Coming Soon at BIJ!
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The BIJ office is open Tuesday – Thursday, 10 am – 5 pm, and Fridays, 10 am – 4 pm. We close for most Jewish holidays. Call 415.586.8833 or email office@bij.org.
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Note: Transportation assistance to BIJ is available to congregants. Don’t miss out on services or events because you no longer drive at night, or don’t drive at all any more. Contact the office or Lynne Rappaport at lynnerappa@aol.com.
THIS WEEK….
Mindfulness Meditation
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 1:00 – 1:30 pm
Meets every Wednesday afternoon on an ongoing basis
Lunch & Learn adult education series, followed by sandwich making
Thursday, Dec. 21, 12:00 pm, B’nai Emunah, 46th & Taraval
Designed for people with flexible schedules who would like to come to the synagogue for a bite, learn with the rabbis, and socialize. A light lunch is provided, followed by sandwich making for our hunger relief project at 1:30 pm. Rotates among the three locations of the Southside Jewish Collaborative temples and their respective rabbis. This month Rabbi Katie Mizrahi of Or Shalom leads the program, held at B’nai Emunah, 46th & Taraval.
Shabbat in the ‘Hood (no Erev Shabbat service at BIJ)
Friday, Dec. 22, 7:30 pm
We take our Shabbat service “on the road” to different neighborhoods in San Francisco and the Peninsula. Members host the chavurah-style service in their home, led by Rabbi Gottlieb and Ricki Weintraub. Come join us. Contact the office at office@bij.org for details about each month’s location. Tonight’s gathering is in San Francisco in Ingleside Terrace.
Shabbat Morning Torah Study and Service
Saturday, Dec. 23, 8:45 am Torah Study; 10:00 am Service
Join Rabbi Gottlieb each Shabbat morning at 8:45 for an accessible Torah study session, and then be right on time for Shabbat services led by Rabbi Gottlieb.
“Fiddler on the Roof” Movie & Sing-along, plus Chinese food buffet dinner!
Sun. Dec. 24, two showings at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm/dinner 6:00 – 7:00 pm
It’s time for our rip-roaring “Fiddler On the Roof” Sing-Along and Chinese Food Buffet Dinner! Serenade your holiday spirit … or your holiday chagrin! You’ll be sure to laugh as you belt out your all-time favorites like “Tradition” and “To Life,” among many others. Join us at this fundraiser event for our B3 religious school youth program. Choose between two showings (179 minutes), an afternoon or evening program–dinner included with either, from 6 pm to 7 pm. Cocktails, wine, beer, and soft drinks for sale. Doors open at 2 pm. Advance tickets are $25 general, $10 seniors 65+ and children 4-12. Tickets at the door are $30/$15. https://bij.org/events-donations/registration
NEXT WEEK…
Mindfulness Meditation
Wednesday, Dec. 27, 1:00 – 1:30 pm
Meets every Wednesday afternoon on an ongoing basis
Volunteer at St. Anthony’s
Wednesday, Dec. 27, 9:15 am to 1:45 pm. 121 Golden Gate Ave., SF
The Southside Jewish Collaborative is looking for volunteers to participate in our annual mitzvah to assist the needy during the holidays at St. Anthony’s. This year we are helping serve the Dining Room meal. Right now we need at least four more volunteers. If you are interested, please e-mail Steve Roditti for more details.
Friday Night Feast – Report on BIJ Israel Trip
Friday, Dec. 29, 6:30 pm
Join us for a free catered Shabbat feast, sponsored by Sisterhood–The Women of BIJ. We welcome Shabbat with tableside blessings, enjoy delicious fare and each others’ company. After the birkat hamazon, grace after the meal, a special program takes place. This month, the group who traveled to Israel with Rabbi and Ricki in October will present a virtual tour of the Holy Land with photographs and stories from their trip. Join with them for an Israeli-style meal. RSVP by Dec. 26 to sisterhood@bij.org or www.bij.org/events-donations/registration
Shabbat Morning Torah Study and Service
Saturday, Dec. 30, 8:45 am Torah Study at BIJ; 10:00 am Service at B’nai Emunah, 46th & Taraval
SF/Marin Food Bank, 900 Pennsylvania Ave. SF
Sunday, Dec. 31, 9:00 – 11:00 am
Join a group of volunteers from the BIJ Tikkun Olam group and our Southside Jewish Collaborative partners. Children age 4 and up are welcome to attend with adult supervision. If you would like to participate, RSVP is not necessary, but if you let us know you will be there, we will look for you in the crowd! Email Steve Roditti.
