6:30pm
East Bay Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince Street, Berkeley
First gathering of Chochmat HaLev's monthly series for men and masc-identifying adults: the Kiddush Levana moon blessing, bonfire, short teaching, food and discussion; series registration required.
6pm – 8pm
East Bay Temple Isaiah, 945 Risa Road, Lafayette
Temple Isaiah and ADL host a panel on California's Safe Worship Zone Act with Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, JCRC Bay Area and faith leaders, preceded by a reception; open to the community.
7pm – 8:30pm
East Bay Congregation Beth El, 2301 Vine St, Berkeley
An evening of songs and music in the wake of October 7, hosted by Beth El's Ahavat Yisrael group.
7pm – 9pm
East Bay Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Avenue, Piedmont
First session of a seven-week in-person course with Rabbi SAM Luckey on Jewish practice and life at Kehilla Community Synagogue; open to all, full-series registration required.
7pm – 8:15pm
East Bay Temple Isaiah (Oneg Room), 945 Risa Road, Lafayette
Temple Isaiah's Just Act series hosts Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder Kristin B. Connelly on how the county runs elections and how to support fair elections before the midterms.
10:30am
East Bay Oakland (exact location shared closer to the event)
Marking ten years since his passing, a tribute to Shimon Peres's life and vision of peace, with a virtual conversation with his son Chemi Peres. Hosted by the Consulate General of Israel and JCC East Bay.
7pm – 9pm
East Bay Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth Street, Berkeley
Intermediate Hebrew lettering class at Urban Adamah practicing several Hebrew fonts and composition; for those with prior lettering experience.
5:45pm – 6:30pm
East Bay Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth Street, Berkeley
Urban Adamah invites young adults to make flower bouquets from the farm's beds before Kabbalat Shabbat.
6pm – 8pm
East Bay Congregation Netivot Shalom (Sanctuary & Social Hall), 1316 University Ave, Berkeley
Congregation Netivot Shalom's Kabbalat Shabbat service followed by socializing over drinks and snacks; open to members, friends and the wider community.
6:30pm – 7:30pm
East Bay Congregation B'nai Tikvah, 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek
Shabbat service led by Rabbi Chabon at Congregation B'nai Tikvah with a talk by Scholar in Residence and poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.
9am – 3pm
East Bay Congregation B'nai Tikvah, 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek
A day-long poetry and writing retreat with open-ended prompts and small-group conversation, open to all experience levels; sliding contribution, bring lunch.
9:30am – 12pm
East Bay Temple Beth Abraham (Sanctuary), 327 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland
Shabbat morning services featuring a guest talk by Israeli professional soccer player Leo Krupnik, followed by Kiddush.
All day
East Bay Athletic Playground, 4770 San Pablo Avenue, Emeryville
A playful contact-dance session for families that uses games and guided movement to practice trust, balance and respect. No experience needed.
10am – 12pm
East Bay 3000 California St (at Maple), Oakland
All-ages volunteer tree planting in Oakland with Trees for Oakland supplying saplings and tools; sign up to get location details.
12pm – 1:30pm
East Bay Sanctuary, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
Leaders of three local grassroots groups talk about their work against antisemitism and how to get involved. Pizza is available for a fee.
2pm – 3pm
East Bay Albers Chapel, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
Eric Beck Rubin talks with Stewart Florsheim about his novel Ten Clear Days, about a Holocaust survivor weighing medical aid in dying.
2pm
East Bay Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave, Piedmont
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2:30pm – 5:30pm
East Bay Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth Street, Berkeley
Hands-on workshop on identifying local oaks and turning acorns into food (foraging, leaching tannins and cooking), with notes on oaks in Jewish tradition.
5:30pm
East Bay Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Dr, Pleasant Hill
Chabad of Contra Costa's gala dinner, honoring Howard and Susan Geifman, Jacob Leshaa and Natalie Todd, and Paul and Donna Sanderson.
7:15pm – 8:30pm
East Bay 4125 Blackhawk Plaza Cir, Danville, CA 94506
First session of a six-week Jewish Learning Institute course exploring Kabbalah and the inner makeup of the soul, held Tuesday evenings in Danville (also available on Zoom).
4:30pm
East Bay Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth Street, Berkeley
First session of a three-week Wednesday series using the garden and Jewish teachings to reconnect with a sense of the sacred. You register for the full series.
6:30pm – 8:30pm
East Bay Albers Chapel, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
Screening of a documentary made with asylum seekers, followed by a panel and light snacks; co-presented with East Bay Sanctuary Covenant.
7pm – 8:15pm
East Bay Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford Street, Berkeley, CA
First of two sessions introducing the melodies and patterns of Torah chanting; open to all, no Hebrew needed.
5:30pm – 7:30pm
East Bay Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley
Tony winner Ari'el Stachel performs his one-man Off-Broadway show about growing up Yemeni-Israeli and Ashkenazi American and the search for belonging.
