Events

Yearly Monthly Weekly Daily List
March 2025

Meditation of Presence

with Jeffrey KesslerWednesdays  |  8:15 – 9amBy Donation  |  On Zoom  Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation » Torah is our technology for encountering the Divine Presence. Silence provides a necessary space for that encounter. According to Jewish tradition, the Presence dwells continually within and around us, but we must learn deep listening to receive its generative wisdom. Shemah – in a word that sounds like an exhalation of breath,  we are directed to listen in order to understand the Divine Oneness. We are to open to this Oneness with all of our heart, our soul, our strength. We must listen to our bodies, our emotions, our thoughts, all that is deep within us. Join us as we sit together in silence, after a brief teaching on meditation practice in connection either with the weekly Torah portion or where we find ourselves in the Jewish sacred calendar. About Jeffrey KesslerA graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality. DONATION INFO$18 suggested donation. Every contribution, large or small, allows us to keep bringing you meditation, services, and much more. • Donate online chochmat.org/give• Venmo @Chochmat• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org ZOOM INFOJoin with video  https://zoom.us/j/520703203?pwd=RnJNRittSkZNcnkxNm03WGxvcFgyQT09 Join by phone  1-669-900-6833, 1-346-248-7799, 1-253-215-8782Meeting ID: 520 703 203Passcode: 062729
19 Mar
8:15 am

Kabbalat Shabbat

Friday, March 21, 6:00pm  Join Chochmat HaLev for Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat) service with Lior,  Lauren Arrow and special guests, full of embodied prayer, soulful singing, ecstatic dancing, guided meditation, sharing of ancestral wisdom, and connection in intergenerational community.  Service will start promptly at 6pm — please arrive a few minutes early to check in and be seated. Join us for a potluck dinner/oneg after services, followed by a special HeartSpace circle at 8pm:  If you’re planning to attend in-person, please register in advance. If you’re planning to attend via Zoom, the link is here: https://zoom.us/j/87810404956 Click here to register! HOLY WORK – Click here to volunteer! During service Childcare is available. Please register so we know you’re coming! After service Enjoy a delicious potluck oneg.  Please bring a vegetarian dish to share and come schmooze with our beloved community!   Followed by HeartSpace at 8pm with special guest Riv Shapiro About the HeartSpace Event: A Toast to the World to Come Each week, Shabbat offers a space for radical reclamation of the world we dream of amidst the cruelty of empire. We will gather under the waning Adar moon in the style of a tisch* to lift each other up through song, draw courage from the wisdom of our ancestors, and toast the world we are building (l’chaim!). In the spirit of the week’s Torah portion – Vayakhel – you’re warmly invited to bring an offering of song, poetry or wisdom that you’re excited to share in community. And, your presence is an offering! Come as you are and tap into our collective power to cultivate joy and carry each other through. *Yiddish: table, commonly referring to a Shabbat gathering of singing and toasts around a table Riv Shapiro (they/them) is a queer mixed-lineage Ashkenazi multi-modal artist, educator and Kohenet. They delight in...

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21 Mar
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Torah Study

Saturdays, 9:30 – 11amwith Eric Strellis Join on  Zoom It is a tree of life to all who take hold of it, and whoever keeps hold of it is happy; its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.  – Proverbs 3:17-18 If Torah is our Tree of Life, where are its roots, how does it flower, what does its fruit taste like? Answers to these questions, and more, are revealed to us every week when we study together. Engaging with Torah allows us to access an Eternal Wisdom that often seems intimidating, hidden and unreachable. Explore the parsha, the week’s Torah portion, with a warm, supportive, questioning community.  Together, we luxuriate in the specialness of Shabbat, delving deeply into the text. We read the entire parsha aloud in English and see where the discussion leads us.  Prior experience with the text is not required as we read it again, together, for the first time. Join us and deepen your connection to Torah, Shabbat, and Jewish community. Everyone is welcome, every voice is valued. For more information, please reach out to Eric Strellis at eric@chochmat.org. DONATION INFOWe rely on your contributions to cover our expenses. Please consider donating, or become a member! Free for Chochmat members$5 requested donation for non-members• Donate online here• Venmo @chochmat• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org ZOOM INFOIf you are new to Zoom, join early and follow the prompts to download the free software.Join with videohttps://zoom.us/j/652501750 Join by phone1-669-444 9171 1-346-248-77991-253-205-0468 Meeting ID: 881 8385 9402Passcode: 986927
22 Mar
9:30 am

