I love Netivot Shalom. I have been a member for 13 years. Netivot Shalom is uplifting and…read morefulfilling. It has everything: inspiring services, diversity, great rabbi, interesting members of all ages, excellent learning opportunities for young and old, and many fascinating programs. It has great accessibility for various handicaps. Netivot Shalom has lunch after Saturday morning services and speakers or singing after lunch. The members and staff are warm and friendly. Netivot Shalom is gated and safe. I have found my Jewish home and I will never leave.

I've been a member for over 35 years. My three daughters became b'nai mitvot. I myself was…read moreSynagogue and Hebrew school Administrator. It's wonderful to see how much it's grown.

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...

I love Beth El, and am sad to be leaving…read more When I grew up in Miami, our reform temple had a choir of people on a tiered stage... in white robes. They sang to organ music. In comparison, the guitar seems almost orthodox. Still, Cantor Brian puts the guitar away for Saturday morning services, and the guitar is largely an institution for Friday night. So you can take or leave the stringed accompaniment, at your pleasure. That said, Brian is a much more "chant-er friendly" cantor than others I have experienced in the east bay. He is very encouraging of congregation participation (even if you can only hum along), and his melodies are all very accessible. I am not a gifted singer, and I feel very comfortable there. What has always made me a bit uncomfortable is some of the holding hands and swaying moments. But those are few and far between. Havdallah. They do that a lot at Havdallah. Some of the bar mitzvah's can be a bit overwhelming. But there is an active early service on Saturdays, followed by an intellectually stimulating gathering at Torah study. The Torah study group is a bit small, but very warm and welcoming. It is worth checking out. If you break out of your comfort zone, you will be rewarded. Rabbi Raj (pronounced Roy) is sadly leaving, and I have not met the new Rabbi. But I loved Ferenc more than I can say, and he will be the measure by which all future rabbi's will be measured. The dues at the temple are not insignificant. But I was briefly on the board, and I was also a partial dues paying member. The administration has always been flexible with dues. There are plenty of people who are members that are on reduced dues, and none (myself included) have ever been made to feel like second class citizens. I think I figured out once that if I took my reduced dues, and applied it to a weekly figure, and ate all the free food at every event I would make out ahead. Seriously, when is the last time you had creamed herring on grand bakery challah? Damn that's good... but you may have to be Jewish to appreciate it. If only they would serve more chopped liver and rye ends. Drool.

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.

As I find spirituality comforting in my darkest moments, I knew that a healthy acceptance of faith…read moremay put me past negative family dynamics. Rabbi Bridget Wynne did that ever so gently by selective Torah studies reflecting families' values at Growing Together. She has a way for adults to share disparate upbringing and experiences and to weave together our human connection. When she explains her intellectual and spiritual discourse, it is eye-opening and reassuring. Growing Together has become a form of therapy for my personal growth. This section of Jewish Gateways is so aptly named! Our family struggled with finding initiation into Judaism as we looked how to intentionally shape our young family values. My partner was raised Jewish. His parents for whatever reason displayed lukewarm action towards passing Judaism to subsequent generations. But they laid down guilt trips when it came to attending their Passover dinners. Religion used for personal convenience and near coercion has always left a strong distaste. But I could not let the bad apples (ok...maybe I am still not quite yet letting that one go...LOL), even in my own family, ruin that. Being a second generation immigrant, I strongly felt a need for my child to have a deep understanding of all his heritages as a way of being, a proud sense of identity without geographic bounds, and an ambassador of his background. We "Shul shopped," attending different Tot Shabbats and holiday functions, and nothing felt like an immediate or consistent draw. When we attended Jewish Gateways Tot Shabbat at Totland, we liked the idea of learning more at Growing Together, which meets twice a month. With our hectic weekends, this felt like the right amount commitment and family accountability. Like all Shabbat, there is music, singing, and light prayers. The best part is when the children go into their classes, have tons of fun, and show-off their long-lasting creative projects. My child's strongest lesson thus far is bal tashchit (Hebrew: ) or "do not destroy." All I have to say is bal taschit, and he immediately conserves without me having to nag about recycling or composting, picking up neighborhood trash, turning off lights, conserving water, or finishing his meal. Stories that come from faith seem to move my child's intrinsic motivation more than modern day development and child-rearing guidance. Every Friday evening, he is very proud to use his DIY challah cover and Shabbat candle holders. He also has a pleasant attachment to his homemade Havdalah Spice Bag. The parents' bandwidth frees up tremendously to have thoughtful discussions around how faith plays a role in opening our U.S. borders and welcoming strangers, presenting easy opportunities to make Shabbat a habit, and loving the environment. We built a Sukkot and waved a Lulov. This was the first time I felt comfortable enough as a non-Jew to host Passover myself and invest in a beautiful Seder Plate. I have moved on from the family guilt trips and made this special holiday meaningful for my family. More importantly I yearn to do more Torah studies. I feel like I missed out a more vibrant and intentional life by not using religious relevancy to support my day-to-day actions and values. Lastly, I feel connected to more young families at Jewish Gateways with kind and empathetic smart discussions. Being in these families' presence melted away day-to-day mentally-draining conversations we have in the intense SF Bay Area. So grateful to have this special and unique form of Judaic support group!

