Religious School Teachers wanted
Are you passionate about enlightening young minds and nurturing a love for Jewish learning? If so, your journey starts here!
We are actively seeking enthusiastic and dynamic Religious School teachers to be part of the Congregation B’nai Shalom family for the upcoming school year. (August 2024 - June 2025)
Our Walnut Creek religious school is a vibrant community for students from kindergarten through 7th grade. Here, we foster deep connections with Jewish identity, immersing our students in the rich tapestry of Jewish history, traditions, and love of Israel.
As a CBS Religious School teacher, you will have the opportunity to:
Ignite Minds! Immerse yourself in the joy of teaching through one or both of our weekly sessions. Prepare to inspire, engage, and make a difference!
* Sundays (approx 9-12:30): Embark on a journey through time as you explore age-appropriate curriculum including holidays, history, culture, and rituals.
* Wednesday Afternoons (approx 4-6:45pm): Dive into the rich tapestry of the Hebrew language and prayer. It’s more than just a class, it’s a celebration of our shared heritage and identity.
Spark Curiosity! Kindle the flame of active participation and critical thinking among all students.
Foster Identity! Nurture a sense of pride in their Jewish identities. It’s more than just teaching, it’s about helping each student discover and embrace their unique place in our diverse community.
Flourish and Evolve! Craft lesson plans that resonate with our educational aspirations and core values. Nurture a learning environment that radiates positivity and inclusivity.
Collaborate! Join forces with fellow staff, parents, and clergy to enrich each student’s learning journey. Participate in regular staff meetings and in-service days, and play an active role in the continuous evolution of our programs.
Qualifications: We are seeking individuals who are passionate about Jewish education and committed to inspiring young minds. The right candidate will demonstrate:
* A deep connection with Jewish traditions, holidays, and Israel.
* Strong communication skills to effectively engage with students, parents, and clergy.
* A background in teaching or educational facilitation is valued, but not a prerequisite.
All Jewish backgrounds are welcome, as we believe in the richness of diversity in our learning environment.
While these qualifications would be a plus, they are not mandatory for consideration.
We are currently hiring for a variety of grade levels.
Compensation: CBS values the time and effort our teachers invest in nurturing our students. In addition to an hourly wage ranging from $38 to $48, commensurate with experience, we offer additional benefits including professional development opportunities, complimentary admission to synagogue events, and a sign-on bonus gift.
CBS is committed to supporting our teachers’ growth and well-being, recognizing their dedication to fostering a love for all things Jewish.
Application Process: Are you ready to embark on an exciting journey with us? We’re thrilled at the prospect of meeting you! So grab your resume, pen down your unique teaching philosophy in a cover letter, and gather anything else that showcases your skills. We can’t wait to hear from you! Send resume to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
All candidates are welcome to apply and will be evaluated without regard to race, sex, gender identification, sexual orientation, national origin, native language, religion, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Holocaust Scroll 60th Anniversary Celebration
60th Anniversary Celebration Event Sunday 4th February at Westminster Synagogue
The service will start at 7:00 am PST (2:00pm GMT) and will last around an hour.
Watch on youtube from this page https://www.westminstersynagogue.org/following-our-czech-scrolls-60th-celebration.html#
Surrounding events
Film Screening: Commandment 613 - Thursday 1st February, 7:00pm GMT
As part of our Scrolls 60th Celebrations, we invite you to a special screening of Commandment 613, a 23-minute documentary looking at the work of Rabbi Kevin Hale as he practices the sacred craft of a Torah scribe, bringing new life to scrolls that were saved in Czechoslovakia during the Second World War. We are delighted to welcome sofer Rabbi Hale and director Miriam Lewin who will join Rabbi Kamila, as we enjoy the film, as well as a special Q&A session.
Type: Hybrid
Register here https://www.westminstersynagogue.org/event/film-screening-commandment-613.html
Shabbat Evening Service - Friday 2nd February, 6:30pm GMT
As part of our celebrations for the Scrolls 60th Anniversary, we invite you to join us for our Shabbat Evening Service. Those in person are invited to join us for our communal Shabbat Dinner!
Page: https://www.westminstersynagogue.org/following-shabbat-evening-service.html#
Zoom Link: Click here to join the service or use the Meeting ID: 687 484 054 and Password: 518750
Shabbat Morning Service and Bat Mitzvah – Saturday, 3rd February, 10:30am GMT
We are honoured to be holding a Bar Mitzvah on this Shabbat, where a member of our community will be reading from our Czech Scroll as he marks this important milestone celebration. We hope you can join us for this occasion!
Page: https://www.westminstersynagogue.org/following-shabbat-morning-service.html
Zoom Link: Click here to join the Zoom or use the Meeting ID: 809 168 590 and Password: 146760
Support for Kibbutzim
Dear Friends,
Sid and I are scheduled to visit Israel at the beginning of February and are joining an organization to volunteer in the fields and visit soldiers in a hospital recovering from their wounds. I have arranged to meet a number of hostages and their children: Danielle Aloni and her daughter Amelia and Sharon Aloni-Cunio and her twin daughters Emma and Yuli—members of Kibbutz Nir Oz where 25% of its residents were murdered by Hamas—Sharon’s husband and brother-in-law remain hostages in Gaza.
The SF Israeli Consulate is working on scheduling a meeting with the Board of the Eshkol Regional Council which oversees Be’eri, Ein HaShlosha, Gvulot, Magen, Nir Oz, Nir Yitzhak, Nirim, Holit, Kerem Shalom, Kissufim, Re’im, Sufa, Tz’elim and Urim. The Eshkol Council and its kibbutzim and moshavim are part of the Tikkun Olam Adopt-a-Community program.
