introduced to the greater community and offered a rabbinic blessing. Rabbi Russell is happy to assist any Beth Sholom members with the planning and officiating of this joyous lifecycle event.

    To schedule a brit milah, please email the CBS office.

    Welcoming a Daughter

    In our Conservative, egalitarian community there are many options for welcoming a daughter into the covenant. There is no prescribed time for holding a covenant ceremony for a daughter; many families choose a time that is most convenient to gather relatives and friends, while some choose to celebrate this ritual on the 8th day, just like a baby boy. We suggest that you not wait too long, for this ritual is intended to both name the child and welcome her into the covenant of the Jewish people.

    And how? Some bring the baby to morning minyan or to Shabbat services to name their baby in community with an aliyah. Mothers and fathers are together called to the Torah for an aliyah with the baby girl. Mothers may also choose to publicly recite birkat hagomel, the blessing said upon safely passing through a dangerous experience such as childbirth.

    CBS clergy can assist our members with covenant and naming ceremonies that may be performed in the synagogue or the home. We encourage families to draw on the wealth of innovative ritual and liturgy available so that they can design a ceremony that is personally meaningful.

    To schedule a naming ceremony, please email the CBS office.

  • Congregation Beth Sholom celebrates each Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, and B’Mitzvah with great joy.

    We view the period of B’nai Mitzvah training as a time for all family members to deepen their connection to our community. Our priority is to ensure that this milestone is a positive educational and ritual experience for both the students and their families.

    If you’re interested in having your child’s B’nai Mitzvah celebrated at CBS in the next few years, please contact Rabbi Amanda Russell soon to reserve your date! Meanwhile, learn more about our two-year B’nai Mitzvah Education Program below.

    B’nai Mitzvah Education

    Our two-year B’nai Mitzvah program strives not only to prepare your student for the day itself, but to teach your child what it means to be Jewish today at CBS, in San Francisco and in our modern world. That being said, we realize that there are real skills that each student needs to master before they stand before our community. Over the course of two years, students will master skills in each of the following three topics:

    Prayer: Students will be provided with the skills necessary to be able to walk into any synagogue service and be able to “hold their own.” They will learn the ins and outs of a typical service, including but not limited to Shabbat morning davenning, Torah blessings and an introduction to Torah trope (how to chant the Torah).

    Parashah: Students will be provided with the skills necessary to communicate with our tradition, to ask big questions of our texts and to relate these texts to their own lives and the lives of others. They will learn the distinction between p’shat (exact reading) and d’rash (interpretive reading), become familiar with distinguishing characteristics of torah commentators and begin to think about what it means to have their own voice regarding our Torah.

    Participation: Students will be provided with the skills necessary to be an active participant in our Jewish community. This includes being given the skills to participate fully in our services, holiday and community events and social action.

    Contact Adam Lowy, Lifelong Learning Moreh Derech

    B’nai Mitzvah Resources

    B’nai Mitzvah Handbook
    Tefilah Recording

    We look forward to accompanying you along this extraordinary journey. Mazel Tov!

  • If you are considering converting to Judaism, we’re here to welcome and guide you through the process.

    Our conversion program requires that each prospective convert attend our Intro to Judaism course. The engaging, university-accredited class combines evening lectures and holiday events, offering students a broad spectrum of didactic and experiential learning. In addition to the course, candidates meet with one of our rabbis to discuss their motivations, thoughts, and experiences about the conversion process.

    After one full year of living Jewishly — experiencing the full cycle of holidays, immersing themselves in Jewish community and ideas, and practicing as a Jew — the candidate will work with a rabbi (either at CBS or elsewhere in the community) to decide when and if the time is right for conversion. The final steps of the conversion process are: brit milah or hatafat dam brit (if the convert was assigned male at birth); a meeting with a beit din (rabbinic court of three rabbis); and mikveh (a ritual bath).

    If you begin this process when the Intro to Judaism class is not in session, you may still meet with our rabbi to explore the diversity of Jewish life in the Bay Area. Should you decide that our community best suits you and wish to begin the conversion process at Beth Sholom, you can join the class when it starts. The first step is to make an appointment to meet with the rabbis.

    Interested in exploring conversion at CBS? Tell us a little bit about yourself by emailing rabbi@bethsholomsf.org.

  • You hope that your wedding will be one of the most intimate and significant moments of your life. Finding the right rabbi to officiate, then — well, it’s no mean task! Just choosing wedding flowers can be a saga!

    Our rabbi is available for counseling and guidance at any stage of your relationship, engagement, or wedding planning. We encourage you to meet with her as a couple. The meeting is an opportunity for you to learn about her style and approach, and for her to learn a little about you.

    As a rabbi affiliated with the Conservative movement, she only officiates at weddings of two Jewish people. Nevertheless, if you are a couple in which only one person is Jewish, you should still reach out! Our community is sincere in its desire to serve everyone, especially those that are trying to bring Judaism into their lives in whatever form.

    If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment with our rabbi, let us know.

  • Death of a Loved One

    The death of a loved one is a central moment in the life of every individual or family. If you or someone you love is suffering from a terminal illness, CBS clergy are available for counseling and guidance. You can schedule an appointment with Rabbi Richman here, or schedule an appointment with Rabbi Russell here. Our clergy and community are also committed to assisting and guiding families through the process of death and bereavement as much as a family wishes.

    Our Jewish bereavement process is time-tested (over millenia!). Shemira (caring for and watching over the deceased until burial), the funeral, sitting shiva (the week-long mourning period following the death of a close relative), the year of mourning, yahrzeits (the annual remembrance of your loved one’s death) — these Jewish rituals of death and bereavement help guide us toward healing and through terrible moments of loss. The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism has prepared this comprehensive guide to Jewish funeral practice which serves as a helpful reference.

    When a loved one dies, please call our executive director at (415) 940-7092. We will discuss what kind of bereavement rituals you wish to observe. Please also call Sinai Memorial Chapel on their 24/7 accessible line: 877-895-0359. Additionally, shiva.com offers a selection of tools and resources to help you honor and commemorate your departed loved ones.

    If you would like to have the name of a deceased loved one inscribed on our Sanctuary’s beautiful yahrzeit wall or included in the annual reprint of our Yizkor book, please let us know.

    Blessing the Terminally Ill

    Many people are unaware of the Jewish ritual of vidui, a prayer said by someone who is likely approaching the moment of death. Our clergy are available to help someone recite the vidui, or to recite it over a person in the presence of family. While the ability to face the onset of death openly varies among individuals, please know that you can call on us to discuss this and other matters.