By Cailin Acosta in La Mesa, California
A Shabbat dinner offers an opportunity to experience Jewish tradition, share a meal, and take a break from everyday busyness.
The evening typically begins with candle lighting, blessings over wine (Kiddush) and challah bread (Hamotzi). Some families also bless their children and sing traditional Shabbat songs. After the meal, guests may recite grace after meals and sing together.
If you bring a gift, ask your host about kosher requirements before bringing food. Dress slightly more formally than you would for an everyday dinner.
In observant households, guests should avoid using electronic devices, taking photographs, or switching lights on and off. Follow your host’s guidance, and don’t worry about knowing every custom.
Above all, Shabbat dinner is about hospitality, community, and connecting through Jewish tradition.
*
UPCOMING EVENTS
Ner Tamid Synagogue announces “Kol Tefillah: Kabbalat Shabbat/Ma’ariv Services” at 7 p.m., Friday, October 23. This event will include bringing in Shabbat with joy, music, intimacy, and an awareness of God’s presence. Oneg following services.
*
Ner Tamid Synagogue presents “Corks and Community: A Wine Tasting Event” at 5 p.m., Saturday, October 24. This event will feature wines from Bread and Butter Winery, an array of gourmet cheese from Barons Market, and will end with Havdallah afterward. Click here to register.
*
Congregation Beth Israel announces its “Mending Hearts: Finding Hope and Meaning After Loss” at 10 a.m., Session 1: Sundays, October 25, and November 1 and 15. Session 2: Sundays, January 31, February 7, 21, 28, March 7, and 14. This small support group, facilitated by Rabbi Aliza Berk, LMFT, Jewish Educator, Chaplain and Spiritual Director, and Gail Braverman, LMFT, Certified Art Therapist, Certified Amherst Writers and Artists Facilitator, and Yoga Instructor, will guide participants through the healing process with love and support. Click here to register.
*
Tifereth Israel Synagogue presents “Understanding the Ballot Propositions with Jason Bercovitch” at 10 a.m. on Sunday, October 25, on Zoom. This session will be led by Bercovitch, who will help you gain a greater understanding of the various propositions on the upcoming November ballot. Click here for the Zoom link.
*
Congregation Adat Yeshurun announces its “Kidney Donation Awareness and Swabbing Event” at 11 a.m., Sunday, October 25. This event will be in partnership with Renewal, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping facilitate living kidney transplants in an effort to find a match for congregant Ralph Sussman. Swabbing takes minutes, and light refreshments will be served.
*
Tifereth Israel Synagogue presents its “Miller Introduction to Judaism” at 11 a.m., Sunday, October 25. This 18-week course, led by Rabbi Hanan Leberman, will explore topics including Jewish literacy, history, tradition, denominational Judaism, the modern State of Israel, Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), customs, ethics, culture, and Jewish wisdom, all in a setting where questions are more important than answers. Click here for more information and to register.
*
Jewish Community Symphony announces its “Beethoven, Schubert, and the Voice of the Viola” at 3 p.m., Sunday, October 25 at the Lawrence Family JCC. Under the direction of Robert Zelickman and featuring viola soloist Gabriel Mayer, the orchestra will perform Beethoven: Overture to Fidelio, Schubert: Symphony No.8 “Unfinished”, Telemann: Concerto for Viola and Strings, and Max Bruch: Romance for Viola and Orchestra. Click here for tickets.
*
San Diego Center for Jewish Culture presents “Roots and Recipes” at 3:30 p.m., Sundays, October 25, November 22, and December 13 at the Lawrence Family JCC. This event brings grandparents and grandchildren (ages 8 – 11) together for hands-on cooking, cultural discovery, and intergenerational connection. Families will prepare recipes, share stories, and create a personalized cookbook. Click here for tickets.
*
Beth Jacob Congregation announces its “Semichas Chaver: Revolutionize Your Torah Learning with Rabbi Baruch Frankel” on Monday, October 26. These weekly sessions led by Frankel will include the most common halachos that arise daily, take-home question-and-answer sessions to discuss at your Shabbat table, and an understanding of the ethical and philosophical background of the halachos. Click here to register.
*
Lawrence Family JCC presents its “Survey of Zionist Thought” at 10:30 a.m., Tuesdays, October 27; November 3, 10, 17; December 1, 8, and 15. This class will be led by Rabbi Phil Graubart, who will explore the history and evolution of Zionist thought, from its early roots to today. Click here to register.
*
Temple Emanu-El presents its “The Wisdom of Aging” at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27, the last Tuesday of the month, through December. This program, led by Arlene Miller, creator of the Mi Sherbeirach Tapestry, and Gail Braverman, licensed marriage and family therapist, is designed to give participants the tools to live meaningful and productive lives while coping with the unavoidable stresses of aging. Participants will have the opportunity to share their perspectives with each other while engaging in meaningful conversations. Click here to register.
