Rodef Sholom: A Reform Jewish Congregation in Marin County, California

Bereavement Spiritual Support Group
Rabbi Natan Fenner, Bay Area Jewish Healing Center
Mondays, October 10th to November 28th, 10am

While grief is a normal response to loss, we know from practical experience and from the teachings of our tradition, that being with an understanding community can help bring comfort and healing to the mourner. This group will provide a supportive context with both general and specifically Jewish resources for the mourning process. The group is especially suited for participants who have lost loved ones in the past year or so.

Cost: $100 (financial assistance is available) Pre-registration is required; we will not be able to accommodate drop-ins. To register, or for more information, please contact Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, at jewishhealing@ioaging.org or call 415.750.3436.

This bereavement group is offered by Grief and Growing: NextSteps for Mourners, a program alliance of Bay Area Jewish Healing Center and Sinai Memorial Chapel.

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Mikdash Ba’teva: The Outdoor Sanctuary, July 15, 6 pm
Our next Friday night Outdoor Sanctuary service will take place on July 15 at 6 pm at Santa Margarita Park in Terra Linda. All you need to do is bring your blanket, some lawn chairs, a picnic dinner, dessert to share and your readiness to participate. We’ll bring the challah. 

 This particular service will be co-sponsored by the PJ Library, a national book program implemented on a local level to mail free, high-quality Jewish children's books and music to families with children ages 6 months to five, six, seven or eight years, depending on the community, are welcome to enroll.  To learn more about the PJ Library (and to sign up for those free books!) click here.

Directions to Santa Margarita Park:   Take Freitas Pkwy off 101, turn right on to Del Ganado Road, go to the very end and turn right on to De La Guerra Road. The park is at the end of this street. 

Please note:  These services will start at 6 pm (there will still be an 8 pm Shabbat service at Rodef Sholom on these nights, but no 6:15 pm service). 

Third Friday 8 pm service, July 15 - light dinner before
This month, the 8pm Shabbat service will be preceded by a special light supper sponsored by the Women of Rodef Sholom, beginning at 6:30 pm. As always, WRS will also provide a sweet oneg afterward. 

Fifth Friday 6:15 pm Healing Service - A search for wholeness on July 29
On the fifth Shabbat of each month, when they occur, we focus the 6:15 pm Shabbat service on those in need of r'fua sh'lema, complete healing. At this soothing and contemplative service, we draw strength from each other with personal stories and personal prayers. Whether you are in need of a quiet service or healing, please join us. Caregivers are especially welcome.

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Grief and Growing: Next Steps for Mourners invites you to attend a special memorial (Azkarah) service and gathering honoring children and young people who have died 

We invite all mourners who have lost a child (whether an adult child or a young child) and all others who have been touched by the loss of a child or young person in their life to join us for this special Azkarah (memorial) service and supportive gathering. Together we will share stories, remember, pray, and stand together to comfort our hearts, honor their lives, and mark their passing. 

When:  Thursday, July 14, 6:30-8:30 pm

Where: The Interfaith Center at the Presidio
130 Fisher Loop in San Francisco

Who (facilitators): Rabbi Elliot Kukla & Cheryl Bartky, M.A., NCC 

This event is free. All are welcome. Pre-registration is requested. To register or for more information, please contact: Cheryl Bartky at 415.750.3435 or cbartky@ioaging.org.

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STUDY & TORAH 

Torah with Soul
Shabbat mornings, 9:15 am*, Inner Conference Room
Rabbi Lezak will be offering soul-lifting Torah in a safe space for learners of all levels and ages, along with a nosh. *Note: on the 3rd Saturday of the month, July 16, weather permitting, Torah with Soul will become Torah on the Trails with Rabbi Stacy Friedman, leaving the parking lot promptly at 8:30 am for a good hike and some good learning. If it’s raining, we’ll meet in the ICR at our normal time.

Tot Shabbat
Tot Shabbat is on summer hiatus and will resume in September.

Shabbat Healing Service
Friday, July 29, 6:15 pm, Sanctuary
Please join us this fifth Shabbat of the month in our Sanctuary, at which we will focus our service on those in need of r'fua sh'lema, healing of body and healing of soul. The next healing service will take place on September 30. 

New! Lay-led Morning Minyan
Tuesdays at 7 am (ongoing)
Join fellow congregants in trying a new experiment, taking turns leading services on Tuesday mornings. Open to everyone, we hope to be able to make space for you to come, ask questions, and try out some new things. Please join us! 

CREATING COMMUNITY

The Mitzvah Kitchen
Chef Jeff Kirshbaum bakes challah and cooks “Mitzvah” meals every Thursday for congregants facing times of need or celebrating a simcha. Volunteers are needed to help deliver these challot and meals. If you can deliver a meal, please contact Pete in advance, at 479.3441 or pete@rodefsholom.org; If you can deliver challah before the end of Shabbat, just come by the kitchen on Thursday afternoon after 2 pm or any time on Friday to pick them up. 

