The westernmost member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Honey and Poi – Author’s Preface
By Dr. Mathew Sgan
“I read Honey and Poi in one reading. I couldn’t put it down. I especially loved knowing the details of how the schul came into being, who the pioneers were, and the split involving egalitarianism. It… Continue reading
Challah Class Fun
Taught by Peter Fritz
In this course, we make and bake eight challahs. The first part consists of mixing the ingredients to make the bread dough (approximately one hour). While the dough is rising, we discuss baking temperatures and different… Continue reading
20 years a Jew: Installment 6 – Conversion and Jewish “Pedigree”
By Athena DeRasmo
I have it on good authority that once the conversion process is complete, that’s it! The convert is no longer a convert; they are a Jew. No discussion or question – being a convert needs no disclaimer.… Continue reading
Reading Torah at Sof
By Michelle Schneider
My Hebrew education began when my nonobservant parents sent me, at my request, to Sunday School for four years, culminating in my Bat Mitzvah. Until I discovered Sof, however, I basically attended synagogue on holidays only. … Continue reading
Yad In Hand
By Marc Flitter
Several Parshas ago I was honored to read from the Torah at Congregation Sof Ma’arav. Asked to share that experience, my first thought was that perhaps “Jewish geography” might more appropriately be utilized to mark where such… Continue reading
How I Came to Read Torah at Sof Maʻarav
By Chad Teasley
As I read from parashah Tetzaveh at Congregation Sof Ma’arav on February 16th, it seemed to me that my Judaic education had come full circle. About six years ago, as I took the initial steps on… Continue reading
The Story of Torah Trope Class at Sof Ma’arav
By Sandra Z. Armstrong
Studying Torah and learning how to read from the Torah is the greatest equalizer of a Jewish Community. It does not matter where you went to school/college, what career you have chosen, where you live, whether… Continue reading
20 Years A Jew: Installment 5 – Modest* Fashion and the Modern Woman
By Athena DeRasmo
I am not a modest woman – never have been. However, when I was going through conversion, I went through changes. Becoming a Jewish woman would be a big responsibility and I needed my outside to be… Continue reading
Chanting Torah
By Linda Lingle
We always feel a great sense of accomplishment when we achieve something we doubted we could—learning to surf, speak a foreign language, fly an airplane, or master a musical instrument. I decided to learn to chant Torah… Continue reading
Reflections on T”U B’Shevat
By Dina Yoshimi with photos by Naomi Olstein
Sifting through my childhood memories of T”U B’Shevat, I recall religious school
teachers urging us to participate in the annual JNF campaign to purchase trees
in Israel. In classes, we saw… Continue reading
- Passover, Questions and Pulling Ourselves TogetherPassover is a time for transformation. We start in our own homes but we are working on transformations that the world needs. We are telling a story which takes us out of our isolation and puts our lives into relationship to a larger picture, and shift of perspective makes all the difference. One of the […]
- Paradigm-Shifting Conversations: Healing Ourselves and the WorldAs we witness and experience the epidemics of addiction, loneliness, political fragmentation and the environmental disasters of climate change and mass extinction it is becoming abundantly clear that our present course is not sustainable. In these seven webinars from winter 2017 to spring 2018, Organic Torah founder Rabbi Natan Margalit, Ph.D. talks with leaders in […]