Welcome to a new year of PTBE Movies & Midrash!

This year we will explore in movies, discussions and sharing the theme of Sacred Listening, Sh'ma.We will open the year in a hybrid format  for our first movie of the year:  The 1957 classic Henry Fonda movie 12 Angry Men. 

We will learn about the movie from Roger Feigelson, watch the movie, and Aviv Siegel will lead a lively conversation about the theme of Sacred Listening, about the movie, how the movie connects to the theme, and to our lives. (The movie is about 1 hour 35 minutes and is not rated.)

Please register here and indicate whether you are planning to come in person or join us on zoom (link will be sent to all registrants).

We're excited to host musician and educator Eliana Light on Friday, Sept 20 and include some of her sweet, soulful melodies in our Erev Shabbat service.

Eliana is on tour for the month of Elul, singing and learning with 15+ communities around the country to prepare our minds and hearts for the High Holy Days. She'll share her passion for prayer and unique "t'fillahsophy" with us through word and song.

Learn more about her work and music at www.elianalight.com

Please plan to join us for this very special Shabbat!

PTBE Golfers! It's time to register for the annual Peninsula Jewish Community Golf Classic. Have fun and support our efforts to feed hungry people. All ages, genders, and skill levels are welcome. Learn more!

Register Now, space is limited.

Questions? Email: pjcgolfclassic@gmail.com

Interfaith Friendship Committee is inviting you to our summer triple feature: dinner, movie, and discussion! Join us for a light dinner at 5:30 and movie at 6:15 pm. We will watch Best of Enemies (2019), featuring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. The movie is inspired by true events chronicled in The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson.

 Led by Movie and Midrash co-hosts Aviv Siegel and Roger Feigelson, this event is open to all PTBE members and friends from St. Bartholomew Parish in San Mateo.
RSVP here.

 Questions? Contact Anita Siu or David Prager

PTBE Brotherhood invites the PTBE Community to an evening with PTBE member Bart Charlow, author of A Catskill Carnival: My Borscht Belt Life Lived, Lost and Loved.

Bart will discuss his book, followed by Q&A, and book signing. Dessert and coffee will be available. More information here.

Questions? Contact PTBE Brotherhood

Driving MadeleineWe continue our next movie with Driving Madeleine,, a 2022 French film.

Approximately 1 hour 31 mins running time and is unrated.

We will learn about the movie from Roger Feigelson, watch it together, and following the movie Aviv Siegel will lead us in a lively discussion and see how the topic connects to our annual theme of Chesed, and to our lives.

Please register here. Indicate whether you are planning to come in person or join us on zoom. (Link will be sent to registrants.)

Join us for a captivating discussion with Oren Katzir as he shares his firsthand account of returning to Israel after the October 7 attacks, his reenlistment with the IDF, and his subsequent experiences in Gaza. Gain unique insights into the realities and complexities of the conflict and its profound impact on the Israeli people.

Oren will share his perspectives on broader regional dynamics, including threats from Hezbollah and Iran, and provide an outlook on Israel's future. He'll also address the rampant misinformation surrounding the situation and suggest sources for more reliable information.

Please register here.

Questions? Contact Rob Purnell

Temple members are invited to join us for our last Community Shabbat Dinner May 3 at 5:15 p.m. This dinner will precede our Shabbat Hallelu Service which begins at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP by Friday, April 26 to let us know how many of you will be attending so that we can plan food accordingly. Please include yourself in the total number of adults.

Upon registration, we will bill your temple account.

We are able to offer reduced pricing to participate, with thanks to a generous donation from a PTBE Family underwriting the cost of dinner. 
Cost:
Adults 13-64/ $25 $20
Seniors 65+/ $20 $15
Children, ages 5-12/$20 Free
Children, under 5/ Free

RSVP here by April 26

Join us for the next PTBE/PTS drop in hosted by PTBE. Please note that familiarity with the game is required since there will be no instruction.

Bring your card, yourself and a friend or two. Also some of the advanced and intermediate tables play for money so do not forget your change purses.

Register to join us at PTBE.

Contact Lisa Bernstein with any questions about registration.

Our Annual Tradition Comes Alive Again!