Monday Night Meditation

Mondays,  7 – 8:30pm by donationOnly on Zoom Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation » EVENT DESCRIPTION Come Deepen Your Practice of Jewish Meditation Want to see God (or at least It’s shadow)? Lower your blood pressure? Manage your spiritual confusion? Connect with a deeper Jewish consciousness? Learn about Judaism’s esoteric side? Get a whiff of enlightenment? Just as healthy foods nourish our body, Jewish meditation nourishes our soul.  It has been around for centuries and includes forms such as chanting, visualization, silence, and movement. It can revitalize and transform Judaism from the blasé familiar into a profound and constantly renewing spiritual practice. As one of the first modern Jewish institutions to teach these forms when we opened our doors in 1995, we invite you to join us in a journey that is both personal and communal, a claiming and reclaiming of ancient pathways that open and deepen our capacity to live in connection. Some of the teachers are skilled in Classical Jewish styles of meditation, while others are practitioners of other forms but have integrated Jewish wisdom, liturgy, and concepts into their teaching. All provide an interesting, engaging and meaningful experience. For beginners and experienced meditators alike. No previous meditation or Jewish experience required. By donation. DONATION INFO$18 suggested donation. Our meditation program is supported entirely by donations. Each contribution, small and large, allows us to keep bringing you meaningful offerings.• Donate online chochmat.org/give• Venmo @Chochmat• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org ZOOM INFO Join with video:  https://zoom.us/j/848045873?pwd=bHpOZEpwTGJkbDNRLzNoVjNoZ01vZz09 Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833, or 1-346-248-7799, or 1-253-215-8782Meeting ID: 848-045-873Passcode: 847352 BIOSJen RoitmanJen experienced the power of chanting and meditation at a contemplative Rosh Hashanah service led by Rabbi Jonathan Omer-man and has been practicing Jewish and Vipassana meditation for more than 18 years.  She is a graduate of Rabbi Shefa Gold’s Kol Zimra Chant Leader Training, and The Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Program. ...

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24 Mar
7:00 pm

Embodied Torah Study Group

How does it feel to be wrapped by a tallis? What happens when you use your hands to draw the light of the Shabbat candles toward you? Or cover your eyes to say the Shema? We will deepen into questions like these in Embodied Torah Study Group, a facilitated practice lab to explore the somatic, psychological, and imaginal dimensions of basic Jewish practices and texts. By taking up simple, bite-sized pieces of ancient wisdom from davening, liturgical poetry, kabbalah, torah, and Jewish lifecycle practices, we will use physical movement and art-making to enliven our embodied connection to Jewish mystical traditions.  Facilitators:  Sessions will be thoughtfully curated by Rabbi Diane Elliot and Zacha Belok Open to all — no prior experience needed. Tuesdays 6-8pm, bi-weekly — Sessions will be in the sanctuary on: March 25 April 8 April 29 May 6 May 27 June 3 June 17  Cost and Commitment: DROP- INS WELCOME! Pay at the door! $27/session – non-members $18/session – members $12/session – low income Sign up for the whole series and receive a 10% discount! The discounted rate for the whole series: $170 – non-members $114 – members $76 – low-income Discounted Series Registration Here! ABOUT THE FACILITATORS: Rabbi Diane Elliot (she/her) brings more than forty years’ experience as a performing dance artist, contact improviser, and somatic movement therapist and teacher to her rabbinate. A certified practitioner and teacher of Body-Mind Centering®, she received ordination and a Masters of Rabbinic Studies degree from the Academy for Jewish Religion, California in 2006 and serves diverse communities as a ritual leader, teacher, and spiritual director, both in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally. Rabbi Diane is an innovator of embodied Jewish practice, having created and directed the ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal’s Embodying Spirit, Inspiriting Body Jewish leadership training program. In addition to serving...