Note: New Friday Night Erev Shabbat Service schedule (started in November):
1st Friday – Shabbat Shelanu, family-friendly potluck dinner and service at either BIJ or B’nai Emunah
2nd Friday – Sacred Hebrew Chant & Drum, an “alternative” style musical service
3rd Friday – Neighborhood Shabbat, hosted by congregants in private homes in either San Francisco or on the Peninsula
4th Friday – Friday Night Feast, dinner and program with special guest speaker
SAVE THE DATE!
Shabbat Shira Concert
Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, 7:30 pm
The second annual Shabbat Shira concert, honoring the memory of Cantor David Morgenstern z”l and Cantor Henry Greenberg z”l, will feature the Monterey Bay-based award-winning singers/songwriters Alisa Fineman and Kimball Hurd. Fineman is cantorial soloist at Congregation Beth Israel in Carmel, CA. Tickets are $10 in advance, online at www.bij.org/events-donations/registration. Tickets at the door are $15 general admission/$10 seniors.
ONGOING EVENTS AND PROGRAMS…
BIJ Book Club
Wednesday evenings, 7 pm — offsite
Every month at a private home in San Francisco, a small group of avid readers gathers in the living room to share thoughts on a particular book, as well as nosh and shmooze. For more information contact Sherrie Rosenberg at 415-902-8293 or sherrie.rosenberg@gmail.com
Craft & Schmooze
Sundays, 1:00-3:00 pm
Do you enjoy making friends, making or learning crafts or maybe a little knitting? Then join us for a fun afternoon of schmoozing, crafting, artistic and spiritual exploration. We meet monthly, usually on the second Sunday.
Lunch & Learn adult education series
3rd Thursday of the month, 12:00 pm
Designed for people with flexible schedules who would like to come to the synagogue for a bite, learn with the rabbis, and socialize. A light lunch is provided, followed by sandwich making for our hunger relief project at 1:30 pm. Rotates among the three locations of the Southside Jewish Collaborative temples and their respective rabbis. Next session is December 21 at B’nai Emunah.
Mindfulness Meditation
Wednesday afternoons, 1:00-1:30 pm
Mindfulness meditation is a spiritual practice that allows us to create for ourselves an extended period of silence, in which to focus on our inner self without the distractions of life’s constant noise. It is a gift that we can give to ourselves, for getting in touch with our inner self and strengthening our spirit. We allow time to sit together quietly in silent Jewish practice, before returning to our work or daily routine. This is a flexible work-in-progress, welcoming suggestions and open to evolving.
Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class with Rabbi Gottlieb and Ricki Weintraub
For adults who did not have a bar or bat mitzvah. Meets on alternate Wed. evenings for 18 months. Began July 2017. Contact Rabbi at 415-586-8833 or email rabbigottlieb@bij.org for more info.
First Fridays – Shabbat Shelanu (Our Shabbat)
5:45 pm Tot Shabbat; 6:30 pm Dinner; 7:15 pm Family Service
Join us as we celebrate Shabbat, eat together and highlight the learning of our students. Location is either BIJ or B’nai Emunah at 46th & Taraval. Our Rabbis and song leaders guide us in a fun-filled Shabbat and monthly birthday celebration! Kid-friendly but open to all, not just families with children. Potluck (Non-dairy or vegetarian). RSVP to https://bij.org/events-donations/registration.
Second Fridays: Sacred Hebrew Chant and Drum
7:30 pm
BIJ is joined by Or Shalom for this unique service. Our joyful band of vocalists and drummers, including noted Bay Area percussionists Debbie Fier and Susannah Goldenstein, lead us as we welcome Shabbat in an uplifting evening, layered with harmonies and rhythms, creating a sacred space. A potluck Oneg Shabbat and schmooze follows. Please bring a treat to share. All are welcome! Bring a friend.
Third Fridays: Shabbat in the ‘Hood
7:30 pm
We take our Shabbat service “on the road” to different neighborhoods in San Francisco and the Peninsula. Members host the chavurah-style service in their home, led by Rabbi Gottlieb and Ricki Weintraub. Come join us. Contact the office at office@bij.org for details about each month’s location.