*
San Diego Center for Jewish Culture presents “Celebrate Sigd: Honoring Ethiopian Jewish Culture with Yossi and Yarden Vassa, Artist Talk” at 11 a.m., Tuesday, October 27 at the Lawrence Family JCC. Yossi, creator and star of the Emmy-winning sitcom Nevsu, shares his journey from Ethiopia to Israel through comedy, sitcom clips, and his graphic novel, exploring how humor helps overcome adversity and break barriers.
*
Congregation Beth El presents its “Jewish Meditation Cohort” at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27. Craig Parks will lead these sessions, which will provide going into a deeper and more spiritual practice alongside a caring community. Click here for more information.
*
Beth Jacob Congregation announces its “Adventures in Bereshis with Brandon Fisher” at 7 p.m., Tuesdays, October 27, November 3, 10, 17, 24. These sessions will discuss life-changing insights for personal growth and everyday life from the first book of the Torah. Click here to join the WhatsApp for updates.
*
San Diego Center for Jewish Culture presents “Graphic Novel Book Talk” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27 at the Lawrence Family JCC. Yossi Vassa and illustrator Yarden bring Yossi’s immigration story from Ethiopia to Israel to life through animation, live painting, readings, and illustrated slides, exploring how personal experiences become a graphic novel. Click here for artist talk and click here for graphic novel book talk.
*
Tifereth Israel Synagogue announces “Mah Jongg Lessons” at noon on Wednesdays, October 28, November 4, 11, 18, and December 2. This is a six-week session to learn how to play Mah Jongg in a fun, welcoming environment. If you are new to the game or have always wanted to learn, this is a great opportunity to learn the basics, meet new people, and enjoy a game that brings people together across generations. Click here for more details.
*
Beth Jacob Congregation announces its “Annual Cholent Cookoff” on November 21. Organizers say they will provide potatoes, onions, barley, beans, ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper; all ingredients must be sealed and have an acceptable hechsherim, and participants will do the cooking. Click here to register.
*
CHABAD CENTERS’ HAPPENINGS
Carmel Valley presents its “Peace of Mind Community Shabbat Dinner” Friday, October 23. This event will provide Shabbat dinner for 16 Duvdevan veterans and two Israeli therapists who will be visiting San Diego. As a community, attendees will come together to honor them, hear their stories, and show them strength and support. Click here to register and to receive the time and location.
*
Downtown announces its “Jewish Insights” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13. This session will include inspiration, learning, connection, and growth. Torah study class that is open to men and women. Click here to rsvp.
*
University City presents its “Kabbalah and the Hidden Architecture of You with Rabbi Effy Kahn” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, October 20. Kahn will lead these six lessons on reincarnation, soulmates, dreams, names, and what these mysteries reveal about the hidden design of your life. Click here to sign up.
*
ONLINE OFFERINGS
Congregation Beth Israel’s Men’s Club announces its “Men’s Discussion Group” at 10 a.m., Monday, October 26, on Zoom. This forum is for men who are members to meet together, enjoy camaraderie, and discuss relevant issues. Meetings are held every second and fourth Monday of each month. Click here to receive the Zoom link.
*
Young Israel of San Diego presents “Let’s Talk Parsha with Rabbi Eddie Rosenberg” on Monday, October 26 at San Diego Kollel and on Zoom.
*
My Jewish Learning announces its “Ethiopian Jewish History: From Ancient Origins to Today” at 4 p.m. on Monday, October 26 on Zoom. This six-week course led by Steven Kaplan, professor emeritus at Hebrew University, will explore travel across time and space from ancient Africa to modern-day Israel, learning about Ethiopian Jewish customs, traditions, and heroism along the way. Click here to register.
*
Yiddish Book Center announces “Memoir Writing Then and Now: Reading and Writing with Rokhl Feygenberg’s The Winding Road” at 4 p.m., Tuesday, October 27, on Zoom. Each week, participants will read a section of the book and explore its themes in depth. Then, participants will use themes as prompts for their own memoir writing, with weekly prompts on such topics as: transformative power of genre fiction; how illness changes family dynamics; and the loneliness of being caught between tradition and freedom. Click here to register.
*
My Jewish Learning announces “The World of Sholem Aleichem” at 4 p.m., Tuesdays, October 27, November 3, and 10, on Zoom. Aleichem is one of history’s more beloved Yiddish writers, and Tevye the dairyman stories were the basis for Fiddler on the Roof. These sessions, led by Debra Caplan, associate professor of theatre at Baruch College, CUNY, will read and discuss a new short story each week, including stories involving Tevye’s comic mishaps, unpack Aleichem’s singular blend of humor and heartbreak, and explore why his characters still feel so relevant today. Click here to register.
*
AROUND THE COUNTY
SCY High School reports that Ilan Horn (class of 2022) is donating stem cells through Gift of Life. Horn was matched with a patient in need of a stem cell transplant and took the initiative to step up and make a donation that could save a life. Click here to learn more about the Gift of Life registry.
*
OBITUARY NOTICE
Roz Berman has died. She was the mother of Andrea (Michael) Laub, David (Sheila) Berman, Roberta (Tony) Berman, and grandmother of Alex, Ethan, and Faith. The funeral information has not been finalized, Ohr Shalom Synagogue reports.
*
Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.