Events

Yearly Monthly Weekly Daily List
September 2023

Yom Kippur Day

Contemplative Service Monday, September 25  • 10:00 am – 12:30 pm Service Leader:  Lior TsarfatySpecial Guests:  Melanie DeMore  |  Laura Goldman |  Naomi Newman The journey inward continues as we enter the Contemplative Service. The gate is opened for us with meditation and chanting and focused wisdom with Melanie DeMore, Laura Goldman and Naomi Newman.  Our hearts are open and vulnerable:Through compassion we can heal and be healed  Multi Access LocationsAll Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA and livestreamed via Zoom. Recordings will not be available after services. Sorry, no photography or video allowed. Advance in-person tickets are now SOLD OUT. Walk-ups welcome as space permits. Zoom-Only Tickets High Holy Days 5784 ROSH HASHANAHFriday, September 15  |  Erev Rosh Hashanah »Saturday, September 16  |  Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 » YOM KIPPURSunday, September 24  |  Erev Yom Kippur »Monday, September 25  |  Yom Kippur Day »Monday, September 25 |  Torah and Musaf »Monday, September 25 |  Yizkor & Neilah » ...
25 Sep
10:00 am - 12:30 pm
First Presbyterian Church
2407 Dana Street

Yom Kippur Day Torah and Musaf Service

Contemplative Service Monday, September 25  • 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm Service Leaders: Zvika Krieger| Lior TsarfatyCantorial Soloist: Daniela GesundheitMusicians: Lauren Arrow |Shira Kammen | Michaelle Goerlitz | Doni Benedictson Our inner work is supported through beautiful chants, extended periods of silence, and gifts of deep insight.  Multi Access LocationsAll Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA and livestreamed via Zoom. Recordings will not be available after services. Sorry, no photography or video allowed. Advance in-person tickets are now SOLD OUT. Walk-ups welcome as space permits. Zoom-Only Tickets High Holy Days 5784 ROSH HASHANAHFriday, September 15  |  Erev Rosh Hashanah »Saturday, September 16  |  Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 » YOM KIPPURSunday, September 24  |  Erev Yom Kippur »Monday, September 25  |  Yom Kippur Day »Monday, September 25 |  Torah and Musaf »Monday, September 25 |  Yizkor & Neilah » ...
25 Sep
12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
First Presbyterian Church
2407 Dana Street

Yom Kippur Day Workshops

Monday, September 25  • 3 pm We have 3 workshops to choose from on Yom Kippur Meditation: The Gift of ReturningYou’ve done the soul searching, you’ve asked for forgiveness, you’ve released old vows and are preparing new ones – Even in the midst of prayer, process and progress, return to the eternal presence you already always are. Daniella Salzman has trained as a dance expressive arts therapist, meditation and mindfulness teacher, and community organizer. For over a decade, she has been a part of Chochmat HaLev’s leadership behind the scenes as well as on the bimah, and currently teaches in the Monday night meditation program and offers quarterly retreats. She founded Grow Awake, a community of practice that is ideologically inclusive and is dedicated to transforming our inner and outer worlds towards a lasting and integrated peace. Call and Response – the Poetic Gates Are OpenWe will use our liturgy, sacred texts and spiritual poetry, all forms of mystical, metaphorical messaging, as prompts for your creative response. Share the poetry of your soul within our sacred community. Readers, writers, listeners all welcome. Leah Shelleda and Lisa Strongin will facilitate a safe and generative container for all who choose to participate. Leah Shelleda is an educator, facilitator, ritualist and published poet who can be found in her garden, kitchen or with her grandkids when she isn’t creating events and spiritual poetry workshops. Lisa Strongin is a lover of Torah and Liturgy and a published poet who returns to the Bay Area and her writing after many decades of advocating for the rights of indigents caught up in our dysfunctional justice system. Art as MidrashOn Yom Kippur, during the exquisite hours of inner reflection before the closing of the gates, choosing what to bring forward to the new year and what to...

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25 Sep
3:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church
2407 Dana Street

Yom Kippur Day Yizkor

Monday, September 25  • 5 pm – 6:15 pm Service Leader:  Lior Tsarfaty The personal gate of honoring the memory of those who have died. Our tradition wisely gives us the opportunity to express our sorrow in community through liturgy, chant, and reflection. We welcome this tribute to our loved ones and affirmation of the power and poignancy of remembering.  Our hearts are open and vulnerable:Through compassion we can heal and be healed  Multi Access LocationsAll Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA and livestreamed via Zoom. Recordings will not be available after services. Sorry, no photography or video allowed. Advance in-person tickets are now SOLD OUT. Walk-ups welcome as space permits. Zoom-Only Tickets High Holy Days 5784 ROSH HASHANAHFriday, September 15  |  Erev Rosh Hashanah »Saturday, September 16  |  Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 » YOM KIPPURSunday, September 24  |  Erev Yom Kippur »Monday, September 25  |  Yom Kippur Day »Monday, September 25 |  Torah and Musaf »Monday, September 25 |  Yizkor & Neilah » ...
25 Sep
5:00 pm - 6:15 pm
First Presbyterian Church
2407 Dana Street