Please help support these kibbutzim in any amount you feel comfortable. Contact the office to offer your donation, or make a donation from your account in ShulCloud or our website to the Tikkun Olam direct aid fund. 100% of your funds will go directly to the residents of the Kibbutzim so horribly impacted. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.
Toda Raba
Am Yisrael Chai!
Margalit Ashira Ir
Overpass Visibility
Members of the Jewish community and supporters of Israel meet to bring visibility to the hostages in Gaza. El Curtola Blvd overpass on Route 24 in Lafayette.
Monday, January 15 from 3:00-5:00 pm to observe 100 days of captivity.
Visibilities are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-5:00 pm, and Sundays from noon to 2:00pm.
Support Ami Dodson’s volunteer work in Israel
From Ami Dodson, CBS Vice President
I am excited to announce that after much red tape and a lot of effort, I have been approved for a volunteer program in Israel through Volunteers for Israel. I depart on Wednesday, January 3, and I will be bringing a duffel bag of badly needed supplies with me, which I will hand deliver to Chamal, the Jerusalem Civilian Operations Center, a large-scale grassroots logistics campaign that is delivering goods and support to active IDF soldiers. I will be volunteering on a military base in Israel, assisting in non-military tasks.
Will you please help by sending me an item or two from this Wish List?
These items have been specifically selected by Chamal as the most needed and easiest to bring through Customs. Your support is greatly appreciated. If you prefer, you can also Venmo me and I will purchase supplies on your behalf. (My Venmo is @ScottDodson, last four digits of the phone number is 1445.)
I will be volunteering in Israel for three weeks. If you would like to help me offset the costs of this volunteer work, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and I will gratefully accept your help. (I rarely ask for help covering my expenses, but the cost of this trip is unusually high.)
You can also help by forwarding this message to your networks and friends. I’m happy to answer any questions anyone may have. Please help me spread the word!
Thank you again for all you have done, and continue to do, to support me and my efforts to send direct aid to Israel. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been incredibly meaningful.
Kol tov,
Ami Dodson
A Note from Rafi Brinner
A Note from Rafi Brinner, the Federation’s Director of Community Security
December 21, 2023
Early last Saturday, over 90 synagogues in California received a non-specific and non-credible email threat, mirroring those sent to hundreds of synagogues in other states. The FBI said this wave of emails in the past week appears to be connected and likely originates from outside the United States.
• The recent campaign of fake email threats is meant to unnerve us and have us fear for our lives, but we are in fact dealing with emails, not bombs. We can thwart this effort by seeing it for what it is: harassment and intimidation.
• Recipients of these emails are not at increased risk. To date, none of these email threats has involved any actual explosive devices or any credible risk of harm to congregants at any of the synagogues that received the emails. In more than 25 years of counterterrorism work, I have never heard of actual terrorists sending their target an email heads-up.
• A small number of people or loose-knit online groups is responsible for these attempts to disrupt our lives. In September, the FBI arrested a 33-year-old man in Peru for making more than 150 threats, mostly by email. Last week, agents arrested a teenager in Orange County for making ‘swatting’ 911 calls that prompted police to evacuate synagogues in Fullerton and Fremont last August.
Since 10/7, we have seen a parade of horribles in our news feeds, but this is not a time for fear. Antisemitism has reemerged at dismaying levels, but we have the tools and partners to help us stay safe.
Our ongoing, collective efforts have not identified any specific, credible threats to our community. Our community security program at the Federation is working closely with FBI, local agencies, and Secure Community Network, the nationwide Jewish security nonprofit, to track any and all leads and to put out alerts if a credible threat emerges.
The well-known teaching of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov is as relevant now as it has ever been: the most important thing is not to fear at all, and more to the point, not to make ourselves afraid.
Rafi Brinner, Director of Community Security
Australian Family needs a Match
An obligation for all Jews is pikuaḥ nefesh – the duty to save a person’s life if we can. Right now, we have the chance to do so.
A family in the Sydney Jewish community needs our help. Murray Foltyn has a rare blood cancer and requires an urgent blood stem cell transplant to save his life. The family needs a donor ASAP.
Are you aged 18-40 with parents/grandparents who are Jewish and came from a Czech/Slovak or UK or Russian background? Especially but not limited to Illford, England, or a village Halmesh just outside of Trnava (today part of Slovakia) or Morava Ostrava (today close to the border of Poland)?
You can help!
While geographical criteria is important, the general Jewish population with Ashkenazi heritage is just as important to test, so please come forward. You don’t need to be in Australia, a match overseas is as good as a match in Australia as donors stem cells can easily be sent once they’re on the worldwide register.
Join the registry for Murray Foltyn here.
Healthy 18-35 year olds can order a swab kit directly.
In the USA, visit Be the Match. Find services in other locations at Swab the World
College Scholarships Available for 2023-23
Need Money for College?
The Jewish Community Foundation and Endowment Fund announces College Scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year for students in undergraduate or graduate programs at accredited colleges or universities. Applications are open through March 31, 2023!
Eligibility:
• primarily for Jewish students from the Bay Area to attend an undergraduate or graduate program full-time, based on a combination of financial need and merit
• for full-time students only, enrolled in 12+ units per quarter/semester
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to secure your future and reach your full potential.
