The office will be closed on Friday, May 26th in honor of Shavuot and Monday, May 29th for Memorial Day.

For emergencies anytime including on Shabbat, leave a message at (707) 412-8573 to have a clergy person call you back.

Contact office@shaarzahav.org to sponsor Oneg or Flowers for Shabbat.

Friday Night Services:

May 26th at 7:30pm.

On Zoom Only

Led by Cantor Bernstein and Howard Steiermann.

Register Here for Zoom Service

Meeting ID: 886 7131 3838

Saturday Morning Service:

May 27th at 10:00am.

Hybrid: On Zoom and In-Person.

Join the Zoom Meeting. Meeting ID: 365 434 855 and Passcode: 068575.

To join by phone for either service, dial +1 669 900 9128 or find your local number.

Shavuot

Sitting at the Foot of the Mountain

Thursday, May 25, 6-10pm at Sha'ar Zahav

Shavuot commemorates the moment Moses comes down Mt. Sinai with the 10 commandments, and to celebrate, we busy our minds with Torah study as a community.

6-7pm: Families with kids! (In-person only, no Zoom sessions)

7-10pm: Learning with our clergy and lay teachers! (Hybrid: in-person and on Zoom)



Sessions:

• Revelations Revealed: Ancient and Modern Sources with Rabbi Yoel Kahn
• Mysticism in the New Millennium: Queer Kabbalah in Tony' Kushner's Angels in America with Morey Lipsett
• Torah as a Blueprint of the Universe in Proverbs and Kabbalah with Rabbi Mychal Copeland
• Coming Out of the Closet of Moab with Robin Cohn
• Whole Torah with Franco Martinez
• The Creation of Family Via Alternative Reproduction in Torah with Ora Prochovnick
• Reading and Writing the Psalms with Howard Steiermann
• Everyday Repentance: An Accounting of the Soul with Britta Pomrantz
• The Old Shall Dream Dreams and the Youth Shall See Visions with Kay Magilavy

Please register here for more information and so we know how much food to make or who needs Zoom links!

Shavuot Yizkor Memory Circle 

Thursday, May 25, 5:30-6:00pm

Sha'ar Zahav library (In-Person only)

Join a special yizkor service for the Shavuot holiday and remember loved ones in community. Led by Rabbi Copeland.

Shavuot Yizkor Memory Circle 

Friday, May 26, 9:00am

Zoom Only

Join a special yizkor service for the Shavuot holiday and remember loved ones in community. Led by Cantor Bernstein.

Zoom link

Celebrate Pride with Sha'ar Zahav!

Transgender Nonbinary Celebration Shabbat

Friday, June 2, 7:30pm

Hybrid: In-person and on Zoom

Kick-off Pride month with a celebration of transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer Jews and friends! We will rejoice and learn with our special guest speaker, Maggid Jhos Singer, founder of QueerCore Talmud at JCCSF– a queer normative, SVARA method beit midrash study program. He is an out transman, a parent of three, devoted spouse, craft cocktail mixologist, neophyte straight razor shaving nerd, and a skillful home chef. Our service leaders are Rabbi Mychal Copeland, Cantor Sharon Bernstein with M Eifler.

We are grateful to the JCCSF for their co-sponsorship.

Register here

Pride Morning Chanting

Friday, June 9, 9:00-9:45am on Zoom Only

Celebrate Pride by giving yourself the gift of prayer and gratitude practice. We will be chanting with gender-expansive liturgy. No Hebrew or prayer experience is necessary to join. Led by Rabbi Copeland.

Join the minyan: Register here

Celebrate Family Pride with Sha’ar Zahav!

Saturday, June 10th 12:30-2pm

In-person at Sha'ar Zahav

Drag Story time is back and along with all things rainbow fun – lunch, crafts.