Fourth Fridays: Friday Night Feast
6:30 pm
Join us for a free catered Shabbat feast, sponsored by Sisterhood–The Women of BIJ. We welcome Shabbat with tableside blessings, enjoy delicious fare and each others’ company. After the birkat hamazon, grace after the meal, a special program takes place. RSVP at www.bij.org/events-donations/registration
Shabbat Morning Torah Study and Service
8:45am Torah Study; 10:00am Service
Join Rabbi Gottlieb each Shabbat morning at 8:45 for an accessible Torah study session, and then be right on time for Shabbat services led by Rabbi Gottlieb. One Saturday of the month is a joint service with Or Shalom led by Or Shalom’s clergy.
Sisterhood/Women of BIJ– bimonthly meeting
Sundays, 10:30 am, Fireside Room (next meeting is Jan. 7, 2018)
Join a vibrant group of active volunteers, led by Sisterhood president Terry Levy, in planning events and contributing to the life of BIJ.
Sisterhood/Women of BIJ — Offsite Potluck Brunch
Sunday, dates vary, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Join a lively intergenerational group of women meeting several times throughout the year in a private home for good food and conversation. New folks always welcome. Rides are available for those who need them. Meets in San Francisco or on the Peninsula. Contact Ann Comoglio at anncomoglio@gmail.com for details.
Rosh Chodesh
Wednesday evenings, once a month, 7 pm
The Women of BIJ celebrate each new Hebrew month together. Led by Ricki Weintraub, we begin with a short ritual welcoming the new moon, followed by discussions, activities and meditations that help us find ways to connect more deeply to Judaism, ourselves, our lives, and each other. Each monthly gathering stands alone. All are welcome.
Adult Hebrew Class
Every Other Thursday, 6:30 pm
This is an intermediate Hebrew course, where we are working on improving reading skills, developing the building blocks of Hebrew grammar and increasing our vocabulary. We meet bi-weekly. ($10/session. Contact Ricki Weintraub for more information at ricki.weintraub@att.net)
SF/Marin Food Bank, 900 Pennsylvania Ave. SF
last Sunday of the month, 9:00 – 11:00 am [next one is Dec. 31]
Join a group of volunteers from the BIJ Tikkun Olam group and our Southside Jewish Collaborative partners and do a mitzvah. Children age 4 and up are welcome to attend with adult supervision. If you would like to participate, RSVP is not necessary, but if you let us know you will be there, we will look for you in the crowd! Email Steve Roditti.
Tikkun Olam (repairing the world)
BIJ is part of the Southside Jewish Collaborative’s Tikkun Olam Committee, including Or Shalom, Ner Tamid, and B’nai Emunah. Our mission is to develop and implement hands-on activities engaging members of the four synagogues in meaningful projects helping others. Regular activities include addressing San Francisco’s widespread hunger insecurity through: l) making sandwiches for the Homeless Outreach Program, the third Thursday of every month following Lunch and Learn, and 2) volunteering on the last Sunday of each month at the SF Food Bank. We are proud to report helping feed thousands of people. As long as the need persists, we must continue our work. The Committee also supports St. Anthony’s by volunteering to serve meals during the holiday season.
In addition, BIJ joins the other temples for Tikkun Olam Day events held several times a year. A variety of projects take place simultaneously, from collecting supplies for recent refugees who are resettling here to cleaning the beach to making blankets for hospitalized children. Please see the article published in the September 2016 J Weekly talking about our efforts, as well as the article published July 30, 2015 in the J Weekly about our ongoing sandwich making effort.
The Tikkun Olam Committee will provide information in the weekly eblasts and bimonthy BIJ Bulletin about other organizations of interest to congregants pursuing social change.
If you wish to donate to IsraAID
(Organizers of Rabbi Gottlieb’s April 2017 Mission to the Syrian Refugee Camps in Greece)
Please click on this link: https://www.classy.org/campaign/building-bridges-israaids-interfaith-mission-to-help-syrian-refugees/c124573.
Check our calendar for more event listings…
Learn more about the impact that BIJ’s participation in the Synagogue Federation Partnership program has had on our community at https://jewishfed.org/news/blog/synagogue-federation-partnership.
Learn about BIJ’s community participation plan
Want to become more involved? Meet new people? Feel like you are making a difference? We want you!! There are many opportunities for you here at BIJ. To learn more click here or contact us at office@bij.org
Stay connected, get the BIJ app (for members only):