7pm – 8:30pm
East Bay Congregation Netivot Shalom (Sanctuary), 1316 University Ave, Berkeley
Mohammad Darawshe of Givat Haviva's Center for Shared Society discusses how education, civic engagement and community-building can strengthen a shared Jewish-Arab society in Israel.
6pm – 9pm
East Bay Congregation B'nai Israel, 1256 Nebraska St, Vallejo
An in-person evening of games and Havdalah in the synagogue social hall.
10:15am – 11:30am
East Bay Congregation B'nai Tikvah (Library), 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek
First of a free three-part class by Rabbi Emeritus Asher examining the history and record of the Reform movement.
4:30pm – 6:30pm
East Bay East Bay Jewish Community Campus, 5957 Chabot Road, Oakland
Opening session of an intergenerational program that pairs teens with seniors for shared Jewish learning; this first meeting is a pickle-making session.
12pm – 1pm
East Bay Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley
Brown-bag lunch talk in which photographer Nancy Lee Katz's longtime partner discusses her life and work with the Magnes senior curator.
7pm – 8:30pm
East Bay Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford Street, Berkeley, CA
In-person discussion of Molly Crabapple's book on the history of the Jewish Labor Bund in Eastern Europe.
7:30pm – 9pm
East Bay Berkeley Hillel, Beit Midrash, Berkeley
An open-to-all evening on the eve of Election Day celebrating civic engagement and the democratic process, with treats, cake and toasts.
7pm
East Bay Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 3014 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland
Jewish Women's Circle evening on the art of Jewish prayer, with prayer meditations and decorating your own siddur.
5pm – 6:30pm
East Bay Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley
Annual Diller Lecture by Harvard historian Derek Penslar on how the world perceived and reacted to the 1948 war, with a reception beforehand.
7pm – 8:30pm
East Bay Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford Street, Berkeley, CA
First of two sessions studying civil rights and social justice through Jewish texts; open to all, not only civil rights trip participants.
1pm
East Bay Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince Street, Berkeley
A commuter Shabbat retreat on Jewish spirituality and the elder years, opening with an afternoon in Tilden Park and running through Saturday.
10:15am – 11:45am
East Bay Congregation B'nai Tikvah, 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek
A free talk by Hadassah regional president Karen Bloom on Hadassah Medical Organization's innovations and stories from its Youth Aliyah villages.
1:30pm – 3:30pm
East Bay Temple Isaiah (Social Hall), 945 Risa Road, Lafayette
An interfaith volunteer project with Peace Lutheran Church and Tri-Valley Hindu Community assembling Thanksgiving bags for Monument Crisis Center; ages 10 and up.
4pm – 7pm
East Bay Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave, Piedmont
With Kehilla Community Synagogue . Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California . Montclair Presbyterian Church .
6:30pm – 10pm
East Bay Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St, Berkeley
A group outing to Bess Wohl's play Liberation, with a pre-show introduction to the women's liberation movement and a post-show discussion.
7:30pm
East Bay Chabad of Fremont Jewish Center, 4251 Peralta Blvd, Fremont
Hands-on evening of cooking classic Israeli dishes with fresh ingredients; no experience needed.
6pm – 8:30pm
East Bay Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth Street, Berkeley
Make elderberry syrup from berries grown on the farm and a jar of fire cider tonic, and take both home for winter.
7pm – 8:30pm
East Bay Albers Chapel, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
An evening of readings from Jewish poets who served in the two World Wars, marking Veterans Day.
6:30pm – 8:45pm
East Bay Temple Isaiah, 945 Risa Road, Lafayette
A one-night concert with Cantors Leigh Korn and Chanin Becker, the adult volunteer choir and the Mizmor Band, marking the congregation's 75 years through Jewish music and stories.
7pm
East Bay The Club at Castlewood, 707 Country Club Circle, Pleasanton
An evening marking 20 years of Chabad in the Tri-Valley, with a kosher wine tasting, live music by the Rikud Orchestra and a live auction.
5:45pm – 8:45pm
East Bay Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford Street, Berkeley, CA
Havdalah and Thanksgiving dinner with Netivot Shalom and the Pacifica Institute, bringing together neighbors of different faiths.
11am – 5pm
East Bay Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley
A day of art, readings, dance, film and music by LABA Bay Area fellows responding to Jewish texts on the theme of names, plus text study.
6pm – 9pm
East Bay Temple Isaiah (Social Hall), 945 Risa Road, Lafayette
An adults-only, Western-themed Hanukkah party with rabbi-led line dancing, BBQ and latkes, drinks and games; registration closes November 9.
7pm – 8:05pm
East Bay Sanctuary & Stern Hall, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
Author Michael Cooper reads from his historical novel The Rabbi's Knight. Snacks provided.