Yom Kippur Day Neilah

Monday, September 25  • 6:15 pm – 7:45 pm Service Leaders: Zvika Krieger| Lior TsarfatyCantorial Soloist: Daniela GesundheitMusicians: Lauren Arrow | Shira Kammen | Michaelle Goerlitz | Doni Benedictson The gates are closing. Have we done the necessary work of teshuvah? Our final prayers and reflections together will build to an exuberant “Yes!” Together, we can meet the challenges and opportunities of this New Year! The Neilah Service is followed by Havdallah and a modest break-fast in the Courtyard.  Our hearts are open and vulnerable:Through compassion we can heal and be healed  Multi Access LocationsAll Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA and livestreamed via Zoom. Recordings will not be available after services. Sorry, no photography or video allowed. Advance in-person tickets are now SOLD OUT. Walk-ups welcome as space permits. Zoom-Only Tickets High Holy Days 5784 ROSH HASHANAHFriday, September 15  |  Erev Rosh Hashanah »Saturday, September 16  |  Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 » YOM KIPPURSunday, September 24  |  Erev Yom Kippur »Monday, September 25  |  Yom Kippur Day »Monday, September 25 |  Torah and Musaf »Monday, September 25 |  Yizkor & Neilah » ...
25 Sep
6:15 pm - 7:45 pm
First Presbyterian Church
2407 Dana Street

Monday Night Meditation

Mondays – 7 – 8:00pmby donationOn Zoom AND In person in the CHL Sanctuary Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation » SCHEDULE1st Mondays – Jen Roitman2nd Mondays – Zvi Bellin3rd Mondays – Daniella Salzman4th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler5th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler DESCRIPTION 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 INFOIf you are new to Zoom, join early and follow the prompts to download the free software. 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: 848-045-873 Passcode: 847352 BIOSJen RoitmanJen experienced the power of chanting and meditation at a...

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25 Sep
7:00 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 ...
27 Sep
8:15 am

Torah Study

Saturdays, 9:30 – 11amwith Eric StrellisJoin with 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 ...
30 Sep
9:30 am

KABBALAH/ HAVDALAH

Saturday, September 30th, 7:30 pm (in-person only). Chochmat HaLev is teaming up with LABA BAY: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture to present KABBALAH / HAVDALAH, a drop-in Kabbalah course taught in LABA’s open-to-all-the-possibilities teaching style held at Chochmat HaLev. LABA Bay faculty and GTU professor Sam Shonkoff will be leading the innovative study session, which will be followed by a group-led Havdalah ceremony.  This event will take place in the Sukkah, and the Sukkah will be designed by LABA advisor and visual artist Anne Germanacos. Attendees are free to get up, move their bodies, and grab a cup of tea or wine during the evening. Feel free to contribute to the beverage or food offerings by bringing something.** This will be an ongoing offering for the year, taking place every other month. No experience required. Suggested donation (sliding scale): $18/$25/$36 Click here for tickets! Sam Shonkoff is Taube Family Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and a faculty member at LABA BAY. His scholarship focuses on Jewish spirituality, particularly in German-Jewish, Hasidic, and neo-Hasidic realms. He is co-editor (with Ariel Mayse) of Hasidism: Writings on Devotion, Community, and Life in the Modern World and the editor of Martin Buber: His Intellectual and Scholarly Legacy.  LABA uses classic Jewish texts to inspire the creation of art, culture, conversation, and community. By presenting Judaism’s rich literary and intellectual tradition in a free and creative setting, these fertile stories and ideas spark new thought and creative work. The output from our laboratory hubs push the boundaries of what Jewish culture can be and what Jewish texts can teach. **Note – this is a kosher-style kitchen. Please do not bring pork, shellfish, or other non-kosher foods into the facility. We prefer meals to be dairy/fish based. If you are planning on serving chicken or beef, or if...

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30 Sep
7:30 pm
October 2023

Join the Chochmat Halev Community in our Sukkah!

Please join us for a celebratory afternoon of Sukkot. We will be creating art and decorating the Sukkah. There will be music with Lior, learning and light appetizers. If you would like to bring something to add to the spread please do so. On Sukkot we have a ritual of inviting in a guest or ushpizin, so please feel welcome to bring a photo of a loved one and/or ancestor. You are also invited to bring a decoration from your own Sukkah. This is an event for ALL ages! Leah Shelleda is a published poet, a trained facilitator, and Professor Emeritus of Humanities & Philosophy at the College of Marin. Leah taught courses in World Religions and mythology, among others, for over 30 years. When she became interested in the neurology and practice of gratefulness, she studied with the Greater Good Science Center at U.C. Berkeley, and has given lectures and workshops to a variety of groups. In-Person in the Chochmat HaLev Courtyard Free for members Individuals $15, Families $20 Register ...
01 Oct
3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Chochmat Halev
2215 Prince Street

Monday Night Meditation

Mondays – 7 – 8:00pmby donationOn Zoom AND In person in the CHL Sanctuary Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation » SCHEDULE1st Mondays – Jen Roitman2nd Mondays – Zvi Bellin3rd Mondays – Daniella Salzman4th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler5th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler DESCRIPTION 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 INFOIf you are new to Zoom, join early and follow the prompts to download the free software. 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: 848-045-873 Passcode: 847352 BIOSJen RoitmanJen experienced the power of chanting and meditation at a...

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02 Oct
7:00 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 ...
04 Oct
8:15 am
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