Queer Jewish Pasts: A History of LGBTQ Jewish Activism and Innovation from the 1950s to the 1980s with Dr. Gregg Drinkwater

Friday, June 16, 6-7:15pm

Hybrid: In-person and on Zoom, Light Dinner Included

Dr. Gregg Drinkwater is Program Director for the Antisemitism Education Initiative, a project of UC Berkeley’s Center for Jewish Studies. An award-winning scholar of Judaism, gender, and sexuality, he earned a PhD in U.S. history and Jewish studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His current book project, “Rebuilding American Judaism: How LGBTQ Jews Transformed an American Religious Community,” explores the involvement of American Jews with gay liberation, radical feminism, and the creation of LGBTQ subcultures. Prior to entering academic life, Drinkwater worked as a researcher and advocate for LGBTQ inclusion and social justice in the Jewish community through the organizations Jewish Mosaic and Keshet. He is the co-editor of the book Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible (NYU Press, 2009).

Register here

Pride Shabbat

Friday, June 23, 7:30pm

Hybrid: In-person and on Zoom

Show your Jewish Pride at our annual blowout Pride Shabbat!

Pride Pre-Party! Come early as we usher in Pride 2023 with food, drinks (alcohol and mocktails) and joy! We’ll greet marchers from Trans*March while gearing up for our Pride service.

Then join the most joyful service of the year led by Rabbis Mychal Copeland and Reuben Zellman at 7:30pm, and stay late for a rainbow-themed oneg (post service bites).

Register here

Trans* March Shabbat Picnic

Friday, June 23, 5:30pm

We will gather at Dolores Park (up the hill from where 19th Street intersects with Dolores) to share Shabbat ritual and a BYO picnic dinner before the march.

Sponsored by Kehilla Community Synagogue and Sha’ar Zahav.

More information here

Learn with Us!

Looking Beyond the Shadow:

Exploring Our Relationship to Racism with Love, Compassion and Courage

Thursdays starting June 29-July 27, 7:00-9:00pm on Zoom

Sha'ar Zahav Members Only

Join SZ Member Claudia Bernard in this five week class. This is a journey to look beyond the shadow of our ignorance to see what our conditioning has not allowed us to see: our part in internalizing, maintaining and benefitting from the system of racism in America.

For more information, click here.

To register, click here.

Community Get Together!

Travelogue: 

Israel, Jordan, Oman and Palestine

with EcoPeace and family

Tuesday, May 30, 6:30-8:00pm on Zoom

Join Deborah Levy for her slides and commentary on her February/March 2023 Middle East travels.

Register here

Israel Trip Information Session

Monday, June 12, 7:00-8:00pm on Zoom

To answer questions you might have about the upcoming Congregation Sha’ar Zahav Israel Trip, organizers are hosting an information session (online only).

Join the Meeting: Zoom meeting

2023 Labor Day Weekend in the Marin Headlands

Friday, September 1st at 5pm-Sunday, September 3rd at 1pm

Join congregation members and families for a weekend of Shabbat peace, learning and fun. 

In addition to a Friday Kabbalat Shabbat, Saturday morning services and Havdalah, there will be good food, hikes, sports, crafts, music, Torah study, yoga/meditation, campfires, and lots of schmoozing. We’ll be based at the Point Bonita Conference Center with dazzling views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Pacific coastline.

Email the retreat committee if you have any questions. 

Register here— for the whole weekend or just a day. Do it now, while there’s room!

Recurring Gatherings and Meetings

Social Action Committee

Monday, June 5, 6:00-7:30pm on Zoom

Together we can create a more Just and Peaceful World. Act to Welcome the Stranger, Secure Housing and Food, End Gun Violence, Protect Fair Voting, and more!

What’s on your mind? Come to our next meeting or contact Nancy Wecker or Geri Kahn. 

Join the Meeting: Zoom Link

Book Group Discussion:

The Thread Collectors 

by Shauna J. Edwards & Alyson Richman

Tuesday, June 13, 7:00-8:00pm on Zoom

Join our group to discuss the tale of two women, one Black and living in New Orleans, and a Jewish woman living in New York, both caught in the tumult and horror of the Civil War. Stella embroiders maps to help enslaved men escape to join the Union Army while Lily, in New York, creates a quilt for her husband who is stationed in Louisiana in the Union Army. Everyone welcome! 

Join the discussion: Zoom link

Kaf-Lamed Monthly Gathering

Don't go to Shabbat alone!

