Congregation Etz Chayim

For children in Kindergarten and 1st Grade (and sometimes their grown-ups!) Parents and children explore and experience Jewish holidays, history, values, culture, prayer and more through many different avenues including stories, games, art, music and cooking.

Join the new monthly virtual meditation group on the first Wednesday of the month at 2 pm. The first 45 min will include some teaching around a theme, a chant and a meditation. Afterwards we will have some time to share and connect. Come experience a variety of meditations and be part of a growing meditation community at Etz Chayim.

Hineini, "Here I am" is a phrase that appears multiple times in the Torah. What does it mean for each of us to respond, "Here I am, a Jew in the 21st century?" For grades 7-8.

This is an ongoing, drop-in class that is open to everyone looking for a deeper, rational understanding of Torah. No Hebrew skills or Torah study experience are required.

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef z"l, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi, wrote that if a Jewish legal authority is lenient when they should perhaps be more strict, it’s a problem “between people and God” (for which Yom Kippur atones), but if conversely, the legal decider is strict when they could have been more lenient, it’s a problem “between people" which is much more severe. How did Sephardi communities use Jewish law and why, in many cases, were Sephardic rabbis more lenient in their rulings? Using a responsa by Rabbi Yosef Mesas of Algeria, among other sources, we will explore the guiding principles of progressive Sephardic legal rulings and what they can teach us about Jewish communities from the Arab and Muslim worlds.

We find ourselves in a time of a tremendous embrace of the deeply held Jewish value of welcoming the stranger. We are thinking of Ukrainians right now, both those in Ukraine and those who are in transit to flee the danger. We are also focusing on helping to settle Afghan families in Santa Clara County. Our speaker, Ellen Stromberg, has spent the last 6 months working to assist Afghan refugees. She will give an overview on how Santa Clara County is settling these refugees and what we as a community can do to support our new neighbors. Congregations across America will be joining us in observing HIAS Refugee Shabbat.