Exploring Jewish Identity & Belonging: Listening Circles for Young Adults

Join us in this shared space of reflection, compassion and connection. Be part of one, some, or all of the conversations, each with a different theme.

Wednesdays: 2/21, 3/6, 4/3, 4/17 & 5/1 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm

In these challenging times filled with uncertainty for Israelis and Palestinians, we recognize the range of emotions and diverse perspectives within our communities. Many adults in their 20s and 30s are reflecting on their Jewish identity and sense of belonging, both in Jewish spaces and in the wider world.

Whether you’re discovering Jewish life for the first time, reconnecting after a hiatus, are deeply embedded or feeling a bit disconnected, we recognize the mix of emotions you may be experiencing – pride, fear, grief, guilt, shame, abandonment and/or alienation and more.

To offer support, our professionally trained facilitator(s) will provide a grounded space of exploration, empathic listening and accountability for open sharing and listening among friends and fellow community members. This isn’t about engaging in ideological or political debates; rather, it’s an opportunity to come together empathetically and to explore what it is like to be you right now.

Our goal is to support you as a member of Jewish community with multiple facets, and to affirm your sense of belonging in the Jewish community and at the JCCSF. Our focus is on cultivating a space where we can openly listen and extend kindness, even when our experiences differ. Affinity space for Jews of Color will be offered at each session.

COVID-19 access info: These events will be indoors and kn95 masks are welcome, but optional.

February 21: Being Jewish

What does it mean to you to be Jewish right now? How does that relate to your experiences, or lack thereof, with your ancestral lands and where you live now?

March 6: Jewish at Work

What’s it like for you being Jewish at work? How are your cultural values, Jewish identity and Jewishness shaping your professional journey? What challenges and support are you finding at work related to your Jewish identity?

April 3: Queer and Jewish

What are your experiences being both Queer and Jewish across your communities? How are these intersections influencing how you see yourself right now and your relationships with your broader communities?

April 17: Jewish Values & Social Change

How are Jewish values shaping or challenging your experience? How are you understanding social justice and collective liberation through Jewish values? How do your Jewish values inspire, shape and inform how you show up to social change?

May 1: Multicultural and/or Interfaith and Jewish

If you have a multicultural and/or interfaith background, we’d love to invite you to join a group activity and discussion. During this time we will discuss how these different cultures and lineages influence your sense of self, community and perhaps are a source of inspiration. How do they shape your belonging in Jewish spaces and how can we continue to create our own belonging and communal support?

Who is This For?

For this series, we are especially guided by the Jewish value of K’lal Yisrael (כְּלָל יִשְׂרָאֵל) “Jewish community as a whole or Jewish inclusivity” as we strive toward pluralism. We want to be explicit in our invitation to members of Jewish community across the political spectrum. We want you here no matter your political position, questions, or activism and as long as you can respectfully and kindly participate in spaces of mixed affinity, politics, and listening. If you have questions about whether this event is for you, you can email Carey at caverbook@jccsf.org.

This is for members of the Jewish community* who are in their 20s and 30s, people who are practicing Jews, who are reconnecting to Jewish life, and who are connecting to Jewish identity for the first time. This is for Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi Jews and Jews with interfaith backgrounds. There will be optional affinity spaces for Jews of Color.

*members of the Jewish community includes people who are Jewish, Jew-ish, married/partnered to a Jew, raising Jewish family, exploring conversion, matrilineal and patrilineal Jews, and those who regularly attend synagogue / Jewish community gatherings.