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An ongoing series with JCHS educators, fostering connections in our community. 

2021-22 event information coming soon. The ongoing “Belonging Together” series brings together our community network of parents, grandparents, alumni, professional community members, and students in lively conversations and thoughtful dialogue throughout the year.  

For questions about this series, please contact Julie Vlcek-Burke in the Development Department.

2020-21 Belonging Together Series

List of 5 news stories.


  • October 8, 2020 – “Let’s Talk about Identity”

    with Roni Ben-David, Director of Social Justice and InclusionHow do aspects of my identity shape what I see, know, and experience? What does it mean to have a positive racial identity? Join Roni Ben-David for an exploration of how we talk about identity at JCHS. 
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  • October 29, 2020 – “Humor in the Bible: Does God have a Sense of Humor?”

    with Rabbi Shua Brick
    Jewish Studies Teacher    There is a Yiddish saying: “Man plans and God laughs.” But does God actually have a sense of humor? It has been a centuries old Christian polemic that the “God of the Old Testament” is quite the curmudgeon, but through some biblical puns, wordplay and even a little slapstick, we’ll try to uncover the divine Giggler.  Read More


  • November 19, 2020 – “The Life & Adventures of Calamity Judeah”

    with Evan Wolkenstein
    Director of Experiential Education; Jewish Studies Teacher    Over the millenia, Jews have known and survived many calamities – some uniquely Jewish, and some as members of the human race. In our world, it seems that calamity has piled upon calamity. What do our most ancient texts teach us about weathering these storms, as individuals and as a community? We will unpack texts and share our own wisdom and experiences.  Read More


  • December 17, 2020 – “Lifting Our Light in Places of Darkness”

    Rabbi Howard Ruben
    Head of School    JCHS Head of School Rabbi Howard Jacoby Ruben will use sacred texts, contemporary writings, and participant reflections to explore how there’s more to Chanukah than jelly donuts, gifts, and candles at this season of short days and long nights. It also is about the transformative power of lifting our individual and communal light to places of darkness.

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  • September 10, 2020 – “Returning and Turning: Making Visible the Invisible”

    with Rabbi Howard Jacoby Ruben
    Head of School    JCHS Head of School Rabbi Howard Jacoby Ruben will use sacred texts, contemporary writings, and participant reflections to explore how there’s more to teshuvah (lit. repentance or return) at this season than apologizing to people one might have wronged. It also is about returning to our core and turning to the deepest parts of ourselves.
    Read More

2019-20 Belonging Together Events

May 14 – “Are You Curious About How JCHS Began?”Rabbi Howard Ruben, Head of School, with Nancy Zimmerman Pechner and Noah Alper
WE ARE EXCITED TO BE JOINED BY OUR FOUNDER, NANCY ZIMMERMAN PECHNER, AND OUR FOUNDING PRESIDENT, NOAH ALPER, AS WELL AS OTHER FRIENDS WHO HELPED CREATE THE SPECIAL PLACE THAT JCHS HAS BECOME TODAY. 
May 7 – “Mt.Sinai, A Metaphor”Evan Wolkenstein, Director of Experiential Education; Jewish Studies Teacher
Jewish Studies Faculty Member, Evan Wolkenstein will be reflecting on Mount Sinai as a place not only of communal revelation, but also a metaphor for the real, the ideal, and the potential of every human encounter.
April 30 –  “Pirke Avot Part II”Rabbi Howard Ruben, Head of School
This Week: Rabbi Howard Jacoby Ruben continues reflecting on “Pirke Avot”: Judaism’s ancient treasury of ethical wisdom as applied to our contemporary relationships, values, and aspirations(Missed part one? No problem! Each weekly session is different.)
April 23 – “Pirke Avot”Rabbi Howard Ruben, Head of School
This Week: Rabbi Howard Jacoby Ruben will be reflecting on “Pirke Avot”: Judaism’s ancient treasury of ethical wisdom as applied to our contemporary relationships, values, and aspirations
April 13 – “Counting What Matters”Rabbi Howard Ruben, Head of School
Please join current & alumni JCHS parents for a conversation with Rabbi Howard Jacoby Ruben.Learn about the meaningful and spiritual practice of counting the days of the Omer in the Jewish tradition & making them count in our lives. We will look at some ancient and contemporary texts and share with one another. Jewish Community High School of the Bay1835 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94115Contact Us   |   DirectionsPhone: 415.345.9777

JCHS is grateful for generous operational, programmatic, and financial support from:

The Jewish Community High School of the Bay (JCHS) is a unique college preparatory high school committed to integrating deep learning, universal wisdom, and Jewish values. We empower each student to embrace their Jewish identity, generate empathy and compassion, delight in lifelong education, and improve the world. Open Sitemap