Join R’ Faryn and your Or Shalom Community for our annual Passover Seder: a guided, embodied, sensory journey from constriction to liberation. Explore with us what lessons we need to learn this year, as we reflect on our collective journey and celebrate our freedom.

Please bring a pescatarian potluck dish, whether it's a main, side, salad, or dessert, sized for 6-8 people, as the event is entirely potluck-style and we won't be providing any food.

Click here to register and view potluck guidelines! Venue capacity is 80 people, don't wait to register!

Don't forget to bring non-perishable items for our Food Drive! The most in-demand foods are: fruit cups, dried noodle soups, protein and granola bars, string cheese, dried fruit and nut packages, tuna fish cans, crackers, rice, pasta, spaghetti sauce, aseptic milk, and box juices.

This Shabbat: Happy Half Hour, Shabbat Service & Potluck at Noe Valley Ministry

5:30 pm: Happy Half Hour sponsored by Daniel Najjar in memory of his parents Dora Herzig and Hayim Najjar.

6:00 pm: Lively musical services with R' Faryn and the ensemble.

7:30 pm: Vegetarian potluck Sign up here!

NVM is ADA accessible. Masks advised.

Charoset Making with our School Families

Sunday, April 28, 10:00 – 12:00 pm, 333 Cortland Ave*

Everyone is invited to join Jeni Clancy and our school families for a special Passover edition of Or Shalom's family program! Explore global charoset recipes from seder tables around the world plus storytelling & music. Click here to join us!

Integrating the Omer

Mondays beginning April 29, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, 333 Cortland Ave*

Join Gail Gurewitz (of Embodied Spiritual Practice) and R’ Faryn for an embodied exploration of the Omer through the lens of the kabbalistic tree of life. Open to all; suited for all bodies and abilities. Click here to learn more and register

Like A Tree Planted by Water: Addressing Antisemitism & Reaching Past Division

Sunday, May 5, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, 333 Cortland Ave*

The increased manifestation of antisemitism in our country and beyond is painful and frightening, and it is complicated at this moment by the ongoing violence in Israel/Palestine. Join Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller and other members of Or Shalom to learn a framework for understanding the role of antisemitism in our society and to build our capacity to address it together. Click here to learn more and register

Or Shalom Annual Community Retreat

Friday – Sunday, June 14-16, Walker Creek Ranch

Choose from camping in a beautiful meadow or cozying up in a shared lodge. Stay the weekend, a night, or just visit for the day. Enjoy swimming, hiking, music, and more. Escape the city for a peaceful Shabbat close to nature. Scholarships available, including special assistance for young adults aged 20-40. Open to all. Register here by May 10!

Building Consecration, June 9

Join us for this sacred ceremony led by R' Faryn at 333 Cortland Ave.

All-Member Meeting, June 23

Or Shalom has achieved so much in the past year. Come and learn about our goals and hopes for next year.

Tikkun Olam Corner

New Food Collection Box at 333 Cortland Ave.

In response to the increasing demand for food for immigrant families in our Sanctuary City, we now have a collection box at our Cortland site. Items will be taken to the Faith in Action center in the Mission. Click here for a list of acceptable donations.

OS Chesed Circle Volunteer Site | Click here to join

Assist Or Shalom members with visits, rides and meals. Need help or have questions? Email Madeleine at madelevin@gmail.com.

OS Member-Only Email Groups

Are you a member of Or Shalom and interested in joining one of our dedicated email discussion groups? We have open enrollment for the following groups: The Social Action Circle, Dayenu Circle, Voting Rights & Democracy, and Ceasefire.

The School of Jewish-Living Arts

The Jewish-Living Art of Dying

Our visiting scholar, Rabbi David Teutsch helped us to begin the difficult conversation about what is important, Jewishly speaking, in how we die. My story at our “We Are All Storytellers” event April 6 was how my mother taught our family to die. Click here for more, and a video of my story. (It has humor in it, not to worry!)

Or Shalom Bulletin

Schedule a one-on-one with R' Faryn by clicking here

Tzedakah

We gratefully acknowledge these contributions from our community:

When making a donation online, please be sure to specify where to allocate.

The Seligman Amsler Family, in memory of David and Anna Weinraub.

Chana Jacobs, in memory of Martin Jacobs.

Miriam Lewis, in Memory of her father, S.W. Lewis.

Suzana Seban, in honor of Matt and Lisa, past and current presidents, for ALL they've done, and will be doing, for our community & in honor of Stephen Gerard, Matt, Amy, the board, and all the others who worked - hard and long - to get our new home in Bernal Heights.

Wendy Thurm, In memory of her father, Milton Thurm on his Yahrzeit.

This week, we received two separate checks: one from RBC Bank and another from Morgan Stanley Indianapolis. Thank you for your generosity! To ensure proper recording, please email Amy@orshalomsf.org if you were the donor.

Yahrzeits

On the anniversary of their deaths, we remember:

Susan Brook, Ola Carlson, Harry Chesley, Judah Fine, Judy Hiller Goldberg, Alice Hammel, Eileen Hansen, Tom Hodgson, Jack Van Der Hout, Trudy Lionel, Margaret McCullough, William Merrick, Mel Morganstein, Hope Isadora Reichbach, Gertrude Levine Roth, Emanuel Saltzman, Litza Schlanger, Murray Schneider, Frank White

Or Shalom Jewish Community

(415) 469 - 5542

Lisa Garbus, Interim Board President

Amy Mallor, Executive Director

Rabbi Faryn Borella, Rabbi

Naomi Rodriguez-Finer, Communications Specialist

Visit Our Website

To submit an event for the newsletter, email newsletter@orshalomsf.org.

* Events marked with an asterisk are held at 333 Cortland Ave, a building which requires climbing 21 steps to access. If this poses a barrier to entry for you, please email rabbifaryn@orshalomsf.org with at least 5 days notice. Read our full accessibility notice here.