All day
East Bay Congregation Netivot Shalom (Sanctuary), 1316 University Ave, Berkeley
A Shabbat celebrating the congregation's young people, with youth of all ages leading different parts of the service.
1pm – 2:30pm
East Bay East Bay Jewish Community Campus, 1414 Walnut St, Berkeley
First of three sessions with Rivka Amado on Sephardic Ladino song: narrative ballads, lyrical kantikas, coplas and piyyutim, and how they traveled from Iberia across the Ottoman world.
10:30am – 12pm
East Bay Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave, Piedmont
An outdoor pre-Hanukkah gathering for young children with Jewish Baby Network: decorating dreidels, learning the blessings and singing holiday songs.
3pm – 4:15pm
East Bay Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley
Workshop with LABA scholar Tova Birnbaum on the meaning of names in Torah, followed by a name game with prizes in the gallery.
5:30pm – 7pm
East Bay Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley
Senior Curator Alissa Schapiro lectures on photographer Ilse Bing, whose career was upended by the Holocaust, and her portrait by Nancy Lee Katz.
6pm – 9pm
East Bay Congregation B'nai Tikvah, 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek
A family Shabbat evening combined with a Hanukkah celebration.
6pm – 7:30pm
East Bay Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Avenue, Piedmont
A musical Kabbalat Shabbat marking the first night of Hanukkah with communal candle lighting, followed by a vegetarian potluck dinner.
6:15pm – 7:15pm
East Bay Temple Beth Abraham, 327 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland
Rock’nRoll Chanukah Kabbalat Shabbat
4pm – 8pm
East Bay Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford Street, Berkeley, CA
Chanukah festival for all ages with dinner, a chorus performance and a children's program. Tickets $15 adults, $11 kids.
6pm – 9pm
East Bay Congregation Beth Chaim, 1800 Holbrook Drive, Danville
The congregation's community Chanukah party on the first night of the holiday.
9:15am – 11:30am
East Bay Temple Building & Outdoors, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
A Sunday-morning Hanukkah celebration for families, hosted by Temple Sinai's Kesher TK-5 program indoors and outside.
2pm – 2:30pm
East Bay Fischer Library, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
A short Hanukkah talk that answers one of the questions people ask most often about the holiday.
3:30pm – 5:30pm
East Bay Bay Street Emeryville, Emeryville
Chabad of Emeryville's annual Chanukah celebration at the Bay Street shopping center. Registration is requested; donations are optional.
4pm – 6pm
East Bay Social Hall, 327 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland
The congregation's Chanukah celebration in the Social Hall.
4:30pm
East Bay Lake Merritt Amphitheater, Lake Merritt Blvd (between 12th St and 1st Ave), Oakland
21st annual public Chanukah celebration on the third night, with a grand menorah lighting, fire performance, live music, latkes and crafts.
3pm – 5pm
East Bay Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave, Piedmont
Join Jews on Ohlone Land for a community Latke making for Hannukah in Huchuin!
5:45pm – 9pm
East Bay Kehilla Community Synagogue Social Hall, 1300 Grand Avenue, Piedmont
An all-ages Hanukkah evening with Jews on Ohlone Land: candle lighting, latkes, mezuzah-making from local acacia wood and a klezmer dance party.
6:30pm – 8pm
East Bay Sanctuary, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
A Hanukkah Shabbat evening service that rededicates the sanctuary, with music from the adult choir. Also livestreamed.
10:15am – 12pm
East Bay Congregation B'nai Tikvah, 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek
Cornell food science professor emeritus Joe Regenstein reviews kosher basics and recounts certifying Nabisco's cookie line and Cornell's dairy plant; free.
7pm – 8:30pm
East Bay Sanctuary, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
Pianist Catherine Kautsky plays music of classical Vienna and works by composers exiled or killed in the Holocaust, with images and commentary.
7pm – 8:45pm
East Bay Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave, Piedmont
Kehilla School families are invited for a Shabbat ritual, song and potluck dinner with Rabbi Dev Noily. Please bring a vegetarian (fish ok) potluck dish to share, and RSVP here .
5:30pm – 7:30pm
East Bay Temple Isaiah (Adult Lounge), 945 Risa Road, Lafayette
Anshei Isaiah's traditional December 24 evening of Chinese food and a movie, open to everyone.
9am – 1pm
East Bay Stern Hall, Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit Street, Oakland
A Saturday-morning shakshuka gathering at Temple Sinai.
9:30am – 10:30am
East Bay Temple Beth Abraham, 327 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland
Student Rabbi Samson from Abayudaya
10am – 1pm
East Bay RSVP to Jody London Oaklandjody@gmail.com, Temple Beth Abraham, 327 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland
Save the Bay with the 25th Wetlands Day-Join with the TBA group.
8pm
East Bay Temple Beth Abraham, 327 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland
Tikkun Leyl Shavuot – social hall