Sunday, April 14 in Fellowship Hall
Seder: 3-5 PM $20 per person

Join Beth El Women for a special pre-Seder event led by Rabbi Lisa and Cantor Elana celebrating the women of the Exodus and exploring the Passover story through a feminist lens. We will retell the Passover story with a special focus on honoring the women who empowered the journey, those who came before us, and those in our everyday lives who inspire and lift us up. Bring your favorite Passover dessert and a recipe card to share.  Invite your PTBE friends to join you!

This year at the Seder we are collecting women’s products and diapers for Samaritan House. Your donation is truly needed and appreciated.

Volunteers! If you would like to help on the day of the event please send us an email.

This event is open to adults and teens of all genders 13+

Register Here by Monday, April 8

Cost: $20/person

Questions? Contact Beth El Women

We continue our next movie on a new night (Saturday) with Living, a 2022 British film.

Approximately 1 hour 42 mins running time and rated PG-13. 

 We will learn about the movie from Roger Feigelson, and watch together. Following the movie we will study a related Talmudic story, share a lively discussion about education, students, and teachers, and see how the topic connects to our annual theme of Chesed. 

 Please register here. Indicate whether you are planning to come in person or join us on zoom. (Link will be sent to registrants.)

We continue our next movie on a new night (Saturday) with the 2015 Swedish movie A Man Called Ove.

Approximately 2 hour running time and rated PG-13. 

 We will learn about the movie from Roger Feigelson, and watch together. Following the movie we will study a related Talmudic story, share a lively discussion about education, students, and teachers, and see how the topic connects to our annual theme of Chesed. 

 Please register here. Indicate whether you are planning to come in person or join us on zoom. (Link will be sent to registrants.)

The PTBE community is invited to join our clergy and Rodfei Tzedek to observe Repro Shabbat, an initiative of the National Council of Jewish Women. We will be joined by Jewish documentary filmmaker Erin Persley to learn about her upcoming film, Human Shield. Erin documents the story of clinic escorts who ensure the safety of patients as they seek reproductive health care. Stay after Shabbat services for Oneg treats and a discussion with Erin and Rodfei Tzedek about how we can continue to work for reproductive rights.

 Contact Rebecca Schwartz for more information.

Tuesdays: Feb 6, 13, 27 and Mar 5, 19, 26
5:30-6:30 p.m.
In person at PTBE, Fireside Room

Have you been talking about God lately? Come and join the conversation with Rabbi Genevieve Greinetz as we explore different ideas and imaginings of God across the span of history. We will look at ideas of God in Torah stories, Jewish philosophies across the ages, and into contemporary thought and art. You’ll walk away with plenty of food for thought and, hopefully, your own personal theology in this six-session course!

Non-Member: $18/Class

To RSVP, please email Nakia in the front office by Monday, February 5.

Join us for the next PTBE/PTS drop in hosted by PTBE. Please note that familiarity with the game is required since there will be no instruction.

Bring your card, yourself and a friend or two. Also some of the advanced and intermediate tables play for money so do not forget your change purses.

Register to come soon to join us at PTBE.

Contact Lisa Bernstein with any questions about registration.

Temple members are invited to join us for our next Community Shabbat Dinner February 2 at 5:15 p.m. This dinner will precede our Shabbat Hallelu Service which begins at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP by Friday, January 26 to let us know how many of you will be attending so that we can plan food accordingly. Please include yourself in the total number of adults.

Upon registration, we will bill your temple account.

We are able to offer reduced pricing to participate, with thanks to a generous donation from a PTBE Family underwriting the cost of dinner. 
Cost:
Adults 13-64/ $25 $20
Seniors 65+/ $20 $15
Children, ages 5-12/$20 Free
Children, under 5/ Free

RSVP here by January 26

We are kicking off 2024 Movies & Midrash with Stand and Deliver, an American drama from 1988 selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

1 hour 39 min running time and rated PG. 

 We will learn about the movie from Roger Feigelson, and watch together. Following the movie we will study a related Talmudic story, share a lively discussion about education, students, and teachers, and see how the topic connects to our annual theme of Chesed. 

 Please register here. Indicate whether you are planning to come in person or join us on zoom. (Link will be sent to registrants.)

