Link of the Week: Read Rabbi Copeland's article about drag and our Purim celebration!

Contact office@shaarzahav.org to sponsor a Shabbat

Friday Night Services:

April 7th at 7:30 pm.

Hybrid: On Zoom and In-Person.

Led by Karen Schiller and Larry Wexler.

Drash by Kay Magilavy.

Register Here for Zoom Service

Meeting ID: 886 7131 3838


Saturday Morning Service:

April 8th at 10:00 am.

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.

Updated Masking Policies at 290 Dolores

For the health and safety of our community, it is Sha’ar Zahav's expectation that all members and visitors who attend in-person services and events will be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. If you are unvaccinated, sick or experiencing any symptoms of illness, please enjoy services and events via Zoom.


As of April 3, 2023, masks are no longer required at in-person services and events. But we are mask-friendly and fully supportive of visitors, members and service leaders who choose to wear masks for their own personal protection. 


Sha’ar Zahav is a scent-free environment. Because keeping our synagogue safe for those with scent and chemical sensitivities is part of our commitment to accessibility, please refrain from wearing perfume/cologne or using other scented products. 

For more information, email the Accessibility Committee.

Rainbow Update

Our Rainbow Campaign is in its last two weeks! Our primary goal for the Rainbow Campaign 2023 is to have 100% participation from SZ Members. So far, 128 households (40% of our membership) have given - add your name to our list! As of today we have raised $120,00 of our $165,000 goal. Thank you to all who have given so far. Can you help us get to our goal? You can give by clicking this link.

“I give to Rainbow because Sha’ar Zahav is the lifeblood of our Jewish and LBTQIA+ community.”


--Beth Ross

In honor of Passover, the office will be closed on Thursday, April 6th and Wednesday, April 12th.

Community Get Together!

Sha'ar Zahav's 2023 Passover Seder

Our in-person Passover Seder has been filled to capacity. No walk-ins please! If you've registered for our in-person Seder but can no longer attend, please email Susie. If you are not feeling well, or have any symptoms of illness, we ask that you join us via Zoom.


Our Zoom Passover Seder is still open for all to join! It'll be a highly participatory Seder. Members and non-members alike are invited!

Register for Zoom Seder here!

Passover Yizkor Memory Circle 

Tuesday, April 11, 9:00-9:30am 

Zoom only

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

Register for the Passover Yizkor here

Drash Guest Speaker for Friday Night Shabbat Service

April 14th at 7:30pm

Join us for a special Shabbat service on reparations and racial justice. Eric McDonnell, Chair of San Francisco’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee, will deliver the Drash and have a Q&A after Shabbat.

Register here for Zoom Service

Music in the Mishkan

Long-time member, Randall Weiss, and The Bridge Players present the 23rd season of Music in the Mishkan on April 16 and May 21 - mark your calendars! All concerts begin at 4:00 p.m. Don't miss these beautiful concerts in our lovely sanctuary! 

Order your tickets today!

Sha’ar Zahav’s Israel Trip Sign-up Site is Live!

Open to Members and loved ones of members

We’re excited to announce that registration for the Israel trip is Open! The official website for the October 13 to 22, 2023 trip is up and running with information about our trip and registration details. Please sign up soon! Join us as we explore the reality we don’t always see on the news: the winding streets of Jerusalem and the sidewalk cafes of Tel Aviv, ancient Jewish sites, Palestinian fields, and Jewish settlements. If you have disability concerns or other questions about the trip, please email us.

Click here for our trip website

Recurring Gatherings and Meetings

Book Group Discussion of Shayna with the Author!

(Award-winning Novel by Miriam Ruth Black)

Tuesday, May 2, 7:00 - 8:00 pm on Zoom

Sha'ar Zahav's Book Group is delighted that Miriam Ruth Black, author of Shayna, which just won the national Jewish Book Council's Book Club Award, will facilitate our discussion on May 2! As JBC's judges wrote, "We meet Shayna Rifkin when she is a teenager in Obodivka, a shtetl in Ukraine. Shayna, who is newly engaged, sees her world destroyed by the Cossacks. However, her challenges are just beginning, as her life is threatened and uprooted on her journey to safety and freedom...Their journey through Belgium and eventually to America, in steerage, will give the reader an intimate look at the plight of immigrants in the early twentieth century." Everyone welcome to join our discussion! 

Zoom Link

Morning Chanting with Gender Neutral Hebrew

 Friday, April 21, 9:00-9:45am on Zoom

Want to start your day and transition into Shabbat by connecting with yourself, others, and the Divine with morning chanting? Do you have a hard time with the male language in our liturgy? Love morning singing? Join Rabbi Copeland in morning Hebrew chanting that uses entirely gender-neutral Hebrew for names for the Divine. All prayers will be in transliteration or English, so come with any level of Hebrew, even if it's totally new to you.

Learn about the Nonbinary Hebrew Project that makes this minyan possible.

Register here: Zoom meeting

Join the WhatsApp Group

Kaf-Lamed Monthly Gathering

Don't go to Shabbat alone!

April 21, 7:30pm

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. 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

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

6:30-8:00pm

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

Join the Meeting: Zoom link

Mussar 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, 9:50 am

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

Birthdays this week!

Rachel Nancollas 4/5

Britta Pomrantz 4/6

Larry Best 4/7

Alex Lemberg 4/7

Hannah Megumi Korthof 4/7

Anna Katz 4/8

Nicolas Rosenstone 4/9

Marvin Lehrman 4/10

Glen Hauer 4/10

John Arnold 4/10

Sophia De Anda 4/11

Liam Klaiman 4/11

Sydney Klaiman 4/11

Johanna Klaiman 4/11

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.

Thank You to Our Grantors
Programs at Sha’ar Zahav are supported by the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, the Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus Initiative for Immigrant and Refugee Justice of the Religious Action Center, San Francisco Humanities, and the National Center to Encourage Judaism.
You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in Sha'ar Zahav. Be sure to add office@shaarzahav.org to your (email) contacts list so that our communications land in your inbox! All our events take place at Sha'ar Zahav 290 Dolores Street, unless noted otherwise. To unsubscribe, please click on the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of this email.
Visit Our Website
Facebook  Twitter