Join Sha'ar Zahav's young adult group (The Kaf Lameds) for a monthly gathering at Shabbat Services in person! Perfect for those who've ever felt intimidated to go to Shabbat in person services alone. Or perfect for those who just want a few buddies to join on Friday night services! This is a monthly gathering, where we'll do "Shabbat Together" the 3rd Friday of each month.

Contact Emily Ornelas-Dorian.

L'Havin: Understanding Israel and Its Neighbors

4th Monday of the month, 6:00-7:00pm on Zoom

L'Havin: Understanding Israel and Its Neighbors is a Sha'ar Zahav working group that provides our members and community friends with support, knowledge, and dialogue skills that deepen our relationship with the land and peoples of Israel and Palestine, and to advance understanding and healing within our Jewish community. You do not need to come with any previous knowledge of the topics we may discuss or with any set viewpoints. In fact, we encourage all to come with open ears and a learner’s mindset.

For more information, contact Rachel Nilson-Ralston.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Climate Action Committee

2nd Monday of the month, 5:00-6:30pm on Zoom

The CAC gathers monthly to support and educate ourselves and our community on climate issues, including climate grief, policy advocacy, and personal and community strategies to address the urgent crises of climate change and climate justice. 

Contact Deborah Levy.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Racial Equity Committee

2nd Tuesday of the month, 6:00-7:30pm on Zoom

Come help assure that SZ is always a place of welcome, inclusion and equity for all.



Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Disability and Accessibility Committee

If you identify as disabled, are exploring that identity, or have a loved one with a disability and are interested in joining the Disability and Accessibility Committee, please reach out to Eliana Smithstein for more information. If you are interested in learning more about disability and how you can become a better ally, stay tuned for educational events to come!

Remember When

1st Wednesday of the Month

Note Time Change! 6:45-8:00pm

Hitch a ride on the wayback wagon for a trip down memory lane. Let’s reminisce about the 40’s thru the 70’s together! Different topics each month. We will gather on the first Wednesday of every month. Email Marv Lehrman.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Weekly Torah Study Group

Weekly on Wednesday

8:30-9:30am

Rabbi Copeland and lay leaders lead discussions about the weekly Torah reading. Drop-ins welcome, no experience with Torah nessecary!

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Mussar Discussion Group

Bi-weekly on Thursdays 7:00-8:00pm

Mussar is a very practical and flexible spiritual discipline to help you balance soul-traits (Middah/Middot) such as Humility, Loving-Kindness, Generosity, and Silence. Drop-ins are always welcome! Contact Mark Pressler.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Meditation Chavurah

1st and 3rd Saturday of the month

10:30am-Noon

Everyone is welcome. And you will not regret it! A typical session includes a short and longer silent sit, with chanting, movement, and a short teaching. The group meets on the first and third Saturday of every month.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Hiking Chavurah

2nd Saturday of the month, 9:50am

Join other Sha’ar Zahavniks on monthly urban hikes – mostly in SF but we sometimes venture farther afield. This is a great way to get to know other SZ members while exploring the city and beyond. The hikes usually last about two hours. Email Karen Schiller and Ellen Murland.

12-Step Meetings by and for SZ Members

Weekly on Sundays On Zoom

1:00-2:00pm

The meeting will be run in the usual 12-step format but will also feature some thoughts and reflections from members bringing Judaism into their 12-step practice. Contact Erika Katske.

For Sha'ar Zahav Members Only. Register Here to Attend.

Weekday Morning Prayer

Weekly on Tuesdays

8:30-9:00am

Songs and prayers to set our hearts and minds! This service takes place every Tuesday morning, and is led by community lay leaders and Cantor Bernstein. Contact Cantor Bernstein.

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Jane Rice 5/24

David Gluck 5/24

Robert Katz 5/26

Pierre Adida 5/27

Sherie Koshover 5/28

David Ogus Thor Langdon 5/28

Grant Shreiner 5/28

Elliott Sprehn 5/29

While we strive for all our events to be mixed-access, this is not always possible. Some events are only in-person, and some are Zoom only. If you have any questions about a particular event, please contact the office, or the contact listed for the event.