Calendar

All middle school-aged students are welcome to join Sandy Stadtler for a series of discussions focused on philosophy and theory. Through group learning and participation in Shabbat morning services, we will explore Jewish and contemporary understandings about God and prayer.

10:15 a.m.: Services
10:45 a.m. Meet in Kitah 2

Rosh Hodesh means the “head of the new (moon)” and is celebrated monthly. Rosh Hodesh is considered a special holiday for women and is a time of rediscovering new and ancient ceremonies. In this group, we will explore text, chanting and movement rituals to explore the intention of each month.

RSVP at http://bit.ly/KSSimhatTorah2017

Join us for an evening of fun...
5:30 p.m.: Service for families with young children
Dance and sing with the Torahs and see the Torah unrolled!

6:15 p.m.: Community Dinner

7:30 p.m.: Traditional Simhat Torah Service
Maariv and Torah reading plus traditional hakafot (Torah processions),
singing, and dancing

The sit prior to the minyan will be unguided. It will be an opportunity to meditate and prepare for prayer. You may wish to bring a piece of text to share with others but most of the time will be dedicated to personal practice.

This musical, meditative, and participatory prayer experience is a chance to open your heart through song, to sink into the peace and joy of Shabbat, and to find a meaningful personal connection to the Torah portion and to others in our community. “Kol Neshama” means “voice of the soul/breath.” No Hebrew knowledge required.

When a natural disaster strikes, time is of the essence. Every passing hour dramatically reduces survival rates and hampers recovery efforts. IsraAid responds immediately, with relief teams among the first to arrive on the ground, providing life-saving medical care, food and supplies, as well as cleaning and construction materials.

Kol Shofar offers an 18-week Judaism 101 course each year in partnership with the Miller Introduction to Judaism program at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles.

This 18-week course is for those who would like to learn about Judaism from the ground up, or to fill in gaps from what they learned (or didn’t learn) as a child. The class also prepares those considering conversion. It covers Hebrew pronunciation, biblical and rabbinic writings, history and culture, holy days, festivals, Shabbat, Jewish concepts of God and ethics, life cycle, dietary laws and Israel. By the end of the course, students will be able to read aloud any Hebrew text with vowels. Students who wish to take a single class by topic may do so. Topical learning begins a half hour into the session.

Tuition: $275 for the 18-week series; Free for members or $20 per class for the community

For more information on the topics covered, please visit http://kolshofar.org/judaism-101-with-rabbi-leider. To register, contact Alona at Ashahbaz@kolshofar.org or (415) 388-1818 x100.

Dates & Topics are:
Oct 15: Beginnings: From Creation to the Edge of the Wilderness
Nov 12: The World of the Bible
Nov 19: Heart of Many Rooms: Understanding Jewish Diversity
Dec 3: Holy Days: The Wheel of the Jewish Year
Dec 10: Shabbat: Palace in Time
Dec 17: When Do I Bow? & Other Questions About Jewish Prayer
Jan 7: Passover: The Jewish Master Story
Jan 21: God: Encountering the Holy
Jan 28: Talmud: Argument for the Sake of Heaven
Feb 4: Starting Over: The High Holy Days (N.B. Beit Binah not in session today)
Feb 11: Kashrut: The Original Soul Food
Mar 4: Philosophers, Poets, and Mystics: The Jewish Middle Ages
Mar 11: Marriage, Love & Kosher Sex
Mar 18: From Birth to B’nai Mitzvah: Raising a Mensch
Mar 25: A Time to Mourn: Traditions for Death, Grief, & Healing
Apr 22: Out of the Darkness: Stories from the Holocaust
Apr 29: Israel: Dreaming of Deliverance
May 6: The Jewish Mission to Heal the World

Are you concerned about the climate crisis? Wondering how you can help protect the earth for future generations?

Join us for guest speakers Tamra Peters from Resilient Neighborhoods and Izzy Parnell-Wolfe of the Marin Sanity Service.

Sponsored by Marin Interfaith Climate Action & Kol Shofar's Green Team

This is our newly formed Film Havorah (the first in a series) and is sponsored by Bridges to Israel.

Our hope is that by viewing a contemporary Israeli film together we will come to know and appreciate Israeli lives, culture, experiences and values in a fun and community-building way together.

The first film in our series is:

Zero Motivation, a 2014 comedy (featured in the SF Jewish Film Festival) about female Israeli soldiers who are posted to a remote desert base and spend their time pushing paper until they can return to civilian life.

A light dinner will be provided for your enjoyment.

This screening is in a private home and we can only accommodate 15 people, so it is first come, first serve. Please RSVP to Jeff Saperstein sapermktg@gmail.com and he will give you the address for the screening.

This is a members only event.

If you make a reservation and cannot make the showing, then please let Jeff know so someone on the waiting list can be accommodated. If you do not get to see this film, don’t worry, we plan to have other films throughout the year.