We continue our Movies & Midrash this year with the theme of Chesed - Kindness, Loving Kindness to Radical Kindness and everything in between and more.

We will meet for our next movie, which is a French film from 2001 - Amélie (About 2 hours and rated R). 

Roger Feigelson and Aviv Siegel will lead a lively discussion about the movie and continue to unpack what Chesed is, and what the movie can teach us about embedding Chesed in our lives.

 Please register here. Indicate whether you are planning to come in person or join us on zoom. (Link will be sent to registrants.)

Please join Rodfei Tzedek in the discussion of the book by Christina Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac. We have copies of the book to share, please contact Rabbi Rebecca. The book is also available at our local libraries.

 Please RSVP to Nancy Schneider.

Join us for the next PTBE/PTS drop in hosted by PTBE. Please note that familiarity with the game is required since there will be no instruction.

Bring your 2023 card, yourself and a friend or two. Also some of the advanced and intermediate tables play for money so do not forget your change purses.

Register Here to join us at PTBE.

Contact Lisa Bernstein with any questions about registration.

Full day conference at the Oshman Family JCC, Palo Alto

Come together in Palo Alto for the 9th annual Z3 Conference, the home and hub for honest dialogue between Israeli and the Diaspora Jewish communities. Gather with Jewish community to hear some of the leading thinkers and make connections with others attending.

PTBE members use this link to purchase tickets, as our guests. Tickets will be free with this link.

Twelve Months by the Bay: a Pacifica-PTBE Journey Together is the Interfaith Friendship Committee’s (IFC) major program in 2024 and a joint initiative with the Pacifica Institute of the San Francisco Bay Area. This collaboration aims at bringing members of the PTBE and the Turkish-Muslim communities together on a twelve-month journey to foster friendship and understanding by literally walking side by side.

People who travel together, grow together. Learn more here.

Please RSVP for our kick-off dinner on November 4 and the programs for the first quarter of 2024.

Questions? Contact Anita Siu or David Prager

Join us for our next Shabbat Hallelu Service on Friday, November 3 at 6:30 p.m.

This service will be preceded by our Community Dinner for members beginning at 5:15 p.m. Please RSVP by Friday, October 27 to let us know how many of you will be attending so that we can plan food accordingly. Please include yourself in the total number of adults.

Upon registration, we will bill your temple account.

Cost:

Adults 13-64/ $25

Seniors 65+/ $20

Children, ages 5-12/$20

Children, under 5/ Free

Register here by October 27

Join us for brunch and a delectable morning with Beth Lee, author of The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook and the delightfully delicious blog OMG!Yummy. The morning will be devoted to the many wonderful ways we make memories and connections through cooking, stories and recipes that bring meaning to our lives.

Get your signed copy of Beth's book! The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook will be for sale that morning. Cash, checks and electronic forms of payment are accepted.

Cost:

$25 Brunch

$20 Softcover book

$30 Hardcover book

Click here to register. Deadline to register is Tuesday, October 24.

We can't wait to connect with you!

Questions? Please contact us at bewptbe@gmail.com

Please join us for our first movie of the year. The 1963 classic Sidney Poitier movie: Lilies of the Field. (About 1:35 hours, unrated but considered PG)

Roger Feigelson and Aviv Siegel lead a lively discussion about the movie and related Jewish ideas.

 Please register here. Indicate whether you are planning to come in person or join us on zoom. (Link will be sent to registrants.)

Rabbi Lisa and Lisa Meltzer Penn will lead a discussion about Moriel Rothman-Zecher's Sadness Is a White Bird.

A 19-year-old Israeli soldier whose best friends are Palestinian twins is driven to the breaking point by conflicting loyalties. This passionate, poetic coming-of-age story set in a mine field, brilliantly captures the intensity of feeling on both sides of the conflict.

(Fiction, 288 p. 2018)

To find out more, go to: https://jewishcommunitylibrary.org/book_club_selections/moriel-rothman-zecher-sadness-is-a-white-bird/

Books are available in the Temple office during business hours to borrow, compliments of the San Francisco Jewish Community Library. Please stop by to reserve yours.

Happy Reading! We look forward to another interesting book club!