Very friendly and outgoing people. The Rabbi is a dear! Not to mention her 'angelic' voice!read more

Lana is right about the setting at CBT. It is peaceful and understated with a beautiful big tree…read morethat you glimpse from the pews and that shades the sweet little outdoor amphitheater. Though more importantly to me, it is a welcoming community of friendly and down to earth people. Our family has made many good friends at CBT over the years. When we were "temple shopping" the friendly manner and helpfulness we encountered from the front office was an immediate plus. Adding to that, the Cantor has a beautiful voice, the Religious School Director is full of positive energy and the Rabbi always greets you with a smile (and usually by name). Though we have friends at several local synagogues, CBT feels like home to us.

I grew up in a Catholic and Jewish background. This was my first Shabbat service since my family…read morepassed away. Everyone was very welcoming. The service was quite long ( 3 hours) and there was a lunch. The majority of the service was sung in Hebrew. My brain shut off at about an hour and a half but very nice service.

I was a Kol Shofar member from age 5 to age 23 (the last year I could go to high holiday services…read morefor free under my parents membership). My family has seen Kol Shofar change over the years from the leadership of Rabbi White to our current Rabbi, Rabbi Derby and now, Rabbi Levy as Co-Rabbi. High Holidays at Kol Shofar hold many cherished memories for me. Todd Silverstein's soulful interpretation of the holiday melodies is a delight to witness. Rabbi Derby's sermon's are always powerful yet accessible. And even though there are many people in attendance, the atmosphere is still warm and familiiar (probably because my mom *always* insists on sitting in the front row, even when we show up late!) There are truly some remarkable teachers here. Fred Cherniss, Rabbi Derby and Yetta Robinson to name a few. I'm not super fond of the Co-Rabbi, Rabbi Levy, but Rabbi Derby is an amazing spiritual leader who more than makes up for Rabbi Levy's shortcomings. If you are synagogue shopping in Southern Marin, I'd definitely recommend you take a look at Kol Shofar. Be advised that Rabbi Derby is on sabbatical for the next 9 mos.

I was a member of this congregation at its old location at Arch and Vine for a few years. This is…read morewhere my stepdaughter had her Bat Mitzvah here and participated in Midrasha and Camp Kee Tov. My son also attended religious school for a time and his mother participated in a neat chorus group. Yet, with all this activity and the nice people associated with Beth El, and with exception of the Bat Mitzvah, I rarely felt a connection or an inspiration here. At times, I felt that our family and the congregation were all going through the motions. If G-d was in this place, I, i did not know...

Wonderful people! I was not born into the Jewish culture and all of its history and beliefs. I…read morehave found people to have a great vibe with big hearts. Everyone has a "happy aura". The children are involved in almost every aspect and they glow.

This is my home for Jewish life. Welcoming, haimish and diverse. My Jewish spiritual, educational,…read moresocial and charitable home.

Shir Shalom is a welcoming community, welcoming everyone. Programs for all ages and all interests…read more Great support network lead by Rabbi Steve Finley.

Great small temple with warm people and lovely Rabbi ! Happy to have a small synagogue in the…read moreneighborhood !!

A friendly, welcoming community - I have attended the Friday potlucks and had a great time meeting…read morethe community members. Rabbi Dean is personable, warm, and knowledgeable. This is an egalitarian community, which is very important to both my husband and me. The cantor leads the services beautifully!

I sat down on the bench. Lady came out within 30 seconds to kick me off the property. Then proceeds…read moreto call in a police squad car after I had already left the premises. I see it as poor hospitality / unhappy staff. I would not bring my children here.

CBE is a wonderful Reform synagogue. We moved to the area five years ago and left a (large) temple…read morein our old 'hood. Beth Emek was just what our family needed - a smaller temple with a vibrant Jewish community. Unfortunately, there was some political posturing that sent our favorite rabbi moving to another temple out of the area. Luckily, things have since stabilized and the new rabbi seems to be a very nice man who is extremely competent and will do an excellent job leading CBE into the future. FIVE stars...(I wonder if G-d will read this?! I suppose...)

I thought Congregation Rodef Sholom was unbelievable. Frankly, I was blown away by the warmth, the…read moresincerity, and the meaningfulness of the bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah I attended there. I thought Rabbi Stacy and Cantor David were warm, lovely people, so inclusive. If you are looking for someplace to join, boy, this seems to be the place. Everyone I know (okay, three families at this point) feels the same way about the place. I don't want to say anything bad about any place else in comparison, because that's not what I am saying. I am just saying that the congregation here is very lucky. They just went on a working post-Katrina trip to New Orleans with high school students, and they have many other community programs. Caring is the word I would use to describe Congregation Rodef Sholom. It was wonderful.

Reconstructionist/renewal Judaism at its very finest. This lovely community repurposed an already…read moregorgeous women's club as a sanctuary, and seems to be growing mindfully to fill a need for worship and social justice in North Bay. Don't believe me, just log onto a (mixed presence or fully online) Friday night Shabbat service sometime!

If you are seeking a place to actually be yourself and explore your relationship to Judaism in a…read moresupportive, caring community, this is the shul you've been looking for. A warm, very very welcoming, diverse and interesting congregation calls this spot home. It's constructionist, progressive LGBTQI welcoming and one of the few places of any denomination that truly seems like a place where people are attempting to make a community based on love, spirituality and compassion. Come as you are -- everyone and his or her own relationship to Judaism, religion and Jewish services is invited. Whatever your reason for coming, there is someone else there with that reason too. Also, the music is absolutely lovely and gets better every year. And, get this -- services with a sense of humor! All here in the North Bay. Who would have guessed??! Check it out!

Rabbi Steve was the perfect choice to officiate our wedding. We cannot recommend him enough…read more  He took the time to meet with us regularly, getting to know us and our relationship, guiding us with different options for our ceremony, and helping to craft our ceremony in a way that is personalized to us and the Jewish traditions that mean the most to us. We're so grateful he invited us up to his congregation for Shabbat. We were able to see him in his element, leading the service, and got more connected to our Jewish heritage.  All the rabbis we interviewed said we would fill out a questionnaire they would use to draft their script for the ceremony, but Rabbi Steve meticulously reviewed and incorporated our responses. After the ceremony ended, my husband and I both expressed how we felt Rabbi Steve talked about important traits that we didn't have time to cover in our vows. We filled in the gaps and helped to tell our story in such a beautiful way. His guidance for the ceremony was paramount. We were able to take the Jewish traditions and tailor them in a way that felt the most connected to us -- whether that was taking them as is, finding a modern interpretation, or finding a combination. I am not exaggerating when I tell you we heard from multiple people that our ceremony was the best, most authentic, meaningful wedding ceremonies they've ever had the pleasure of witnessing.  He went above and beyond in providing kippahs for the wedding ceremony, even allowing my husband to select a beautiful woven one from Israel for him to keep as a keepsake from the wedding. Rabbi Steve was a true professional on the day, bringing in the wisdom and Jewish traditions, supporting our union, while letting us and our love truly shine. Any couple working with him is incredibly lucky. Bonus tip, ask for his script after the wedding so you can revisit his beautiful words and keep them as part of your wedding day memories.

Rabbi Steve was an incredible blessing for us both. He guided us through the wedding process, was…read morecommunicative and offered strong support for us. Completely professional with the added value of his kindness and care that we needed as an interfaith couple, as an Israeli bride and an Indian groom. The jewish ceremony was right after the Hindu ceremony and he did a beautiful job in welcoming and highlighting both cultures and people during the ceremony. Definitely recommend to work with him!