Challah Subscriptions
How would you like to take home a mouth-watering loaf of challah, straight from our Mitzvah Kitchen ovens, every Shabbat? Consider a challah subscription!

Artisan Bread Club
Chef Jeff Kirshbaum and his Mitzvah Kitchen team have been churning out 60+ challot and 18 hot meals for our congregants in deepest need weekly for close to five years now. You've tasted his challot. Now try his weekly artisan creations, such as French country, whole wheat, rye, semolina, rosemary olive, and more, by subscribing to the Mitzvah Kitchen's new Artisan Bread Club. Sign up, and every Thursday afternoon, a fresh hand-baked loaf of artisan bread will be waiting for you at the temple. Such a deal! 

All Mitzvah Kitchen subscription money goes to support youth education at Rodef Sholom. Subscription rates: $40 challah for ten weeks, $50/artisan loaf for ten weeks, or a special price of $70/both artisan and challah for ten weeks.   Treat your tummy right.  Contact Pete at 479.3441 or pete@rodefsholom.org for more information and to subscribe. 

Men’s Spiritual Journey Group
2nd Monday of each month (July 11), 7:30 pm, Sanctuary
Come join this group, which has discussed such things in the past as life journeys/bios, religious backgrounds, differing relationships to God, Torah portions, roles as Jewish fathers, husbands or men, tzedakah, and our roles in Jewish or secular organizations. This group meets monthly. For more information, contact Rabbi Michael Lezak at 479.3441 or mlezak@rodefsholom.org. 

Shabbat Schmooze
4th Friday (July 22) following Shabbat Services, Social Hall
Every 4th Friday of the month, following services, we open the social hall for everyone to linger and enjoy Shabbat together. 

The Lunch Bunch
Last Tuesday of each month (July 26), 12 noon
Join senior congregants for a wonderful monthly lunch to try a new restaurant, eat some exotic food and make new friends. In the past, the Lunch Bunch has been to restaurants such as Lanna Thai, Four Points Sheraton, La Toscana, San Rafael Joe's, and many others. Members of the group help to choose the restaurant and look for new places to discover. To join this fun event, call Pete at 479.3441.

Job Connections Network
Our Job Connection Network allows congregants to support each other during these difficult economic times. If you have an employment opportunity available--even a temporary one--please consider a Rodef Sholom congregant and let us know; If you are looking for employment, also let us know, and we will do our best to help you. Contact Moji at 479.3441 or moji@rodefsholom.org. If you are looking for other employment services, contact Jewish Vocational Services at 391.3600; and Norma Barnes, Coordinator of Marin Professionals, a program of the Employment Development Department, at 507.2114 or norma.barnes@edd.ca.gov. 

Lefferts Jewish Community Library
Stop by the Lefferts Jewish Community Library on Sundays from 10 am – 1 pm to borrow books, magazines, and DVDs on Jewish themes. We have a growing collection of new books and classics, as well as a children’s section. For more information, call 444.8159, or email lefferts.library@gmail.com. 

Women of Rodef Sholom Gift Shop
Our gift shop has a lovely selection of Judaica merchandise, including tallit, kippot, spice boxes, mezzuzot, and a variety of books, cards, jewelry, candles, tzedakah boxes, and other items to enrich a Jewish home. 

Summer hours:
•Monday through Thursday, 10 am - 1 pm
•Friday, 11 am - 1:30 pm 

The Gift Shop is located in the lobby of the Osher Marin JCC, next door to Mangia Nosh café. It is operated by the Women of Rodef Sholom and a large percentage of the profit from the store supports Rodef Sholom camperships--please shop here! For more information, please call 444.8098. 

Candelabra Rental
Create a sensation with WRS candelabras at your next simcha. Call the CRS office at 479.3441 and reserve your candelabra. Special candles are available for purchase at the WRS Gift Shop at the JCC. Candelabras rent for $18.

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The Bay Area Jewish Healing Center is holding an Azkarah Memorial Service of Healing at Rodef Sholom. We will start with a discussion and arts-based exploration of the losses in our lives at 10 am, followed by the service at 11 am. You are invited to attend either or both parts of the program. Rabbi Natan Fenner of the BAJHC and Cantor David Margules will be leading the service.

The program is designed to offer comfort and support to people who have suffered personal losses. The Azkarah gives us an opportunity to honor our loved ones and acknowledge our losses, as we also affirm life in the context of community. The service is free and open to the public; friends and family members are welcome.

If you are unable to attend but would like to add the name of a loved one to those read at the service, please call Bay Area Jewish Healing Center at 750.3435 or contact cbartky@ioaging.org. RSVP’s are appreciated but not required.

This Azkarah Service is part of “Grief and Growing: NextSteps for Mourners”, a program alliance between Bay Area Jewish Healing Center and Sinai Memorial Chapel. The Azkarah services are co-sponsored throughout the year by Congregation Sherith Israel, Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, Congregation Emanu-El and the Northern California Board of Rabbis.

This service is provided, in part, by the gracious tzedakah of Sinai Memorial Chapel and The Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies Foundation.   We thank them for their vision in the face of loss.

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