….To Renew the Old and Make Holy the New
Celebrating 50 Years!
Please Note our new phone number (510) 761-7710
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai Z”l
May his Love of Torah inspire us to learn, daven and love each other
Parshat Emor Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Haftarah Ezekiel 44:15-31
Kabbalat Shabbat Services are at 7pm PST -
Community led on Zoom with Hannah and friends with Special Attention to Lag BaOmer. For further information contact Hannah Cohen at haco@aol.com
Shabbat Shacharit Services are at 10am PST
Led by Moreynu Ami Goodman and Moreynu Bob Jaffe on Zoom
To view our most recent newsletter that went out May 15th please click
HERE
Upcoming Event on June 8th 4-6 PM on ZOOM
Rabbi Burt Jacobson z”l Memorial - his first Yarzeit
To register click HERE
Join the Aquarian Minyan and Kehilla Community Synagogue for an online gathering in memory of Rabbi Burt Jacobson z"l in honor of his first yahrzeit. Beloved Renewal teachers–among them R. Diane Elliot, R. David Cooper, R. Jonathan Seidel, R. Zvika Krieger and Hazzan Shulamit Wise Fairman–will share text and poetry, story and niggunim in the spiritually enlightening, uplifting lineage of the Baal Shem Tov, whom Rabbi Burt so revered.
*There is a suggested donation of $18. Your generous contribution will be split between the Aquarian Minyan Yeshiva and Kehilla Community Synagogue
The Aquarian Minyan Yeshivah - Spring 2025
יְשִׁיבַת מִנְיַן אַקְוֵרִיאַן
Registration is open for the following classes:
Chanting The Beloved: The Jewish-Sufi Connection From the Medieval Period to “Sufi Sam” and Reb Zalman with Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Seidel and Guest Speakers
At this week’s class on Tuesday May 20th we welcome guest lecturer Rabbi Dr. Aubrey Glazer who will speak on Hasidism and Sufism
To read more about Rabbi Glazer in a recent article click HERE
Tuesdays at 12p Pacific Time/ 3pm Eastern
May 6, 13,20, and 27
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum of $72 for all four sessions of this series. Recordings will be provided to all who register.
"There are many paths to the divine. I have chosen the ways of song, dance and laughter" -Rumi
Is there a Sufi - Hasidic connection? Did Sufism percolate into Podolia and influence the dances and ritual of the early Hasidic movement? How might Jews respectfully recover a Sufi Jewish heritage and lineage that could invigorate our practice, our chant, our meditation practice and our davenen today?
Join Rabbi Seidel and special guests as we explore these and other questions as to the enrichment of Jewish life that occurred when it intersected with the Sufi tradition of Islam. Together we will trace this intersection of paths that begins with Medieval Egypt and culminates in the emergence of Sufi Sheiks of Jewish sensibility as well as Rabbi Zalman Schacter - Shalomi who successfully incorporated aspects of Sufi Zikr, teachings and ritual into the Renewal of Judaism in the later part of the 20th century.
Topics and people discussed in this class will include Avraham and Ovadiah the heirs of Maimonides, the Maimuni Sufis, Bahya Ibn Paquda and “The Duties of the Heart” the Tzfat Kabbalistic practices, the Intersection of Hasidic dance and Ottoman Sufi orders, the development of Jewish leadership in the Universalist Sufi order established by Hazrat Inayat Kha, Israeli Sufism, and the new interspiritual path established by Murshid Sufi Sam Lewis and continued by Reb Zalman and taught today by Natanel Miles- Yepez.
Meditation and chant will serve as a key component of this series
About Rabbi Jonathan Seidel
Rabbi Jonathan Seidel PhD is the Rabbi in Residence at the Aquarian Minyan and the Rosh Yeshivah. He has taught dozens of discreet classes in Judaic studies for adults since 1978, including Rabbinics, Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Magic, Divination, folklore, theology, Hebrew, Aramaic, Jewish history of all periods as well as many courses in Jewish food studies and comparative religion. Rabbi Seidel is also visiting Prof at the University of Portland where he teaches Comparative Religion, Bible and Theology. His High School Religious School project, written under the guidance of Rabbi Charles Kroloff was devoted to post Holocaust theology. At Oberlin College Rabbi Seidel studied Religion and Music, inter alia, and worked extensively in Interfaith programs. A Fullbright Scholar at the U. of Cambridge Jonathan holds a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. Rabbi Seidel has 45 years of teaching at the University level and has served as Rabbi for much of the past few decades as well. He is immediate past Chair of the Oregon Board of Rabbis and President of the Oregon Interfaith Hub. He divides his time between Oregon, the San Francisco Bay Area and the New York Metropolitan Area
Psalms of the Omer: A Journey from Liberation to Revelation with Rabbi Dr. Brielle Rassler
Wednesdays 12pm Pacific /3 pm Eastern
April 16/23/30 and May 7/14/21/28
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum donation $72 - $125 and above (generosity level) for all seven sessions of this class. Recordings will be provided to all who register. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
The seven week period from Passover to Shavuot invites us into a treasure trove of potential for spiritual insight and growth through a daily spiritual practice known as the counting of the Omer. Join Rabbi Dr. Brielle Paige Rassler, award winning author of Psalms: A Millennial’s Interpretation, on a soulful journey through this process, guided by the wisdom and sacred healing power of the Psalms. Each week, Rabbi Brielle will uncover new ways of connecting with these sacred texts and spiritual practices, as we journey together from the liberation of Passover to the revelation of Shavuot. No prior experience with the Omer or the Psalms is necessary to benefit from this spiritual journey. Just bring your open heart, curious mind, and together we’ll discover where the Divine will take us from there.
About Rabbi Dr. Brielle Rassler
Rabbi Dr. Brielle Paige Rassler is a licensed psychologist, spiritual director, author, and artist. She maintains a private practice and serves as Lead Chaplain of Integrative Wellness at Penn Medicine Princeton Health. In addition to her emerging translation series, Rabbi Brielle has authored a reference guide to the Talmud, a manual for religiously integrated treatment of Jewish women with eating disorders, and has released two albums of original liturgical music. Her Psalms translations have been featured in multiple publications and her full translation, “Psalms: A Millennial’s Poetic Interpretation” was selected as a Gold Award winner of the 2023 Nautilus Book Award
The 50th Anniversary Celebration has no Expiration Date !!
To read the J Weekly article about our 50th celebration click here:
Reviving, Renewing and Celebrating the Old Aquarian Minyan Spirit, Serving up Joy to the Divine in Difficult Times - Mazal Tov to all of us and thank you to the Planning Committee that worked HARD on the Jubilee
Aquarian Minyan Groups and other offerings
The Aquarian Minyan Book Club — New Schedule!
Beginning in May the Book Club now meets once a month on Third Tuesdays at 2pm pacific time
The Aquarian Minyan Book Club meets again on Tuesday May 20
To Join the book club on Zoom click HERE
*New members are cordially welcomed. For more information, please contact Shoshana Dembitz (sdembitz@gmail.com)
Sunday Nights Minyan Sharing
Weekly, Sundays, 7pm Pacific Time
in Memory of Martin Potrop Sept. 23, 1951- April 1, 2024. Z”L