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25 Mar
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Meditation of Presence

with Jeffrey KesslerWednesdays  |  8:15 – 9amBy Donation  |  On Zoom  Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation » Torah is our technology for encountering the Divine Presence. Silence provides a necessary space for that encounter. According to Jewish tradition, the Presence dwells continually within and around us, but we must learn deep listening to receive its generative wisdom. Shemah – in a word that sounds like an exhalation of breath,  we are directed to listen in order to understand the Divine Oneness. We are to open to this Oneness with all of our heart, our soul, our strength. We must listen to our bodies, our emotions, our thoughts, all that is deep within us. Join us as we sit together in silence, after a brief teaching on meditation practice in connection either with the weekly Torah portion or where we find ourselves in the Jewish sacred calendar. About Jeffrey KesslerA graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality. DONATION INFO$18 suggested donation. Every contribution, large or small, allows us to keep bringing you meditation, services, and much more. • Donate online chochmat.org/give• Venmo @Chochmat• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org ZOOM INFOJoin with video  https://zoom.us/j/520703203?pwd=RnJNRittSkZNcnkxNm03WGxvcFgyQT09 Join by phone  1-669-900-6833, 1-346-248-7799, 1-253-215-8782Meeting ID: 520 703 203Passcode: 062729
26 Mar
8:15 am

Torah Study

Saturdays, 9:30 – 11amwith Eric Strellis Join on  Zoom It is a tree of life to all who take hold of it, and whoever keeps hold of it is happy; its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.  – Proverbs 3:17-18 If Torah is our Tree of Life, where are its roots, how does it flower, what does its fruit taste like? Answers to these questions, and more, are revealed to us every week when we study together. Engaging with Torah allows us to access an Eternal Wisdom that often seems intimidating, hidden and unreachable. Explore the parsha, the week’s Torah portion, with a warm, supportive, questioning community.  Together, we luxuriate in the specialness of Shabbat, delving deeply into the text. We read the entire parsha aloud in English and see where the discussion leads us.  Prior experience with the text is not required as we read it again, together, for the first time. Join us and deepen your connection to Torah, Shabbat, and Jewish community. Everyone is welcome, every voice is valued. For more information, please reach out to Eric Strellis at eric@chochmat.org. DONATION INFOWe rely on your contributions to cover our expenses. Please consider donating, or become a member! Free for Chochmat members$5 requested donation for non-members• Donate online here• Venmo @chochmat• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org ZOOM INFOIf you are new to Zoom, join early and follow the prompts to download the free software.Join with videohttps://zoom.us/j/652501750 Join by phone1-669-444 9171 1-346-248-77991-253-205-0468 Meeting ID: 881 8385 9402Passcode: 986927
29 Mar
9:30 am