My wife Laurie and I are in our 70s and adult children in later 30s. We began attending High…read moreHolidays at Jewish Gateways in 2016. Our attendance has continued and the family commitment and participation at Jewish Gateways grows. I am not Jewish, I am a spiritual seeker, and was immediately attracted to Rabbi Bridget's reference to Mussar in the sermon that year. Mussar is an ancient tradition that facilitates exploration of spiritual qualities and has enabled me to become more of a mensch. This was incorporated into our daily practice at home where we inventory and examine our previous 24 hours. Rabbi has been facilitating a series of Mussar 2 hour sessions for a diverse group of Jews and non Jews. Laurie and have participated in Mussar for the past 11 months. I have become more conscious of my impact on the family, friends and volunteer organizations I attend. I have been assisted to reach and choose how I want to be. Gateways is "WELCOMING: wandering Jews * wondering Jews * those of Jewish heritage * non-Jews * multiracial relationships * families * interfaith relationships * couples * adult children of interfaith families * Jews by choice * people of color * singles * LGBTQ folks" We feel welcomed and embraced by Rabbi Bridget and the Jewish Gateways community. This year my daughter will complete the Adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah class and we will join others to celebrate her bat mitzvah. We look to continue our participation and support of Jewish Gateways.

Rabbi and Rebbetzin Bell are wonderful. They have hosted me several times for Shabbat dinner. Rabbi…read moreBell is always there for me if I have any questions about Judaism. Do not be worried that the rabbi will try to "make you religious." Chabad is famous for meeting people where they are and giving them access to real Jewish practice. In addition, Rabbi Bell knows that people are looking for real answers to deep questions, and is happy to sit down with you and answer whatever questions you may have. Chabad of El Cerrito is a real gift to El Cerrito, bringing a Judaism that is warm, friendly, joyous, and practical. If you are interested, just call them and tell the rabbi you want to meet at Starbucks and Rabbi Bell will be there for you. The rebbetzin is also very accessible (and makes great challah!).

Very well organized programming, rich array of services, social activities etc but never felt very…read morewelcome so did not renew my membership after 1 year. As a newcomer I experienced a lot of clickishness, and a lack of feeling welcome at, for instance the oneg shabbats, which is where such bonding as a newcomer would take place. Interestingly I did witness, on a couple occasions, an AA person, who also appeared to be new or in process of considering whether to join, being shown great attention with a well organized welcomong committee response laying out the red carpet. I was also surprised to find one of the rabbis not to be very warm and friendly as was described in the other reviews. Whenever I saw her at an event and happened to make eye contact, her response was never warm and inviting. With such a large congregation I did not expect anything more than a smile or a hello but this did not happen-- not surprising however since this appears to be the cultural norm for Sinai's congregation as a whole. Now if I was a different demographic.... that might have made a difference!

I am still in disbelief that we found such a perfect temple for us! Take away the Judaism part, and…read morethis is still one of the most inclusive communities I have ever been a part of--the community here has totally brought new life into me after a few major life events. Sometimes it feels reminiscent of a really great cruise: all sorts of activities and events on the itinerary and there's always food around! ;-) My husband and I shopped around and went to a lot of different temples to get a feel of their communities, and we just kept wanting to come back here. I love how diverse this temple is, too--all faiths, all cultures, all skin colors, all beliefs--it's just simply the type of community I want my children to grow up in.

Members since 2004. We were immediately made to feel welcome on our first visit. Our kids…read moreattended religious school from K thru 12 and still keep in touch with their teachers. Beautiful building. Welcoming and inclusive congregation. Lots of fun and interesting programming with something for everyone. Happy to be part of this community.

Congreagation Sherith Israel is another congregation we had the pleasure of visiting the last time…read morewe were in San Francisco. Rabbi Jessica is a awesome and nice woman. We had the pleasure of introducing ourselves and talking about good things of our congregation back home. Lots of up and down stairs here inside the building. Parking structure is not bad either. Congregation Sherith Israel is a wonderful place, and beautiful place. People here are friendly and welcoming to all.