Contemplative Shabbat – Saturday Morning

Saturday March 29, 11am Join us for an in-person Shabbat service. Janet Falk and Jeffrey Kessler conduct Chochmat’s beautiful Contemplative Service, created by founding member Nan Gefen and Rabbi Jonathan Omer-man. The service follows the arc of the traditional morning Shabbat service in distilled form – with alternating periods of chant and silence, time for personal prayer, Torah teaching, and Mourner’s Kaddish. Followed by: Kiddish Lunch 12:30 pm Chesed Community Care Circle 1:00 pm – An Afternoon Dedicated to Healing Heartbreak. Facilitated by:  Stacia Biltekoff of The Mourning Collective In this session, we will carve out some space and time for our grief with the intention of feeling more integrated with an expanded perspective, new connections and a reclaimed sense of self. The Mourning Collective offers an innovative model for approaching grief. They are a collective made up an art therapist, a somatic therapist anda transpersonal therapist. “Our many years of providing grief counseling with Sutter Hospice have taught us theimportance of taking time to honor our grief experience and process within community.Again and again we have witnessed the power of having our experience of lossacknowledged and validated by other grievers.”     – Mourning Collective Member This event is sponsored by Heart 2 Heart. For more information, please contact Shelley Coleman, Care Coordinator, Heart 2 Heart at  heart@chochmat.org   DONATION INFOOur Shabbat services are supported by donation. Each donation, small and large, allows us to continue with this offering.• Donate online chochmat.org/give• Venmo @chochmat• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org
29 Mar
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Exodus and the Birth of Song: A Hadar Rising Song Immersive

Exodus and the Birth of Song:A Hadar Rising Song ImmersiveMarch 30, 2025 (Rosh Hodesh Nisan) | Chochmat HaLev (Berkeley, CA) Join Hadar’s Rising Song Institute in Berkeley, CA, for a full-day musical immersive exploring the Jewish singing tradition that first emerges in the midst of the Exodus narrative. Guided by a faculty team of composers, facilitators, and scholars, this experiential day offers the opportunity to explore and cultivate the underpinnings of empowered music and prayer communities. All are invited to build skills, ask questions, and immerse in heart-opening communal song! Anchored by Hadar’s R. Deborah Sacks Mintz and R. David Kasher, a faculty team of California-based artists and scholars will round out this musical day – including Eliyahu Sills and Rachel Valfer of the Qadim Ensemble, Duvid Swirsky, Lior Tsarfaty, and R. Zvika Krieger. Register by February 7 to grab our early-bird pricing. Come to immerse in new music, take a deep dive into traditional sounds, and connect with curiosity to others who share this passion. This immersive is presented by Hadar West, in partnership with Chochmat HaLev. Register now! (Hadar.org) Accessibilty  Physical Access Entrance Entrance to the Sanctuary is at the corner of Prince St. and Fulton St.. There are 8 steps into the main entrance of the Sanctuary. There is an accessible ramp at a separate entrance on Fulton St. Please let a volunteer or staff know if you need to use this entrance; you can also email us in advance at shalom@chochmat.org Seating We have folding chairs (some with padding, some without), pillows, and floor cushions available for you to use as well as benches in our Courtyard. COVID Protocols Our new policy effective May 19th, 2023 is as follows: Chochmat HaLev, in consultation with our medical advisor and based on community survey results, will discontinue masking...

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30 Mar
9:45 am - 5:30 pm
Chochmat Halev
2215 Prince Street

Monday Night Meditation

Mondays,  7 – 8:30pm by donationOnly on Zoom Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation » EVENT DESCRIPTION Come Deepen Your Practice of Jewish Meditation Want to see God (or at least It’s shadow)? Lower your blood pressure? Manage your spiritual confusion? Connect with a deeper Jewish consciousness? Learn about Judaism’s esoteric side? Get a whiff of enlightenment? Just as healthy foods nourish our body, Jewish meditation nourishes our soul.  It has been around for centuries and includes forms such as chanting, visualization, silence, and movement. It can revitalize and transform Judaism from the blasé familiar into a profound and constantly renewing spiritual practice. As one of the first modern Jewish institutions to teach these forms when we opened our doors in 1995, we invite you to join us in a journey that is both personal and communal, a claiming and reclaiming of ancient pathways that open and deepen our capacity to live in connection. Some of the teachers are skilled in Classical Jewish styles of meditation, while others are practitioners of other forms but have integrated Jewish wisdom, liturgy, and concepts into their teaching. All provide an interesting, engaging and meaningful experience. For beginners and experienced meditators alike. No previous meditation or Jewish experience required. By donation. DONATION INFO$18 suggested donation. Our meditation program is supported entirely by donations. Each contribution, small and large, allows us to keep bringing you meaningful offerings.• Donate online chochmat.org/give• Venmo @Chochmat• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org ZOOM INFO Join with video:  https://zoom.us/j/848045873?pwd=bHpOZEpwTGJkbDNRLzNoVjNoZ01vZz09 Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833, or 1-346-248-7799, or 1-253-215-8782Meeting ID: 848-045-873Passcode: 847352 BIOSJen RoitmanJen experienced the power of chanting and meditation at a contemplative Rosh Hashanah service led by Rabbi Jonathan Omer-man and has been practicing Jewish and Vipassana meditation for more than 18 years.  She is a graduate of Rabbi Shefa Gold’s Kol Zimra Chant Leader Training, and The Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Program. ...

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31 Mar
7:00 pm
April 2025

Meditation of Presence

with Jeffrey KesslerWednesdays  |  8:15 – 9amBy Donation  |  On Zoom  Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation » Torah is our technology for encountering the Divine Presence. Silence provides a necessary space for that encounter. According to Jewish tradition, the Presence dwells continually within and around us, but we must learn deep listening to receive its generative wisdom. Shemah – in a word that sounds like an exhalation of breath,  we are directed to listen in order to understand the Divine Oneness. We are to open to this Oneness with all of our heart, our soul, our strength. We must listen to our bodies, our emotions, our thoughts, all that is deep within us. Join us as we sit together in silence, after a brief teaching on meditation practice in connection either with the weekly Torah portion or where we find ourselves in the Jewish sacred calendar. About Jeffrey KesslerA graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality. DONATION INFO$18 suggested donation. Every contribution, large or small, allows us to keep bringing you meditation, services, and much more. • Donate online chochmat.org/give• Venmo @Chochmat• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org ZOOM INFOJoin with video  https://zoom.us/j/520703203?pwd=RnJNRittSkZNcnkxNm03WGxvcFgyQT09 Join by phone  1-669-900-6833, 1-346-248-7799, 1-253-215-8782Meeting ID: 520 703 203Passcode: 062729
02 Apr
8:15 am

Kabbalat Shabbat

Friday, April 4, 6pm In person and on Zoom Meeting ID 878 1040 4956Passcode 972073 Join Chochmat HaLev for a Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat) service, a mystical tradition full of embodied prayer, soulful singing, ecstatic dancing, guided meditation, sharing of ancestral wisdom, and connection in intergenerational community. This service will be led by Zvika Krieger, Lior Tsarfaty, Lauren Arrow, and special guests. Service will start promptly at 6pm — please arrive a few minutes early to check in and be seated. Potluck oneg after services, followed by HeartSpace at 8pm. If you’re planning to attend in-person, please register in advance.If you’re planning to attend via Zoom, the link is here: https://zoom.us/j/8781040 HOLY WORK (Sign up to volunteer) Register here! During service Childcare is available. Please register so we know you’re coming! After service Please bring a delicious vegetarian contribution to our potluck oneg and schmooze with our beloved community! Followed by HeartSpace at 8pm. Event Details: Emotional Potty Training for Grown Ups in Trying Times.  Join Rachel Kaplan, therapist, author, TEDx speaker and long time Chochmat community member as she shares practical tips on how to emotionally digest the complex and painful feelings so many of us are navigating at this time. This event promises to be actionable, inspiring, and supportive. You may even laugh. Books will be available for purchase. Books also available here on Amazon or here at Afikomen. Rachel Kaplan is the author of the new Library Journal acclaimed self-healing book Feel, Heal, & Let that Sh*t Go: Your Guide to Emotional Resilience and Lasting Self Love. She is a licensed psychotherapist with a thriving practice in the San Francisco Bay Area and creator and host of the podcast Healing Feeling Sh*t Show. Her “Inner Talks That Heal” TEDx talk explores the internal relationship between our loving...

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04 Apr
6:00 pm
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